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RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

mechanomy.com

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Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#61

Post by gorbypark »

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 there’s just enough room for a bolt head/nut to spin around, so it’s almost like having a ratchet, too. Only downsides are price and they are not super low profile so you need a bit of room to turn in.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#63

Post by creato »

creaturemachine wrote: post #47
PaulDavisThe1st wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "And having an overbuilt tool collecting dust is just as much a waste as throwing one away occasionally." Is it?

Yes, because a good amount of the cost of that pro level tool is R&D and support for its use by pros. By using it once and shelving it you've paid for more engineering than you need. Case in point, when I needed to drill two holes in concrete block I opted for the cheapest $20 aliexpress carbide hole saw I could find rather than the professional diamond tipped version costing hundreds. In the unlikely event that I'll…

I think this thread is conflating wasted money with wasted materials. Buying a nice tool once and underutilizing it wastes money. Buying cheap tools multiple times wastes materials.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#65

Post by 1970-01-01 »

Don't beware of, just know your problem. You can and absolutely should buy bargain bin tools for emergency circumstances, or for rapid disassembly jobs, or in one-off situations, or simply as backups if your expensive tools are unavailable.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#66

Post by blacksmith_tb »

Turing_Machine wrote: post #59
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…

Amazon is heavily promoting a tool that (as near as I can figure out) is a combination adjustable wrench and vise-grips, thus offering you two options for destroying fastener heads in one convenient tool.

Vice-grip do make some less-bad versions specifically for not spinning/rounding off nuts, like this one: https://www.mcmaster.com/vise-grips/locking-pliers-for-round...

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#67

Post by ThePowerOfFuet »

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…

My very limited experience with Knipex has me wanting to buy their stuff in the future.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#68

Post by prova_modena »

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…

The best quality traditional style adjustable wrenches I am aware of are made by Bahco. They are made with tighter tolerances than typical Home Depot grade stuff, which reduces slipping and damage caused by jaw movement.

https://www.bahco.com/int_en/products/wrenches/adjustable-wr...

However, I prefer the Knipex pliers wrenches mentioned by other commenters. They are also useful for many other gripping, pressing and bending tasks that the traditional adjustables cannot do.

Edit: For vise grip type tools, Grip-On is the best value/quality. They have a slightly different release mechanism than the Vise-Grip branded tools that improves the ergonomics of the tool significantly. They are (or were last time I checked) relabeled by some high end tool brands like Snap-on. For the most part, I consider them an inherently destructive but sometimes necessary tool that will mess up a fastener. However there are a wide variety of jaw styles (and removable covers) available that can mitigate this, depending on the task.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#69

Post by legitster »

PaulDavisThe1st wrote: post #31
legitster wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed! If you are a trade professional and regularly have tools crap out on you, that's one thing. But my tools are more likely to need replacing purely out of obsolescence than anything else. And having an overbuilt tool collecting dust is just as much a waste as throwing one away occasionally.

> "And having an overbuilt tool collecting dust is just as much a waste as throwing one away occasionally." Is it?

Nice tools are nice because they use more resources.

A Milwaukee drill is physically heavier than a Ryobi of the same size - purely because of all of the upgraded components to make it more durable/longer-lasting.

But if you are only touching 5% of the expected lifespan of your tool, no need to have one that's over-engineered.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#70

Post by D13Fd »

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…

Here is an adjustable wrench that's pretty good:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072LWP3Y3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...

Honestly I love this thing. It is precisely manufactured, turns smoothly, and grips well. I use it mostly for sink and plumbing repairs around the house, but I've also used it on bikes and other things. It's really nice for that because the small size means it fits in places that would otherwise be hard to manage.

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