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Wrenches

Wrenches are used to rotate nuts, bolt, pipes, and pipe fittings and come in handy for many home improvement tasks.

Wrenches Categories

Types of Wrenches

Even more so than pliers, wrenches have numerous capabilities and are tailored to complete a specific job. One benefit of the wrench is that some versions allow for expanding or contracting the jaws to fit very different sized objects. Of course, some versions are fixed in size to the types of items they’ll grip, but wrenches also come in sets where different sized sockets can be used for rotation. The ratcheting capability is a unique feature in some of our wrenches so when you tighten or loosen a nut or bolt, a consistent grip is maintained and consistent movement in one direction (and not the other) is made possible. There are many useful types of wrenches, but similar to pliers, it is important to pick the right wrench for the job. The wrenches you’ll find at ToolsDirect.com can be divided up into the following categories (see product pages for additional information on specific wrench types):

• Open-End Wrench: This type of wrench can be purchased as either “fixed” in size (meaning its jaws cannot be adjusted) or capable of being adjusted. The open-end accommodates longer or larger bolts which a closed-end wrench (commonly called a box wrench) couldn’t accommodate. The Adjustable Wrench allows for the jaws to be changed in size to accommodate large and small objects, and the Combination Ratcheting Wrench contains both an open-end and a ratcheting box wrench for greater efficiency in tightening or loosening nuts and bolts of similar size.
• Box/Ratchet and Socket Wrench: Because these types are designed to fit to the end of an object needing rotation (usually a nut), these wrenches add stability, especially in tight spaces. However, as in the case of the Ratchet Handle and Socket Wrench, the fast changes of different-sized sockets assist in efficient completion of tasks. Therefore, it’s best to have a set of sockets for the ratchet which we offer for your convenience.
• Pipe Wrench: There are a few versions of this wrench, many of which are very similar but well-suited for round surfaces like pipes. The jaws of these wrenches are usually placed in a variety of positions. For instance, the straight or aluminum end pipe wrench is positioned on the tool’s end “straightly” for directly working the object needing adjustment. However, the offset pipe wrench (similar to the Hex Pipe Wrench) is “off-set” in position to the straight pipe wrench and is more suitable for tight spaces or in areas close to walls. Other versions of this include the strap wrench (ideal for turning larger pipes, the strap of the wrench is also adjustable and can be tightened or loosened depending on your needs) and thechain pipe wrench (with ratcheting capabilities built into this tool, just apply the chain around the pipe to be adjusted and rotate the object as necessary).
• Impact Wrench: When you need that extra umph! for the tightening or loosening of lug nuts or bolts, this is the tool for you. This wrench is like an amped-up ratchet. The added amount of torque these products supply minimizes the effort required. These wrenches are either cordless, corded, or with air-hose hook-ups depending on your impact needs.
• Other Wrenches: We also offer other wrenches like the coupling torque wrench, which is used for tightening coupling nuts and is ratchet capable for added efficiency, and Allen wrenches (also called a folding hex key).

Products you will find in this category are: Wrench, Pipe Wrench, Torque Wrench, Adjustable Wrench, socket wrenches

Reasons To Shop at ToolsDirect.com