What is the best brand of shifting spanner? Pic may or not be related idkAlso what brands of tools do you buy and why? Which do you avoid?
> What is the best brand of shifting spannerThere isn’t one. They were never particularly good but are now entirely obsolete with pliers wrenches. The original is still probably the best.
>>2865086>entirely obsolete with pliers wrenches.So knipex ones?
Don't tend to use them myself but I've heard good things about Irega.
>>2865086>now entirely obsolete with pliers wrenchestrolling for tripfags 101
>>2865084The Channellock ones are really good and my favorite of all the brands I own, even better than the Jappo Engineer and Lobtex.The Channies are made in Spain by some company… Irega? I think the new Wiha adjustables are made by them too and some other brands.
>>2865088>not using the Irwins with their based ratcheting design>>2865095It’s all about using both! When you need to connect couplings and shit, you use the crescent wrench to hold the stationary end and the pliers wrench to spin the other end!
>>2865098Irwin are chink shit now tho...
>>2865086Stupid post. You don't need to hold it like pliers and the variable width jaw can clamp onto things other tools may not. You can also bang on it or put a cheater pipe over it.
>>2865105Then use the Lenox!
>>2865084How much capacity do you need?How thin do you need the wrench to be?If you need big and thin, bahco's are nice, but their quality control sucks so be prepared to return or hunt for a good one. Most big box stores carry stuff like milwaukee 12inch red handles, which are pretty big capacity.If you dont mind regular capacity and thickness, finding old crestoloy or similar might be worth.If your checking out nepros, lobtex has some weird adjustables like the UM-XG which cant completely close but have massive capacity. And if your insane or need to break unions loose rigid makes the E-110 which is basically pipe wrench style screw without the tension spring that cant completely close. Just remember the fancy ultra capacity wrenches cant fit places a normal wrench can and sometimes thick jaws can fuck you over when parts stackup weird. What id avoid is anything will too much play in the jaws, like when the jaws no longer remain parallel (obviously) will make actually using the wrench extremely frustrating. Also worth mentioning snap-on sells a wrench with serrated jaws that seems interesting, but havent tried it yet. FADH12C is the part number for the 12inch one. Guess the nicest to me is the vintage wrenches but if you beat on adjustables for a living its quickly just about features matching your needs.
>>2865141The not closing all the way thing on the Lobtex isn’t as big of a deal as some people make it out to be, it’s under the useful size of the wrench so it doesn’t matter, but I think it messes with people’s OCD. Nothing about the Lobtex realy impressed me though. I want to try one of the Jappo TOP wrenches next.Crescent has always made pretty decent wrenches. Not the best, but always solid and affordable. I don’t know what the crestology is about, all I know is that wrench was in the clearance aisle of Walmart (they were bringing in Hart) for super cheap considering it’s a 12” and I snagged it.That Engineer feels like a cheap Chinese wrench, super loose and everything. Was disappointed.Channellock still the winner. Really good adjustables come from Spain.
>>2865141>>2865153Also I still can’t figure out if Bahco and Channellock are the same factory in Spain. They’re both among the best, but look slightly different.Bahco and Snap On are definitely the same, just rebranded. And the these new Wiha wrenches, the Channellocks, and then Irega and probably a couple more brands are all the same, which is obviously the Irega factory.
crescent actually still makes very competent adjustables wrenches for the price. I also bought this milwaukee combo pack last year and have been very happy with them.combo sets for both are discounted on amazon rn, if anyone is looking to pick some up.
>>2865084>shifting spanner
Be honest /diy/, how much would you pay for a tight, actually machined version of these things instead of the same old +-.04 slopfest the forged/cast ones are?
I bought a set of Kleins on sale a couple of months ago and I'm pretty happy with them. Minimal slop and they hold their size well, when doing a bunch of bolts/nuts the same size I don't have to keep readjusting between each one like with cheaper/shittier wrenches. They're made in Asia but not China, I think it was Korea if I'm remembering right. >>2865291Those Crescents look pretty similar, I wonder if they're made by the same supplier.
>>2865301My Snap-on is exactly that and the chrome so slick it feels like the rack and worm are lubricated even when bone dry after cleaning with carb cleaner.OLD Crescent brand wrenches are well-machined but more recent ones after the buyout tend sloppy.
