The Jaws refer to the outside shape at the end of the tool, the part bolt is in contact with is called the broached opening/flats which are indeed equal length. *The peak figures are high at times, but* you can see from the close ups the hex starts camming out and rounding over much sooner than the peak numbers. Especially for adjustables, one way seems to do that less or later in applied torque, and this is on perfect new wide/thick hex hardware. What you're working on might be softer, or less perfectly shaped, so if you have the choice of either might as well choose the one that will give you the best shot, or use our recommendations here to best even the score.
They will ALWAYS be known as crescent wrenches after the company Crescent tool owned by Karl Peterson tools that invented them at their original Crescent St Jamestown NY location. Like most companies they’ve long left their hometown origins. It’s the Same city where the 4 in 1 screwdriver was also invented by Algot T. Johnson and Burch Tool in Jamestown NY and the city where Matco tool boxes are manufactured. City most known for Lucille Ball from I love Lucy, Catherine Hershey from the candy company, Nick Carter, Roger Goodell, and others. It was once the furniture, brass hardware, and steel door/ window manufacturing capital of the world and original home to MRC and SKF bearings, also Truck Light whom invented the first sealed marker lite, the first stop, turn, tail light, first led license plate, dome and back up lights. It’s also home to a notable Cummings engine plant.
Not an M.E. but I had to take their classes. I vaguely remember the prof showing us that the best torque could be made turning the wrench away from the long side, having something to do with the offset of the axis of the wrench from the center of the fastener. But it's been decades since then, and I think I sold the textbook back.... That said, just this week had one where I had to alternate sides on an open end because no sockets or gear wrenches would fit in the limited clearance between the fastener and the rest of the assembly. 🤬There's probably a wrench out there that would fit in there properly but no combo of what I had available would do it other than the open end. Oh, and if it isn't damaging knuckles, it's rounding off the hex and forcing you to source a new fastener!
When you do an adjustable wrench showdown, please include at least one ultra-cheap one to replicate the crappy wrench your sister bought in her poor homeowner's grade tool set.
So I can say I have a cheap HDX one that I baught at home depot YEARS ago. I've used that for a long time at work and it's been great. I have snapons but I usually grab that one 1st.
I did a job in central China. All of our equipment was SAE, and I was assured that the customer had a full set of SAE tools. Naturally this was BS and I had to do a whole ass installation in a pipe mill with chinesium adjustable wrenches bought off of the street in what we dubbed, "tool alley". I could force the jaws on the wrenches open with pressure from my finger. That job was the stuff of nightmares.
Before TTC or the internet I had a dad that said "never use an adjustable wrench for cranking down nuts" I never listen to him and rounded many bicycle axle nuts. Miss you dad
Just came here to say I miss my dad too, I got him one of those black and decker auto adjustable wrenches as a gift when I was like 12, he was happy and said they were good gift. But as a grown man now I know they were not very useful Haha, good times. I absolutely love my dad
One of the oldest Mechanics jokes was to send a noob out to buy a Metric Adjustable Wrench (Crescent Wrench) - this joke was brought to a crashing halt when one returned with said Wrench with a Metric scale etched on it!
Aircraft mechanics have their own version of this. "Get me 15 feet of flight line". "Get me a gallon of propwash". As in your case, there actually is a company that makes a cleaner named prop wash.
I think a crescent bake-off and/or a vice grip showdown would be great. This channel is both a consumer advocate and the bane of tool manufacturers. A great combination or as Project Farm might say, very impressive!
@brainkill7034 is an excellent piece of German engineering, but too expensive for me. I lose wrenches all the time. Dropped in walls, left on bumpers, walked off of job sight. My favorite is Klein. I'll buy old used Klien adjustable wrenches in pawnshop every time I see them. I bought one for $2 that was locked up and rusted beyond recognition. Soaked it in rust breaker for a couple days and cleaned it up. Worked perfectly for years, until I left it somewhere, or loaned it to someone, can't remember.
@@AlexKall use to have an old one. I think I forgot it on the back of our water truck and lost it. That was a sad day. Two days ago I was thinking about replacing it. Glad I seen this. Hopefully Torque Test does an adjustable wrench head to head.
The "jaw direction" is VERY important when using channel-locks, pipe wrench or pliers, but almost irrelevant with a standard open end wrench (as you demonstrated).
1. Push in for the win 2. Rotate away from long, can’t go wrong Love to see challenging “common knowledge”. Also love to see the realistic addition of “sometimes you can only get the wrench on in one orientation”. As this is how practice works and not theory, this is also how I use my tools so very valuable information here. Thank you for sharing!
I have a good idea for a video that is right up your alley. Make a video pitting American tools vs. European tools. With special attention to adjustable wrenches. Here in Spain we have adjustable wrenches from maker Bellota with a much finer resolution on the jaw adjustment with practically no slop. I have always wondered if they would take the same amount of torque as US counterparts. It would be a polarizing video which is always good for views. Food for thought.
@@ranger178 Did it include European tools? There are some outstanding tools from France, Spain, Italy, Germany among others. I´m talking high quality stuff way beyond your average Chinese hardware and at competitive prices.
@@rafaellastracom6411 yes he does knipex a lot seems he mostly buys what is on amazon so people can just follow a link to buy it themselves but some things he searches out like a vintage 1980s craftsman made in usa he does not get really hard to find items .
0:41 In the original Swedish, it's known as a "Muttersvarv" or a Nut-Lathe for it's tendency to round out anything you try to crack with it, although the original Bahco(made in Sweden) adjustable wrenches are incredible, there's like zero movement in the jaws once they're set.
Bahco has been the go to for many years but 30 years ago they changed the pattern to the one shown. Whilst the shallower thimble adjustment allows them to work far more smoothly and easily when dirty it certainly reduces their strength. The normal failure mode used to be the jaw breaking away at the narrow part in the slide. If you do any further tests it may be worth testing an Irega crescent wrench. It is Irega who is making the Bahco now apparently but their own brand uses a slightly different pattern that is remarkably strong in my experience. The swedish made Bahcos dont break but I dont think they make them anymore. They also use a much bulkier pattern in the pre 90's version. Great tests
at work i have quite a few tools from bahco and the are nothing like they used to be. the screw drivers breake and the pipe wrenches and adjustable wrenches are soft so a grade 8.8 bolt almost round over the jaws. but one thing they make that works is a holder for hole saws they make model no. 3834-ARBR-11152
I was lucky to find two Swedish made bahco's in amongst my father's old tools. They are likely over 25 years old and seem to be very well made though I've never punished them. No slop in the jaw. I was a bit disappointed to see them fail in this video before realising that like everything else, standards have slipped for newer tools
I had been wondering when the quality went down the toilet. I had only heard that Bahco made good stuff, but only started buying tools about 12 years ago and I've always been disappointed with Bahco. Rarely are they even as dependable as the cheap brands, but still the asking price tends to be higher than mid-high brands.
