The Amazon Basics locking adjustable wrench is part adjustable wrench, part locking pliers.
Amazon’s not the first to make a tool like this, and they won’t be the last.
According to Amazon, their locking adjustable wrench is “ideal for auto repair, general assembly, maintenance, plumbing, and more.”
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It’s a 10″ wrench with a max clamping diameter of 1.25″.
I could kind of almost see it being useful.
Crescent also has a locking adjustable wrench, and Amazon’s version makes the Crescent look more appealing, even with its higher price tag.
The Crescent is advertised as delivering “2x gripping power on rounded fasteners,” and features an anti-slip grooved jaw to help make that happen.
I think the Crescent might be more effective, but I would be hesitant to use it on delicate materials.
To be frank, I would be hesitant to use either tool on anything, but I’ve never given them a chance and aren’t likely to. I’ve tried my fair share of gimmicky tools, and I think I’m done.
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Let me know what you think – do these tools have a spot on your tool box? Are they problem solvers?
If you want a good adjustable wrench, I can sing praise for Channellock’s made-in-Spain wrenches all day and every day. They’re awesome.
This isn’t the best that Channellock offers, but it’s a good price for a solid 10″ wrench.
New Crescent Locking Adjustable Wrench – here’s my launch post from when the Crescent first came out in October 2016. Reading back that post, I was a bit more optimistic 7 years ago.
Scott K
Shouldn’t a good adjustable wrench function the same way? You adjust it and it stays at the desired opening size…it almost seems simpler to put the money into a higher quality mechanism as opposed to the whole additional lever system.
Richard
My experience is that a stray knuckle or finger changes it by a hair and then it’s too loose or too tight and I’ve got to readjust. I bought some pliers wrench and haven’t missed my adjustables except for access issues (which these would no better than a pliers wrench.
Koko The Talking Ape
Exactly. I’ve had adjustable wrenches that would lose their setting if you shook it hard, or just dropped it. Never again. Pliers-wrench all the way. Knipex, specifically.
Michael Hammer
Agreed. You can get a pseudo ratcheting action from them too just loosening your grip.
Sean
In that case, why do you want a crescent wrench? Seems you want one or the other but not both.
Jack S
Yes, indeed. Based on ToolGuyd (thank you!), I bought the 2 Piece Mini Pliers Wrench Set (9K0080121US) back in 2020 and haven’t touched my assortment of similar sized adjustable wrenches since. They’re a must have in my tool carrier.
Farmall
An adjustable wrench is almost never the right tool for the job, but it’s often the tool I’ve got, when I need it. There’s a 12” in every toolbox on every tractor, truck & equipment toolbox on the farm, along with a 3/8-1-1/4” wrench set. The adjustable is great for a backup wrench, or hydraulic fittings which sometimes aren’t quite sized right, or for bending or straightening something.
I’m damned particular about them though. Diamond Horseshoe brand only for me, but I will say the newer Crescent brand, with the tapering, wide handles are pretty decent.
I’ve got one “locking” version somewhere of unknown origin, but never thought it worked well enough to warrant any consideration.
Jason
Woot has this combo for $77, which camelcamelcamel indicates is a better than Amazon has had in a couple years:
https://tools.woot.com/offers/knipex-tools-2-piece-mini-pliers-wrench-set-6
Tom
No, adjustable wrenches loosen up a mm or 1/16th and then it wants to round off the soft metal nuts and bolts.
fred
I wonder if Aluminum alloy adjustable wrenches, designed for AN Fittings, are any better in this regard?
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pro-67728
My feeling is that it is always better to use a well-fitting single size wrench when possible.
Joe
Knipex Plierswrench is the real MVP.
Farmall
100% agree, but too spendy to have in all the equipment I’ve got, so there’s a couple in my truck, which is likely to be at least close, when I need them, and a full set in the shop.
