There are many types of wrenches available at your local home improvement or hardware store, indeed you can get large sets of them. But if you are a typical homeowner doing small projects around the house, you may wonder if all that is really necessary and if it is, how can you convince your wife of it? Seriously, if you want to know what to buy to fit the highest number of situations youll probably come across, here are the basics.
An adjustable wrench is your best bet because it is versatile. It will fit many different sized nuts and bolts, without having to have an individual wrench for each size. But, you say, there are different sizes of adjustable wrenches, too. Yes, there are. One that opens to 5/16 should suit most of your needs. When you use an adjustable wrench, make sure that it is tightened as much as possible around whatever you are trying to turn or loosen. Otherwise, it may give and scrape the surface of whatever youre working on or even worse, your hand.
Another common type of wrench that you will see around the home is the allen wrench. When you think wrench, these are not the image that pops into your head. They are usually L or S shaped and the...