@@Itslvle boot sales, garage sales, ebay, gumtree or whatever the equivalents in your country seem a better source of tools for me - at least for quality at a good price
When I was an Engineer in the British Merchant Navy, everyone had a 10" Bahco adjustable wrench stuck in the ruler pocket of their boiler suits. These went by the common name of a SHIFTER. Many modifed, by grinding off the last bit of the aduster allowing the sliding jaw to come right out. It meant that if you couldn't undo the nut/bolt at least you had a measure of the correct spanner to fit. You could always tell the nuts that had been shiftered on a regular basis, as they would be pretty well rounded. We were always told to only spanner in the "correct" direction. Looks like I'm about to find out if that was true or false. EDIT: Well I'm glad all my Bahco shifters are older and were made in Sweden. Really not a good look that!
When I first started watching TTC, it seemed like you were all business. Now, you are all business, but with a fantastic sense of humor! Good to see your channel grow!
I'd love to see a Knipex pliers-wrench up against Crescent style wrenches with pushy, since the best adjustable wrench is clearly a pliers-wrench. (Note that I'm being somewhat facetious, I hate crescent wrenches but I'm sure they have their place. I have a 3" opening 20+" long crescent wrench I use for taking off my threaded lathe chuck, for example.) EDIT: It'd be pretty neat to see one of those old-timey adjustable wrenches pitted against modern options (like the ones that Hand Tool Rescue makes that are based off of a patent from 1879). You could even try the thing where you put a nut that's just a bit smaller than the fastener behind the jaw to prevent jaw spreading.
@El_Peto I really like old fashioned adjustable wrenches for that purpose, like the type where the adjustment nut is down in the handle rather than up top. I have the small and large one that Hand Tool Rescue makes, and they're great. I really like how tightly you can get them to grip on a nut vs crescent wrenches. They're pricey, but I think they're cool. EDIT: this comment is the way you can tell I'm a hobbyist lol. I just like cool tools, and the old fashioned wrenches go well with my 1950s lathe.
crescent wrenches work great for fine tuning the hang of a door by bending the hinges. but bargain brand adjustable wrenches have too much flex to work.
The pliers wrench is awesome because of the way it holds the fastener but I've broken them before breaking an adjustable wrench because the sidewalls around the pivot are quite thin. It was abuse, my fault. They are definitely better for the nuts and bolts but I don't believe they're more durable than decent adjustable. I'd still love to see it tested!
The turn strength of knipex channel locks or more accurately "pump style pliers" are based on hand strength, the tools multiply it exponentially but they open when you hand can't keep them closed, not on the tool's failure. Some channels test them with hose clamps or other ways but it's not even close to an approximation of real world use
45 years ago I bought Diamond adjustable wrenches (3) and I still have 2 of them, used them everyday for HVAC work. I’ve used cheater pipes on them and none of them failed. They are retired now and so am I.
I have three 15” diamond tool horseshoe co wrenches and one Williams, theyre over 70yrs old and have great tolerances. If you manage to have them slip you did something wrong
My Bahco Sweden adjustable wrench has been great for over 2 decades. What's most surprising is the Ergo rubber grip still in great shape after over 20 years of greasy hands
i love a set on proto made in america adjustable wrenches from back in 1990s that i have they don't wobble loose as you pull them on and off a bolt or nut, they actually kinda get tighter
Great video, I was one of the people who criticized a wrench testing video you made comparing 2 different wrenches but showing them opposite orientations . You replied stating you tested both ways that were not shown in the video. If the bolts are already rounded a little the results you arrived to are even more pronounced. Admittedly they are still closer than I imagined they would be. Real world usage on non damaged/seized bolts orientation won't matter... Growing up the adjustables were called the poor man's micrometer; among other things 😂🤣... Again great video👍👍
Ya know it's funny, we make a video like this and it sort of makes it seem by default since we're presenting the info like we knew any of this at all when it's more like imagine you and your buddies sitting around the shop having a few beers after work being like well what if we just welded together a machine that turned the wrench and pointed a camera at it and it would tell us. Fast forward to having the results and making the video, you sound like a Harvard scholar in wrenches, and the whole time we're actually like "oh, no way, look at that! Try pushing towards the hex, does that make a difference?!"
Finally someone who speak about that! In every single YT video that I’ve watched there is someone who use a wrench upside down and it make me crazy every time!
I'd take feel and slimmer form factor of the Bahco over max torque of the Cresent. If you do test more of these, the Walmart brand Hart adjustable I got a few years ago actually feels pretty decent. I have used it a few times and it did the job.
quite honestly the adjustable wrench design from 1879 that hand tool rescue sells are probably the best you could ever want. got one for my brother as a christmas present and it's his favourite tool ever now.
Exactly. Most wrenches have a very bulky head and an inconveniently steep angle from the jaw to the handle, whereas Bahco has minimal angle and slim jaws.
My favorite use for an adjustable wrench is to hold something in place so I can use a proper wrench to apply the force, and I don't have to go hunt for a duplicate wrench by just grabbing whatever adjustable is big enough. Something like holding a bolt head in place with an adjustable while I tighten the nut with a wrench. Can't say my list of times an adjustable wrench has been preferable to a normal wrench has many entries. Only really good for weirdly sized fasteners or for when you can't be bothered to look for the right size for a 1 minute simple job at home.
just got an idea, i dont know if anyones done it but it would be interesting to see a crescent wrench where the center "axle" for lack of a better term of the worm gear had a screw underneath it on one side to raise it up so as to reduce the clearance between the worm gear and the teeth, essentially locking it in place and increasing your tolerance.
I learned this many decades ago, that if you need to break something lose with an open end to try to use "the proper" way as the initial way to break it lose . And if you can't, before you get crazy, to try a line wrench open end if that will fit. There are a few methods to try before you go and round off a bolt/nut that can have an agonizing outcome .
Funny, I've grown up calling them bahco wrench here in the netherlands. Took until adulthood before I knew it wasn't actually the name of the thing lol, just the brand that made adjustable wrenches popular over here. Never even heard of crescent.
Exactly! It's only because of RUclips channels like this, I learned that the formal name 'adjustable wrench' is. The 'bahco' and 'waterpomptang' are the two tools I remember the most, when doing work around the boats.
I’d love to see an adjustable wrench showdown. I’m especially interested in which have the least amount of slop in the jaws as well as which have the narrowest jaws to get into tight places.
Bacho used to be great, I bought all my tools between 98-04, still have all my Bachos. Sure there were no channels like this but back then we all went on other people's experience.
The fact that the angle of the head is offset means that it is intended to be used in each direction. You're pointing that out at the 2:00 point in the video as I am typing this.
I thought the reason for the offset head is for when you have very little clearance and you can only get to the nut/bolt from a narrow angle. In that case you can only make 1/8 turns, flipping the direction of the head each time. It’s a rare situation, so maybe I’m wrong and wrench designers did not account for it.
