There are four main types of Adjustable Wrenches commonly found in the market and these are the:
> Adjustable Spanner – Best for fasteners like nuts and bolts
> Pipe Wrench – Best for tightening or loosening pipes
> Monkey Wrench – Best support to the pipe wrench
> Plumber Wrench – Specialty adjustable wrench for plumbing
Read on as we discuss the 4 Main Types of Adjustable Wrenches, their benefits, and how they can help you.
Adjustable Spanners
The adjustable spanner, also known as the crescent wrench, is the most common adjustable wrench which is easily found in anyone’s home and can easily be bought in the nearest hardware or online store.
They can be bought in sets, packs, or individual pieces with sizes commonly found at 8-in to 22-in and they are very flexible and can be used in any type of job or project in the industry.
The adjustable spanner is built with a handle, an open-end jaw that has one adjustable jaw easily tightened or loosened with your thumb by using the nut in the gear mechanism, while the other jaw is locked in place to help guide the user as well as provide torque and grip.
When inspecting closer, you will notice that the design of the adjustable spanner comes with a 15-degree angle between the movable jaw and the handle giving it a U-shape look, and this is to give better leverage and torque when it comes to working on nuts and bolts.
They are well-loved in any industry, from plumbing to machine repair to automotive to DIY, they can fasten and unscrew most fasteners like the nuts, sockets, screws, or bolts while being versatile enough to work on pipes and toilet faucents as well.
Learning how to use an adjustable wrench is quite easy and you can learn it simply by grabbing one, center it on the fastener, and use your thumbs to tighten or loosen the nut in the adjusting mechanism under the jaws.
Our recommended Adjustable Spanner:
Channellock 810W
Pipe Wrench
Another inclusion of the kind of Adjustable Wrench is the Pipe Wrench, also known as the Stillson Wrench and is also referred to as the monkey wrench by non-tradespeople, is another kind of adjustable wrench that has an F shaped built specifically designed to easily loosen or tighten pipes.
When it comes to its design, the pipe wrench has a firm handle that gives the best weight for leverage and better torque.
When it comes to the pipe wrench’s grip, the lower jaws are adjustable and replaceable for better kinds of pipe wrench jaw types while the upper jaw is there to help center the pipes as well as anchor the pipe for better torque.
Upon further inspection, you will also notice that the pipe wrench jaws have different types of teeth, ranging for many kinds of serrated jaws, and they are very useful depending on the pipe or fastener you will work with.
The Pipe Wrench is a favorite of most plumbers because of its nature to easily work with pipes no matter the size and material.
The Pipe Wrench can also be used for other fasteners like nuts and bolts making it a very reliable tool, although careful consideration is required because depending on the teeth of the jaw, it might cause unwanted damage on those nuts and bolts especially a hex nut.
Monkey Wrench
The Monkey Wrench is a type of Adjustable Wrench that is also similar to a Pipe Wrench when it comes to application.
The monkey wrench is highly sought after by Plumbers because of its amazing fitting power with pipes, and Automotive Mechanics working with vintage cars because older cars nuts and bolts were installed with monkey wrenches so it fits well.
Regarding the Monkey Wrench’s design, it also has an F Shape composition like the Pipe Wrench and has a wood-based grip, with mostly a cast iron or strong alloy for durable composition, and it has an adjustable mechanism to tighten or loosen the grip while having flat-surfaced jaws.
The flat jaws of the monkey wrench are well suited to grip on pipes and other fasteners such as nuts, bolts, and vintage types of sockets making it reliable on many trades.
Plumber Wrench
The Plumber Wrench is a special type of adjustable wrench that is easily confused with the pipe wrench because the pipe wrench is a plumber’s go to wrench, however, the Plumber Wrench is quite different because of its intricate design.
Design-wise, the plumber wrench has a ring in one of its handles, and the ring acts as the mechanism to tighten or loosen the movable jaws around a pipe or fitting while clasping the pipe or fitting with significant force.
The Plumber wrench is considered a specialty wrench because of its unwieldy size, it is used when other wrenches are not suitable for the job.
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Weldon is a Single Dad who loves teaching others about the workaround in the house. He loves to write about DIY and Home Improvement Hacks and just recently had his first child. You’ll have some fun read with his write-ups and more of his works in his own home!
