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As a tinkerer, I'm always interested in "hacks" and gadgets that can upgrade my garage. That's why, when I first saw a video of a clever "any size" crescent wrench, my ears perked up a bit. Here was a tool that you could just drop onto any hex bolt and get sized instantly. I worked in my university's theatre department for three years and worked as a construction contractor for five years after that. I'm all for a tool that can take the place of several others in my belt!
It's a simple enough design. You line up enough links from a disassembled bike chain to fill the jaws of a crescent wrench side by side on a nail. After drilling two small holes on either side of the crescent wrench, you drop in your chain links, slide another nail through one hole in the wrench, through all the chain links, and then out through the other hole.
Remove the first nail, and just like that, you have a crescent wrench that automatically adjusts itself to the correct size, no matter how big the nut or hex bolt you're trying to fit. At first, it seems like a must-have for your home garage! The only thing is, there are already several existing tools that can do the same or a similar job. An adjustable crescent wrench, or even a universal socket, is probably a better way to go.
There are already tools for that
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The first is called, creatively enough, the crescent adjustable wrench. This kind of wrench is a U-shaped wrench with one jaw that slides back and forth to accommodate different-sized bolts or nuts. It has a little wheel you can spin with your thumb to open or close the jaws. It's not automatic, like this hack, but there are battery operated wrenches that will adjust themselves with the push up a button. That's probably the closest existing tool you'll find that mimics what this hack is trying to accomplish.
Then there are universal sockets. These are socket wrenches that use inner pins to grip any size bolt. When you push the socket down onto the bolt, or eyehook, or many other kinds of screws and bolts, little pins push down, while others stay in place, forming a seal around whatever you're trying to drive. Some brand names include Magical Socket and Gator Grip. Either one of these tools will do a better job than this hack, and there are a few good reasons why.
Why you shouldn't use this hack
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There are a couple of reasons why this hack isn't all it's cracked up to be. Speaking of cracks, that's our first issue with it. The premise of this hack is that you attach these chain links by drilling holes into either side of a fixed crescent wrench. Drilling holes into a crescent wrench will weaken the structural integrity of the crescent wrench, which could lead to breakage.
It's also not terribly clear how the nail is secured into the crescent wrench. All that's seen in the video is the nail being inserted, but not fastened. Presumably, there's some welding or something on the other side, which is another skill you will have to acquire. Finally, there's the most obvious weakness with this hack — gravity. Physics is your friend when you're trying to use this wrench on a horizontal downward-facing hex bolt, but how will that work when you're affixing a bolt on an angle, 90 degrees on a wall, or even upside down? It won't work very well at all because, in the video, the concept relies on gravity to get the chain links to fall around the bolt.
An adjustable crescent wrench can be bought for around $17 at Home Depot. You can get a two-pack of them on Amazon for around $18. A Gator Grip socket wrench is available for around $30 on Amazon. Unless you happen to have a large wrench, a broken bike chain, and some welding skills laying around, those are all better options than this hack.