The best thing about having a steel pipe wrench is when you need to add a cheater bar, those aluminum ones are fantastic and anything above 18" needs to be aluminum in my opinion. However, having a steel 18" pipe wrench on your truck is needed because you will always need to add a cheater bar and the aluminum ones just snap! Over 20 years in the gas industry so ive been slugging pipe For many years
It appears that “cheater” extensions and aluminum pipe wrenches don’t play well together. Do you know what brand the pipe wrench that you snapped was? I’m curious if it was a Ridgid or a different brand. Also how long was the cheater? 8 foot? 😂👍 Just kidding.
@@cameronr7223 Ok. Thank you for sharing. Hopefully your experience will help someone. I’d be curious to see a stress test of different brands of aluminum pipe wrenches to the point of failure. I suppose a torque reading device could discern how many foot pounds each wrench can deliver before failing.
If you use a pipe wrench daily then you will want aluminum. If not, just buy the steel. And I would be careful using those on yard hydrants. Real easy to break whats down at the bottom.
Hi Rj. I agree that if someone rarely uses a pipe wrench then steel will get the job done for sure. I don’t use mine daily, but they do need to be on the truck daily. One of the reasons I bought aluminum is because I have problems with unintentionally getting very close to the maximum legal DOT (Department of Transportation) weight limits on my truck so I have to trim weight wherever I can. Also, I’m operating commercially (not as a plumber) but as a general handyman (pipe wrenches have many uses outside of plumbing applications) so I need to operate quickly and efficiently to be fair to my customers. Thus, when I make fewer walking trips to my truck, I save myself and my customers time and money. I need to finish each job and get to the next job. This may or may not not be the case for homeowners. If however someone is operating professionally out of a small car (which I’ve done before) and they don’t have a truck, saving weight becomes a serious matter to consider. Concerning breaking things underground, I stabilize the pipe that I’m working on with a second pipe wrench to offset the torque that I’m putting on the top end. This is a benefit to having more than one pipe wrench. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. 👍
I like and prefer aluminum. Once you get to the really big ones the weight savings is a godsend when you’re upside down holding a 5 foot pipe wrench. We got one called big Bertha. Solid steel. It weighs at least 60 pounds. That doesn’t seem insane until your holding it for 14 hours.
Same concept on my end. When buying tools it’s easy to gravitate toward the biggest baddest most heavy duty tools available… until you’re working under a house in hot, sweaty, awkward and tiring positions. Then the little Bosch 12v pocket sized impact driver with a built in work light becomes your best friend. The more I work with tools, the more I see how important it is to have the right sized tool for the job, especially when it comes to the dead weight of a tool. When working day after day and time is money, tools that are just big enough to do the job correctly and efficiently without overworking or overheating a tool is important to me. Avoiding injuries and being able to work longer hours by right sizing tools is how I like to work. 😊👍
If you’re not going to add an extension “cheater” pipe on the end, then I would go with aluminum. If it’s going to live in your tool shed or garage and you don’t have to roll it around in a toolbox from job site to job site then steel should be fine. Ridgid is a good brand for pipe wrenches. I cannot speak to any other brand. Whether you go with aluminum or steel, if you take good care of a pipe wrench it should last the rest of your life. If you buy steel and later decide you want an aluminum pipe wrench, two pipe wrenches is the minimum because you need one to turn the nut or pipe and another to hold the pipe still, otherwise you can cause damage to pipes. If you’re dealing with PVC pipe and not steel pipe then a large pair of channel locks can do the job and they are more versatile. But again you may need two pair of channel locks . One to twist the nut and the other to hold the pipes still so that you don’t damage them. Be careful not to squeeze too hard or tighten too tight with PVC. PVC pipe is not as strong as steel pipe. 👍
25+yr gas fitter and I prefer the steel wrenches over the aluminum. I like the feel of the steel wat better than the aluminum. The aluminum feel like toys to me. And if I have to hammer on it or use a cheater bar I don't have to worry about much damage to the wrench
Thank you for the comment. I deal primarily with smaller pipes or with lower torque applications and I rarely need my aluminum pipe wrenches but when I do need one there is no substitute for a good pipe wrench with sharp teeth that bite and hold. This is especially true when I’m using two wrenches at the same time and sometimes holding one wrench still with my leg or my foot so that I can get maximum torque using both hands on the second wrench. Thanks again for your valuable thoughts. 👍
use to work on a rig. 48 inch aluminium one is the maxium what I can handle, pick a steel one if you are super strong.