I still have a big fuck-off old Sidchrome a friend gave to me in highschool, seems like they've changed the design and they're made in Spain now.
>>2865086what's an acceptable chinese knock off, tho? I can't seem to find any for under 35 bucks
>>2865301About $30 for medium sizes, which is what the Channies cost.>>2865325there’s a brand on Amazon named Proferred, not sure if it’s some Canadian plumbing company or what, but they seem to have nice looking adjustable wrenches for a decent price,But i’m with other anon who says just go Crescent, they’re affordable and solid, not the best but nothing wrong with them.
>>2865298They are literally called shifters or shifting spanners in the civilised world
>>2865331>there’s a brand on Amazon named Proferred,I have one of their 12" wide opening adjustable wrenches with the thin jaws and its one of my favorites to grab off the wall when I need one.
>>2865371The looked nice from the pics. Don’t know why but I was on a hunt for other brands made in developed nations and those looked decent, although I think they’re still made in SEA somewhere.
>>2865408TaiwanSo China
>>2865444Yeah but when it comes to tools, there’s a pretty large gap. Or at least if it comes from Taiwan, it’s probably not the cheapest possible supplier and they actually want a little quality, but mainland China is like 80% chance it’s rebranded generic Chinesium.There has been some decent stuff coming from Vietnam lately too, maybe that’s the new Taiwan for when China surrounds the island during the Harris administration. A few of the Jappo companies seem to source their more affordable tools from Vietnam.
>>2865338> shifters?Here they’re called a saskatchewan socket set.
>>2865084from what i've seen the japanese ones
>>2865084Lobster if you want a skinny and light one, bahco if you want a good hammer.>>2865086>They were never particularly good but are now entirely obsolete with pliers wrenches0/10>>2865098Irwin sucks ass, holy shit.Yeah they adjust fast, but have a smaller range of opening so you have to dick around with them often.The handles suck too, both the shape and plastic covers.>pic semi relates, it's what my grandpa used
>>2865155>>2865153>Bizkaia>SpainPick one
There is but one.Jk this is trash too.
every time i wish i had one of these instead of a plier wrench i rather reach for my impact gun. obsolete piece of shit
>>2865086They're still useful in some situations, like areas with limited clearance where you can't get a plier wrench around from the side or when you're undoing a whole row of nuts and bolts and having something that holds its size so you can just slip on and off of each nut while using an impact or ratchet to undo the bolt. They're also a lot more compact and easy to carry around in a pocket or whatever.
>>2867268>having something that holds its sizebut they lose their size constantly.even assuming it's a high quality wrench with straight jaws, every twist of a bolt or nut wiggles it out of true a bit.most have slightly angled jaws, so you have to tighten, twist, untighten, reposition, tighten, twist, ad nausea.
>>2867275The better ones hold pretty well. I recently took apart a patio gazebo thing with around 50 nut/bolt pairs and only had to adjust my Klein, which was holding the nuts while I zipped out the bolts with an impact, once or twice during the whole thing and at least one of those times was because of rust.Another good example I've experienced is doing alignments on cars, which was part of my old job. The flats on tie rods often aren't that accurate and they get beat up down by the road so getting a fixed open end on them is tough, and you're working overhead trying to turn two wrenches in opposite directions at once, often at fucky angles, so an adjustable wrench you can just push and pull with whatever grip works (and stick a cheater bar on if you need to) instead of having to keep gripping pressure on a plier wrench is the way to go.
>>2867205It's a field tool, not a shop tool.>stick one or two in the pants pocket>install that repair coupler on the crusty ass hydraulic hose you just oil sprayed the field with>regain ability to lift the implement so you don't run over wife's petunias on the way homebut but but muh plierwrenchinoplier wrench and adjustable spanner combo is the tits
>>2867275Not at all, your wrench is shitty, the good ones are tight.
>>2867338>plier wrench and adjustable spanner combo is the titsThat’s what I like if I can only have a couple tools in my back pocket. With some coupling or house, crescent wrench stationary on the back, plier wrench on the front>>2867339This sort of. I think it’s a balance of whether or not the jaws are parallel or slightly angled in. One is super tight on one fastener and then loosens as you go to the next (angled), and the parallel is easy to move across many fasteners but a little loose. However, it it’s something where it’s critical to not have it loose at all, I’ll take the time to go get the proper socket or wrench.
