Bahco 9031 Adjustable Wrench, 200mm Length

In total opposition to the Bahco Stilson wrench I've just reviewed that was a bit low end, here we have the tool that made Bahco what it is. The humble but ever so useful shifter. Or adjustable wrench for non marine engineers.And being a Bahco shifter you have in your hands the tool that generations of engineers have used to keep ships afloat and sailing from port to port. I don't think I'd be exaggerating to suggest that more than a few ships made it because the bloke in the sweaty boilersuit had in his back pocket a trusty Bahco shifter which nipped up the pipe or nut that would have stopped the job. I know I have. In marine engineering circles the Bahco has almost mythical status that is ingrained from the moment you step onto a ship as a cadet - at least when the UK had a merchant navy that is.The reason we love them so much is because they are near indestructible. Its no exaggeration to say that engineers on ships abuse tools more than anyone else, mostly because sometimes you have to. I've put a six foot pipe on a Bahco and used it to tighten a nut on a steam pipe with considerable force and not broken it.And they stay usable. One of the big differences between Bahco shifters and the weaker limp wristed stuff that they stand above is that even after being hammered you can still use the nut to adjust it easily. And if all goes really pear shaped change the movable bits.But, the big difference is the jaw width. On the near magical 9031 a number that engineers know and love - the jaws can open further than your mother in law when in full rant. Truly epic and bloody useful especially when you are trying to nip up pipe fittings. Trust me,when you have humped a bag of tools up 50m in a machinery space at 65C heat only to find that you don't have a spanner quite big enough it can be a heart breaking experience. This is why marine engineers grap a shifter or two as soon as they walk our of a control room on rounds. That tool in your back pocket could save you a lot of sweat.Where I've found this to be idea is on hydraulic pipework and fridge systems to be honest. The size of nuts often used are just bigger than a standard Bahco and this little lifesaver goes wide enough to be properly useful.So, if you are looking for a shifter then look no further. There is no better on the market no matter how shiny or expensive (Snap-On which jams).

The quality/precision of manufacturing is remarkable. Very stable for an ajustable wrench, convenient handle. Recommended!

Every plumbers go to tool, it does rust due to the nature of our job getting wet etc but it's a solid bit of kit a must for your tool bag.

You can refer to the customer photos I posted which illustrate some of the points I make. These are lightweight, well balanced and comfortable wrenches most suitable for electronic and plumbing applications (rather than heavy engineering). Their short 8" length limits the torque that may be applied - fortunate because I'm not at all sure they would stand up to much abuse without straining the jaw mechanism.Both the 9031 and the 9031T share the same body & handle but the 9031T (narrow jaw version) has one side of the jaws milled down which allows access into tight spaces or gripping thin nuts. Both offer an exceptionally wide opening of around 38mm. The two wrenches work well together in many circumstances where one threaded component has to be held in place whilst the other is used to loosen/tighten the other. That's the reason I bought both. The overall construction is very good - accurate forged parts which are correctly hardened and ground, and which fit together well. My one criticism is that as received there were many razor sharp corners left on the edges of the jaws, and also the inside faces were not as well finished as they might be. Both of these issues can be quickly dealt with by spending some time with oilstone to knock the sharp corners off and (for my 9031) remove some lumps and flatten the jaw faces. These jobs had already been done before I took the photos referred to above. This is worth doing if working on nice chromed plumbing parts otherwise these tools will scratch the finish all too easily (and you may also cut your fingers because they were that sharp). Treated well I would expect these tools to last a lifetime.

I bought this to replace a 200mm Draper adjustable spanner that (a) was becoming very difficult to adjust, and (b) despite indicating it could open just over 25mm, it in fact couldn't open as far as 25mm, which for domestic plumbing DIY was turning out to be a real pain.I bought this Bahco adjustable spanner based on the good reviews and the large jaw opening size, and I am super pleased with my purchase. The whole spanner feels very well made and solid. The jaws adjust extremely smoothly (though the screw operation is in the opposite to my old spanner). The jaws are quite long, and taper to a fairly slender point, which makes it really easy to fit onto small plumbing fittings, or where space is tight. Unlike my old spanner, the jaws don't work loose as you operate the spanner. The jaw opening width is also excellent, and it means I can now tackle most of my DIY plumbing jobs without having to resort to a larger spanner or grips.Overall, very pleased indeed.

ProsQuality wrench that adjusts easilyWide spanComfortable handle

Good quality bit of kit

Sturdy, good quality, comfortable