Harbor Freight launched a new extendable adjustable wrench.
The new Pittsburgh-branded wrench (SKU 70778) features a 12″ length and can be extended up to 16″. It has 5 locking positions, and can be fixed at full inch increments.
The wrench’s opening width can be adjusted from 0 to 1-1/2″.
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Harbor Freight says that the handle is made with a solvent-resistant bi-material grip for added comfort and durability.
The “compare to” blurb points to the Husky HEXTADJ12 wrench, which sells for $25 at Home Depot. Given the strong similarity in appearances, I wouldn’t be surprised if the same company made both tools.
The Harbor Freight Pittsburgh model is priced at $20.
Basically, this is a 12″ adjustable wrench with built-in extending cheater bar that lets you get a little more reach or leverage when needed.
While not unique, the HF version is less expensive than competing models, and also undercuts the price of no-name models on Amazon.
There are similarly-styled extending ratchets, such as by Neiko via Amazon. Looking deeper into HF’s catalog, they also have a couple of Pittsburgh extendable ratchets. Crescent’s got some on Amazon as well.
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What are your thoughts on this? Adjustable wrench plus extending handle = win? Let’s hear from both pros and weekend warriors.
Jason
Another “game changer in the category!” 🤦♂️
fred
Then there is this one with a flex head but only a 10-12 inch extension from one of those “alphabet brands” on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/YWHWLX-Adjustable-Ratchet-Plumbing-Maintenance/dp/B0BFCZK79
The YWHWLX trademark – might be legit – owned by one Aifeng Xu
Bonnie
I’d love to see a big splashy announcement for “this product does nothing new or better!”
MFC
Yeah, I prefer a wrench with little slop, a thin handle (so a 3/4″ iron pipe can go over it) and a hammer to hit it with if needed. If a wrench, that is designed for some serious torque, can’t handle me whacking on it, then I don’t care what features it has.
Craig B Davey
I see alot of broken knuckles…🤬
MKY
Stuart –
“Harbor Freight says that ***the*** handle is made with a solvent-resistant bi-material grip for added comfort and durability.”
Stuart
Whoops – thanks! *fixed*
Rick
I’ve got a couple of HF’s extending ratchets and really like them. Gonna have to get my paws on the new wrench.
Shane
+1 on the ratchets. I have successfully, avoiding grabbing an adjustable wrench for several years now. I never was a big fan.
fred
I have one from Stahlwille that I like but don’t think it’s worth the current asking price:
https://www.kctool.com/stahlwille-516-telescoping-ratchet-1-2-drive/
I bought it as part of an import order I placed in March of last year and paid $108 – which I even thought was a bit exorbitant.
In looking for it – I also came across one for 3/4 drive:
https://www.amazon.com/Titan-Tools-12072-Extendable-Ratchet/dp/B002VM7WKG?th=1
Koko The Talking Ape
That Stahlwille is at least 5x too expensive, BUT it extends from 16″ to 24″, an increase of 50%, so it can provide 50% more torque when fully extended. This Huskyburgh extends from 12″ to 16″, for a torque increase of 33%, and it looks like the head is designed purposely to extend the head and limit the possible extension. I feel like if you’re going to have the extending handle feature, it should provide a substantial torque increase.
Dave
I do not understand why people use adjustable wrenches. I have several but will not use them except in the rarest of circumstances.
To me, this tool just gives you more leverage to guarantee that fastener is going to be rounded off by the time you’re done.
Ben
I use them in plumbing repairs at home when I have access and space to turn it. I got them years ago as a gift and never bothered switching to Knipex or other pliers wrenches. I switch to Channellocks (tongue and groove pliers) if the adjustables start to slip, just so I can guarantee maximum fastener damage and give myself a headache later haha
fred
Yellow Jacket makes several torque wrenches with adjustable wrench ends. The end alone is also sold separately:
https://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Jacket-60624-Digital-Adjustable/dp/B0C3RSGL22
https://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Jacket-60625-Adjustable-Wrench/dp/B09X1YWQQP
Koko The Talking Ape
After some online discussion, I’ve come to agree, reluctantly, that there might be a role for crescent-style adjustable wrenches. With pliers-wrenches, especially the smaller ones, you might not be able to squeeze the handles tightly enough to keep the jaws from slipping on a tight fastener. A crescent-style adjustable doesn’t squeeze the fastener at all, but the jaws really won’t move no matter how tight the fastener is.
Jared
You don’t really have to squeeze pliers wrench handles together, just push down on the top one.
