Good adjustable Spanners?

[Rhyolith]

Whats the best adjustable spanner?

 

[bugbear]

Whats the best adjustable spanner?

Bahco are plenty good enough.

Generally speaking, the very fact that you're using an
adjustable at all means that any attempt at doing a good job
has already been given up.

My main use for an adustable is when dealing with large,
but low tension, nuts, e.g. plumbing fittings or
bicycles head sets, since I don't have all those
sizes in fixed size spanners. For really tricky
stuff, I also own, but rarely have to use, one of these.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stanley-MaxGri ... B00009OYGZ

For BA, Metric, Imperial A/F, Whitworth, I have full sets of ring,
open and socket tools.

BugBear

 

[Jelly]

King Dick are a personal favourite, they're pretty expensive new (they're competing with snap-on and the like in the pro-garage market), but as they're a British firm who have been around for a long time, also available second hand if you're looking.

I picked up some Rothenberg ones for next to nothing in a B&Q closing down sale (there with work to assist in close down, so grabbed a few last-day offers before I left), they're good solid tools, but I don't know that I'd pay the full price as they're nothing special, and the chrome finish comes off pretty much first use.

 

[Beau]

Bahco. Great spanners and if you do wear out a jaw you can get spares.

 

[DTR]

Generally speaking, the very fact that you're using an
adjustable at all means that any attempt at doing a good job
has already been given up.

I think perhaps that's a bit dramatic? Of course it's best to use the right size spanner in the first place, but I have come across some oddball sizes that don't match Whitworth, Metric, UNC/F or anything else remotely common. Also with regards to ring spanners, some argue that a 12-point ring spanner isn't much better than an adjustable. As long as the adjustable has straight, parallel jaws with little or no slop in the moving jaw, it should be ok to use.

I quite agree that Bahco make a fair spanner. And you've reminded me that I need to get some BA spanners..... :-k

 

[Harbo]

I've got a couple of King Dicks from many years ago when certain cars came with a very good tool kit.
Also some Bahcos which are good and a very large one that I inherited.
Back when I used to service my cars, Mole Wrenches were a good last resort.

Spanner sets above 6mm are easy to find but ones for very small sizes seem to be made of cheese.

Rod

 

[Bod]

+1 for Bahcos.

Bod

 

[graduate_owner]

I have a Stanley (nicely made and finished, made in China though ) which is a combination of Mole grip and adjustable spanner. Basically you adjust the jaws in the normal way, then clamp the Mole type lever which closes the jaws a bit and really gives a tight grip. Cost about £18 when I bought it.

 

[themackay]

Cant beat the Bahco,s I would avoid anything Chinese Bahco is expensive nowadays

 

[bugbear]

I have a Stanley (nicely made and finished, made in China though ) which is a combination of Mole grip and adjustable spanner. Basically you adjust the jaws in the normal way, then clamp the Mole type lever which closes the jaws a bit and really gives a tight grip. Cost about £18 when I bought it.

Is it similar to one I linked to in the second post of this thread? :lol: :?

BugBear

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

+2 for bahco. BB is right about adjustables and I use them more than I probably should, at least a decent one minimizes problems. Make sure when ever possible you push the jaws a the way over then nut so the angle at the back is in contact with it.

 

[carpenteire2009]

Indeed, BugBear has it summed up- I'll always reach for the correct size spanner over an adjustable every time. I have several adjustables in my tool box though, many picked up for very little second hand. Bahcos models with wide opening jaws and short handles are unsurpassed for use on plumbing fittings and bicycle headsets. Other decent brands are "Irega" and "EGA Master" (both Spain). "Rothenberger" are good too and I have a vintage "King Dick" that's nice too. Worst one I have is a cheapy (China-made) "Crescent"- although I believe the original USA-made ones are top class. I have a very old one made by "Gordon Tools" which is good too.

 

[lurker]

I have one just so I can say

Let me get my f King dick to that

 

[woodpig]

I have a Stanley (nicely made and finished, made in China though ) which is a combination of Mole grip and adjustable spanner. Basically you adjust the jaws in the normal way, then clamp the Mole type lever which closes the jaws a bit and really gives a tight grip. Cost about £18 when I bought it.

I've got one of those as well somewhere, handy to have if you have odd size nuts. :lol:

 

[graduate_owner]

Yes Bugbear, that's exactly like mine, but £55? I'm sure I paid less than £20. Nice tool though.

K

 

[n0legs]

People might moan about the use of an adjustable spanner, but I've yet to experience the "certain it'll snap" flexing of a proper spanner with one of mine and none of my spanners are cheapo tesco tearaways. The extra heft of an adjustable is somewhat reassuring on some fixings.

 

[Eric The Viking]

+1 for King Dick.

It's worth keeping an eye out for "War Finish" ones - car boots, pound stalls at s/h shops, etc. - as the important clearances were just as good as usual. I think a lot of them went into family toolboxes after the war and saw little use.

I have a couple of good ones, one from the council tip! They strip down easily for cleaning too, although the War Finish ones seem to be slightly easier than the smart ones with rounded handles. They may be 70 years old (the wartime ones), but they still work really well.

After that Bahco, perhaps? I don't own one but a plumber friend says he'll use nothing else.

E.

 

[bugbear]

Yes Bugbear, that's exactly like mine, but £55? I'm sure I paid less than £20. Nice tool though.

K

I didn't look at the price, I just googled for an example. £55 is indeed a "bit steep".

BugBear

 

[harvestbarn]

I bought a Knipex 86 03 250 they have smooth parallel jaws with a mechanical advantage of 10 to 1 for gripping and squeezing the opening width is set on a button very impressed with this product. http://www.knipex.com/index.php?id=1216&L=1&page=group_detail&parentID=1368&groupID=1500

 

[bugbear]

I bought a Knipex 86 03 250 they have smooth parallel jaws with a mechanical advantage of 10 to 1 for gripping and squeezing the opening width is set on a button very impressed with this product. http://www.knipex.com/index.php?id=1216&L=1&page=group_detail&parentID=1368&groupID=1500

Those look very handy for holding the bolt head when turning the nut with something better (which is one of my main uses for an adjustable).

I also use Maun parallel jaw pliers for this purpose:

http://www.maun-industries.co.uk/jewell ... s-125mm-5/

They're cheaper from car boot sales!

BugBear