Ah, the ubiquitous adjustable wrench. While generally not the best tool for heavier fastening tasks, adjustable wrenches are incredibly convenient.
Sometimes, even if you have other wrenches and fastening tools at your disposal, an adjustable wrench might still come in handy to hold a coupled fastener in place while you turn its partner.
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I have purchased many adjustable wrenches over the years, sometimes for my own use and for others’, but also as a way to understand how different brands, models, and styles differ from each other.
What I have found is that Crescent’s adjustable wrenches are still the best for the money. They offer good value and strong reliability with a timeless design.
Shown above is one of my older Crescent adjustable wrenches, and I have a couple of newer ones in tool boxes and at different workstations.
Crescent’s adjustable wrenches are workhorses. This is the professional standard.
Crescent is a ToolGuyd sponsor, and what I’m about to say might surprise you. This is not my favorite adjustable wrench. My favorite adjustable wrenches cost quite a bit more, and I’m happy to pay the premium.
However, when it comes down to time-in-hand, I now use Crescent wrenches at least as much as my pricier wide-mouth adjustables.
I of course also adjustable pliers, combination wrenches, socket wrenches, and a variety of other tools.
Despite having other fastening tools and adjustable wrenches at my disposal, I will never give up my Crescent wrenches.
My Crescent wrenches are strong, reliable, and convenient.
And, I recently bought another.
My father-in-law asked me for a larger adjustable wrench, and so I ordered him a 15″ Crescent wrench. Although I don’t anticipate using this size a lot, I also ordered one for myself. Even if I don’t use it often, this Crescent wrench is going to be a lifetime tool.
There are still places where you can get USA-made Crescent wrenches, such as Harry Epstein Co. I purchased several newer production samples from Home Depot over the years, and the quality has largely remained the same. I have noticed some improvements actually, with more recent Crescent wrenches having slightly tighter and smoother thumbwheel gearing.
I find myself in a position that’s difficult to articulate. I tend to use 8″ adjustable wrenches the most, followed by 6″ and then maybe 10″.
No, Crescent’s aren’t my favorites, I like a particular cushion-grip wide-opening model that costs twice as much. Would I buy Crescent wrenches again? Absolutely – I have and I will continue to buy and recommend them to others.
Why? That’s easy – because I keep using them.
Now that I’m thinking about it, I never upgraded my Crescent wrenches either. I added a black phosphate-finish wrench to my kit, and cushion-grip wrenches, but Crescent continues to be my go-to when it comes to chrome finish plain-handle (or dipped-grip) adjustable wrenches. They clean up well, and as mentioned the Crescent tools have been strong and reliable.
As for what prompted this post, I’ve been working on a more expansive tool kit buying guide, and of course an adjustable wrench must be a part of any properly capable kit.
After some comparisons, I came to the conclusion that Crescent is still the best brand of adjustable wrench for the money.
For a few years, I thought I “outgrew” the brand, until they proved their utility once more. Since then, this 8″ returned to my main tool box and is again an indispensable part of my kit. I have a couple of others where they might be needed, and also in my reserve box.
There are still reasons to consider other brands or models, but that doesn’t change the fact that Crescent is still the industry standard. While a couple of competing brands have tried to challenge Crescent’s popularity and market dominance, but they’ve been widely unsuccessful.
Let me know what you think – is Crescent still the best adjustable wrench for the money?
Raise your hand if you’ve got a Crescent wrench in your kit.