The best thing about having a steel pipe wrench is when you need to add a cheater bar, those aluminum ones are fantastic and anything above 18" needs to be aluminum in my opinion. However, having a steel 18" pipe wrench on your truck is needed because you will always need to add a cheater bar and the aluminum ones just snap! Over 20 years in the gas industry so ive been slugging pipe For many years
I love any argument that justifies me buying more tools. Well done sir. 👏 Good advice too! 👍
Just snapped an aluminum one using a cheater 2 weeks ago, got a good scare out of me lol. Thing really popped
It appears that “cheater” extensions and aluminum pipe wrenches don’t play well together. Do you know what brand the pipe wrench that you snapped was? I’m curious if it was a Ridgid or a different brand. Also how long was the cheater? 8 foot? 😂👍 Just kidding.
@@cobymarcum1442 it was a 24" husky, probably about 3 or 4 foot extension on it
@@cameronr7223 Ok. Thank you for sharing. Hopefully your experience will help someone. I’d be curious to see a stress test of different brands of aluminum pipe wrenches to the point of failure. I suppose a torque reading device could discern how many foot pounds each wrench can deliver before failing.
If you use a pipe wrench daily then you will want aluminum. If not, just buy the steel. And I would be careful using those on yard hydrants. Real easy to break whats down at the bottom.
Hi Rj. I agree that if someone rarely uses a pipe wrench then steel will get the job done for sure. I don’t use mine daily, but they do need to be on the truck daily. One of the reasons I bought aluminum is because I have problems with unintentionally getting very close to the maximum legal DOT (Department of Transportation) weight limits on my truck so I have to trim weight wherever I can. Also, I’m operating commercially (not as a plumber) but as a general handyman (pipe wrenches have many uses outside of plumbing applications) so I need to operate quickly and efficiently to be fair to my customers. Thus, when I make fewer walking trips to my truck, I save myself and my customers time and money. I need to finish each job and get to the next job. This may or may not not be the case for homeowners. If however someone is operating professionally out of a small car (which I’ve done before) and they don’t have a truck, saving weight becomes a serious matter to consider. Concerning breaking things underground, I stabilize the pipe that I’m working on with a second pipe wrench to offset the torque that I’m putting on the top end. This is a benefit to having more than one pipe wrench. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. 👍
I like and prefer aluminum. Once you get to the really big ones the weight savings is a godsend when you’re upside down holding a 5 foot pipe wrench. We got one called big Bertha. Solid steel. It weighs at least 60 pounds. That doesn’t seem insane until your holding it for 14 hours.
Same concept on my end. When buying tools it’s easy to gravitate toward the biggest baddest most heavy duty tools available… until you’re working under a house in hot, sweaty, awkward and tiring positions. Then the little Bosch 12v pocket sized impact driver with a built in work light becomes your best friend. The more I work with tools, the more I see how important it is to have the right sized tool for the job, especially when it comes to the dead weight of a tool. When working day after day and time is money, tools that are just big enough to do the job correctly and efficiently without overworking or overheating a tool is important to me. Avoiding injuries and being able to work longer hours by right sizing tools is how I like to work. 😊👍
Which one should we buy in 18 inches - Aluminium or Steel ? Your best suggestion..
If you’re not going to add an extension “cheater” pipe on the end, then I would go with aluminum. If it’s going to live in your tool shed or garage and you don’t have to roll it around in a toolbox from job site to job site then steel should be fine. Ridgid is a good brand for pipe wrenches. I cannot speak to any other brand. Whether you go with aluminum or steel, if you take good care of a pipe wrench it should last the rest of your life. If you buy steel and later decide you want an aluminum pipe wrench, two pipe wrenches is the minimum because you need one to turn the nut or pipe and another to hold the pipe still, otherwise you can cause damage to pipes. If you’re dealing with PVC pipe and not steel pipe then a large pair of channel locks can do the job and they are more versatile. But again you may need two pair of channel locks . One to twist the nut and the other to hold the pipes still so that you don’t damage them. Be careful not to squeeze too hard or tighten too tight with PVC. PVC pipe is not as strong as steel pipe. 👍
25+yr gas fitter and I prefer the steel wrenches over the aluminum. I like the feel of the steel wat better than the aluminum. The aluminum feel like toys to me. And if I have to hammer on it or use a cheater bar I don't have to worry about much damage to the wrench
Thank you for the comment. I deal primarily with smaller pipes or with lower torque applications and I rarely need my aluminum pipe wrenches but when I do need one there is no substitute for a good pipe wrench with sharp teeth that bite and hold. This is especially true when I’m using two wrenches at the same time and sometimes holding one wrench still with my leg or my foot so that I can get maximum torque using both hands on the second wrench. Thanks again for your valuable thoughts. 👍
I will buy two 18 inch Ridgids and i will go for iron. Don't need it very often and iron is just more badass 😂😎.
Iron is super strong for sure.