Adjustable vs Fixed Spanners

[Marcusthehat]

I have a tiny Bacho, a 9" one, an indespensible plumbers Bacho, plus a 15" and 18" Bacho.
I love them to bits.
Superb kit.

 

[artie]

This is an old thread and I haven't read it all, but in all my life, I have never seen a spanner like pic the OP posted.

 

[Sideways]

You should get out more

 

[Fergie 307]

Was always told they were plumbers tools, and only fit for that use. I have a set of the ratchet type open enders, and they are very useful. The video is quite funny though as all the guy needs in the first example is a ratchet ring spanner! My dad drive Sherman tanks in the war and said that they all found the tool kit that came with them amazing. Ring spanners and sockets, almost unheard of over here at the time. For rounded off nuts and bolts one of the crescent type self tightening spanners is far superior to anything else, I have a set of Facom ones in three sizes which have proved invaluable over many years. Similar to the below, the harder you pull the tighter it gets.

 

[Superduner]

I have a set of Metrinch sockets/spanners. I saw them on a tv advert when I lived in California and thought they might be good for old Brit cars - and they are. They fit everything, and I've never had one slip.

 

[clogs]

suppose I'm lucky as I have double sets of combination, ring and open ended spannes up to 36mm.....including the equiv in American and the notorius BSW/BSF.....
plus many triples n quads etc of the same common sizes.....
but still could not do without my Bacho's....
for those that want good spanners without a lot of spondulicks look at the Magnusson range..
(B+Q) in the UK I think).....when out on the job and need something else, they have done me well in emergencies....
on the subject of sockets gotta say the 18v Millwaukee socket guns are just great....sure beats the noisy compressor running all day....

 

[HamsterJam]

I have found it not uncommon to be advised to not use adjustable spanners, even to the point of it being considered unprofessional to use them… but I still think adjustables are superior for most situations. Here’s why:

They fit tighter on the nut:
This is a common stated weakness of adjustables, but if you use them right (and they are well made) they can close tighter than a fixed spanner. This is particularly the case with old bolts and nut that have been worn to the point of not being a standard size anymore.

This concept is taken further with what it my opinion is the best general purpose spanner design. It can properly clamp the nut... it actually works so well you can get sufficient grip to tighten or remove a stiff thread via a round object (like a stripped bolt head).

Stanley 10" Locking Adjustable Spanner (Locked) by Rhyolith, on Flickr

I is actually impossible for a fixed spanner to grip as well as this does.

Less time wasted looking for Tools:
You don’t have to spend time finding out what size the bolt or nut is and finding the right spanner. You just pick an adjustable thats roughly the right size and go. This is particularly beneficial with restorations of old things where you almost never know the bolt head sizes in advance.

Less Toolbox Space needed:
An adjustable will do the job of around 4 times their number in fixed spanners, the space this saves is not a small deal.

Lower Cost:
Quite simply because you need less of them.

This is not to say however that I don’t think fixed spanners have their place. If your going to be working with a lot of the same sized heads (like taking 100 of the same sized bolt out of something) then the time saved not having to fit on each one makes up quite a lot of searching time.

I’d also reach for a fixed spanner (particularly one with a ring) over and adjustable for working somewhere cramped, simple because they are generally slimmer and easier to use in many awkward spots.

Thats my 2 cents, I am will be interested to hear any thoughts

Another advantage is where you have time consuming access, limited tool carrying capacity and unsure what size spanner(s) you will need. Consider walk-in access over difficult terrain, carrying your tools. No one wants to hike back to the van because they have come across an odd size nut/bolt and didn’t bring that sized spanner with them.

 

[Gordon Tarling]

Until I retired, I was an aircraft engineer for over 40 years - many aircraft fasteners are bi-hexagon, so an adjustable is out of the question and bi-hex sockets and ring spanners were usually the order of the day. Snap-On flank drive were my favourites, though a bit on the pricey side! Personally, I never used an adjustable of any sort whilst at work, though the 'heavy boys' usually had one in their toolboxes to be used as a last resort.

G.

 

[TRITON]

This is an old thread and I haven't read it all, but in all my life, I have never seen a spanner like pic the OP posted.

No thats a type. The shifter/mole spanner.
But given how annoying shifters are for slipping out of set, a simple mole grip adjustment is far superiour.

