Crescent has come out with a new line of wide-jaw adjustable wrenches, featuring wider opening capacities and micro-serrated jaws.
The new Crescent adjustable wrenches are said to meet ASME performance requirements for wrenches the next-size up, meaning that the 6″ version meets the requirements for the 8″, and so forth. They say that, with the expanded jaw capacities, each wrench does the work of the next larger size.
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The jaws feature micro-serrations, or finely spaces grooves, which Crescent says provides a tighter grip on fasteners, helping to generate 4x more torque than traditional adjustable wrenches.
Each wrench also features a larger knurl, which provides a tighter jaw fit, is easier to adjust, and is less likely to bind up.
SAE and metric size markings are laser etched into the wrench head.
Finally, the new Crescent wrenches have a black phosphate and lacquer finish for corrosion and rust resistance.
Sizes
- 6″, model ATWJ26VS
- 8″, model ATWJ28VS
- 10″, model ATWJ210VS
- 12″, model ATWJ212VS
- 6″ and 10″ set, ATWJ2610VS
Price: $26.37 for the 8″, as of the time of this posting
Buy Now(via Amazon)
First Thoughts
I was a little worried when I read that the new Crescent adjustable wrenches would have micro-serrated jaws. However, from the close-up image, they appear to be blunted, maybe even rounded. I don’t know if I could consider them non-marring, but I don’t think they’ll gouge out fasteners or fitting in the way I had initially imagined.
Wider jaw openings? Sounds good to me. A larger knurl? They make it sound good, saying it tightens up the jaw fit and is easier to adjust.
Crescent’s specs sheets show the wrong max jaw opening capacities, and so we’re still working to get the official specs. But, seeing as how a standard Crescent 8″ adjustable wrench opens to 1-1/8″, and images of the new 8″ show markings greater than 1-1/4″, they’re definitely wider.
It has been more than a year since Crescent’s rebranding and absorption of other Apex Tool Group brands. Actually, they also recently added Jobox under the Crescent brand umbrella.
New premium Crescent Lufkin tape measures, and now new premium-looking and featured adjustable wrenches? It’s good to see new fire in their engines.
Crescent was known for their adjustable wrenches. If these new wrenches are everything they’re claimed to be, will you be adding one to your tool kit?
Jason says
I would check them out if I needed a crescent wrench. Currently have to many as is to add more though
Jared says
Crescent should make excellent crescent wrenches. Instead, they make ok ones.
I’m glad to see them innovating. If these live up to all the marketing I might buy one. Not sure about serrations though – that’s not something I generally want in an adjustable wrench. Maybe for plumbing?
The competition however, is fierce – specifically Channellock. Channellock’s adjustable wrenches are great and don’t cost a whole lot. No real reason to look elsewhere (unless you want ultra-premium or dollar store cheap, they’re as good or better than everything in-between).
Toolfreak says
I bought a newer Crescent brand 10 inch adjustable wrench, and while it’s ok and does the job, it isn’t very impressive over my older USA-made Crescent and Craftsman adjustables, but it is better than cheap junky wrenches that don’t adjust very smoothly.
I’m not so sure those grooves are really micro-serrations nor will they do much for increasing torque. The larger knurl might be an improvement, but hard to say without trying it out.
I’m not really in the market for any more adjustables, but if I were, something unique that would grip where a traditional wrench might slip off might make me consider one. I think these are just a gimmick though, with the flatter tops of the teeth making me think they won’t contribute any more grip, if not less frictiond due to less contact area. It seems like Crescent is trying to make these be replacements for traditional wrenches rather than additions for where you want them to really grip and not slip. Maybe if they made those serrations a lot smaller and sharper and hardened the jaws so they’d dig in but still last awhile with reasonable use, I’d be in for a wrench or maybe a whole set if they worked really well.
Perhaps Crescent/Apex will send a 10″ wrench over as a sample and Toolguyd can test it out against some traditional wrenches to see how it compares.
