A Conversation for Crescent/Monkey Wrenches

AKA

Post 21

eye_tooth

Crescent Wrenches 'Crestoloy' are made by Crescent(USA) I just call mine an adjustable spanner. Unlike inferior copies, if adjusted properly and applied the correct way round it does not slip neither does it assist in the rounding of nuts. Probably something to do with it being a precision tool rather than a cheap and nasty casting.


Footprint wrenches

Post 22

soubriquet

Footprint wrench: a pipe wrench made by Footprint in Sheffield, England, to their patented design. Rather than attempt to describe them here, I'll post a link. http://www.footprint-tools.co.uk/retail/wrenches.htm
As a general maintenance engineer, plumber, and industrial pipefitter, I can tell you that there's a good reason over 25 million of these wrenches have been sold since 1875.
They are simple, strong, and worth a boxful of lesser tools... Amongst mine is one stamped with a military unit part number dated 1942. I imagine it will happily last through another sixty or so years. I might just file a sharper edge back onto the teeth in ten years or so.
Their only minus point is that the adjusting fulcrum screw sometimes falls out in the bottom of my toolbox. I once lost one totally, rang Footprint, and was sent two spares, free of charge, arriving the next day.
DO NOT buy any similar looking tool made by anyone else, I bought a nine inch one which subtly did not manage to work at all properly, and broke when abused. A footprint would have laughed at the three foot length of pipe I was heaving on.


adjustable wrench, 'crescent' type.

Post 23

soubriquet

Here in Britain, I would know one of these as a Bahco wrench, after the Swedish firm that makes the best ones I know of, and which says it invented them in 1892.
They're not cheap, but outperform any others of the type I have tried, other than perhaps genuine Crescent ones, which are okay, but tend to have bulkier jaws and not as good a handle.
I prefer matt phosphated finish tools to chromed. Chrome is slippy, not grippy. Quality is far better than bling.
A poor quality wrench will slip, and round-off corners. More importantly, that slip may cause injury to your hands, which is absolutely unacceptable. You can get a new bolt, but your hands take time to heal.
NEVER buy a cheap chrome wrench with wobbly jaws. Buy your tools from an engineers tool supplier or only buy known good brands. (I'd like a truckload of Snap-On tools, if the genie of the lamp is listening) They'll cost more, but will make every job easier and faster, save you curses, damaged parts, and injuries, and they'll last longer.
You'll look more professional and feel it too.
It is said a bad workman blames the tools. But equally, a good workman will refuse to use use poor tools.

Monkey wrenches are a different thing altogether, being a nasty thing devised in victorian times, and best left to be used by monkeys. If you have one, give it away to someone you would like to see with bruised and bleeding knuckles and rounded, chewed-up nuts.


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