What is an adjustable wrench?

Wrenches are the perfect tool for dealing with a variety of fittings. Unlike open end or ring spanners though, an adjustable wrench has a moveable jaw that allows each adjustable spanner to be set to a variety of sizes. This means one tool can deal with a arrange of fastener sizes, where normal spanners are manufactured to suit one specific size. There are obvious benefits. Unlike traditional spanners, if you have a project that uses several sizes of fastener, you can often do everything with a single tool. With an adjustable spanner, you may need to bring four or five tools to complete the job. Not only that, but because the spanner is infinitely adjustable between a specific range, it can be used on both metric and imperial fasteners. That makes these tools economical and effective. However, because they are not specifically sized, they are not suitable for high-torque applications, where there may be a risk of slippage. In those situations, the closed or ring spanner remains the most suitable option.

Why do they call a monkey wrench?

The term is often mistakenly attributed to a racial slur, but in fact predates those false stories by well over a hundred years. The early adjustable wrench was used extensively in the nautical world, where the term Monkey was used " To denote a small light structure or piece of equipment contrived to suit an immediate purpose”. Interestingly, in the late 1920s and early 30s, these tools also became known as Ford wrenches, because one was included in the toolkit provided with every Ford Model A sold.

What is adjustable wrench used for?

An adjustable wrench is, like all spanners, designed to tighten and loosen a variety of fastenings, such as bolt heads, nuts and so on. The main difference is that it can be easily and quickly adjusted to fit a variety of fastening sizes, and so removes the need for an entire wrench set, instead just 1 or 2 of these monkey wrench tools will get everything done.

Why Choose Beta Spanners?

When you buy wrenches, it’s not just for today, you want to know they are going to last for years to come, and that is exactly what you get from Beta, precision crafted tools you can trust today and into the future. Used by professional race teams around the world, Beta tools set new standards for quality products, they are the perfect choice for anyone that wants quality performance and robust reliability.