@@TomKane77 That is the exact reason. When there is limited space and you can't get the wrench on the head of the bolt or nut, you flip it to change the angle of attack and use it in the other direction - hence, it is intended to be used in either direction. If it was only intended to be used in once direction, the jaws wouldn't be angled.
Well I got my first Crescent branded wrench way back in 1970 from my dad. He bought me my first bike along with a Crescent wrench and said to me. (If your old enough to ride this bike, your old enough to fix it.) Still have it in my tool box! Scraped my knuckles plenty of times using it too!
NASA has a study on this. I believe the results claimed the direction of the wrench were insignificant. It's an open source doc, you can find it on the web. It has lock washer results as well
Proto professional is the toughest adjustable 12” wrench, we had a “ put your money down on your favorite “ and we will break them kind of test. Proto Professional won both days, the only one that wouldn’t break.
Bet you didn't test any vintage Diamond Tool wrenches. Proto is good, but I haven't found anything with the outstanding fitment of those old Diamonds from Duluth.
@@leadboots72 no we sure didn’t have one of those, we pipe fitters started this test one day at work, the iron workers found out and started bringing their favorites in the next. 1 1/4” nut on a pipe flange, 5’ cheater pipe on wrench, a 200lb guy would sit on the end of cheater, if it held he would turn it around and pick up on it. If that held we would give every one a chance to break it. The ones that bet to break sure as hell tried the hardest😂
As an ironworker i carry an adjustable wrench every single day. Id love to see a comparison including major brands and also PROTO and klein tools. Thank you for your thorough videos!
When I first heard about a preferred direction for adjustable wrenches I remembered the preferred direction by telling myself that I should turn in the direction that the handle is already bent. PS I like my Milwaukee adjustable wrenches, but I mostly use them as calipers to figure out which size socket I should be using 😀
Adjustable wrenches are designed to allow the bottom jaw to rotate and lock into place when torque is applied, solving the engineering dilemma of being mobile but capable of locking down for stronger torque without slipping. This is why the correct orientation for adjustable wrenches applies loosening force to the far end of that locking bottom jaw, increasing that binding force. I'm a little surprised there is a different, favorable effect with fixed wrenches, but it seems minor by comparison. We all want a wrench to be useful in many awkward situations, so one designed at an angle will increase the chance of finding an orientation that works. A straight wrench design wouldn't be so versatile as to offer a second (flipped) option if the first doesn't work.
exactly im a diesel mechanic i cant tell you how many times i've ran into you can only turn the nut or bolt like 1/3-1/2 of a flat and you have to flip the wrench to turn the the rest of the flat repeat 200 times to get the bolt or nut out.
I have brought this up on my channel and told my viewers this same thing just cause I noticed it from personal use after smashing my hand and knuckles many many many times over the years. Thank you for actually testing and showing this all. Great vid.
For an adjustable it matters because you want the force to be transferred to the fixed jaw not the mobile one. The only reason box end wrenches are angled like that is so you can always get it on a hex shaped bolt. If it were straight there’d be a possibility that the fastener you’re trying to get would be aligned so the wrench can’t fit over it. As it is right now you just flip the wrench and come at it from a different angle
He literally said exactly that in the OPENING of the video. You didn’t even watch it before commenting. Just came straight to the comments to let everyone know how smart you are. It’s disrespectful to not even pay attention to the video.
Yes, we do want to see the best adjustable wrenches. My 6" crescent died the death with really soft sink faucet attachment nuts. The jaws deformed! Replaced them with the equivalent Channellock brand ones and never had an issue since.
I wish I could like this comment more than once, what I'd really love is to see after that showdown is the best adjustable wrenches maybe go up against their "Cousin" Pliers Wrenches (is it Pliers Wrench or Pliers Wrenches😂)
Torque Test Channel... So the old timers are right when they say there is right and wrong way to turn the wrench.. Even if it is just slightly better, I knew it!! Wondering if the direction the wrench is turned makes a difference on the flank drive plus and anti-slip wrenches because on some of them the groves are in different spots of the jaw depending on the top or bottom jaw. Just a thought.
I can tell you it absolutely matters for pipe wrenches and cheap adjustable wrenches. Haven't done much testing on fixed wrenches or a higher quality adjustable.
If you do a Crescent wrench rundown, you really should include a couple of Fujiya KUROKIN wrenches as contenders! They make some really cool and more unique designs that I hope you shine some light on if you continue covering this category. Love some of their short adjustables.
Taught by a time served engineer myself. The explanation for using an open end spanner the 'correct' way as opposed to the 'wrong' way: For Adjustable spanners you can see what happens to the mobile jaw. But this isn't the main reason for the 'correct' way. The main reason is that normal people in many situations will push or pull in a straight line, not with a perfect curve. With the spanner the correct way this keeps pushing the spanner onto the hex for a much greater arc than the 'wrong' way does. This is one of the two reasons for the offset angle of the head. The other reason is so you can of course flip it over to get it onto nuts/bolts in awkward situations. Initial loosening and final tightening should whenever possible be done with the spanner in the 'correct' orientation.
I’d love an episode on the best vise grips followed by an episode on best adjustable. You guys are great. I’ve been watching almost as long as you been making videos, keep up the good work!
Lots of them better than Vice Grip these days IMO, Malco which has probably closed down now, even Milwaukee's lately are miles ahead in my own non objective experience.
Malco Eagle Grips were the best, but unfortunately I believe they shut down their USA manufacturing so at this point I'm not sure who is the best. Buy the ones that are still out there while you can.
Yeah, I suspect this is where the "myth" comes from. It is noticeable in the hand. Using them the wrong way actually applies force to open up the pliers, whereas using them the right way, you don't even have to hold the handles together once you've got tension on it.
GREAT Testing! This tool is amazing but will pull almost every battery down to 8.xx volts when hammering other than the 5Ah battery. Crazy to see the amount of power this tool will pull from a battery.
In my decades of working on equipment, I've never noticed a difference in the way I use an open end wrench, because if I'm looking for maximum torque, I can either find a way to use the box end or a socket, or there isn't enough space where I'm working to be able to slip a pipe over the end to get maximum torque. And if I'm using a crescent wrench, it's not an ideal situation anyways so you're never gonna be able to only use the "correct" side of the wrench. And testing vise grips with your new rig would be pretty cool, there've been times I've used a snipe on a pair of vise grips to turn something that needed to be turned.
A best adjustable test would be great. Most of mine are from Bahco, Lobster and Knipex. I only have the one Cresent, but I'll have a few more after this review. It would also be interested to see it a chrome finish makes any difference.
I first ran into the Bahco "adjustable spanner" (UK nomenclature) back in the mid '70's while working in the North Sea oilfields. They were made in Sweden and their most unusual feature was that the adjustment barrel turned the opposite direction from my familiar Crescent wrenches in the States. They really had a tight mechanism and seemed very high quality. Since then I've tried lots of different brands and can say that there are some very nice quality wrenches out there on the market now.
It’d be really interesting to throw a Knipex Pliers Wrench up against the round off wrenches. I’ve all but abandoned mine for the pliers wrench Also, I’ve heard from a few iron workers that the better multi metric wrenches are the ones where the handle tapers more narrow to the end. Great video as always!
