Knipex German Swedish Pipe Wrenches: High leverage, small jaws, nice operation. Pretty red color too 

"For a $9.95 tool, I want perfection." 🤣🤣🤣

1:23 😂. “No SAE.. you’re stuck with metric” 😂😂😂

For some reason, the joke about wanting that initial cheap wrench in SAE reminds me of the guy who was late to work because he was stuck between the floors on an escalator.

Swedisch pipewrenches are as the name says, are as the name implies designed for steel pipes and not bolts in an era that thick walled steel pipes were used for gas and central heating. connections were made by cutting conical threads on them. Fittings also had a conical inner thread and a little special knob on the outside for a wrench to grab on to. Henp (to make it leak proof) and a paste (as grease) were put on the threads of the pipe, then put into the fitting. One pipewrench to grab the fitting and one to grab the pipe. (Or a vise and wrench) A great amount of force was needed to thread these together. So, in design large leverage and small beaks with sharp theet to cut into the pipe for good clamping force were designed this way. Nowadays, this kind of pipework has become seldom. I have no experience with the US model. Before the new Cobra's, regular adjustable wrenches worked there way open and was a swedish pipewrench a tool with a much greater clamping force and leverage. They are still useful tools for boats to loosen painted over of half stuck in epoxy through hull fittings, mummyfied old thick hoses etc.

"SAE version" of an adjustable wrench? 😂😂😂

I have a larger version of that Knipex Swedish pattern pipe wrench. It's basically a 24" pipe wrench. I bought it because I needed to remove some studs from a machine and I was tired of having to weld things to them to try to twist them out. These work for that like nothing else. However, I haven't loved it so much as an actual pipe wrench. It is effective. Totally. I just find it a bit clumsier to get set to size than my 'normal' pipe wrenches (my favourite pipe wrench for up to 2" pipe is my Milwaukee Cheater pipe wrench.. it is the bomb!). Every now and then I take the Swedish to give it another try, and maybe once I get used to it enough I'll like it more, but I honestly find that it doesn't lock onto round pipe as easily as the Milwaukee. Maybe more experience will fix that. I keep trying. For me it's kind of like the Pliers Wrench... it works, but I find myself preferring a 'normal' adjustable wrench most of the time.

Nice tools, I have the s type one with fast adjustment, very similar to the cobras. But in most cases I still prefer the cobra. The 400 mm one is a good alternative for this type. The 560 mm is rarely used in my case. But the jaws on the cobra is more usable with hexagonal couplings. This swedish pliers work better on pipes.

I'm a professional mechanic with I have all of the cobras all the way up to the XXL I have those swedish knipex pipe wrenches all the way up to the big one as big as the XXL and I even have some of the quick grips of the swedish knipex pipe wrenches and one thing I have found is that if you're really reefing on those swedish knipex pipe wrenches they almost act as pliers where they will pull your hands apart so if you're trying to like really apply a lot of leverage and especially on the bigger ones they can tend to tear your grip apart whereas a just a standard pipe wrench doesn't especially for alignments and other stuff where you really sometimes need to grip a rusty tie rod to move it not the best they Rock for what they're good at which is gripping being bolts but I would still take a standard pipe wrench over them even though I almost never grab a pipe wrench I don't even use the XXL or the really big one swedish knipex pipe wrench they almost never use it I've had to grab it on really big F-250 and 2500 up to 3500 tie rod sleeves trying to move really big ones on those alignment stuff like that but I other than that it pretty much just sits in my box that's my experience of someone who's daily them for well over a year also side note they can be rather rough in the hand if you don't have that big of hands I found that the knipex over the snap-on the knipex tend to be rougher on the hands and harder to grip and if you don't have a strong grip like I said they can pull your grip apart so if you have smaller hands a snap on might be the way to go

Love the s-jaw button type best

What kind of doctor are you?

Great video

Could you make a video talking about top 20 tools to have for each profession? (The most common ones) I'm an IT guy and I require not so many tools but its fascinating to me how many specialized tools there are for plumbing or electrician, I'm curious to know what would be the ideal set for each. Thanks.

Hello again Doc Thank you for another Great Video 👍

Those pipe wrenches are specifically designed for 1" pipe 1-1/2" pipe then 2" then 2-1/2" etc. Doesn't mean they cant be used slightly outside those parameters but you'll often see in their specs this is a 1" or whatever wrench. The cobras are different, there more a multisize wrench like and adjustable Cresent type. Bacho(SnapOn) sizes them the same as knipex. I love your 22"/560 cobra's, I so want a set. My biggest is the 16"/400 which are still pretty dang big. Yeah the aluminium rigids will accommodate a range of pipe sizes, they look similar to my Japanese HIT brand pipe wrenches that I have in 8" 12" 16" & 24" (not cheap!). Love your content Doc.

Thanks Doc

Wow Snap On must have rebranded that one after they bought Bahco. It’s obviously a Bahco wrench so basically another Swedish design

Hey Doc. Always coming with the best content! 👍

Can we get a shop tour or a tool box setup video?

