2025 test21 productsHand Tools
Which Adjustable Wrenches Brand Wins?
We compared 21 adjustable wrenches options head to head. Milwaukee came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Milwaukee
Price shown in test: $25 for both of these wrenches
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Runner-up
Snap-on
Price shown in test: $136 before shipping, handling and tax, or $175 with
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Budget pick
Craftsman
Price shown in test: $19
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Weight | Jaw Slop After Vibration | Soft Metal Torque | Hard Metal Torque | Destructive Force Square Stock | Overall Average Finish | No Load Gap Locked | Soft Metal Torque Normal Orientation | Soft Metal Torque Reverse Orientation | Jaw Slop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Milwaukee$25 for both of these wrenches | 503 g | 0.25 mm, in the lead at the time it was tested | 133.6 ft lb, well above average | 193.3 ft lb, second place behind Craftsman | just over 1,000 lb, adjustment screw destroyed the threads on the slide | best average finish of all wrenches tested, approximately fourth place across the three graded categories | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2Snap-on$136 before shipping, handling and tax, or $175 with | 496 g | 0.07 mm, best result of all wrenches tested | 144.6 ft lb, best result of all wrenches tested | 163.6 ft lb, about average; the harder metal destroyed the teeth on its flank drive jaws | broke at around 665 lb | second best average finish at 4.3 across the three graded categories | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 3SK Tools$23 | 466 g | 0.26 mm, took the lead from Irwin at the time it was tested | 133 ft lb, better than average | 185.4 ft lb, a great result | performed well at close to 1,000 lb, though the jaw scratched and the thumb screw seized | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 4Craftsman$19 | 441 g | 0.36 mm, moved into second place behind Irwin at the time it was tested | 136.1 ft lb on the first attempt, named third in the video's final soft metal torque summary at 137.4 ft lb | 195.4 ft lb, best result of all wrenches tested | third place at 1,031 lb | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 5Ares$30 | 381 g | 0.34 mm, a little better than average | moved into the lead at 139.3 ft lb at the time it was tested | not tested | around 975 lb, lower jaw still attached but the adjustment screw was frozen | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 6Gedore$47 | 477 g | 0.2 mm, third place overall in the vibration resistance test | struggled at 105.9 ft lb, about 1 ft lb better than the Doyle | continued to struggle at 143.5 ft lb | broke at around 662 lb | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 7Bahco$38 | 404 g | 0.16 mm, second place overall in the vibration resistance test | really struggled at 109.4 ft lb | continued to struggle at 142.1 ft lb, about 12 ft lb below average | around 545 lb | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 8Ridgid$30 | 426 g | 0.27 mm, performed almost as well as Milwaukee | 119.5 ft lb, its lower jaw did not seem as strong as the top five brands | about average at 169.1 ft lb | let go early at just over 600 lb, lower jaw broke | not tested | 0.1 mm, tied with the vintage Proto wrench | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 9Klein Tools$30 | 442 g | 0.28 mm, almost as good as Ridgid | gave up early at 120.1 ft lb | 184.3 ft lb, quite a bit better than average despite struggling on the softer coupling nut | broke at just over 700 lb | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 10Irwin$16 | 391 g | 0.3 mm, best result up to that point in the video | not tested | 168.1 ft lb, quite a bit better than Sunex and Doyle | lower jaw broke off at close to 650 lb | not tested | not tested | 136.4 ft lb, took the lead at the time it was tested | gave up about 10 ft lb sooner than in the normal orientation | not tested |
| 11Wiha$33 | 433 g | 0.45 mm, not quite as good as Ares | not tested | 170.8 ft lb, similar to Ridgid, the harder material helped it | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 12Sunex$38 | 568 g | 0.35 mm, described as pretty good | gave up early at 121.6 ft lb | gave up early at 117.8 ft lb, jaws experienced a lot of damage | performed better than average at just under 900 lb | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 13DeWalt$24 | 424 g | 0.62 mm, described as more movement than most | 127.5 ft lb, better than average but not as good as SK | 159 ft lb, trailed SK | made it past 1,100 lb before finally breaking, one of the strongest results tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 14Vanquish$22 | 623 g, heaviest wrench in the lineup | 0.55 mm, a little more than average | 119.1 ft lb, better than the locking Amazon Basics but not as good as Irwin or Craftsman | not tested | finally let go at almost 1,000 lb, adjustment screw destroyed the threads on the slide | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 15Crescent$22 | 591 g | 0.49 mm, about the same as Amazon Basics | 137.4 ft lb, moved into the lead at the time due to its flank drive pattern | not tested | 1,061 lb, second place, lower jaw broke | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 16Stanley$29 | 574 g | almost 2 mm of vertical jaw movement unlocked, no lower jaw movement in the locked position | 108.5 ft lb, trailed the leaders by quite a bit | continued to struggle at 119.2 ft lb | close to 550 lb, about half the strength of the Vanquish and Crescent locking wrenches, lower jaw was the point of failure | not tested | 0.04 mm in the locked position, second best result among the locking wrenches measured | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 17Doyle$13 | 464 g | jaws opened to 1.21 mm, more side to side and vertical movement than Donext | not tested | 144.2 ft lb, performed a lot better on the harder metal than on the coupling nut | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 18Channellock$37 | 449 g | 0.32 mm, best result at the time it was tested | designed to be used in reverse, lost grip early at 84.7 ft lb, and performed even worse when tried in the standard direction | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 19Amazon Basics$18 | 560 g | 0.5 mm, moved into second place behind Irwin at the time it was tested | 79.6 ft lb on the first attempt, confirmed at just under 79 ft lb on a repeat attempt, lower than expected | continued to struggle at 105 ft lb | broke soonest of all wrenches tested at 563 lb, lower jaw was the point of failure | not tested | no gap in the locked position, best result among the locking wrenches measured | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 20Donext$10 | 396 g | not tested | not tested | not tested | almost 600 lb, lower jaw developed a large crack | not tested | not tested | 104.5 ft lb, performed quite a bit better than a standard 5/8 in Craftsman combination wrench used as a baseline reference at 82 ft lb | not tested | 1 mm side to side and 0.82 mm up and down before loading, grew to 0.81 mm after being subjected to vibration from an impact wrench |
| 21Proto | 405 g | 0.45 mm, described as about average for a used vintage wrench | 125.5 ft lb, still enough to beat many of the newer wrenches | 188.2 ft lb, third place, held its own against the newer wrenches | broke at just under 550 lb | not tested | 0.1 mm, tied with Ridgid | not tested | not tested | not tested |
How it was tested
- lower jaw slop and self back off resistance after vibration from an impact wrench
- no load gap measurement for locking style adjustable wrenches
- maximum torque on a soft coupling nut in normal and reversed orientation
- maximum torque on a harder metal allen wrench stock
- destructive force applied to square stock until the wrench failed
“the Milwaukee came out on top with the best average finish at fourth place in the three graded categories”