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RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

mechanomy.com

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Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#121

Post by legitster »

alanbernstein wrote: post #100
legitster wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Again, from personal experience I have yet to ever get rid of a tool because it failed on me. The only reason I have ever lost a tool was through theft, the battery/charger/replaceable component was no longer supported, or the tool was too unsafe to use. If I was a professional or ran a tool rental business I would 100% agree. But I wouldn't buy a pickup track no matter how durable if all I need it to do is grab groc…

What is the difference between "too unsafe to use" and "failed on me"?

Well, the one I am thinking of is an old-school all-metal belt sander that my grandfather gave to me.

The thing is an heirloom and may very well last forever, but basically has an unacceptable lack of modern safety features at this point. No trips, no guards, horrible ergonomics, weighs a ton, and has no grounding (keep in mind it's all metal). It also takes non-standard belts and I may or may not have cut my hand open twice just trying to change them.

So while I can understand the appeal of buying a tool that lasts forever, what are the odds you will actually want to use it forever?

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#122

Post by phil21 »

teachrdan wrote: post #113
ls15 wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The mini version isn't bulky: https://www.knipex.com/products/pipe-wrenches-and-water-pump... A thing of beauty

I love the form factor of this guy. But is it honestly used for anything except smoking joints?

Yes, it's quite useful around the house. Anything that isn't cranked on tight or corroded typically is fine. This is my go-to for most chores involving a wrench.

The XS is useful even as a small tool in a carry-on. I've busted mine (and it's Cobra XS equivalent which is probably more useful on a job site) out in a datacenter, etc. to get a small job done. You can more or less crank on them with as much strength as you can and they won't break or slip.

I bought it as a laugh when I found one 50% off and ended up purchasing a dozen or so as Christmas gifts for my ops staff that year. Fits in the watch pocket of your jeans comfortably, so it's handy to just have on you all day especially if going up and down ladders.

It won't replace a full toolset for a serious job - but as a "just in case" pair for little quick jobs they are unexpectedly useful.

I then ended up with a collection of around 20 various Knipex tools over the years since they simply are so much better than anything else I've found. Their precision nippers are the bees knees for terminating cat5/6 into patch panels, for example.

Definitely pick up a "baby wrench" if you have an excuse to!

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#123

Post by ls15 »

LeifCarrotson wrote: post #120
ls15 wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The mini version isn't bulky: https://www.knipex.com/products/pipe-wrenches-and-water-pump... A thing of beauty

I've got the XS which is even smaller, and has the distinction of being the only wrench I carry with me on MTB/hiking trips, basically an EDC item in the pouch of my backpack: https://www.knipex-tools.com/products/pipe-wrenches-and-wate... The mini has still got the pushbutton and dual locking tabs, the XS is more compact, much lighter, and is slightly more complicated to use, but can be used one-handed. It's fixed a…

Nice EDC item. I sometimes use the mini one-handed too, but that requires all fingers and must look awkward.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#124

Post by fn-mote »

marcus0x62 wrote: post #90
soared wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Until you use a cheap tool on your expensive bike, the allowance on the tool is poor and strips a screw, which can only be custom ordered direct from the manufacturer with a 2 month lead time, leaving your half-fixed bike completely useless. This happened to me when bleeding my hydraulic brakes - the screw was a 2.5mm Allen and my keys were slightly smaller than 2.5 from being rounded over a short period of time. Tha…

Allen fasteners are bad, and the people who designed them should feel bad. Even relatively high quality allen wrenches are prone to stripping fasteners. The best option on the market is the MAC RBRT series[1] 1 - https://www.mactools.com/products/sbdb77rbrt

For the not-so-curious: $180

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#125

Post by twobitshifter »

I’d wager the reason the the screw mechanism wasn’t designed to give a mechanical advantage is that it’s a part from a standard crescent wrench. The idea here was not to design a sliding lock mechanism, but to make a slide that can spin a regular crescent wrench.

Note that The crescent wrench already closes up linearly, so we’re just changing direction 90 degrees. There’s better ways to do that.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#126

Post by PaulDavisThe1st »

legitster wrote: post #121
alanbernstein wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the difference between "too unsafe to use" and "failed on me"?

Well, the one I am thinking of is an old-school all-metal belt sander that my grandfather gave to me. The thing is an heirloom and may very well last forever, but basically has an unacceptable lack of modern safety features at this point. No trips, no guards, horrible ergonomics, weighs a ton, and has no grounding (keep in mind it's all metal). It also takes non-standard belts and I may or may not have cut my hand op…

Power tools: yes.

Non-power tools: not so much. My grandfather-in-law's thread cutters and pipe wrenches are every bit at the level of whatever I could buy today.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#127

Post by Melatonic »

emmelaich wrote: post #111
Melatonic wrote: post #107

Knippex "Pliers" are still far superior to this. They blew my mind when I first used them. I dont use normal wrenches at all anymore - the knippex just grip stuff so much more perfectly and with less chance of rounding and you can "ratchet" around the bolt even though they are open ended.

I was wonder what these were so had a look. Found: in Australia we call them multigrips and I've got a few!

Nope - totally different. Those are known as Channel Locks over here. Watch a video of the knippex pliers in action - they are not the same at all!

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#128

Post by glenngillen »

gorbypark wrote: post #61
mauvehaus wrote: post #27

I haven't yet run across an adjustable wrench that was worth a shit. Even old (notionally decent?) Crescent ones. The jaws invariably splay when you apply force, even if you're using them correctly. I've come to the conclusion that it's just intrinsic to having a moving jaw that moves easily enough to be useful. At this point, if I expect to need the wrench ever again (or need to reuse the fastener), I'll just buy a…

Knipex makes some decent adjustable wrenches (not crescent style, though). Their Pliers Wrench line has an adjustment mechanism like a channel lock plier, but then has a jaw that’s on a cam mechanism to keep the two jaws parallel. One direction they’re just as good as a crescent wrench, but in the other direction it “self tightens” and you can really reef on it. The cam mechanism allows you to loosen your grip and th…

I’ve a set of Wera Joker adjustable wrenches, and for anything they can’t handle a couple of Kniper. Between them I don’t have much need for anything else.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#129

Post by milleramp »

mauvehaus wrote: post #27

I haven't yet run across an adjustable wrench that was worth a shit. Even old (notionally decent?) Crescent ones. The jaws invariably splay when you apply force, even if you're using them correctly. I've come to the conclusion that it's just intrinsic to having a moving jaw that moves easily enough to be useful. At this point, if I expect to need the wrench ever again (or need to reuse the fastener), I'll just buy a…

How about a combo of the two, the locking crescent wrench? https://youtu.be/WNTC91TKcMg

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#130

Post by bityard »

Workaccount2 wrote: post #62

Adjustable wrenches are good in emergencies, and that's about it. Never use one if you don't have to.

IME they have their uses if you do a lot of mechanical stuff. The smaller ones don't work well because of the poor tolerances involved but the larger ones are indispensable for "field work" where they work just as well as large combination wrenches for most tasks and one wrench is easier to carry around than a dozen.

I use one for changing the blade on my table saw.

They also double as a hammer if used wrongly enough.

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