Crescent Tool has revealed their much-hyped new adjustable wrench technology, called Quick-Fit.
Crescent says that their “revolutionized” adjustable wrenches with Quick-Fit jaws were designed to eliminate those aggravations you deal with daily on the job.
Quick-Fit wrench jaws help to eliminate the need to “readjust your wrench at every turn,” offering faster frustration-fee fittings.
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Crescent Quick-Fit adjustable wrenches look a lot like ordinary adjustable wrenches, but with a key difference.
The Crescent Quick-Fit lower jaw is sloped outwards by 1 degree, giving the adjustable wrench just enough of an angle to wedge itself onto hex-shaped bolts and fastener heads.
The slightly off-parallel jaw angles mean you can engage and reengage a fastener without having to readjust the opening for a perfect fit.
Crescent is launching these wrenches with comfort grip handles and in 6″, 8″, 10″, and 12″ sizes. There will also be a 2pc set with 6″ and 10″ wrenches.
It’s unclear as to who Crescent designed these wrenches for, but their social media promo images depict the tools being used for what looks like heavy equipment maintenance.
Discussion
Here’s what Crescent says about the wrench in their marketing descriptions:
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Crescent, the original adjustable wrench, alleviates the aggrevating [sic] trial-and-error on the job-site. With innovations like the off-corner loading and the 1-degree slope we provide jaws that are fast fitting, won’t snag, and won’t round your fasteners.
They also say:
Larger knurl provides an easier adjustment and tighter jaw fit which reduces binding
How does a tighter jaw fit reduce binding?
Isn’t the point of the slightly angled Quick-Fit lower jaw to wedge itself onto fasteners, which is essentially a slight binding condition?
What do you think? Will this “revolutionary” design save you any hassle?
From what I’m seeing, I’d pass, especially given Crescent’s somewhat high introductory price points. If I want to skip the hassle and frustration of readjusting and fiddling with an adjustable wrench, I grab something other than an adjustable wrench.
Pricing and Comparison
Let’s use the 8″ wrench as a pricing reference.
The Crescent Quick-Fit 8-inch wrench, AC38CVS, is priced at $22.99 at Acme Tools. It’s listed as being made in Vietnam.
You can get a chrome-finish Channellock 8-inch adjustable wrench, 808W, made in Spain, for $19.95 at Amazon. The black-finish version is $22.99, and the comfort-grip wrench is $26.99. Channellock’s extra-wide comfort grip wrench is $31.95.
Bahco’s 8-inch adjustable wrench is $28.74 at Amazon.
Milwaukee Tool’s 8-inch adjustable wrench is $18.97 at Home Depot.
Blocky
Not directly to the marketing, but the relief cut on the upper jaw looks like it might relieve corner-loading and therefore reduce rounding over nuts.
Jared
This feels like the opposite of what I want. When you apply pressure on an adjustable wrench, loose tolerances can let the jaws open slightly and encourage it to slip and round over. Now it’s 1 degree closer to that condition.
Mark N
Not sure I agree. In theory I think the taper would allow you to tighten up the fit and take up the slop in the adjustment pinion by pressing the nut further into the jaws, such that the jaws are pushed outward by the taper.
Jared
The jaws are pushed outward when you attempt to tighten a fastener, with or without a taper. Maybe 1 degree is negligible and my criticism isn’t well founded.
I think the point Crescent wants to make is just that you won’t have to open the wrench to slip it over the fastener, then tighten it back up for a snug fit. The 1-degree of taper should allow you to move it from one fastener to another without touching the adjuster, just pushing the wrench onto the fastener to take up slop.
On the other hand, when I use an adjustable wrench, I try to tighten it as much as possible. Maybe even give the handle a little wiggle while I try to spin the adjuster to make sure I’m lined up with the flats. I assume the tighter the fit, the more torque I can apply before rounding.
In that context, I assume having a 1 degree misalignment from go will slightly reduce the max torque in exchange for a faster fit. I don’t want that trade.
Blocky
On that note, I might just kiss a cheap adjustable wrench w a file and see how that goes.
Michael
Hmmm those look like ones I kinda have now…. I wish I could add a picture…
Michael
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OCQNV0 . Something close to this… who is the oem? Irega? I love the thumb screw bahco ones…..
Clientgraphics
Third sentence near the end “offering faster frustration-fee fittings.”
frustration-free?
Mark M.
The only adjustable wrench I don’t hate is a small-ish Channellock WideAzz (something silly like that, IDK) but it’s actually a heck of a good tool. I keep it in my Veto go-bag and it’s solid. Otherwise, I do everything I can to not use an adjustable wrench for anything.
Kevin
I am not sure I would want this when they don’t know what 1 degree is. In the third image they label what is clearly near a right angle (I presume 91 degrees) as 1 degree. 🙂
I feel like with how sloppy adjustable wrenches are, just about every wrench is going to be tapered out by at least 1 degree… But maybe I just need to try it.
Saulac
I am a little embarrassed that I didn’t catch this. I guess because I know what they meant. Not that it is justified.
Ben
The image of the Channellock 808W wrench on Amazon shows “Spain” at the end of the handle, but the listing itself for country of origin says China. More mistakes by Amazon, I assume? It looks like an Irega wrench.
Jared
Amazon is not a good source for COO information. It’s made in Spain.
Saulac
What does the cut in the upper jaw do? PR calls it “off-corner loading”. I believe due to this cut, for smaller fasteners, you are should not pushing the fasteners all the way in. Maybe fasteners should always be on the tip of adjustable wrenches anyway, but sometimes you just lazily push the wrench in all the way.
