One common tool that appears useful for various applications is a wrench, as it comes in handy for various everyday uses and top professional applications. Hence, it is important to know the various types of wrenches and their applications.
A wrench is designed to offer tight grips during torque application for turning various objects. Whether you are keen on losing or tightening bolts, nuts, screws, and different mechanical caps, you would need a suitable wrench.
As an essential need for various auto repairs, wrenches are found in most mechanic toolboxes. Thus, you would often find wrenches among the common products supplied by various tool brands worldwide. In this piece, I will reveal the many types of wrenches and their uses.
Common Wrench Types and Their Uses
Some folks tend to overlook the need to get wrenches until when tackled with a project. From everyday applications to professional use, wrenches appear to be a “must-have.”
You would often find top-quality options constructed with chrome plating to fight off corrosion and remain effective for a long time.
For most DIYers and automotive experts, wrenches are tools that come in handy for removing oil filters, disconnecting batteries, and other similar applications. There are a handful of wrenches, and you may already own a couple of them at home.
Nevertheless, most folks seem unaware of the wide range of wrenches and their varying applications. With that in mind, here is a list of some of the available types of wrenches.
1. Allen Wrench
This straightforward tool is designed to appear hexagonal. You would often find most of this type of wrenches L-shaped, while a few others are T-shaped. Folks can easily fit this tool on hexagonal recesses or holes of screws and bolts.
Top-quality Allen wrenches would often come constructed with durable metals that last for a long time. Kindly note that these options come in metric or SAE sizes to help you choose a suitable option.
Famous brands that supply excellent Allen wrench sets include Crescent, Draper, Silverline, Goodyear, and Wera. The cost of Allen wrench sets varies, but you can find suitable ones between the average costs of $13.99 to $64.95.
2. Adjustable Wrench
This tool is among the “every day” wrench types, also known as the crescent wrench. It appears essential for most utility drawers and toolboxes; hence, such wrenches aid in adjusting the jaw width. It does so by turning built-in screws from the base of their heads.
With its thicker size, this wrench type can only work in spacious areas. Nevertheless, it can offer the same services as an open-end or sets of combination wrenches. The versatility of the types of adjustable wrenches available in the market is pretty tremendous.
Tool brands that offer excellent adjustable wrench sets include Milwaukee, Channellock, Knipex, and Irwin. The average prices of adjustable wrenches range from $6.72 to $43.32, but know that the cost varies and may appear higher.
3. Combination Wrench
As the name sounds, this tool is designed to look like a combination of a box-ended and open-ended wrench. Thus, it comes with excellent versatility and can also fit into areas with smaller spaces.
Kindly note that the ‘close’ end works well on tougher nuts while the loose ends quickly unscrew it. Again, you can find the combination wrench sets having metric or SAE measurements. Some of the best brands that offer the combination wrench in their tool lineup include Tekton, Milwaukee, and Gearwrench.
There are excellent sets of combination wrenches in the market, and some have estimated prices starting from $7.99 to $164.87.
4. Oil Filter Wrench
An oil filter wrench is one essential tool for an oil change and filter replacement. This tool appears common in the automotive industry and works well for tightening the end hose of the oil drain valve. Please, note that it comes in different designs depending on the vehicle brand.
There are those with chain strap styles and some with socket styles. You would find a suitable oil filter wrench set within the estimated price of $10.00 to $39.00. Top brands that supply good oil filter wrenches include Craftsman, Tekton, Motivx, and Channellock.
5. Box-Ended Wrench
Are you searching for a suitable wrench that would fit the heads of square or hexagonal bolts? Then, you should consider getting Box-Ended wrenches, as these options come having a closed-loop on both ends.
The enclosed loop on both ends of this “closed wrench” comes in different sizes. With such a tool, you can supply sufficient torque for loosening tough bolts. The estimated cost of getting excellent box-ended wrench sets starts from $7.97 to $99.99.
6. Open-Ended Wrench
Open-ended wrenches are among the most popular options that you find. The U-shaped ends of this tool make it recognizable, and its open design makes it easier for folks to reach and get attached to nuts vertically or horizontally.
Top suppliers of such types of wrench include Proto, Tekton, Armstrong, and GearWrench. Kindly note that one end always appears bigger than the other.
Nevertheless, compared to other wrench types you find, this open-ended wrench would round the nut’s edges better. The estimated price range of a good set of this type of wrench is between $9.15 and $119.99.
7. Lug Wrench
Lug wrenches are often referred to as “tire iron.” They often come L-shaped with a single socket at the short end. You can also find some Lug wrenches appearing X-shaped, bearing three or even four sockets of varying sizes.
This type of wrench comes in handy for removing or tightening the lug nuts in cars. Thus, this tool is essential for tire replacements and is often kept with spare tires in the trunk of most vehicles.