Love me oldschool monke wrench. It's certainly not the best you can get, but mine has tackled some of the bigger things that are larger than my sockets or my spanners and other adjustables. >picrel not mine
>>2867338>be european >have toolbox with common sizes on your machinery>fix a problem without causing more damagewow that was hard
>>2865084should I get a good shifting spanner, like Wera Joker or a Knipex adjustable wrench?
>>2865084Channellock or Bahco for adjustables. Generally prefer the former because they have slightly larger jaws. Knipex pliers wrench is amazing as well. Don't use it as regularly, but they're great for tight spaces since they apply a ton of bite, so you can still loosen or tighten at angles not perfectly perpendicular without rounding the hardware.
>>2865108>Stupid post. You don't need to hold it like pliers and the variable width jaw can clamp onto things other tools may not. What can it clamp on that a plier wrench cannot?>You can also bang on it or put a cheater pipe over it.Perfect way to round out a fastener.They've never been great and there is now a superior option.
>>2869032I have the knipex adjustable, go for at least the 250. i think i have the next size down in my shop and it's not big enough for my uses. I plan to buy the joker set at some point as well
>>2869032>>2870068>Wera Joker>>>/Reddit/
>i can only afford one tool
The one with the least slop I've used was a Blackhawk
>>2865084Grandpas old adjustable wrench, thing has to be at least 50 years old. I've tried the crescent ones, they are trash. Especially the smaller ones. I need to find a good 6 incher.
>>2870155there we go, have to compress images to post.
>>2867411>However, it it’s something where it’s critical to not have it loose at all, I’ll take the time to go get the proper socket or wrench.There's a tool specifically for that. Pic related is an adjustable wrench with a vise grip mechanism that locks the jaws tightly against whatever is in them.
>>2870156>have to compress images to post.Have you considered not posting a twelve megapixel image?
>>2870068yeah, I bought Cobra 250 recently and it's the perfect size, same as e.g. 200 for combination pliers and 160-180 for general purpose cutters. Not sure why I've even bought it and don't get all the hype compared to other Knipex products, though. I've only been using it as a nutcracker so far, while I use cheaper TwinGrip all the time. yeah, they're the best water pump pliers I've ever seen, but I don't fucking need water pump pliers outside of some very rare cases and I'm pretty sure 90% of people buying Cobras don't need them as well, but instead slip-joint pliers or a pliers wrench
>>2870414Not necessarily related to your post, just wanted to say that they work amazingly as small pipe wrenches for small pipe or tight areas. 10 or 14" pipe wrenches are kind of useless for gas pipe. I only carry 18s and a 24, and use my cobras for running or installing small stuff, along with my pliers wrench for any smooth surfaces like a regulator or valve.
>>2870170I do what I want.
>>2870567>10 or 14" pipe wrenches are kind of useless for gas pipeFunny you mention this.I use a 10 and an 18. Like this combo because the 10 handle fits a pipe and the 18 still fits in my work bag.24 is overkill for 1/2 and only really comes off the truck for big reducers or 1", but I also work residential install not gas meters-new construction-industrial.What size pipe are you working with?
>>2871482>What size pipe are you working with?Everything between 1/2" and 2 1/2". The thing about our work is that nearly of the gas pipe is accessible in open spaces because it's new construction. You can throw two 18s at pretty much anything in that range. If they're already beside you, you might as well put them on 3/4" lines.The issue with a 10 or 14 is that it becomes a niche in commercial work because one second, you're working on 2" pipe, so you can't get them out, and then the other second you're at the end of a line so unless you want to carry around 3 or 4 pipe wrenches, you just stick to your 14s. Sometimes, we bring out the 24s for 2 1/2 if we need the extra leverage for leveling branches or the occasional 3 inch. And then the cobras if you're in tighter spaces like hooking up kitchen equipment or if your hard pipe is a bit tight near/between water heaters.
>>2871536>you just stick to your 14sExcuse my retardation. I meant your 18s.
