Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Who's made a stubby 15mm wrench?

I plan on going to Harbor Freight tomorrow to get a cheap 15mm box end wrench, with the intention of cutting it down to fit in my seat bag. Can this be done with a hacksaw, or do I need something more substantial (like a cutoff wheel for my drill) to get through the hardened steel of the wrench?

Mac

If you get it from Harbor Freight you can probably bite it in half. :) Not the best or hardest tools out there...hence the cheap price.
Ive cut wrenches with hacksaws. Really, it depends on the wrench. A cut off wheel will work too.

Craftsman has a phenomenal stubby wrench with a ratchet end on one side as well. Any shorter and you wouldn't really be able to generate enough torque. It's about 4" long or so. It's freaking perfect.

If you get it from Harbor Freight you can probably bite it in half. :) Not the best or hardest tools out there...hence the cheap price.

Agreed, but for its intended purpose (use as little as possible) you can't beat the price.

I'm not sure if this is still their slogan, but around here we bastardized it into:

"Harbor Freight - When You Need a Tool to Work! ... once."

Mac

I got a stubby craftsman combination wrench for about $6.

Surly's 15mm/bottle opener easily fits in a saddle bag as it is just a tad over 4" long.

GearWrench make nice ones.

http://www.surlybikes.com/stuff/images/jethro.jpg

Get this one and cut it down
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/tools/images/tacx-14-15.jpg

Craftsman $8.59 stubby wrench 4.5" long
http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00944117000

Craftsman stubby ratcheting wrench. looks like it folds up on itself $25
http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00942495000

Surly's 15mm/bottle opener easily fits in a saddle bag as it is just a tad over 4" long.
That wrench is nifty, and I like the idea of supporting a company like Surly. But seriously, $25? I've got plenty of things I'd rather spend $25 on. Like Snap-on tools. :)

Mac

I got a "normal" Craftsman 15mm wrench at a yard sale for $2.
I then cut it in half with my 24-inch bolt cutters.
Then I smoothed the cut end on a grinding wheel.
Is nice. I like.

here's the gearwrench.

Craftsman stubby ratcheting wrench. looks like it folds up on itself $25
http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00942495000

It doesn't fold up on itself, the ratcheting head pivots 90 degrees either way. I have a set of GearWrenches(same thing) from when I used to have a car, and the pivoting makes it really easy to get into tight spots with it. Not as necessary on a bike, but now that I have them I don't think I'd ever use anything else. A set of seven(10,12,13,14,15,17,19mm) costs about $70, and is totally worth it.

It doesn't fold up on itself, the ratcheting head pivots 90 degrees either way. I have a set of GearWrenches(same thing) from when I used to have a car, and the pivoting makes it really easy to get into tight spots with it. Not as necessary on a bike, but now that I have them I don't think I'd ever use anything else. A set of seven(10,12,13,14,15,17,19mm) costs about $70, and is totally worth it.
Can you get the 15mm sold seperatly? if so, what big box store would have them?

Try looking in pawn shops and thrift stores. Somethimes you can find Craftsman Snap-On Mac etc for a couple bucks and cut them off
Mine is a Craftsman I cut the open end off with a die grinder and filed it smooth, works great

only one that matters!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/Campagnolo_crank_spanner.jpg

GearWrench make nice ones.
Best stubby wrench IMO.
http://shop.com.edgesuite.net/ccimg.shop.com/220000/227900/227917/products/17138403.jpg

please please please do not buy the chinese made crap from harbor freight. support americans and buy something made here.

Craftsman $8.59 stubby wrench 4.5" long
http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00944117000


I have this one. It is full polish and nice and hard. It fits into the smallest of all seatpacks.
Because you can put it on a wheel nut and push down with your foot towards the ground there is never any need for more leverage. I think it's the smallest (shortest) and possibly the lightest. To me that makes it the best, even better than the campy one, because it will fit in a tiny seat pack.

It's finished like a piece of fine jewelry, you need to see it in person.

Best stubby wrench IMO.
http://shop.com.edgesuite.net/ccimg.shop.com/220000/227900/227917/products/17138403.jpg

+9 zillion

Northern Industrial - cheap, good? (http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200304141_200304141)

+1 to 2manybikes

with a wrench that small, you can just spin it around once you get the nut loose, so there's really no need to spend more for the ratcheting version.

