GatorGrip Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 I found a wrench tonight that needed a good chomp'in. It wasn't a craftsman but I still feel like I just cut my first tooth. My goal was just to make a pen holder for my desk. I took it out of the bag and with no bracing or wrapping I put the squeeze on it and damn thing snapped before I could bend it to standard. I am just glad I wasn't under the hood tugging on a nut, because at the force it snapped with I would have definetly lost some knuckle skin and then I would have got mad and turned the car over. Grip Board Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GatorGrip Posted January 31, 2005 Author Share Posted January 31, 2005 Hey guys my intent was not just to show off a little, okay that was half of it but my request is that those of you who have done a little consumer testing of tools to tell the rest of us what brands were easy enough todo for party tricks and which ones were damn near indestructable, at least at that moment for you. Tell it all brothers, Tell it all! I hope to here some good stories and maybe even some pics for us to view. P.S. I am going to NAPA tommorow and show them the trash they stock! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Nice work, Gator! What brand was that wrench from NAPA? Was it a six incher? I've bent only two brands myself. One was a Tuff Tools, courtesy of the dollar store, and the other wasn't marked with the maker. By the way, both wrenches felt pretty easy. It would be nice to find a tougher brand without spending an arm and a leg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 I wanted to see if I could do it, so I taped two six inch adjustable wrenches together and gave it a shot. They broke at about the ninety degree mark with a nice "pop". I'd say the initial portion of the bend was comparable to a Red, from there it was all downhill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GatorGrip Posted January 31, 2005 Author Share Posted January 31, 2005 I wanted to see if I could do it, so I taped two six inch adjustable wrenches together and gave it a shot. They broke at about the ninety degree mark with a nice "pop". I'd say the initial portion of the bend was comparable to a Red, from there it was all downhill. ← Eric it was an 8-inch wrench of a brand I had never heard of but the wife threw my blister pack away and I didn't find out until I had already taken the trash to the dump in minus -26 below weather so dumpster diving was out of the question, but I do remember it was of course MADE IN CHINA the land of low alloy. Just Great! The nails were apparently just like marijuana is said to be a gateway drug, now my bending addiction is moving on to the hard stuff. What’s next concrete rebar, maybe aluminum bats or artillery barrels? I'm strung out on steel and hooked on bending. I must go now it is time to feed my addiction again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerbjr Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 I have bent several different brands of wrenchs but most were dollar store variety, my favorite ones are from walmart, they are 6 in and are 1.88 each. They generally sit on the bottom shelf in little plastic containers. Anyhow they bend instead of breaking, they vary in strength but I would say that they are around a red in strength for the tough ones......Brett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigT Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 I guess your gonna need a new wrench then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 I have bent several different brands of wrenchs but most were dollar store variety, my favorite ones are from walmart, they are 6 in and are 1.88 each. They generally sit on the bottom shelf in little plastic containers. Anyhow they bend instead of breaking, they vary in strength but I would say that they are around a red in strength for the tough ones......Brett ← So I ran out to Wally World, found the $1.88 6 inch wrenches in the plastic boxes on the bottom shelf, just as you had promised Brett, hurried home and wrapped one up in suede. And then nothing. Holy cow these things are... impossible. I tried atleast a half dozen times with two different wrenches, and only grew madder and madder over the fact that I failed to produce even the slightest hint of a wobble in the wrench. I'd like to think they vary a LOT, but you're probably just one heck of a strong wrench bender, buddy. A few weeks ago I finished off a 5.5" Red for a PR, so this really took me by surprise. I guess I won't be using that brand in my little bending show for the homeschoolers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt. crushalot Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 I recently tried bending the 6'' wrenches. The 2 wrenches from the dollar store both bent and snapped. My original 6'' toolbox kept wrench was marked drop forged steel and got bent but never broke. Is drop forged steel usually any different in regards to bending and breaking? I had also priced out 6" wrenches at the local Sears store. 6" plain handle $14.99 and 6" rubber coated handle was several dollars more. Unless Sears warranty covers frequently bent and broken wrenches that could get expensive. The dollar store screwdrivers are also easy and fun to bend. Only cost $1 for 2 of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerbjr Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Eric I know that Im not as strong as you on the bend, as I have not quite hit a 6in FBBC bar as of yet and you are close to a 5.5 from what I hear...Anyhow walmart has 2 different suppliers on those wrenches, and they are distincly different. I think what you will find is that it just takes getting a feel for, as the wrenches tend to throw off your hand placement somewhat, and twist in your hand so that you are not bending the flat side. With my old OH tech I could not bend them at all, now that I am putting stuff lower into my hands I can usually bend them, Ive only hit 1 that I couldnt completely bend and it has got a good kink in it....These are pretty good wrenches for the price, they have a very high ANSI rating, I know this because my oldest brother is in charge of buying tools in hardware for Wally, Kind of a funny story to go along with this...... he challenged me about a year ago and told me he had a wrench that couldnt be bent, and it sold for under 2 bucks....He was quite proud of this wrench as it sells for 4-5 dollars a piece in his competitors stores, said it was almost rated as high as his stanley stuff........He now has a small collection of them on his and his buyers desk......But back to my original intent, it really is about hand placement with these silly things, cause they initially throw your form way off....Brett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerbjr Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 I need to clarify that I have not bent both types of wrenches from Wally, no reason really just havnt tried the other type yet....but I have some tucked away that I will try this week, and will let you know what I find....They may be a lot tougher......Brett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Thanks for the help, Brett. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.