I'm sorry I can't help - goodbye
Quick Question: Who do you imagine designed the Valves, Pipes, and Equipment you use every day ?
Who you think Snap-On, Ridgid, Stanley and others employ to design and manufacture your tools ?
I'll tell you: It's not Professional Plumbers. It's Engineers.
You may not be familiar with Mechanical Engineers.
No, few are licensed or qualified to enter a home and install Plumbing.
Nor install residential Electrical Wiring.
And darn few are Medical Surgeons.
But in the design and manufacture of a wide variety of products, most Medical, over four decades, I have worked hand-in-hand with people that are licensed and qualified.
Let's look at the Heart Defibrillator I assisted in the design of.
Did I schedule meetings with, and discuss the new iteration of Defibrillators with a patient lying on her back on a gurney ? What good could come of that ?
Of course not. I visited with Doctors, Surgeons, and EMT's so as to understand their concerns, and take advice from people with experience.
We were all professionals, who simply had very different skill sets.
Similarly, what possible value would it be, in the design of Professional Plumbing Tools, to ask a DIY, who barely knows what a wrench is, of their concerns ? They are happy to head to Home Depot and throw the cheapest tools they can find right into their cart.
I am friends with Automotive Technicians. Some, though not all, like to keep up with their trade. And part of that is acquiring tools that allow them to work faster, and do a better job. I find that sensible, admirable, and hopefully profitable.
Frankly, Engineers and Automotive Techs have an easy time compared to Plumbers. Our Fasteners are made to very strict standards. Every Bolt, every Nut, has a spec that must be met.
The result is a 14mm Bolt will fit a 14mm Wrench. It's simple, really.
But Plumbers have a different challenge. Manufacturers are careful to size the internals properly, but all too often the external sizes seem to be of no concern.
There are reasons for this: Good reasons.
One is economy: It would not be sensible to use more Copper, Bronze, or Stainless than needed. Metal is expensive.
Another is with sweat connectors, it is desirable to keep thicknesses constant, and no thicker than needed. Bulk takes time to heat.
But these good reasons result, all too often, in hexes and flats that correspond to no standard size. Neither Metric nor SAE.
So out comes the adjustable Crescent Wrench.
I don't like these. Some, admittedly, are pretty good. Others just rock-n-roll, slipping off fasteners, gouging nearby surfaces, rounding off the points.
When managing Techs I was adamant that they use proper, fixed size wrenches whenever possible. To me, adjustables were for the lazy and the careless (though I own many, myself. sometimes they do seem to be unavoidable).
So my purpose on this forum was to ask Professional Plumbers what they do when they encounter a fitting that no standard fixed wrench will fit. Especially when that fitting is one they frequently use.
I've received no useful answers. Basically just taunts.
I can only assume that Plumbers are different than most other trades. Content with their tools and methods.
(yeah, I know. you don't need help. and what do i know about plumbing ? and, btw, everything is just perfect as it is)
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Who you think Snap-On, Ridgid, Stanley and others employ to design and manufacture your tools ?
I'll tell you: It's not Professional Plumbers. It's Engineers.
You may not be familiar with Mechanical Engineers.
No, few are licensed or qualified to enter a home and install Plumbing.
Nor install residential Electrical Wiring.
And darn few are Medical Surgeons.
But in the design and manufacture of a wide variety of products, most Medical, over four decades, I have worked hand-in-hand with people that are licensed and qualified.
Let's look at the Heart Defibrillator I assisted in the design of.
Did I schedule meetings with, and discuss the new iteration of Defibrillators with a patient lying on her back on a gurney ? What good could come of that ?
Of course not. I visited with Doctors, Surgeons, and EMT's so as to understand their concerns, and take advice from people with experience.
We were all professionals, who simply had very different skill sets.
Similarly, what possible value would it be, in the design of Professional Plumbing Tools, to ask a DIY, who barely knows what a wrench is, of their concerns ? They are happy to head to Home Depot and throw the cheapest tools they can find right into their cart.
I am friends with Automotive Technicians. Some, though not all, like to keep up with their trade. And part of that is acquiring tools that allow them to work faster, and do a better job. I find that sensible, admirable, and hopefully profitable.
Frankly, Engineers and Automotive Techs have an easy time compared to Plumbers. Our Fasteners are made to very strict standards. Every Bolt, every Nut, has a spec that must be met.
The result is a 14mm Bolt will fit a 14mm Wrench. It's simple, really.
But Plumbers have a different challenge. Manufacturers are careful to size the internals properly, but all too often the external sizes seem to be of no concern.
There are reasons for this: Good reasons.
One is economy: It would not be sensible to use more Copper, Bronze, or Stainless than needed. Metal is expensive.
Another is with sweat connectors, it is desirable to keep thicknesses constant, and no thicker than needed. Bulk takes time to heat.
But these good reasons result, all too often, in hexes and flats that correspond to no standard size. Neither Metric nor SAE.
So out comes the adjustable Crescent Wrench.
I don't like these. Some, admittedly, are pretty good. Others just rock-n-roll, slipping off fasteners, gouging nearby surfaces, rounding off the points.
When managing Techs I was adamant that they use proper, fixed size wrenches whenever possible. To me, adjustables were for the lazy and the careless (though I own many, myself. sometimes they do seem to be unavoidable).
So my purpose on this forum was to ask Professional Plumbers what they do when they encounter a fitting that no standard fixed wrench will fit. Especially when that fitting is one they frequently use.
I've received no useful answers. Basically just taunts.
I can only assume that Plumbers are different than most other trades. Content with their tools and methods.
(yeah, I know. you don't need help. and what do i know about plumbing ? and, btw, everything is just perfect as it is)
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