PETE
I never saw the reason for them… until I got them… now it’s all i want to use. I hate using adjustable wrenches now.
fred
The Stanley 85-610 is another option:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-MaxGrip-10-in-Locking-Adjustable-Wrench-85-610/203713967
alex
Isn’t this just a worse version of a Knipex pliers wrench?
ITCD
No. This is. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01ARJUL8E
The other adjustables at least lock.
Joellikestools
Knipex has a similar concept but for a pipe wrench that looks interesting.
I second those Channellocks. I have some Irega wrenches which I believe are the OEM. They are great.
fred
Both the Japanese and Europeans have several different takes on pipe wrenches. Gedore and others sell wrenches in several sizes that adjust with a wheeled-nut then use a lever-action handle. Here’s an example:
https://www.misterworker.com/en-us/gedore/high-speed-pipe-inch-wrench-152/56701.html
fred
Japanese companies like MCC, Lobtex (Lobster) and Super Tool also make some wrenches that look different than their US counterparts:
Here a two from MCC:
https://www.amazon.com/MCC-Steel-Basin-Wrench-MWW-92/dp/B01M0DLDAV
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002J4U4FG
Eddie the Hook
😳
fred
Two different styles – with jaws looking a bit more like monkey or Ford wrenches :
https://www.amazon.com/TOP-TMW250-TMW-250/dp/B002PK0JX6
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M0DLDAV
fred
Then just for comparison here’s a style that once was called a “Ford wrench” :
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M0DLDAV
and what some refer to as a monkey or spud wrench:
https://www.amazon.com/RIDGID-31400-Wrench-12-inch-Adjustable/dp/B001D1ITJO
fred
The adjustable wrench, once synonymous with Crescent, has been around long enough that folks have invariably tried to improve on the design. Some have added locking levers, some flex heads:
https://www.amazon.com/GETUHAND-Flexhead-Adjustable-Ratcheting-Rotating/dp/B07B7MV2LJ
Some market ones with wider openings and shorter handles (like the Channellock WideAzz) . Yet others make one with narrow jaws or ground-down slim jaws. They come in double-end styles, ones with handles that work as bolt-up alignment pins, and ones that have valve-wheel wrenches on the ends of handles. Most are made of steel – but you can find ones made from bronze or aluminum alloys. Wera Joker wrenches are a bit of a different take. Stanley Bostitch 99-078 and 99-079 were marketed as ratcheting. Irwin sold ones in 4 different lengths that were called “metric” – presumably because they had metric graduations along the openings.
The Williams APL series used a sliding rod mechanism in the center of the adjusting nut to prevent the jaws from moving once they were set. It was so-so in terms of effectiveness.
Efforts to improve the design seem to have focused on things like the engagement of the adjusting nut (4 teeth vs 3) or improving on the tolerance of the components. You can certainly feel the difference in operation of a quality wrench compared to some of the junk that’s sold. But, like others have said, when I started using (now over 20 years ago) Knipex plier wrenches – my adjustable wrenches started gathering dust.
Jared
Like you, I’m thinking this is a locking adjustable wrench for people who haven’t heard of a pliers wrench.
There could be some situations where you want the grip of a pliers wrench but don’t want to hold it closed – but that would be much rarer than the times where a locking feature would slow you down many fold.
Han DeMan
I have had one of those style wrenches for almost 30 years and sometimes i pull it out when I need a REALLY secure grip because a slipping wrench may damage a finish on the nut or the material it holds.
Its not the fastest wrench to set or use but does a better job when you can’t afford to slip or need to use two hands on one bolt.
Stuart
Crescent has one of those too – https://www.amazon.com/CRESCENT-ACFR8VS-Tools-Wrenches-Adjustable/dp/B01M7OQONH/?tag=toolguyd-20
fred
Crescent also make ones that adjust via a slide mechanism:
https://www.amazon.com/Crescent-AC610RS-2-PC-Adjustable-Wrench/dp/B001ACM2JE
Jerry
I have the Stanley version of these.