Blocky
Helps prevent rounding over the corners. Puts pressure on the nut where there is more material. A lot of sockets have this feature- what looks like small circles at the corners.
JR Ramos
Yes, it just tries to shift forces away from the sharp corners where there is less material and deformation often happens. I believe this started first with impact sockets (where it had the dual benefit of also reducing warranty claims from split corners…those little rounds also provide significant relief for stress risers where failures/cracks usually begin). With soft metal or damaged/rusted fasteners it was a real help. Then the similar idea was applied to box end wrenches – can’t recall who did that first but I do remember that Truecraft (Japan import) was doing it by around 1996 or so. It was more helpful with box end wrenches, especially with mid-torque fasteners where using a wrench by hand would often pull the force off-angle under exertion. Sunex may have been the first to try to apply it to open ended wrenches…marginal benefit and not without some risks to spreading/cracking but they’ve all figured out the head design now.
On a crescent wrench? Well…okay. Can’t see it being real beneficial, all things considered, but it doesn’t hurt other than yes, on very small fasteners you’ll need to choke up on the jaws. For low torque typical use and if the wrench steel isn’t soft cheese, you can go anywhere along the jaws and be fine usually, but using the tips you’re increasing leverage and working against slop in the parts, so dings or breakage becomes more likely if you need to put the mustard on. Using the lowest portion is best, and turning it in the “correct” direction also does matter sometimes but with good steel it’s not a problem usually (and at the point of that being a problem you should probably have chosen a different tool anyway…).
Saulac
I had guessed it related to preventing rounding the corners too. However the cut looks especially deep and wide.
Nathan
It’s adjustable trying to copy size correct sockets and wrenches. Even some open end wrenches do this and I don’t know it’s necessary there
Also does everyone else bottom out the bold head or nut into the end of an adjustable? I always do that as it’s how I was taught. I don’t have a need or want for the new crescent. Also didn’t someone else try this in the past
Sounds familiar. Putting more radius on the tips of the jaws would be good imo.
BigTimeTommy
You only have to readjust your wrench “with every turn” if it’s a crappy wrench.
Is the revolutionary part that they decided to make a good product?
JoshtheFurnaceGuy
I’ve seen a lot of nuts, especially brass, that aren’t perfectly symmetrical. Especially in tight spaces where you are turning a 1/4 turn or less at a time, you could easily make several 1/16″ adjustments to tighten or loosen a nut.
JR Ramos
1° milled, 2° inherent slop.
It’s so revolutionary. It’s almost even “disruptive.”
At this point just about everything Crescent is almost best ignored. They still have some gems but they lost their way and have dived into the soup that is cheap DIY tools with higher pricing based on the coattails of a previously recognized great brand name. The shift to Vietnam is interesting, though…thought that had petered out a little after the first big push a few years back.
Nathan
Milled or forged?
JR Ramos
Forged and ground for the most part…inner jaw surfaces may be milled or ground, not sure.
Jim Felt
Tough crowd. But I too basically yawned.
Jared
Ha, I suspect it’s a reaction to Crescent’s “hype”.
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/crescent-adjustable-wrench-2024-update/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Market this as a new feature with benefits for certain tasks/users and at least I might have spoken positively about it. Instead sell it as “revolutionizing” the adjustable wrench…
bg100
This is such weird marketing. Even if it’s the best adjustable wrench, isn’t that like saying ‘the prettiest girl at the bar?’ or ‘the best tool at harbor freight’ or ‘the nicest suit at Goodwill?’
Adjustable wrenches are still the wrong tool for every nut… A slightly better wrong tool just isn’t enough to go around saying “revolutionary” and “eliminate frustration”. The frustration comes from using a sloppy, slack jawed, soft metal wrench, not from making one last minor adjustment.
I get it, these are for the guys in the field who want one wrench in their back pocket that fits all the other nuts they didn’t bring wrenches for. But can’t we be realistic and say, “adjustable wrenches, but a little bit better?”
I probably would have been interested in giving them a try, but after this crazy hype I’ll just pass…
M.m.
If the opening and closing adjuster is made with precision and also the jaw that slides up and down , then , there shouldn’t be a problem with rounding off the nut or bolt or stripping the nut or bolt.
3.1415927
Irwin made the best quick adjusting wrench a few years ago that you didn’t have to re-adjust after each turn, but they discontinued it.
PETE
If these are anything like husky’s quick fit adjustable wrenches…. i’ll hate them as well. In terms of husky’s, they are quick-fit and more importantly quick-loose.
me
Cheaper “crescent” style wrenches often have the jaws very slightly tapered inward- to keep them from slipping on fasteners due to inherent slop in the cheap tools. Being able to pull it off and put it back on a fastener without readjusting. indicates a better tool. With very good steel, an out ward taper would make repositioning the tool easier, but slipping would probably be more likely, making fit and finish all the more important.
Jonathan Roberts
i dont understand why any techs would buy this over a full socket/wrench set or knipex pliers wrench. its just seems cheap imho.
JoshtheFurnaceGuy
As an HVAC tech, I’m not carrying two full wrench sets, SAE and Metric into every basement in case I need to turn a bolt and nut of the same size against eachother. I’ll probably pass on this wrench, but a good crescent wrench does have real value.
As far as the knipex pliers wrench, I’ve seen at least 3 dozen HVAC tool bags and none had one in it. Without trying one myself, I would guess the main reason to be size and weight.
Amatts
Re inventing the wheel ….what is next the JH Wiliams locking pin?jeez