Actually, the same thing happens with waterpump pliers. By pushing down on the top handle, you’re also squeezing the jaws together. You only need to hold the bottom handle to keep it from flopping open – and then don’t need to hold it at all once you apply force.
HOWEVER, use the pliers wrench upside down and suddenly you do need to provide all the squeeze. Then it’s easy to strip things with a weak grip.
ITCD
They’re just fine for low torque applications and some medium torque ones.
Adam
Try a Milwaukee adjustable, and you will think differently. I swore them off too, until I tried one. The wide 8″ got a hitch ball to a 1/16 of a turn of full being tightened down.
Almost like they get tighter as you wrench on them.
BigTimeTommy
I used to think this until I bought high quality adjustable wrenches. Now I know it’s just an elitist opinion.
Grokew
What is wrong with using a swedish nut rounder, or an automatic nut lathe?
JJ
more leverage = more torque = knuckles more busted when it loosens and slips
blocky
Well sort of. It means you can achieve the same amount of force with less power. And to achieve the same angle of turn, you’ll be moving a longer distance. In most cases, when the fastener does come loose, you won’t have to overcome your own strain, so a longer handle = more leverage = more control.
However, on a cheap adjustable head, it is going to make it much easier to round over bolts, which then = slips = knuckles more busted.
This tool = more praisin AND more cussin.
fm2176
I have a Black and Decker that’s similar to this somewhere. At least I guess I still do; I kept it in the truck box but removed that before moving south and I’m fairly certain that’s long-gone.
For a beater “get out of a bind” tool, I liked the B&D. It helped out a few times but, like most of the other tools I kept in the truck, it wasn’t my go-to if something else was available.
Saulac
Extension or cheater bar on adjustable wrenches seem like a bit too far. For others, like ratchet wrenches. I refer stubby wrench with cheater bar over extendable. I found this gives the ultimate access and force.
fred
In our metal fabrication business – we had more than the occasional bit of disassembly work. Clients would bring in or have us come out to assemblies or even machinery with stuck fasteners that had defied their mechanics and the “usual suspects” for removal techniques. Sometimes a whole lot of penetrant, cheater bars etc. are just not enough even with impact tools. Sometimes a fastener might be located in a near impossible place to get adequate purchase on it. Sometimes – destructive removal – drilling, grinding. sawing, torching were options of the last resort or not possible at all. We had many specialized wrenches made for working close to bulkheads on aircraft. We had torque multipliers at our disposal – that sometimes worked if there was adequate structure to brace the reaction arm. We also had induction heating equipment that worked in places where only the foolhardy would use a torch. For larger machinery, we had sets of slugging wrenches and a few hydraulic tools that could muscle some larger nuts. If all else failed and giving up was not an option – we had EDM equipment to disintegrate the fastener from the inside out. Spending the kind of effort that was sometimes required would never be justified to the typical home project – but for a critical piece of equipment and a time-is-of-the-essence schedule – I guess the costs were justified. In any event – we got repeat and word-of-mouth referral business doing this sort of work.
Koko The Talking Ape
You’re talking about cheater bars on ratchets? I’ve found some sockets can slip off a fastener when you’re really cranking on it, because the force is offset from the fastener. An adjustable wrench is always in line with the fastener. Of course, sometimes you have to use a socket.
928'er
An adjustable wrench is always the wrong choice…
Matt C.
As a DIY mechanic I cannot think of a more useless tool than an adjustable wrench. I know other trades have better uses for it. But for me this is a hard pass. I will say I LOVE the Pittsburgh extendable ratchets. They’re a ratcheting breaker bar that then turns into a regular ratchet once the bolt/nut is loose…
Amatts
That looks painful.the all 16ths have uses the fun fact is that if you find American made ones in black oxide used especially if they have a machine company they have a high manganese content and usually weight a lot more vs current ones……just sayin’
Nathan
Yeah extended handle adjustable wrench is a no for me. Use a bigger adjustable or put a pipe on one. Or you know get the right size.
I will say this. I did have a use where I used my crescent fridge water valve repair. But on the water line was so cheap it wasn’t a common size. Not even the metrics fit right.
Anyway extended ratchet take a look at ez-red. Reasonable price good quality
Jared
I can’t see when I would use it, but I suppose if you had limited tools and needed some extra torque… why not?
I’d rather have some larger adjustables with solid handles I could hit with a deadblow if needed, but 16″ and larger adjustables aren’t cheap.
mark
Idk for me adjustable wrenches are always a tool I “have-to” use because I don’t have an appropriate sized alternative.