 

[Stevekane]

Hello
I had to remove the starter motor from my Fordson Power Major last week because the spindle has stuck and needed grease. I was equipped with every spanner and socket under the sun and the one tool that gave me access to one of the 3 bolts was an adjustable spanner. Because it is an old 1958 tractor the bolts had seen some action and neither a metric or imperial spanner could get a grip. The adjustable spanner saved the day and got it running again,
Regards
View attachment 137973

Last year I had to remove the waterpump from a boat engine, somone had been there before me and one 10mm bolt was really rounded off, decent spanners of all types would not grip it at all, no room for anything bigger and visabilty at arms length via a mirror, we were looking at having to remove the cockpit sole of the boat and lifting out the engine,,,in desperation I bought a small set of screwfix Erbourer reverse spiral 1/4 drive sockets and after grinding one down so that I could sqeeze it in it grabbed the bolt easily,,I will try a link,,,I had not come across these before but I think they are common in the USA and it was a lifesaver..
Re the adjustables, Ive got stilsons, moles, crescent, waterpump pliers, the lot in the shed,,none are my first choice but anything to get you out of a hole!
Steve.
https://www.googleadservices.com/pa...m4ng4Lv4AhXfQkEAHeL4A0IQzzkoAHoECAEQEQ&adurl=

 

[Spectric]

Interesting that over the Pond you use the term "graunch".

Used here in the Uk, often as a result of a poorly fitting spanner or the use of a monkey wrench. You need to split the categorie into adjustable and self gripping, the old pipe wrenchs with teeth were really crude but a decent adjustable can be very handy for those plumbing fittings especially those compact ones with the wide opening jaws.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Adjustable spanners are fundamentally less rigid than ring or open ended as their mechanism (however well engineered) means they can move from strictly parallel. Their setting is also very easily knocked from the optimum increasing the probability of slip or rounding off the nut.

Where you can get access, a ring spanner is most secure, open ended may be unavoidable on (say) plumbing fittings. Ring spanners even in small sizes tend to be longer and provide better leverage than their adjustable equivalent. Less chance of damaged knuckles etc.

So for me an adjustable is the last resort if I don't have a normal spanner which will fit, access compromised, or I know that the nut/bolt requires limited torque.

 

[John Brown]

For plumbing, I bought a couple of split ring spanners. They handle 15 and 22mm compression fittings nicely.

 

[ian33a]

I'm not a fan of adjustable spanners and have a range of metric and imperial spanners which cover most requirements.

Last week our compact tractor arrived and the three point linkage has large locking nuts which are bigger than any spanner I own. The dealer asked if I had an adjustable spanner? I cringed and plodded off to the workshop. Coming back with one (which had been given to me) I'd found a use for it but I still don't like them. I very much doubt that I will buy a dedicated large spanner for the job as I wont be changing implements that often.

 

[carpenteire2009]

I have a full set of metric combination spanners and plenty of adjustables too, most of these adjustables were secondhand purchases (promise!). I do my own plumbing repairs and for these jobs I always relied on my Bahco adjustables, which are probably universally well regarded for this role. However more recently I've been converted to the new Knipex plier wrench, an improvement over the standard adjustable and probably the only tool I would reach for if a ring spanner was not to hand. We aŕ spoilt for choice with tools now but you've got to be careful too, there can be a lot of play in some new spanners now- a couple I purchased in more recent times were a sloppy fit on a bolt head, and these were Gedore, not some cheap Lidl special.

 

[Tony51]

I have one (Rhyolith type ) they are great for clamping on a nut and running it up a length of studding. As well strange size nuts

 

[cerro]

The best spanners are Proton USA, Facom France, Starwhille Germany, Belzer Germany, But the daddy of them all is Snap-on USA used by 95% of mechanics in the UK All my tools are Snap-on, The 4" long nose pliers you can grip a one pence coin an 1/8 of an inch and on the other side grip it with pliers over all the coin and it cant be pulled of the long nose pliers a fact. wrenches are OK for rounded nuts and [plummers.

 

[PeteHB]

When I was working as a factory manager I was sick and tired of seeing rounded off heads on nuts and bolts. In the end I in consultation with the works engineer we bought each of 6 fitters a selection of fixed spanners, put shadow boards with dedicated station tools at all works stations then collected all the adjustable spanners and wrenches with the exception of some large stillsons and pipe wrenches which were kept specifically for pipe fitting in the fitting shop. I had the pleasure of putting the gas axe through a large number of adjustable spanners large and small. It became a disciplinary offence to use one on the works, it was only enacted once by a fitter who decided that he would bring his own adjustables to work, a final written warning sufficed to stop any repeat.
I detest the things.

 

[evildrome]

When I lived in Germany in 1999, I bought a comprehensive set of KS flank drive sockets + Torx + Hex bits at a price that nearly made me cry.

But I knew I'd be using them for the rest of eternity so... I bit my lip and paid up.

I used them yesterday and I've used them nearly every day for 23 years.

You cannot go wrong with quality hand tools.

I would second cerro's comment about Snap On tools. I have a Snap On 1/2" ratchet drive (also pictured) that was violently expensive but again... it gets a lot of use & looks just as good as it did when I bought it 20 years ago.

 

[evildrome]

BTW this appears to be the same set but at about 1/3 of what I paid.

https://www.autodoc.co.uk/ks-tools/10494181
Made in China now of course but would be interesting to know if they're still the same quality.

Probably not.