On Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:44:58 -0500, micky wrote:

I wouldn't buy anything until I needed it.

That's the thing.

For decades I've been saying the same thing.
Yet every time I want one, I don't have it because I didn't buy it.

I end up using adjustable wrenches, or channel locks, or pipe wrenches.
But I hate using those when there is a hex sided plumbing fixture.

YOu're not going to be
stuck on the highway for lack of one.

I don't think I'd ever put wrenches that large in the car emergency toolbox.
Mostly it's plumbing and often outdoor plumbing that uses larger sizes.

I used to teach wood shop where one rule I harped on was to never use the
wrong tool for the wrong job, such as a screwdriver as a chisel.

If I had a dollar for every time I saw a repairman incorrectly using pliers
when he should have used a wrench, or for using a screwdriver when he should
have used a nut driver, or for using a screwdriver as a pry bar, or for
using an adjustable wrench when he should have used a box wrench, I'd be
rich.

It's just wrong to use channel locks, pipe wrenches, and pliers when a
plumbing fixture has hex sides for a reason. It's like using a Phillips
screwdriver instead of an Allen Key. It works. But it's still wrong.

I needed a large end wrench to replace a half-axle on my Toyota.

Working on a car is completely different than working on plumbing in so many
ways that it's no comparison at all.

For one, the amount of room you have on a car is usually minimal, so you
often must use a wrench. Also if you slip and wreck the nuts or bolts, you
often can't easily get them out to replace them.

For another, a socket is almost always what you end up using (if you can).

It's not the same thing at all as basic home plumbing tools, where on a car,
you buy the tools you need period but for home plumbing, we get away with
using the wrong tools all the time.

I don't remember what I bought or where, but harborfreights cheapest set
is $75. I thought I bought it there but I didn't pay anywhere near that
much 5 years ago, and at that price I would have asked a friend first,
and I didn't.

I don't have a Harbor Freight near me but I'm willing to buy a set if they
have a good price and a good set of big wrenches that don't overlap too much
with mine. I have one inch and 1-1/8th inch open ended wrenches but no box
wrenches of that size.

I looked for that set https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/wrenches.html

They have this for about twice what I was hoping to pay
https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-t...-pc-64802.html
Open and 12-point box box
1-1/16 inch
1-1/8 inch
1-3/16 inch
1-1/4 inch

That brings up the question of how many points is a good amount if you're
only going to have one box wrench of that size.

They also have these even bigger ones for the same price as above
https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-t...-set-1965.html
2-1/8 inch
2-1/4 inch
2-3/8 inch
2-1/2 inch

What's the most common sizes for outdoor & indoor plumbing fixtures like big
brass ball valves on 3/4 inch galvanized pipe (I have a lot of those).


Homedepot's cheapest is only $40 - how about that - but I don't remember
what size I needed and what sizes I got.

I'll go check if you want, and check out what brand it is too,

I have a Home Depot only about five miles away where I checked a few days
ago and decided I'd go broke if I bought the wrenches one at a time.

Here is a 1-1/4 inch combination 12-point box & open end for $28 for example
https://www.homedepot.com/p/GEARWREN...1735/313472168

At thirty dollars each, only one or two at most fit into my budget for a
set. I didn't see any sets of the most common sizes though.

I don't even know what the most common sizes are, but I would guess it
should be between 1 inch and 2 inches as the most common for plumbing?