I really want to get my hands on some old school locking version I’ve seen recently on the ballinator YouTube channel (cool small channel with obscure tool restos + tool history vids) .
That seems like it would solve my biggest complaint with adjustable wrenches, which is that they don’t stay at the needed adjustment. Always drifts & needs to be readjusted during work.
I’m working on the knipex pliers wrench set, but they are expensive for me & I’ve already got the cobras, so I usually end up just marring the fastener with those haha
Plain+grainy
The jaws on adjustable wrenches are so large, many times you can only get a small turn. They do work well on certain occasions. I would make the wrenches with a 1/2”female socket in the handle, then make a beefy extension handle that can be used in light torque situations. The handle extension could be used as a regular socket extension when not used as a handle. I love the green colored handles. HF also sells pipe wrenches! I like to spend time at their display. Amazing how much lighter the aluminum pipe wrenches are.
Plain+grainy
I should mention, the beefy extension would have a collar on it. Which would slide over the handle like a pipe extension, to make secure non slip handle. The collar would slip over a regular socket when used as a regular socket extension ( probably would only work with deep well sockets though).
Johnez
For a tool community I’m surprised to see so many people against adjustables. As a guy who works with tools all day at a plant carrying a tool pouch at my hip, they are simply required. Can’t carry every size wrench and walking back to your tool box is sometimes impractical.
MM
I completely agree that adjustable tools are must-haves, but at least for me the issue is that other tools have replaced this style of adjustable wrench for all but the very smallest and very largest sizes. Most of the time I’d much rather grab a pliers wrench or Cobras, or perhaps the Wera Joker self-setting wrenches.
James
I carry both in my pouches that I need to walk around my customer floors with and pliers wrenches are used for repeatable task or when I need a lot of torque but for those quick grab tasks adjustable Crescent style wrenches are still unbeatable. One thing that I don’t see a lot of people talk about is that if you turn the adjustable wrench one way it stays tight much better than if you turn it the other way. A but of hard to describe, but you want the adjustable jaw ”downhill” from the fixed jaw.
ITCD
Variations of pliers/wrench hybrids like the Eifel PlieRench, and other takes on Wera self setters that actually predate them, have existed for decades. Yet the simple “Crescent” adjustable sticks around.
https://www.datamp.org/patents/displayPatent.php?pn=273461&id=30500
Here’s one that actually predates even the Crescent. But the Crescent is still good enough, reliable enough, and covers a wide enough range in one tool, and doesn’t require an approach from a steep angle nor constant manipulation of the handles like a PliersWrench that can be a problem in tight spaces
BigTimeTommy
I can understand shop mechanics being against them, why use an adjustable in a situation where you have all the right tools within arms reach. For everyone else adjustable tools are invaluable. Kind of annoying to see obviously clueless people claim adjustable tools are for hacks or something.
I can’t imagine ever buying a wrench like this, however.
Lauren
I’ve had 3 sizes of Crescent wrenches in my toolbox since I put it together. I can’t think of one instance where I’ve used one of them. I can’t remember ever using one since then (1970). Yet each time I put a tool kit together I throw one in. Habit I guess.
eddiesky
I keep a 2″x 20″ steel pipe for leverage. Cost = space in the tool box (which fits a 24″ wide drawer).
This here, is just silly.
Frank D
If one has to carry a limited set of tools for some intermittent maintenance or a possible repair; then I see no issue carrying an adjustable wrench set.
You can’t carry everything. You won’t be able to do everything. But even if it is just to hold the bolt or nut on one side, while tightening with a socket or “ proper “ wrench on the other side. Handy tool with handy uses, and I may very well pick one up in the future.
mattd
I have one of these stanley extendable locking flex head socket wrenches and really like it. but i feel like getting more torque from an adjustable wrench is just asking for stripped heads,
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-3-8-in-Extendable-Ratchet-and-Socket-Set-92-645/203903749
MM
A few companies like EZRed and Neiko make 3/4-drive ratchets that extend from about 24″ to close to 40″, one of those plus a 3/4 to 1/2 adapter is extremely handy for really stubborn jobs. I only have a handful of 3/4 drive sockets but with an adapter it’s the ultimate 1/2 drive breaker bar.
Philip+Proctor
What a horrible tool.
Jared
I think I’m coming around on this. Most 16″ adjustable wrenches open to at least 1-1/2″ – so does this one from Harbor Freight.
Instead of thinking of it as a 12″ wrench that can be extended to 16″ for torque, maybe it makes more sense to think of it as a 16″ wrench with a handle that can be collapsed for storage?
With that in mind, suddenly I like it better.