I dont know about you guys, maybe it's just me about this channel, but I can't properly enjoy a video these days without an sudden segment about Raycon ear buds, AG1 dietary supplements or BetterHelp. It's like, am I watching a channel with 200 subs or something - time to level up guys :P /s
Ours arrives shortly, likely next week's video. We had to cancel our original orders and get back in line for a pretty interesting reason we'll cover when we put the video together.
Killing it with the slogans at the end there. Nice! Adjustable wrench result makes sense. In the "correct" way, you apply a compression load on the adjustable jaw. The sliding face can help support the jaw against opening via friction and just having more surface area. When you use the wrench "wrong", the adjustable arm is now loaded in tension, and it only has the thinner web leading to the worm gear to resist that tension. Using the adjustable wrench "wrong" will encourage it to slip sooner, more often, and fatigue faster.
And, the point of the offset jaws on what we in Oz call open enders is that, as you only have six sides of the hex to work with you will often find that the bolt head is inaccessible unless you turn the spanner over. Tight access work is really the only time to use these spanners. Also on hose fittings. Oh yeah, you will probably notice we don't call them "wrenches" here. That term is for pipe wrenches only. And people say we all speak "English"...
For box ends I think flipping it is kind of by design. Those nuts between two posts where you can only get a 16th of a turn you have to keep flipping the box. But yeah I agree with the adjustable, never used them the other way. An even better adjustable where you see this is the Ford wrenches you basically can't use those the wrong way, but if you use them the right way they are one of my personal favorites for adjustable style wrenches. Thank you for the video!
I love adjustable wrenches for the plumbing/hvac fields I own just about every brand. I've found the USA made rigid is the best but those $15 crescents are not bad.
The Jaws refer to the outside shape at the end of the tool, the part bolt is in contact with is called the broached opening/flats which are indeed equal length.
*The peak figures are high at times, but* you can see from the close ups the hex starts camming out and rounding over much sooner than the peak numbers. Especially for adjustables, one way seems to do that less or later in applied torque, and this is on perfect new wide/thick hex hardware. What you're working on might be softer, or less perfectly shaped, so if you have the choice of either might as well choose the one that will give you the best shot, or use our recommendations here to best even the score.
How about a multi wrench? I have one goes 7/8 to 1 1/4 or 23mm to 32mm. The weirdest wrench ive ever seen and never used. Would love to send a pic
can you test adjustable pliers now?
Knipex Cobra
Knipex Aligator and so on
anyway great job as always
They will ALWAYS be known as crescent wrenches after the company Crescent tool owned by Karl Peterson tools that invented them at their original Crescent St Jamestown NY location. Like most companies they’ve long left their hometown origins. It’s the Same city where the 4 in 1 screwdriver was also invented by Algot T. Johnson and Burch Tool in Jamestown NY and the city where Matco tool boxes are manufactured.
City most known for Lucille Ball from I love Lucy, Catherine Hershey from the candy company, Nick Carter, Roger Goodell, and others. It was once the furniture, brass hardware, and steel door/ window manufacturing capital of the world and original home to MRC and SKF bearings, also Truck Light whom invented the first sealed marker lite, the first stop, turn, tail light, first led license plate, dome and back up lights. It’s also home to a notable Cummings engine plant.
fun but stupid fact, a "crescent wrench" is called a swedish key in danish.
Not an M.E. but I had to take their classes. I vaguely remember the prof showing us that the best torque could be made turning the wrench away from the long side, having something to do with the offset of the axis of the wrench from the center of the fastener. But it's been decades since then, and I think I sold the textbook back....
That said, just this week had one where I had to alternate sides on an open end because no sockets or gear wrenches would fit in the limited clearance between the fastener and the rest of the assembly. 🤬There's probably a wrench out there that would fit in there properly but no combo of what I had available would do it other than the open end.
Oh, and if it isn't damaging knuckles, it's rounding off the hex and forcing you to source a new fastener!
I want to see an adjustable wrench video just to find out which ones can actually meet those crazy standards.
ASME engineers were ON one the day they wrote that section
@@TorqueTestChannel Nah, they just had vintage craftsman.
@@TorqueTestChannel I'd like to see some locking adjustable wrenches included too.
I think they deliberately made the specs really high because of the adjustable feature. They know it's the weak spot.
Project Farm did one already. Vintage Craftsman for the win.
When you do an adjustable wrench showdown, please include at least one ultra-cheap one to replicate the crappy wrench your sister bought in her poor homeowner's grade tool set.
That's what the OG Pittsburgh is for😂
So I can say I have a cheap HDX one that I baught at home depot YEARS ago. I've used that for a long time at work and it's been great. I have snapons but I usually grab that one 1st.
stanley and gearwrench. Cheapo and cheap with great value, respectively.
I did a job in central China. All of our equipment was SAE, and I was assured that the customer had a full set of SAE tools. Naturally this was BS and I had to do a whole ass installation in a pipe mill with chinesium adjustable wrenches bought off of the street in what we dubbed, "tool alley". I could force the jaws on the wrenches open with pressure from my finger. That job was the stuff of nightmares.
I bought that for her and she hasn't used it yet but I used it as a hammer cause hers had a broken handle.
Before TTC or the internet I had a dad that said "never use an adjustable wrench for cranking down nuts" I never listen to him and rounded many bicycle axle nuts. Miss you dad
Ohhh the nostalgia just hit me like a wrench thrown by a ...... Yea I have been there. Not sure I owned a single bike with good nuts on it 😂
Omg! Same here!! Love it we are reminiscing these events in our lives! Miss my dad too.
Just came here to say I miss my dad too, I got him one of those black and decker auto adjustable wrenches as a gift when I was like 12, he was happy and said they were good gift. But as a grown man now I know they were not very useful Haha, good times. I absolutely love my dad
One of the oldest Mechanics jokes was to send a noob out to buy a Metric Adjustable Wrench (Crescent Wrench) - this joke was brought to a crashing halt when one returned with said Wrench with a Metric scale etched on it!
I thought it was a joke about buying a European made adjustable wrench, vs an American made one.
First mechanic job i was told to find blinker fluid at the auto parts store. I came back with some visine eye drops, my trainer was flabbergasted!
Believe it or not, there are also left handed open ended adjustable wrenches too.
I'm still waiting for my welders helper to bring back that aluminum magnet I asked for.
Aircraft mechanics have their own version of this. "Get me 15 feet of flight line". "Get me a gallon of propwash". As in your case, there actually is a company that makes a cleaner named prop wash.
A comprehensive adjustable wrench throwdown would be awesome
And take into account whether they are metric or imperial...
@@tjdewolff5104 don't forget the right and left handed ones too
@@tjdewolff5104 I guess that is a joke. Maybe a Whitworth adjustable should be tested.
would love to see the knipex/icon pliers wrench in here as well
I think a crescent bake-off and/or a vice grip showdown would be great. This channel is both a consumer advocate and the bane of tool manufacturers. A great combination or as Project Farm might say, very impressive!