I looked for that Craftsman stubby at Sears and they had stubby SAE sizes and metric wrenches in every possible flavor except for stubby. I guess I could look again or have them order it for me.

http://www.surlybikes.com/stuff/images/jethro.jpg

I dig the Surly, it's offset, has a nice surface to press on with your palm. It's my new favorite tool. :)

I cut off a Craftsman wrench with an angle grinder, and smoothed the end with a file. The file cut it easily, so a hacksaw would probably cut it. It's 100 grams, 5.5 inches long. It's long enough to get leverage, but I need a glove wrapped around it to pad my hand.

I looked for that Craftsman stubby at Sears and they had stubby SAE sizes and metric wrenches in every possible flavor except for stubby. I guess I could look again or have them order it for me.

If you strike out I think I can get you one. I have seen them in two places.

only one that matters!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/Campagnolo_crank_spanner.jpg

sigh. agreed.

Good for spreading condiments on toast also.

The suntour 14/15 combo is more useful though.

Can you get the 15mm sold seperatly? if so, what big box store would have them?

home depot. i don't remember if they sell gearwrench or a different brand of the same thing, but either way it's the same, and both come with lifetime warranties. i've never seen them sold not in a set.

just ask your local decent hardware store to order one for you, they can get tools fast.

I got my wrench set, Craftsman 12 set, 18mm-7mm at Sears after Thanksgiving for ~$8 bucks; just wait for those "buy your man" sales and you can get quality parts for cheaper than one wrench alone

husky yo husky

husky yo husky

is that the home depot brand?

+1 For the Craftsman stubby - the non-ratchet version. The benefits are one end you have a closed end side that can work on the nuts off your wheels - and on the other end an open wrench that can take off pedals when you're switching around. That stubby and my crankbros multi tool have replaced nearly my entire tool needs for working on a bicycle. Highly, highly recommended...

oh yeah, the shiny-jewel like finish doesn't go away... I've had mine for a couple years now, washed it, scratched it, covered it in grease (and acid once too, by accident)... still shiny!

i found the stubby set at home depot. It's 40 bucks though. They don't sell the stubby seperatley. I'll keep an eye out. I just want stubby so it can fit in a small seat pack.

i found the stubby set at home depot. It's 40 bucks though. They don't sell the stubby seperatley. I'll keep an eye out. I just want stubby so it can fit in a small seat pack.

I have a computer, I can get them all. Yes just the singles everything ! :D

Sears sells them all online. Just look. Here's mine. Non ratchet stubby.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Hand+Tools%2C+General+Purpose&pid=00944117000&vertical=TOOL&subcat=Wrenches&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

They have all the ratcheting ones and folding head stubbbies everything.

Just buy a stubby wrench to begin with. No sense buying one that is too big, then hacksawing it. I considered doing that. I was thinking to use the sawed off end as a tire lever. But then I bought real tire levers for $3 and lost interest in the hacked wrench idea.

Thanks for all the suggestions on what type of wrench to buy. I never thought I'd get two pages of responses.

Too bad my question was: Will a hacsaw cut a wrench? :)

Thanks for all the replies, from those with and without good reading comprehension. (Don't get mad, all in good fun)

Mac

Thanks for all the suggestions on what type of wrench to buy. I never thought I'd get two pages of responses.

Too bad my question was: Will a hacsaw cut a wrench? :)

Thanks for all the replies, from those with and without good reading comprehension. (Don't get mad, all in good fun)

Mac
Silly boy...

Hey man I personally have experience with this as I dont really like carrying around any sorta bag cept a small JandD seatbag one I found on an abondoned bike. I took 2 Craftsman wrenches (14mm & 15mm) cut them both in half and welded both open ends together one stacked ontop of the other only about 1/2 inch or so and lay a strong bead and your set for sure. try and use a chopsaw to cut them much easier and cleaner Im sure you can bring it to any mom and pop automotove shop and ask them to cut it for you and **** just to be a nice guy / girl offer them a beer for their 30 sec. worth of work ...I have had mine for well over 10 years through MANY bmx inspired road / train trips and it fits perfect in my pocket so I always have it on me and now that I have Phil hubs im working on how to properly weld an allen wrench to the combo.

if you would like pics for reference let me know and ill gladly E-mail them to you or if anyone here wants one built let me know I can do that as well (not solliciting any services) just offering them
Pm me

Later
-Luey

Thanks for all the suggestions on what type of wrench to buy. I never thought I'd get two pages of responses.

Too bad my question was: Will a hacsaw cut a wrench? :)

Thanks for all the replies, from those with and without good reading comprehension. (Don't get mad, all in good fun)

Mac
Hey, Don... erm, sorry, sac, you don't own your threads. People post things they feel like posting. That's how it works. Btw, your ? was answered in post #2