IMO, they are kind of a specialty or niche tool. Yes, they grip tighter than a regular adjustable wrench, and are less likely to slip, especially on rounded fasteners than a regular adjustable wrench (and I have several good ones from the ChannelLocks you mentioned, to several old USA made brands).
They are also good for holding a bolt from turning while you tighten/loosen the nut in situations where you can’t reach both sides, provided there is something for the handle to press against (if doing this be sure to orient the wrench so it can ‘unlock’ when you are done, and it won’t mar the finish like locking pliers).
The big thing against them is that they are SLOW. Every time you re-position the wrench, you have to unlock, and re-lock it. I had mine before I got a Pliers Wrench, and the pliers wrench seems superior to it in every way except maybe in situations where you want it to lock on the nut or bolt head. The pliers wrench is faster, holds as good or better, and is easier and more convenient to use.
Mike (the other one)
I have the Crescent version. It does work, and it holds very tight at any angle. The worm gear is not that great, as it isn’t butressed, but I supposed there needs to be some movement in the gear for the lock to engage. The jaws are a bit bulky, though. The Crescent version has a plastic grip, which I think does provide a little more comfort.
The idea is a good one, but I think it could be refined. Longer, thinner jaws, a better worm gear, and better quality machining could make this into an amazing tool. You could think of it as a clamp or small vise. In fact it might work better in that role than as a wrench.
fred
There are also wrenches that are sometimes called “Swedish Pattern” :
https://www.amazon.com/Bahco-1410-Pipe-Wrench-325MM/dp/B0001IX98G
https://www.amazon.com/Knipex-83-30-005-S-Type/dp/B003D64VYY
Ned Devereaux
This wrench is an offspring of the Chapman Tiger Claw. It also had a chain attachment for tightening and loosening pipe or larger nuts. I met the inventer of it 30+ years ago. I had one but it “walked” away. Wish I still had it.
Ned D.
fred
William C. Chapman – US Patent: 3,190,154 – granted June 22, 1965 for the original wrench
US Patent: 3,613,486 – granted October 19. 1971 for the chain attachment
Alex
They do seem to fill the same niche as the pliers wrench but I have been curious about these. Not curious enough to buy the ugly plastic handled crescent ones though, so I might pick the Amazon ones up.
Also if anyone knows a brand of regular adjustable wrench which has no perceptible slop in the moving jaw I’d be interested. It’s totally possible to make one but must be cost prohibitive because even the ones suggested in the article do wobble.
William Adams
Makita did one:
https://www.amazon.com/Makita-B-65470-Locking-Adjustable-Wrench/dp/B085DZWPL7
(bought one for my son back when the price was reasonable)
MM
I’m familiar with this tool though I’ve never owned one personally. While I agree with most posters that Knipex Pliers Wrenches would be my go-to over this 99% of the time I do think that locking tools have their use cases: if you need to take your hand off the tool they stay engaged with the fastener. In some situations that is very useful, for example what I call “ghost wrenching”. Suppose you have to tighten a bolt and nut but you can’t reach both sides of the fastener at the same time. Ideally you’d have a helper hold one end while you tighten the other but what if you don’t have one? You can sometimes engage a tool on a fastener and then brace it against some nearby object to hold it while you tighten the other side. Locking tools are best for this…but I find that vise-grips do the job just fine.
This discussion also reminds me a bit of the original Eifel Plierench. They did not lock but they were a similar combination of a moving-jaw adjustable wrench and pliers.
Mike McFalls
I agree with you on ‘blind fastening’ and no tool is better for this application than a locking plier. Using ones with knurling can maul the nut so the smooth jaw counterpart can be very useful.
Koko The Talking Ape
That’s a good point, especially if you’re in construction, boat building, large machinery, etc. Makes me wish Knipex made a locking version of their pliers-wrench.
MFC
I really feel like there should be some holy grail offering of an adjustable wrench that would keep it in whatever spacing you set it to.