As a plumber, the adjustable wrench is the greatest tool of all time. As a mechanic, it's the worst. YMMV
What are your feelings on the knipex pliers wrench?
@brainkill7034 is an excellent piece of German engineering, but too expensive for me. I lose wrenches all the time. Dropped in walls, left on bumpers, walked off of job sight. My favorite is Klein. I'll buy old used Klien adjustable wrenches in pawnshop every time I see them. I bought one for $2 that was locked up and rusted beyond recognition. Soaked it in rust breaker for a couple days and cleaned it up. Worked perfectly for years, until I left it somewhere, or loaned it to someone, can't remember.
As a mechanic, pipe wrenches for the win on rounded bastard bolts haha.
As a DIY/tinkerer its both! lol
@@mattmcc7930 I love buying old rusted tools, usually with a little work you have something better than you can buy new and for cheap.
The Bahco surprised me a lot. You guys are always on point. The technical name “knuckle f” is pure comedy GOLD. 😂
Yeah, not making the Bahco brand proud. They sure are not comparable to the old Swedish made adjustable.
@@AlexKall use to have an old one. I think I forgot it on the back of our water truck and lost it. That was a sad day. Two days ago I was thinking about replacing it. Glad I seen this. Hopefully Torque Test does an adjustable wrench head to head.
@@TwoTurtlesAndAWrench thanks for the wrench bro i still use it to this day
@@user-oy4lk7fd9w 😂
Yes would love to see a best adjustable wrenches. Get several different brands and sizes from 4" to 24".
The correct answer is: use the spanner in the way that you can actually get it on the nut.
And if your jaw has any wiggle, gravity will alter the setting, so go short side down.
“A hand tool making smoke…that’s when you know you done messed up” 😂🤣 Extremely accurate haha.
The "jaw direction" is VERY important when using channel-locks, pipe wrench or pliers, but almost irrelevant with a standard open end wrench (as you demonstrated).
1. Push in for the win
2. Rotate away from long, can’t go wrong
Love to see challenging “common knowledge”. Also love to see the realistic addition of “sometimes you can only get the wrench on in one orientation”. As this is how practice works and not theory, this is also how I use my tools so very valuable information here. Thank you for sharing!
Well, in theory; theory and practice are the same.
In practice though....
If nothing else the uncertainty principle, which cannot be quantified, proves otherwise.
I have a good idea for a video that is right up your alley. Make a video pitting American tools vs. European tools. With special attention to adjustable wrenches. Here in Spain we have adjustable wrenches from maker Bellota with a much finer resolution on the jaw adjustment with practically no slop. I have always wondered if they would take the same amount of torque as US counterparts. It would be a polarizing video which is always good for views. Food for thought.
send him the wrench from spain.
@@ronblack7870 If he wants one I´ll send it over.
project farm already did it new vs old and cheap china. craftsman's old made in USA won
@@ranger178 Did it include European tools? There are some outstanding tools from France, Spain, Italy, Germany among others. I´m talking high quality stuff way beyond your average Chinese hardware and at competitive prices.
@@rafaellastracom6411 yes he does knipex a lot seems he mostly buys what is on amazon so people can just follow a link to buy it themselves but some things he searches out like a vintage 1980s craftsman made in usa he does not get really hard to find items .
0:41 In the original Swedish, it's known as a "Muttersvarv" or a Nut-Lathe for it's tendency to round out anything you try to crack with it, although the original Bahco(made in Sweden) adjustable wrenches are incredible, there's like zero movement in the jaws once they're set.
I'd really like to see an old Swedish Bahco in this video for comparison. It's sad to see what has become of this brand, especially with their files.
Swedish Nut Lathe is correct.
Bahco has been the go to for many years but 30 years ago they changed the pattern to the one shown. Whilst the shallower thimble adjustment allows them to work far more smoothly and easily when dirty it certainly reduces their strength. The normal failure mode used to be the jaw breaking away at the narrow part in the slide. If you do any further tests it may be worth testing an Irega crescent wrench. It is Irega who is making the Bahco now apparently but their own brand uses a slightly different pattern that is remarkably strong in my experience. The swedish made Bahcos dont break but I dont think they make them anymore. They also use a much bulkier pattern in the pre 90's version.
Great tests
Correct, no longer any Bahco adjustable wrenches made in Sweden. They only make saws and saw blades in Sweden.
at work i have quite a few tools from bahco and the are nothing like they used to be. the screw drivers breake and the pipe wrenches and adjustable wrenches are soft so a grade 8.8 bolt almost round over the jaws. but one thing they make that works is a holder for hole saws they make model no. 3834-ARBR-11152
I was lucky to find two Swedish made bahco's in amongst my father's old tools. They are likely over 25 years old and seem to be very well made though I've never punished them. No slop in the jaw. I was a bit disappointed to see them fail in this video before realising that like everything else, standards have slipped for newer tools
I had been wondering when the quality went down the toilet. I had only heard that Bahco made good stuff, but only started buying tools about 12 years ago and I've always been disappointed with Bahco. Rarely are they even as dependable as the cheap brands, but still the asking price tends to be higher than mid-high brands.
@@Itslvle boot sales, garage sales, ebay, gumtree or whatever the equivalents in your country seem a better source of tools for me - at least for quality at a good price
When I was an Engineer in the British Merchant Navy, everyone had a 10" Bahco adjustable wrench stuck in the ruler pocket of their boiler suits. These went by the common name of a SHIFTER. Many modifed, by grinding off the last bit of the aduster allowing the sliding jaw to come right out. It meant that if you couldn't undo the nut/bolt at least you had a measure of the correct spanner to fit. You could always tell the nuts that had been shiftered on a regular basis, as they would be pretty well rounded. We were always told to only spanner in the "correct" direction. Looks like I'm about to find out if that was true or false.
EDIT: Well I'm glad all my Bahco shifters are older and were made in Sweden. Really not a good look that!
When I first started watching TTC, it seemed like you were all business. Now, you are all business, but with a fantastic sense of humor! Good to see your channel grow!
I'd love to see a Knipex pliers-wrench up against Crescent style wrenches with pushy, since the best adjustable wrench is clearly a pliers-wrench.
(Note that I'm being somewhat facetious, I hate crescent wrenches but I'm sure they have their place. I have a 3" opening 20+" long crescent wrench I use for taking off my threaded lathe chuck, for example.)
EDIT: It'd be pretty neat to see one of those old-timey adjustable wrenches pitted against modern options (like the ones that Hand Tool Rescue makes that are based off of a patent from 1879). You could even try the thing where you put a nut that's just a bit smaller than the fastener behind the jaw to prevent jaw spreading.
@El_Peto I really like old fashioned adjustable wrenches for that purpose, like the type where the adjustment nut is down in the handle rather than up top. I have the small and large one that Hand Tool Rescue makes, and they're great. I really like how tightly you can get them to grip on a nut vs crescent wrenches. They're pricey, but I think they're cool.
