All Wrenches Are Not Created Equal – Listing the Different Types

Whether you are a DIY tinkerer or a professional who works with construction, you will need to obtain the best industries supplies available. There are many supplies on the market, but finding the right one for the right price and quality can be a hard task indeed. Have you too experienced trouble deciding when researching online industrial supply retailers offer? That was me one year ago. I regard myself as a DIY tinkerer, doing small projects here and there while using different types of industrial tools and supplies. In this article, I’ll talk about wrenches, the various types, pricing and where to find them.

First of all, the obvious – not all wrenches are created equal. This is due to the fact that some of them are used for specialised tasks, while others are designed to be used for daily do-it-yourself applications. To identify whether the wrenches are standard or metric, you will need to look for the colour coding. This is helpful because even a newbie like me (back then) could find his way around. There are dozens of wrench types, but here are the most common ones and their uses.

Top Three Most Common Wrench Types

Adjustable Wrench

The first time I used this kind of wrench was when I was a small child, changing the busted tires on my bicycle. This is the most common wrench from them all. The primary purpose of this wrench is tightening and loosening nuts and bolts. The moveable lower jaw allows easy adjustment to any size. Additionally, this wrench works with both standard and metric fasteners.

Combination Wrench

This type of wrenches, much like the adjustable wrench is used for tightening and loosening bolts and nuts. However, the main difference comes from their multi-functionality or to be more precise they has two ends, one open, the other one closed.

Double-Box Wrench

While conducting my research online industrial supply website offered me a double-box wrench. At first, I wasn’t sure, but after I went t through their page page, everything was clear. This wrench has two box ends which usually come with different sizes, making it more functional. It’s sold in both metric and standard sizes and can also be used for screwing nuts and bolts.

Open-End Wrench

As the name suggests, this wrench has its both ends open. The open-end wrench is a highly practical wrench I usually use when fixing my car or installing some new element in the backyard. Compared to others, this one makes screwing bolts and nuts easier because of its shape and it comes with both metric and standard sizes and usually the two ends have different sizes.

Torque Wrench

Lastly, I am going to talk about one of the most useful wrenches when it comes to tightening nuts and bolts to a particular foot pounds. Whenever I use this wrench, I am making sure that the bolts and nuts are screwed as tightly as possible, offering me the required security (especially when I am changing the tire on my car). It works with 3/8 inches or 1/2-inch sockets, where the sockets come in all standard and metric sizes.