Dewalt has come out with a new adjustable wrench set, DWHT75497, that includes 6-inch and 10-inch wrenches, both with dipped handle grips.
That’s all there is to say, the end!
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Oh, there’s more? Dewalt says that the vinyl grip helps provide control in wet environments, and has “Grip Armor” to help prevent the grip from peeling off. The wrenches have wide jaw capacities, 1-1/32″ for the 6″ wrench, and 1-13/32″ for the 10″ wrench.
The handle ends are flared, which Dewalt says is for added control during use.
Those opening widths don’t impress me – check out Channellock’s adjustable wrenches (~$20+ via Amazon) if you want an extra-wide adjustable. While not the only adjustables I use, Channellock’s are my favorite.
I’m not in a very good mood today, after being sick for the past 3 days. So I’m just going to say it. These look like ordinary adjustable wrenches with the Dewalt brand name slapped onto them. There’s nothing unique-looking about them.
But the price is appealing, and Dewalt stands by their tools as being jobsite-tough. I imagine that these are sturdy and capable wrenches, but just wish there was something more special about them.
Dewalt’s original adjustable wrenches (reviewed here) are decent, but I heard they’re not very corrosion resistant. They were also thick and heavy, which contributes to strength but against user convenience.
Milwaukee’s new adjustable wrenches are a little more inspired than any of these Dewalt adjustable wrench designs.
Price: $20 for the set
Buy Now(via Home Depot)
ca says
Oct 24, 2016 at 11:58 amThe extra-wide Channellocks are a great wrench.
scoot says
Oct 24, 2016 at 12:06 pmboring………
BikerDad says
Oct 24, 2016 at 12:16 pmActually, there IS one noteworthy element to these crescent (notice, lower case, so the trademark sharks can go pound sand) wrenches.
They will be EASY TO FIND. Seriously, digging around in a tool bag for one’s crescent wrench is a PITA. Sure, it’s at the bottom, usually, but the bottom is a dark place with all sorts of other crap, some of it pokey. Or when you set the thing down/drop it, those handles will make it easy to spot.
That said, with the wonderful Knipex pliers-wrenches available, I question why anyone would use an adjustable, other than familiarity.
Stuart says
Oct 24, 2016 at 12:47 pmA Knipex Pliers Wrench, with this being my most detailed post about ’em requires continued handle pressure to remain engaged on a fastener.
An adjustable wrench does not, as fastener engagement is completely independent from hand grip.
A Pliers Wrench can be used for many but not all of the applications where an adjustable wrench could work.
fred says
Oct 24, 2016 at 2:28 pmBoth have there uses. The plier-wrenches may not be as good for old arthritic hands – but if you get the feel of them you can alternatively grip down and loosen you gripe to give you a ratcheting-like action – a wee bit speedier than taking the crescent wrench off and reapplying it as you turn.
The wide opening style wrenches – and those with short handles like those from Channleock are also better than plier wrenches on drain-line slip nuts in tight spots under a sink
Adam says
Oct 24, 2016 at 12:50 pmLooks like these *might* have an extra knurl for tightning compared to others. From the photo it looks like 4, but depending on where it is in rotation, it may only be 3. If it is 4, they might have a little better staying power than some
Stuart says
Oct 24, 2016 at 1:12 pmMaybe, but if so I would have expected to see it mentioned in the product description.
In the higher resolution images, it looks like the smaller wrench has the typical 3 knurl engagement. The 10-inch *might* have more, but it’s too unclear to tell for sure.
fred says
Oct 24, 2016 at 2:08 pmI agree with you – not much new here.
We would try out lots of new tools , when we saw an old tool type where a manufacturer had tweaked the design enough to make it better or useful in difficult situations. I’d see no reason to give these a try.
In this class of tool I recall that we tried the Channellock Wide_Adz adjustable wrenches – and more recently those with thin jaws. They were keepers. We also tried and liked thin jaw adjustables from Engineer because they were good with jam nuts.
We were not enamored with some Bostitch branded adjustables that were introduced about 6 years ago and were supposed to offer ratcheting action.
I also recall that we tried a ratcheting one from Crescent that was not to our liking.
Then there were adjustable wrenches that I saw from Irwin about 5 years ago that were touted as “metric” and HD selling Husky ones with “reversible jaws” – both of which I did not give a second look.
Overall – we might have carried a few adjustables on the trucks – but much preferred using the Knipex plier wrenches where they would fit.
Adam says
Oct 24, 2016 at 3:45 pmLOL. I made the mistake of getting those “metric” wrenches. I thought it was a typo or a joke, but the price wasn’t bad (if they worked on all sizes like I had thought they might). The only metric bolt I know for sure is all the 10mm on my Toyota, and a wrench isn’t going to help much there.
Chris T says
Oct 24, 2016 at 9:42 pmI have the non-dipped version. They’re rust magnets. I do like the marked openings.
Pete says
Oct 24, 2016 at 11:17 pmTheir other(older?) style adjustable wrenches that were black and unfinished rusted in like 10 minutes if they get wet. They are stout and very heavy and work great. Actually most of their hand tools rust like a mofo. Had a friend move to wisconsin for a year, then moved back(where its dry) pretty much all of his dewalt tools were rusted shut even though they werent exposed to water- just humidity.
Toolfreak says
Oct 25, 2016 at 9:33 amThe comments about rust make me think DeWalt casts these out of cheaper mild steel, and just uses a black oxide or inexpensive protective coating. I’ve had various Craftsman, Crescent, and even cheapo no-name adjustables that have survived many, many years in humidity and wet environments without rusting later on.
Seems like the bright yellow handles and DeWalt branding would be good for those are who have the power tools and maybe the combo wrench and socket sets.
I’m curious if the “lifetime warranty” means you can do an exchange at Home Depot or anywhere else that sells these, or if you have to contact DeWalt customer service.
mikedt says
Oct 25, 2016 at 1:19 pmThere must be a huge margin on these things since everybody makes one and they’re pretty much all the same.