Rigid monkey wrench

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

Picked this up at a second had shop a few months ago and threw it in my tool box and forgot about it. Had a pex water line to work on a coupe days ago and noticed it in tool box. worked pretty good, the design allows you to apply pressure on 3 sides of the nut, not just 2 like a Crescent or standard monkey wrench. never saw one like it till this one.

[lazyuniondriver]

Here's the link to one just like it with a new paint job and info to go along with it.

http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/Hex-Wrench/EN/index.htm

That wrench as most Ridge tools have a lifetime warranty.

http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/RIDGID-Warranty-1/index.htm

[Paul Wells]

Here's the link to one just like it with a new paint job and info to go along with it.

That wrench as most Ridge tools have a lifetime warranty.

Google is great ain't it.

[Brent]

John,

Have one just like. It that was in my Dad's old tool box that I got when he passed.

[lazyuniondriver]

Google is great ain't it.

Yep, didn't need to use it in this case though, went directly to their web page. The Ridge Tool factory was a frequent pick up stop for me when I was a city driver.

[BIGHOSS]

On a related note, the Ridgid tools at Home Depot have a great warranty now. The tool guys tell me at our local store that their lifetime warranty works just like Sears Craftsman. Just take the bad tool to the store (no receipt, no warranty card) and they will give you a new one. No more going to their warranty shop in another town for a hassle. Even the batteries for the Ridgid cordless tools have a lifetime warranty.
Last week I bought a 3 pack of different Husky files for around $6, with a liftime warranty. I asked the tool guy what did that mean? He said if the files break of wear out, just bring it in for a new one. I love it!!!

[ricky racer]

On a related note, the Ridgid tools at Home Depot have a great warranty now. The tool guys tell me at our local store that their lifetime warranty works just like Sears Craftsman. Just take the bad tool to the store (no receipt, no warranty card) and they will give you a new one. No more going to their warranty shop in another town for a hassle. Even the batteries for the Ridgid cordless tools have a lifetime warranty.
Last week I bought a 3 pack of different Husky files for around $6, with a liftime warranty. I asked the tool guy what did that mean? He said if the files break of wear out, just bring it in for a new one. I love it!!!

Don't get me started on Craftsman tool warranties. When I take in a broken ratchet they will try to replace it with a cheap throw-away replacement with no brand name on it. When I break that one, I'm done with the warranty. I have to be belligerent with the kid or gal behind the counter and insist a direct replacement which they will have to order for me. If I break a Craftsman tape measure, it will be replaced with a Stanley and my warranty is done. I'm sure many other items are equally handled the same way.

I won't buy Craftsman wrenches, pry bars or any hand tool that is chromed either. I get tired of the "chrome" that is painted on flaking off the first time it's used. I've cut myself with the ragged edge of the chrome. Years ago, Craftsman tools were as good as you could get. Today, Harbor freight has better tools in my mind, at least the chrome doesn't flake off and they are warrantied for life too. The only reason people buy Craftsman tools is for the warranty but when they are trying to screw me out of it, I'll take my business elsewhere.

Anyway, yes John, those Rigid wrenches are very useful. I have one in my tool box and we have a couple of larger ones at work. The nice thing about them is they open really big for larger nuts or fittings. Using an adjustable (Crescent) wrench big enough to open the same amount requires a large 18" or 24" which is large and heavy and you may not be able to get it into the area you're trying to work in. The down side of the smaller one like you have pictured is they are kind light duty and you can't get bigger nuts really tight with it. If you put a pipe on the handle, you can easily break the wrench. The larger ones are much more stout.

[grumpy]

I have one of those. I've used and abused it, still hanging in there. Handle is a tad bent from the cheater bar but still works.

[danovercash]

Yep, that's what happened with my lifetime "Monkey Wards" rachet. No difference now anyway. Good to know about the switcheroo at Sears, Thanks, maybe I should have already exchanged those chipped nippers. Would like to find a kit for a Thorsen ratchet, but no luck. Just weld and use for pull bar?

[lazyuniondriver]

Having the luxury of back up wrenches and sockets, I save my broken Craftsman tools until I make the trip to a local Sears Hardware and Appliance store.

I don't know how many of these places exist, but I can report a 100% success rate in evenly exchanging Craftsman for Craftsman, always the replacement item in stock.

This past summer I exchanged 4 broken 1/4" drive sockets, one screwdriver, and a leaf rake with a broken handle. The rake was a stretch, but no questions were asked, remarkably an upgraded exchange was made.

I was in Va. Beach with my son about a year ago shopping with him at his local Sears store and was disappointed in how little inventory seemed to be in the tool department compared to the Sears hardware store I'm accustomed to shopping at.

Since tools are heavy adding to transportation costs as well as a loss prevention hot spot, I would imagine Sears is steering tool customers from the retail stores to the internet for home delivery at their expense, making in-store exchanges harder than it used to be.

Sears Hardware Store locator: http://www.searshardwarestores.com/

Edited to add store locator.

[jim turner]

Well not only Sears is difficult to get warranty, so is Snap-on I have a bunch of screwdriver where the handles have broken on their own when I wasn't even useing them and the Snap-on guy wouldn't replace them.

[danovercash]

I'd like to know what the whiteish, mouldy looking stuff is that grows on the craftsman screwdriver handles. Doesn't want to rub off, If you use solvent , it takes the color off, but if you give it a sharp blow , it will crack off. This has happened in both places that I have lived.

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

I'd like to know what the whiteish, mouldy looking stuff is that grows on the craftsman screwdriver handles. Doesn't want to rub off, If you use solvent , it takes the color off, but if you give it a sharp blow , it will crack off. This has happened in both places that I have lived.

I do not have many Craftsman tools, since they closed the local store several years ago, but I have seen that on some plastic screwdriver handles of other off brands, and while not a chemist, I believe it is a type of algae similar to what is found in diesel fuel tanks after long storage, that grows on oil products.

[danovercash]

Wonder how that got started, better yet how end/repair the dammage? It happened in the garage where we used to live, and in the basement here, but not in the garage, yet!

[grumpy]

All mine that had that were stored in a damp place. I thought they were growing hair

I soaked a rag with wd-40 (only thing handy) and wiped them off. Hasn't grown back yet.