EDIT: this comment is the way you can tell I'm a hobbyist lol. I just like cool tools, and the old fashioned wrenches go well with my 1950s lathe.
crescent wrenches work great for fine tuning the hang of a door by bending the hinges. but bargain brand adjustable wrenches have too much flex to work.
I'd love to see that as well with one addition. Put a channel lock parrot bill pliers in the test.
The pliers wrench is awesome because of the way it holds the fastener but I've broken them before breaking an adjustable wrench because the sidewalls around the pivot are quite thin. It was abuse, my fault. They are definitely better for the nuts and bolts but I don't believe they're more durable than decent adjustable. I'd still love to see it tested!
The turn strength of knipex channel locks or more accurately "pump style pliers" are based on hand strength, the tools multiply it exponentially but they open when you hand can't keep them closed, not on the tool's failure. Some channels test them with hose clamps or other ways but it's not even close to an approximation of real world use
The wrench goes whatever way you have room for.
45 years ago I bought Diamond adjustable wrenches (3) and I still have 2 of them, used them everyday for HVAC work. I’ve used cheater pipes on them and none of them failed. They are retired now and so am I.
I have some diamonds that my grandpa gave me they still work
I have three 15” diamond tool horseshoe co wrenches and one Williams, theyre over 70yrs old and have great tolerances. If you manage to have them slip you did something wrong
Got a 1918 diamond self adjusting pipe wrench with a donkey on it.
I have Diamonds that were my grandfather's, 1930s vintage, still use them every day. Very worn and sloppy now but still effective.
Diamond Tool & Horseshoe Co. Duluth MN.
My Bahco Sweden adjustable wrench has been great for over 2 decades. What's most surprising is the Ergo rubber grip still in great shape after over 20 years of greasy hands
That was Awesome! Started wrenching in ~68, still doing it for fun, and LEARNED something today. Thanks, guys, great work!
Best adjustable wrench episode and include all the different pliers wrenches
I always thought diamond horseshoe made the best crescent style wrench. Great work as usual.
i love a set on proto made in america adjustable wrenches from back in 1990s that i have they don't wobble loose as you pull them on and off a bolt or nut, they actually kinda get tighter
Great video, I was one of the people who criticized a wrench testing video you made comparing 2 different wrenches but showing them opposite orientations . You replied stating you tested both ways that were not shown in the video. If the bolts are already rounded a little the results you arrived to are even more pronounced. Admittedly they are still closer than I imagined they would be. Real world usage on non damaged/seized bolts orientation won't matter... Growing up the adjustables were called the poor man's micrometer; among other things 😂🤣... Again great video👍👍
Adjustable wrenches are called "Bahco" here in the Netherlands
Every time I hear 'crescent wrench' on RUclips, I find myself thinking out loud: they are called Bahco here.
Its even in the dictionary
0:35 I appreciate that I'm not the only one who calls these exclusively crescent wrenches no matter the brand they actually are
Bahco is only a shadow of its former glory when it was proper tools made in Sweden!
This video knowledge is what was missed out of so many lives at school.
Adjustable wrenches in the Wind Turbine field are called "Cres-Hammers." Can't live without them up there.
I would love to see adjustable wrenches tested in depth like this, and throwing in a pliers wrench for fun if possible.
Can’t wait to share this knowledge in other forums so I sound smart by proxy.
Ya know it's funny, we make a video like this and it sort of makes it seem by default since we're presenting the info like we knew any of this at all when it's more like imagine you and your buddies sitting around the shop having a few beers after work being like well what if we just welded together a machine that turned the wrench and pointed a camera at it and it would tell us.
Fast forward to having the results and making the video, you sound like a Harvard scholar in wrenches, and the whole time we're actually like "oh, no way, look at that! Try pushing towards the hex, does that make a difference?!"
@@TorqueTestChannel It’s impressive what a few blokes can achieve with a simple question. “What do you reckon would win if we tested them like this?”
@@TorqueTestChannel FAFO FTW! 😆
@@TorqueTestChannel and that’s why we watch, enjoy, and appreciate your videos!
@@TorqueTestChannel The shear diagram on the wrenches are the same, just differs on the sign.
Finally someone who speak about that! In every single YT video that I’ve watched there is someone who use a wrench upside down and it make me crazy every time!
I'd take feel and slimmer form factor of the Bahco over max torque of the Cresent. If you do test more of these, the Walmart brand Hart adjustable I got a few years ago actually feels pretty decent. I have used it a few times and it did the job.
quite honestly the adjustable wrench design from 1879 that hand tool rescue sells are probably the best you could ever want. got one for my brother as a christmas present and it's his favourite tool ever now.
Exactly. Most wrenches have a very bulky head and an inconveniently steep angle from the jaw to the handle, whereas Bahco has minimal angle and slim jaws.
My favorite use for an adjustable wrench is to hold something in place so I can use a proper wrench to apply the force, and I don't have to go hunt for a duplicate wrench by just grabbing whatever adjustable is big enough. Something like holding a bolt head in place with an adjustable while I tighten the nut with a wrench.
Can't say my list of times an adjustable wrench has been preferable to a normal wrench has many entries. Only really good for weirdly sized fasteners or for when you can't be bothered to look for the right size for a 1 minute simple job at home.
I would love to see Japanese made Lobtex, TOP Hyper Zero and Fujiya tested.
just got an idea, i dont know if anyones done it but it would be interesting to see a crescent wrench where the center "axle" for lack of a better term of the worm gear had a screw underneath it on one side to raise it up so as to reduce the clearance between the worm gear and the teeth, essentially locking it in place and increasing your tolerance.
Lets go, my comment was featured in the video!
I learned this many decades ago, that if you need to break something lose with an open end to try to use "the proper" way as the initial way to break it lose . And if you can't, before you get crazy, to try a line wrench open end if that will fit. There are a few methods to try before you go and round off a bolt/nut that can have an agonizing outcome .
Funny, I've grown up calling them bahco wrench here in the netherlands. Took until adulthood before I knew it wasn't actually the name of the thing lol, just the brand that made adjustable wrenches popular over here. Never even heard of crescent.
Also the inventor of the tool, so it makes sense. But they are not the same as they used to be when they were manufactured in Sweden.
Same thing happens in the US.. we call any adjustable wrench a crescent wrench, even a bahco.
I'm from the States, and I had the exact mirror of that situation. Today is the first time I learned of Bacho.
Exactly! It's only because of RUclips channels like this, I learned that the formal name 'adjustable wrench' is.
The 'bahco' and 'waterpomptang' are the two tools I remember the most, when doing work around the boats.
I’d love to see an adjustable wrench showdown. I’m especially interested in which have the least amount of slop in the jaws as well as which have the narrowest jaws to get into tight places.
1:37 The real question here is, why are you using a metric wrench on an imperial bolt?
Probably because it's an easy and repeatable approximation of a rounded fastener.
