Arguably one of the most essential tools for many types of plumbing and mechanical work, the venerable adjustable wrench is found in most toolboxes and is both loved and hated by many. Why hated you ask? The same feature that makes it so useful (easy adjustability) also makes many adjustable wrenches prone to adjusting themselves. You dial in the perfect wrench opening, and a minute later the jaws have opened themselves up enough to be rounding off that bolt or fitting you’re working on. Fear not Home Fixated friends! Milwaukee Adjustable Wrenches promise all the perks of this great tool, but with jaws they claim won’t back off.
Eons ago, Milwaukee sent us an assortment of various-sized adjustable wrenches, and we’ve been using them for well over a year now. A few of their trials and tribulations have included: repairing sprinkler valves, tightening fittings on a water heater, mounting a bench vise, assembling drip irrigation components, installing a water filter, replacing old angle stops, installing bolts on a stainless steel trellis (how-to coming soon), and probably another couple dozen projects I can’t remember in the fog of honey-do lists.
Milwaukee Adjustable Wrenches – Sizes For Just About Any Project
With about a half dozen different sizes, you’ll be set to tackle most tasks suited to an adjustable wrench. The Milwaukee Adjustable Wrenches come in the following popular sizes (with SKU numbers for your convenience):
| Size | SKU |
|---|---|
| 6″ | 48-22-7406 |
| 8″ | 48-22-7408 |
| 8″ Wide Jaw | 48-22-7508 |
| 10″ | 48-22-7410 |
| 12″ | 48-22-7412 |
| 8″ & 10″ Set | 48-22-7400 |
If you’re going after particularly stubborn fasteners, then the 12″ model delivers ample leverage. With that said, I found the 10″ a nice blend of leverage and size. I also found a surprising number of uses for the 6″ model. It fits unobtrusively in your pocket, tool belt or tool storage device du jour, and is ideal for smaller fasteners that don’t require epic torque.
Proprietary Screw – Jaws Won’t Back Off
I’ll confess that my frame of reference is based largely on an adjustable wrench I have owned for many decades. That old wrench felt clunky when operating the adjustment screw. Once you hit your desired adjustment, if you shook the wrench, you could literally hear and feel the jaw mechanism wiggle. Not only was the precision bad, but if you just looked at it funny it would readjust itself. It was like the wrench had a mind of its own.
The Milwaukee Adjustable Wrenches offer a decidedly precise adjustment mechanism. They even laser etched the jaw opening measurements on the jaw. I never used the measurements, but they are there if you happen to know the nut or bolt size you’ll be targeting.
I found the adjustment screw lived up to its marketing – its jaws won’t back off. I could finely calibrate the desired opening on the wrench and that’s where it would stay. The mechanism is smooth and lacked the slop of my old adjustable wrench. Getting a nice, precise grip also helps minimize the risk of damaging the fastener.
Jaw-Dropping Features
While your jaw might drop at the fine feel of the Milwaukee adjustable wrenches, the wrenches won’t. Each wrench has a sizable lanyard tether. If you’re working above other humans, they would appreciate not having any of these wrenches dropped on their heads. Grab a tether if you work at altitude, or are just extremely clumsy.
The tether-ready handles also have a nice feel to them. No sharp corners on the handle and a slightly rounded profile make for an ergonomic feel. Like many adjustable wrenches, they are chrome plated, with the exception of the rubberized, Milwaukee-branded yellow insert. Just kidding, it’s red.
The jaws have a respectable capacity. For reference, the 6″ wrench opens to 15/16″ and the 10″ wrench opens to 1 3/8″.
If you’re like me and are rocking a flimsy adjustable wrench from pre-Y2k (look it up, kids), you may want to consider an upgrade to one or more Milwaukee adjustable wrenches. They are solid and precise tools that will likely reliably serve you for decades.