In the UK (and I believe most of the Commonwealth) a pipe wrench is still called "Stillsons", in the old days it would have been "Stillson's wrench", after the US civil war era machinist that invented them. It always struck me as odd that his compatriots have forgotten him. They're still excellent for putting a tremendous amount of force on something (including blunt force trauma), but you're right in that the head size is an issue. Now that the world has mostly moved on from threaded pipe but they're still used for things perhaps they ought not to be, I'd like to see some long handled versions, with a 10" head on a 24" handle?

I'm gonna take this quick opportunity to plug the only Dewalt tool I've ever desired. The DCF-680 and DCF-682 Gyroscopic screwdriver. Unique in its drive mechanism and switch with superb ergonomics. Jus saying. Right up you alley, doc.

4:45 that wrench is designed for up to 3/4" pipe. In argentina we are used to use swedish pipe wrenches rather than stilson wrenches... in fact, plumbers here often (erronously) call the swedish wrenches as stilson wrenches. And some of them even call them "wrench 140", "wrench 141, 142, 143, because they are used to use Bahco sweedish wrenches series 140, 141, 142, 143 etc.

Doc, I have the 83-30, curved jaw model. Boy those teeth will bite, hold, lock on, UNBELIEVABLY TIGHT!! It will do so, even on the hardest of metals, and not budge 1 bit. Whatsoever. Can't remember what I paid for it, but it was very inexpensive, compared to other brands/design's/models. Great bang for buck value, for certain, that should last a lifetime. Get one folks, 🙋‍♂️.

The snap-on wrench it's made in Argentina because there is s Bahco factory there ( Bahco it's s snap-on brand )

I've thought about those pipe wrenches a few times, but they're just too puny too often. Very nice and imo superior in their right. If Knipex, I'd rather go with the classic cobra or the "siphon and connector" style for a bit larger and circular. Oh, and definitely worth going chromed. Had to tear apart a large basin p-trap just 2 hours ago!

Harbor freight sells a Swedish pipe wrench for $11.99. Bought one today ha. Seems kinda weak but you'll still have to bend some thick metal.

Is there an adjustable SAE version? LOL, that's hilarious.

Here in Northern Europe we primarily use the "Swedish" type of pipe wrench. Bacho invented it more than 100 years ago, Snap-on and Knipex are just copies (Knipex is pronounced like Kneepex and the k is not silent). Except the alternative type of jaws on one of these Knipex wrenches might be a German invention, that I have only seen on German variants. These are not as strong as an adjustable spanner (another Bacho invention, or at least improvement of an English design), but quite strong when a suitable size of the pipe wrench is selected and the grip is properly adjusted. And much stronger than a Cobra/Channellock plier that is mostly usable for plastic fittings. There are several different sizes of these pipe wrenches. For working with pipes and threaded pipefittings these are very useful. You can get quite a strong grip of a round pipe, which could be difficult with other wrenches or pliers.

Wish they would release on with their bimaterial comfort grip.

I’ve said this elsewhere as well. Overall I like the teeth on the knipex over the Bacho versions

ridgid wins just for the hammering capabilities ;)

Looks like a 1" fitting max for the knipex ,for pipe I'd use stillsons all day or a nice bacho shifter for brass and valves and what not,

SWOT analysis: S - round objects handling - Doc likes grabbing, squeezing and rotating.👍 W - no ratcheting mechanism - Doc is very keen on rachets.🤔 O - possible use as a pry bar - Doc may find it useful to leverage something.😉 T - too few sizes - Doc's tools collection will not grow enough.😬 No, this is definitely not a dream tool. 😁😁😁 The ideal one would be: A Snap-On branded🥇 USA made😇 forged titanium🤪 pry bar👌 with 72 tooth smooth racheting mechasism😀 available on Amazon 🚚with green two compound handle 😋and in at least 8 different sizes (3-25inches). 🙊

Maybe it’s just me.. but a SAE version of a adjustable wrench? Huh

The grips or pump wrench also known after 12 " is useless as it take two giant hands to use

Is there an sae version? Lmao!

What’s the maker or location of that 9.99 adjustable wrench

Where can you find the 750mm version? I did some looking online and only found up to the 560mm.

try rennsteig ones. as good as knipex

Ridgid rules..no contest...

I use cobra’s and for heavy duty Ridgid pipe wrench.Don’t like Swedish style wrench.

Why would someone ask for as SAE version of adjustable tool? That question makes no sense.

Good outils I have something for this outils but that doesn't mean likes this perfect I think is very expensive at united state 😮

Please don't use a pipe wrench on bolts or brass fittings

An sae version for an adjustable wrench….. lol just adjust it

Sae version of an adjustable wrench? Lmfao! Ya sure! Just adjust it a hair more either way!

Ka-nip-ex? How about "ny-pex"? "Kni" making the same sound that it does in "knife"

Kn in English the k is silent.

NWS pliers are king, will never buy knipex junk

The K is silent, it is actually pronounced nipex.

My dad had them back in the 70s to can look them up its old design ANTIQUE RUSSIAN ADJUSTABLE PIPE WRENCH