A lot of us still use “Crescent” wrenches. We need the comparison video. Lost my old Swedish Bahco and I need a new Crescent for the old truck.
Okay but what about putting the wrench on vertically and twisting it like a screwdriver?
I've heard this, but it is nice to see it tested and put through the paces.
Bahco invented and patented that type of adjustable wrench in 1891
Which is why those wrenches in Europe are called Bahco('s)
@@NoNameForNonenah, I call them skiftnyckel since a Swede invented it. :)
Torque test channel is the go to for accurate tool testing data. Appreciate the work you guys put in.
I'd love to see a vise grips video!
Bacho used to be great, I bought all my tools between 98-04, still have all my Bachos. Sure there were no channels like this but back then we all went on other people's experience.
The fact that the angle of the head is offset means that it is intended to be used in each direction. You're pointing that out at the 2:00 point in the video as I am typing this.
I thought the reason for the offset head is for when you have very little clearance and you can only get to the nut/bolt from a narrow angle. In that case you can only make 1/8 turns, flipping the direction of the head each time. It’s a rare situation, so maybe I’m wrong and wrench designers did not account for it.
@@TomKane77 That is the exact reason. When there is limited space and you can't get the wrench on the head of the bolt or nut, you flip it to change the angle of attack and use it in the other direction - hence, it is intended to be used in either direction. If it was only intended to be used in once direction, the jaws wouldn't be angled.
Well I got my first Crescent branded wrench way back in 1970 from my dad. He bought me my first bike along with a Crescent wrench and said to me. (If your old enough to ride this bike, your old enough to fix it.) Still have it in my tool box! Scraped my knuckles plenty of times using it too!
Interestingly (possibly) we know "Crescent" as a bike brand rather than a wrench 😃
NASA has a study on this. I believe the results claimed the direction of the wrench were insignificant. It's an open source doc, you can find it on the web. It has lock washer results as well
Proving yet again they are habitual liars. 😉
Proto professional is the toughest adjustable 12” wrench, we had a “ put your money down on your favorite “ and we will break them kind of test. Proto Professional won both days, the only one that wouldn’t break.
Bet you didn't test any vintage Diamond Tool wrenches. Proto is good, but I haven't found anything with the outstanding fitment of those old Diamonds from Duluth.
@@leadboots72 no we sure didn’t have one of those, we pipe fitters started this test one day at work, the iron workers found out and started bringing their favorites in the next. 1 1/4” nut on a pipe flange, 5’ cheater pipe on wrench, a 200lb guy would sit on the end of cheater, if it held he would turn it around and pick up on it. If that held we would give every one a chance to break it. The ones that bet to break sure as hell tried the hardest😂
As an ironworker i carry an adjustable wrench every single day. Id love to see a comparison including major brands and also PROTO and klein tools. Thank you for your thorough videos!
That explains it! Sometimes, when I take something apart, if I get distracted for a moment, I turn around to discover that it's all back together.
When I first heard about a preferred direction for adjustable wrenches I remembered the preferred direction by telling myself that I should turn in the direction that the handle is already bent.
PS I like my Milwaukee adjustable wrenches, but I mostly use them as calipers to figure out which size socket I should be using 😀
Adjustable wrenches are designed to allow the bottom jaw to rotate and lock into place when torque is applied, solving the engineering dilemma of being mobile but capable of locking down for stronger torque without slipping. This is why the correct orientation for adjustable wrenches applies loosening force to the far end of that locking bottom jaw, increasing that binding force. I'm a little surprised there is a different, favorable effect with fixed wrenches, but it seems minor by comparison. We all want a wrench to be useful in many awkward situations, so one designed at an angle will increase the chance of finding an orientation that works. A straight wrench design wouldn't be so versatile as to offer a second (flipped) option if the first doesn't work.
exactly im a diesel mechanic i cant tell you how many times i've ran into you can only turn the nut or bolt like 1/3-1/2 of a flat and you have to flip the wrench to turn the the rest of the flat repeat 200 times to get the bolt or nut out.
I have brought this up on my channel and told my viewers this same thing just cause I noticed it from personal use after smashing my hand and knuckles many many many times over the years. Thank you for actually testing and showing this all. Great vid.
For an adjustable it matters because you want the force to be transferred to the fixed jaw not the mobile one. The only reason box end wrenches are angled like that is so you can always get it on a hex shaped bolt. If it were straight there’d be a possibility that the fastener you’re trying to get would be aligned so the wrench can’t fit over it. As it is right now you just flip the wrench and come at it from a different angle
Thank you captain obvious
Farts come from butts.
He literally said exactly that in the OPENING of the video. You didn’t even watch it before commenting. Just came straight to the comments to let everyone know how smart you are. It’s disrespectful to not even pay attention to the video.
The forces are the same either way. That's not why there's a difference. They didn't really go into why there's a difference.
Yes, we do want to see the best adjustable wrenches. My 6" crescent died the death with really soft sink faucet attachment nuts. The jaws deformed! Replaced them with the equivalent Channellock brand ones and never had an issue since.
Best adjustable wrench episode would be interesting 8:24 @Torque Test Channel
I wish I could like this comment more than once, what I'd really love is to see after that showdown is the best adjustable wrenches maybe go up against their "Cousin" Pliers Wrenches (is it Pliers Wrench or Pliers Wrenches😂)
@@ajblaow1 good idea didn't even think of that ya the Plier wrench there adjustable wrench jaws on Pliers
Torque Test Channel... So the old timers are right when they say there is right and wrong way to turn the wrench.. Even if it is just slightly better, I knew it!! Wondering if the direction the wrench is turned makes a difference on the flank drive plus and anti-slip wrenches because on some of them the groves are in different spots of the jaw depending on the top or bottom jaw. Just a thought.
I can tell you it absolutely matters for pipe wrenches and cheap adjustable wrenches. Haven't done much testing on fixed wrenches or a higher quality adjustable.
well pipe wrenches are specifically designed not to grip when you're going the wrong way so you can easily just pivot up and down like a ratchet.
...and channel lock pliers (or any angled plier).
@@windhelmguard5295 I love that about them. Genuis design.
A crescent wrench comparison would be awesome!
7:55 yes please! You guys are like the lie detecter channel for the products I care about.
YES! We want a "best adjustable wrench" video! In both correct & incorrect orientations, please.
If you do a Crescent wrench rundown, you really should include a couple of Fujiya KUROKIN wrenches as contenders! They make some really cool and more unique designs that I hope you shine some light on if you continue covering this category. Love some of their short adjustables.
Taught by a time served engineer myself. The explanation for using an open end spanner the 'correct' way as opposed to the 'wrong' way: For Adjustable spanners you can see what happens to the mobile jaw. But this isn't the main reason for the 'correct' way. The main reason is that normal people in many situations will push or pull in a straight line, not with a perfect curve. With the spanner the correct way this keeps pushing the spanner onto the hex for a much greater arc than the 'wrong' way does. This is one of the two reasons for the offset angle of the head. The other reason is so you can of course flip it over to get it onto nuts/bolts in awkward situations. Initial loosening and final tightening should whenever possible be done with the spanner in the 'correct' orientation.