Adam says
My favorite 4-letter word maker, or at least the description before I got this one, is the Milwaukee 8″ wide jaw. No slop when you adjust it, even needing to be loosened after using sometimes. I tightened a hitch ball to within 1/8 of a turn of what a larger 15″ did.
Eric says
The jaws make sense to me, but I cannot imagine getting another general purpose adjustable wrench. Since getting the pliers wrenches, the only ones I have used are Engineer and Channelllock thin jaw versions and a 24″ model from HF.
Kenneth Stephens says
I’d rather buy USA made wrenches from HJE or Channellock wrenches form Spain. Almost nothing from Apex has my interest anymore
Bertil says
I absolutely love my Bahco reversible jaw shifter, reversing the jaw lets it act like a pipe wrench, and it’s been saving my bacon a fair bit recently.
Also feels beautifully solid in my hand.
Dave says
Crescent wrenches found in either my work box or one of my “in the car in case I get an emergency call” boxes, ranked:
6. Husky quick-adjust (if I still own one, may have thrown the last in the set over a neighbor’s fence in disgust on a job a couple months ago)
5. China Freight, the cheap ones where you get a set of 3 for less than $10
4. Crescent, new (with a set of pass-through sockets and a ratchet instead of hanging hole that are kind of handy)
3. China Freight, the “expensive” ones that cost about $10 for one wrench
2. Crescent, an old one I stole from my dad to fix my bike as a kid and have possessed for 30ish years not including how long he had it
1. Milwaukee , with the five adjustment wheels to hold the jaws in place – although I’m an admitted Milwaukee fanboy, most of their hand tools are middling but these are one of the few they do better than others
Matt Jones says
I’d have to feel how these adjust and hold their adjustment in person to see if they’re worth considering over the very good Channelocks I’ve typically purchased to see if they’re worth caring about.
Regardless, it’s nice to see Apex making some moves. Looks like the Sears Craftsman licensing money they’re getting is at least going into tool development by brands I’d actually consider purchasing, so something good is coming out of that whole debacle at least.
Bobby says
Not sure I would use these due to the serrations on the jaws. That’s one reason I go for an adjustable wrench over a pipe wrench or pliers.
Nathan says
if a larger knurl and serrated jaws were so good why did it take 40 years for that to become a thing?
I too first read the micro-serrated thing and thought great now you can grind off the finish of whatever your wrenching one while rounding over the ends. I rarely if ever use an adjustable wrench. I try to avoid it as much as I can so I can think of a few times I’ve used my 20 something year old crecent’s. Of which I have 2 the 6 and the 8.
Noah says
Apex is in full on gimmick mode.
Stuart says
I don’t think so. First, it’s only a gimmick if it’s trick that doesn’t work. Second, this isn’t a Father’s Day type of tool, and neither are the new Lufkin tape measures. At face value, and in the context of some of the gimmicky hand tools I’ve seen, I think this is a genuine attempt at doing something better.
Jared says
I could see the serrations working. I.e. as the bolt head begins to twist between the jaws the points of the bolt head would fall into the serration and grab.
Of course, if your mission is to preserve the bolt head, then this only focuses the energy more on the points and increases the chance of rounding them over. Better grab your pliers wrench instead and put the force on the flats (but that’s not exactly fair, since that’s a tool which costs 2-3 times as much).
Allen says
I use adjustable wrenches on the farm many times. One problem they have is clearance at the head.
They just made that problem worse.
The What? says
I’ve been doing this to adjustable wrenches for years. A dremel with a cutoff disc is how you do it. Quite easy to do. Although sometimes there’s a little too much grip and it won’t let go of the bolt. But it works. You can always grind the jaw down if you want a wider opening. You can do that with any wrench. I’ve customized many wrenches in this fashion.
Joe framer says
Bahco…. nothing better
Bob says
First impression – they look cheap. They do not resemble anything Irega makes, Apex must be producing them. Crescent is not the same company as it was as we grew up, alot of their current offerings are meh, I’ll consider other brands first