I suppose a mechanism like a planetary gears to reduce it down so that it couldn’t move more than a fraction would be a possibility, but then you get into thickness issues. Manufacturing is also a thing, but it seems that if you could get a dual knurled adjustment onto one, that it wouldn’t be that hard to manufacture.
ITCD
From my experience that holy grail exists, and its name is Lobtex. You can get them with or without fancy jaws that are supposed to contact more sides, and even two options for anti-rattle mechanisms (one is a split worm, the other is a ball detent) or get one that has neither.
Mike
I had never heard of “pliers wrench,” so I Googled and said “Oh! Channellocks!” Because that’s what my dad had 50+ years ago, and what I’ve generically called a pliers wrench ever since. Who made them first?
MM
Google seems to have misled you, as it often does. When we are talking about a “pliers wrench” we are talking about this:
https://www.knipex.com/products/pipe-wrenches-and-water-pump-pliers/pliers-wrenches-pliers-and-a-wrench-in-a-single-tool
They superficially resemble “channellocks” but they are very different. Pliers wrenches have a locking pushbutton adjustment for size, the jaws are smooth and are always parallel, and they have very high leverage at the handles because of how the cam on the handle engages with the moveable jaw. I am not sure who came up with this design first, Knipex seems to be the originator and is certainly the industry leader though the patents recently expired and now there are various copies on the market.
Koko The Talking Ape
Yeah, no. Channellocks have several grooves or *channels* cut into one leg and a curved ridge in the other leg that rides in the channel you choose. You can adjust them only by opening them entirely, and it takes two hands. They might have seven settings. Pliers-wrenches can be adjusted when open or closed with only one hand, and they might have 12 settings. Also they have parallel, smooth jaws as MM says. They are superior in every way (except cost.) 🙂
Nathan
Best adjustable wrench I own is the black n Decker auto adjust ones. Long handle, heavier due to c batteries, decent jaw, hold position tight as long as you hold the tighten button down
Used exactly once. Was a gift had to try it. I use an adjustable wrench so rarely and often only when I don’t have a combo wrench that fits. But I do keep one in each car I own.
Odd I know
Dave
I had the Craftsman Versions (large and small) maybe 5-6 years ago. I rarely ever use an adjustable wrench but the concept was worth a try. I can’t remember why I ended up getting rid of the wrenches but obviously I wasn’t impressed enough to keep them!
Eric Rowe
I’ve had the craftsman brand one for years I think I got it when the local sears was closing , I bought that the pipe/slip joint plier in one tool and the hammer/indexing pry bar combo and at the time I thought this would be the most useless, and here we are maybe 10 years later and it’s the only one I have left of the 3 and I’ve only used it once but it got me out of a bind (i think it was on a hydraulic fitting) regular vice grips were not getting a good bite and wrenches were stripping it so since it got me out of a bind once it will forever be in my tool chest
Charles
Just buy the right size wrench . Gimmicky stuff is worthless .
Caleb
I have been using the Crescent locking adjustable wrench for years and I will not use another adjustable wrench. It does everything I need from a wrench and I have no worry that it will round off fasteners. It’s metric and imperial and is nice to hold.
Ed
I’ve had a Stanley locking adjustable wrench for about 10 years. Works great in the right application.
Aj
I had a pair dont remember the brand. They were a higher end. But they do the job. Wish i still had them. Marvelous tool. Doesnt beat a good box end wrench though
Scott
Love my Stanley version. Smooth Jaws don’t mar and it locks on with out slipping. Working on boat rigging, I can lock it on the wire and turn the turnbuckle with out twisting the wire or dropping the wrench overboard.
Almost any through bolt, lock the wrench on one end and use a ratchet on the other. Works great even when there is an awkward reach.
On a bike it will even straighten a rotor in a pinch. Not always the perfect tool, but one that will work in a surprising number of situations without marring a surface or slipping.