In Danish the adjustable wrenches are called "Swedish Key" :D
Because Bahco invented and patented that type of adjustable wrench in 1891
@@erik_dk842 Huh, today I learned! I though it was just one of the usual Swede/Dane jokes :)
not only Danish...
In Polish its a French wrench - Klucz francuski
I never knew the design of the wrench jaws could affect the torque that much! Another solid episode from Torque Test Channel.
I find sometimes it matters to that SPECIFIC WRENCH not just across the board
I’d love an episode on the best vise grips followed by an episode on best adjustable. You guys are great. I’ve been watching almost as long as you been making videos, keep up the good work!
You've spiked my curiosity with your comment about Vice Grips. Has anyone invented a better Vice Grip?
Lots of them better than Vice Grip these days IMO, Malco which has probably closed down now, even Milwaukee's lately are miles ahead in my own non objective experience.
@@TorqueTestChannel Did Snap On buy the Malco tooling or factory and continue to manufacture the "Eagle Grips" ? (Although "price go up" ! )
@@TorqueTestChannel Thanks.
Malco Eagle Grips were the best, but unfortunately I believe they shut down their USA manufacturing so at this point I'm not sure who is the best. Buy the ones that are still out there while you can.
Hmm
Grab a pair of slide lock or channel lock pliers and try them both ways and you will see how the grip is so much better when you use the right way
Yeah, I suspect this is where the "myth" comes from. It is noticeable in the hand. Using them the wrong way actually applies force to open up the pliers, whereas using them the right way, you don't even have to hold the handles together once you've got tension on it.
Would like to see Knipex Pliers Wrench pliers against regular Water Pump Pliers
It is properly called a crescent hammer, not a crescent wrench.
I was under the impression every tool I owned had a hammer function
@@TorqueTestChannelanything can be a hammer if you're brave enough
GREAT Testing! This tool is amazing but will pull almost every battery down to 8.xx volts when hammering other than the 5Ah battery. Crazy to see the amount of power this tool will pull from a battery.
I had no idea there is a right and wrong way to turn an open end wrench. Great video.
Us either, both seem to work though
In my decades of working on equipment, I've never noticed a difference in the way I use an open end wrench, because if I'm looking for maximum torque, I can either find a way to use the box end or a socket, or there isn't enough space where I'm working to be able to slip a pipe over the end to get maximum torque. And if I'm using a crescent wrench, it's not an ideal situation anyways so you're never gonna be able to only use the "correct" side of the wrench.
And testing vise grips with your new rig would be pretty cool, there've been times I've used a snipe on a pair of vise grips to turn something that needed to be turned.
Maybe you know this, but Bahco actually invented the 'crescent' wrench!
Kind of. It was invented by J.P. Johansson in 1892 and B.A. Hjort & CO (BAHCO) bought the patent.
No self respecting ships engineer would do is rounds through the engine room without a Bacho Adjustable at the ready
This makes our results even more depressing lol
@@andrewwmacfadyen6958and yet the cheaper crescent beat it
Crescent FTW!
A best adjustable test would be great. Most of mine are from Bahco, Lobster and Knipex. I only have the one Cresent, but I'll have a few more after this review. It would also be interested to see it a chrome finish makes any difference.
Good morning Torque Test from east Tennessee.
Thanks again for another great video.
I first ran into the Bahco "adjustable spanner" (UK nomenclature) back in the mid '70's while working in the North Sea oilfields. They were made in Sweden and their most unusual feature was that the adjustment barrel turned the opposite direction from my familiar Crescent wrenches in the States. They really had a tight mechanism and seemed very high quality. Since then I've tried lots of different brands and can say that there are some very nice quality wrenches out there on the market now.
What you want is the pre '07 Bahco, when it was still made in sweden.
That's good info, thanks! The images all still show "SWEDEN" forged into the handles when you order them online and even in catalogs I've seen
It’d be really interesting to throw a Knipex Pliers Wrench up against the round off wrenches. I’ve all but abandoned mine for the pliers wrench
Also, I’ve heard from a few iron workers that the better multi metric wrenches are the ones where the handle tapers more narrow to the end.
Great video as always!
I dont know about you guys, maybe it's just me about this channel, but I can't properly enjoy a video these days without an sudden segment about Raycon ear buds, AG1 dietary supplements or BetterHelp. It's like, am I watching a channel with 200 subs or something - time to level up guys :P /s
F that. Those are all garbage companies that are either outright scams or have massive consumer rights concerns
Nice to know the *WHY* wrenches are made that way. This is great! Keep up the good work!
8:09 Bacho? Crecent? You been shopping on Ali again mate? Lmao
Haha, they were place holder rankings we drafted up and looks like we never went back and fixed it.
That explains the so low torque achieved, and the smoke. Oddly enough - tons of comment to refer to the brand as 'Bacho'
@@stanimir4197 probably a more logical spelling when not knowing what it stands for.
Wow, the tool's namesake is still making a great tool.
Where gen 2 stubby
Ours arrives shortly, likely next week's video. We had to cancel our original orders and get back in line for a pretty interesting reason we'll cover when we put the video together.
id love to se the channelock wideazz wrench test. As a plumber i love that it opens much wider than normal adjustable wrenches
Conservatives are snowflakes lmao
It doesnt matter because the shear is the same, just differs on the sign of the shear diagram .
This channel is easily one of the best youtube channels out there yall are doing the Lords work 👍
Killing it with the slogans at the end there. Nice!
Adjustable wrench result makes sense. In the "correct" way, you apply a compression load on the adjustable jaw. The sliding face can help support the jaw against opening via friction and just having more surface area. When you use the wrench "wrong", the adjustable arm is now loaded in tension, and it only has the thinner web leading to the worm gear to resist that tension.
Using the adjustable wrench "wrong" will encourage it to slip sooner, more often, and fatigue faster.
And, the point of the offset jaws on what we in Oz call open enders is that, as you only have six sides of the hex to work with you will often find that the bolt head is inaccessible unless you turn the spanner over. Tight access work is really the only time to use these spanners. Also on hose fittings.
Oh yeah, you will probably notice we don't call them "wrenches" here. That term is for pipe wrenches only. And people say we all speak "English"...
And yeah, I posted this before I watched the whole thing.
For box ends I think flipping it is kind of by design. Those nuts between two posts where you can only get a 16th of a turn you have to keep flipping the box. But yeah I agree with the adjustable, never used them the other way. An even better adjustable where you see this is the Ford wrenches you basically can't use those the wrong way, but if you use them the right way they are one of my personal favorites for adjustable style wrenches. Thank you for the video!
I would for sure love to have a video on what is the best vice grips and crescent wrench.
I love adjustable wrenches for the plumbing/hvac fields I own just about every brand. I've found the USA made rigid is the best but those $15 crescents are not bad.