They often have varying costs, but you can get suitable options from $7.97 to $49.22. Please note that Tekton, Gorilla, GTE, and Cartman supply some of the best lug wrenches.
8. Impact wrench
This pneumatic tool comes constructed with effective batteries or connected to air compressors that power it. As such, you would often find it more expensive compared to other types of wrenches. Hence, the estimated cost of such tools ranges from $29.97 to $199.00.
Impact wrenches appear like cordless drills and deliver high torque for loosening nuts. Thus, they are excellent tools for making some repairs in cars and trucks. Top brands like Hart, DeWalt, and Milwaukee offer some of the best impact wrenches available in the market.
9. Crowfoot Wrench
This tool type is constructed as a small crescent wrench without a handle. Thus, its excellent design allows it to be attachable to the handle of ratchets, ensuring it fits in areas with very few spaces. The use of this type of wrench is for bolts situated in places that appear hard to reach.
Tekton, Neiko, Grip, GearWrench, and Craftsman are top brands that supply quality constructed Crowfoot wrenches. You can find various Crowfoot wrench sets at different prices, and some excellent options come within the estimated costs of $19.11 to $119.37.
10. Ratcheting Wrench
Although appearing like a box-ended wrench, you would often find ratcheting wrenches having a single end with the “ratcheting device” in them. Hence, this tool effectively tightens bolts and gets them untightened with hassles.
Interestingly, you can use this tool within tight spaces, and as such, it appears among essential mechanic tools. You can find excellent options from various brands in the market, and they come at varying prices. Nevertheless, there are excellent sets that go from $19.99 to $131.99.
11. Alligator Wrench
Although not among the common wrenches, Alligator wrenches come constructed to rip through nuts. Perhaps, it is not so common since most consumers rarely want to get nuts ripped, and it can only handle square bolts and nuts.
Nevertheless, these wrenches appear more in the movies nowadays. You would find the top of the wrench jaw to be serrated and its bottom very smooth—the estimated prices of this type of wrench range from as low as $8.52 to $90.68.
12. Torque Wrench
Torque wrenches come designed to offer specific torque amounts, and as such, folks can easily change the torque amount they use for operations. In essence, this tool is suitable for different projects and has different types, like manual and digital torque wrenches.
This type of wrenches plays a significant role in various automotive applications. Thus, torque wrenches appear suitable for major works on the engine parts of vehicles and would help for brake adjustments.
ACDelco, Neiko, Tekton, and Capri are some excellent brands known for top-performing torque wrenches. Effective torque wrenches are available, starting from $21.99 to $84.49.
13. Pipe Wrench
Pipe wrenches come looking like adjustable wrenches but are studier and bigger. This tool appears as a “must-have” for plumbers, as they aid in holding metal pipes and getting them fitted. However, it would interest you to know that the weightiness of such tools would often leave marks behind.
Although the cost of this toolset varies, you would often find excellent pipe wrenches between $6.94 and $55.02. Top brands that supply quality pipe wrenches include Ridgid, Irwin, Milwaukee, and Maxpower.
14. Armorer’s Wrench
This tool is one type of wrench designed for specific gun models, having C-shaped and serrated heads. You would find it having varying square slots and comes in different sizes, functional for attending to different gun repairs.
It is one basic tool that all AR-15 owners should have in their toolset. Armorer wrenches are available from $8.99 to $66.42, and there are excellent options from brands like Brownells, Magpul, and Wheeler.
15. Basin Wrench
Most people have seen this type of wrench in the past but trust me, very few folks realize that this tool is a wrench. It possesses a curved jaw resembling the top of an “S” and has handles that come T-shaped.
With its applications in toilets and under sinks, this tool is also known as the “Faucet wrench.” The price range of such tools is around $12.79 to $62.00. Hautmec, Ridgid, Tekton, and General Tools are top brands that supply some of the best basin wrenches.
16. Drum Key
Dum keys are wrenches that come in handy for tightening and loosening percussion instruments. Such tools are T-shaped, bearing flattened handles. You would find this tool suitable for drums, and it comes in a variety of designs depending on the kind of drum available.
If you are keen on getting this type of wrench, you can get excellent options from as low as $6.58 to $14.06. Various drum keys are available in the market, but top suppliers include Evans, Revolution, and Gibraltar. You can often find top-quality products from these brands mentioned above.
17. Fire Hydrant Wrench
As the name suggests, fire hydrant wrenches are often used for repairs or works on fire hydrants. As such, there may be no need for you to get such a tool if you lack access to fire hydrants. Since it is niche-specific, these wrenches are less common, but you would find them having long handles and adjustable ends.
If you seek durable fire hydrant wrenches, it will help to look out for brands like Akron, TFT, ezSpanner, and Read Head Brass. The average price range of this tool is around $27.98 to $233.54.