A Titanium Adjustable Wrench So Beautiful, It Looks Like It Was Designed by Jony Ive

Posted on 03/08/2023 by Sarang Sheth

My favorite design challenge is to close my eyes and think of an object, and question why my mind thought of a specific form factor. Close your eyes and think of a camera, and your mind probably conjures up a photo of a point-and-shoot or a DSLR. Think of a phone and your mind probably imagines a smartphone, but think of a telephone and you’re probably reminded of the older landline. Similarly, if you heard the words “adjustable wrench” and immediately thought of the stereotypical wrench with the sliding jaw, you’re not the first! Fundamentally, the adjustable wrench design hasn’t changed in decades. For the most part, it’s still made from cast iron and has the same boring visual aesthetic… but that’s about to change. Designed by the folks at Silver Fox Tools, the Atom Wrench reimagines the wrench not as a workshop tool, but as a design object. It’s functional, but at the same time, has a visual aesthetic so pleasing, it could be a part of Jony Ive’s design tool kit.

Designer: Silver Fox Tools

Machined out of solid, Grade 5 Titanium (and furnished with a wonderful brass knurled knob), the Atom Wrench visually and structurally challenges the archetypical adjustable wrench. It’s the first wrench really designed to be pocketable, and flaunted as a part of your EDC. The wrench’s form factor is dominated by minimalism, with straight lines, tight curves, rounded edges, and a glorious knurled brass knob that steals all the attention.

Rotate the brass knob and the wrench opens up, going to a maximum distance of 15mm (6 inches). Clench it shut and the Atom Wrench easily undoes even the tightest of nuts or bolts with some elbow grease. The titanium build offers more than just brute strength and resistance. It doesn’t scratch, deform, or corrode. In essence, it’s much lighter than iron, but up to 70% stronger.

The Atom’s design is by far its most noteworthy feature. It looks nothing like the kind of wrench you’d see in your dad’s toolshed, or within the handyman’s utility belt. The Atom Wrench isn’t a tool, it’s functional art. Its beautiful design does the job of a wrench but works as a pair of calipers too, allowing you to measure items up to 15mm thanks to the engravings on the side.

The Atom Wrench comes from the fine folks at Silver Fox Tools, a Scotland-based tool and EDC-making company. Each wrench starts at £50 ($63 USD) and comes with a nifty leather lanyard that really uplifts the all-metal wrench’s design, making it haute and handy at the same time!

The post A Titanium Adjustable Wrench So Beautiful, It Looks Like It Was Designed by Jony Ive first appeared on Yanko Design.

Incredibly Handy 6-in-1 Multitool Has A Built-In Adjustable Wrench And Fits In Your Pocket

Posted on 21/07/2023 by Sarang Sheth

A purpose-built multitool that’s perfect to stash in your backpack, your car, bicycle kit, workshed, or even your pocket, the OUTU 6-in-1 multitool gives you all the tinkering tools you need to open, assemble, or repair anything around you. The handy multitool occupies about the same space as a large USB stick when closed (measuring just 4.5 inches long), but open it out and you’ve got yourself an adjustable wrench, prybar, bottle opener, knife, Philips-head screwdriver, and a sleeve for attaching S2 hex bits to your multitool to work with a wide range of screws.

Covering practically every day-to-day scenario where you’d need a multitool, the OUTU 6-in-1 Multitool EDC is compact enough to be hyper-portable, useful enough to get the job done, and then even lets you crack open a bottle of brewski after a hard day of work!

Click Here to Buy Now

The multitool comes in different accented color options, giving you the ability to choose between vibrant orange, red, blue, or a classic black. The EDC sports a foldable design reminiscent of the pocket knives we’ve been seeing for over a century, however, it also fashions itself with a select set of tools that are much more necessary in the modern age. A blade gets you through rough situations where you need to slice ropes, whittle wood, or cut open boxes, while the adjustable wrench lets you tinker and toy around with everything from furniture to bicycles to potentially even your car. The prybar doubles as a flathead screwdriver, and there’s a dedicated Philips-head screwdriver too, but combined, they let you dock a mounting sleeve to install S2 hex bits. This, in my opinion, is uniquely game-changing.

The adjustable wrench (or pliers if you tend to use that terminology) helps easily tighten or loosen bolts. The wrench jaws open to an impressive 24mm and are built at an angle, providing up to 65 kilograms of torque to let you twist open or twist to tighten even the toughest bolts or nuts.

The OUTU 6-in-1 Multitool also comes with its own set of hex-bits, and a mounting sleeve that lets you attach them to the multitool. The bit sleeve (shown in the image above) mounts on the flathead and Philips head screwdrivers when opened. Both of them open to form a square-shaped profile that fits the sleeve perfectly, while its other end lets you magnetically mount any of the 9 hex bits that come with the OUTU.

Whether you’re looking for a handy multitool to fix stuff around the house, or an EDC to carry around while bicycling (just in case your ride needs fixing), or even if you want to add a nice tool to your workshop arsenal, the OUTU 6-in-1 Multitool makes for a rather compelling (and affordable) purchase!

Click Here to Buy Now

The post Incredibly Handy 6-in-1 Multitool Has A Built-In Adjustable Wrench And Fits In Your Pocket first appeared on Yanko Design.

3D-printed workshop wrench offers 100% of the strength with just 70% of the material

Posted on 25/04/2023 by Sarang Sheth

Look at these wrenches and you’ll almost instantly notice something different about them. Unlike the die-cast wrenches you see with solid metal bodies, these unique tools from Desktop Metal come with a textured inner surface, featuring multiple holes and cavities. The inner surface of these wrenches use a gyroid-style in-fill, commonly seen in 3D printing to fill up inner spaces with support material while conserving plastic. The gyroid inner mass gives these metal wrenches their strength while simultaneously cutting down on material and weight. The result is the same, functional tool but with nearly 30% less mass and weight.

Designer: Desktop Metal

This sort of intricate manufacturing is only achievable using 3D printing. In this case, the wrenches are fabricated using a process known as Single Pass Jetting, a proprietary form of metal 3D printing developed in-house by Desktop Metal. The prototype wrench is less of an actual product and more of a showcase of Desktop Metal’s capabilities, with its extensive range of metal printing machines that cover industrial and consumer-grade use-cases.

The result of Desktop Metal’s SPJ printing is quite remarkable. The parts have a much higher and more uniform density (up to 99%) than other metal 3D printing methods while being much faster too. The way single-pass jetting or binder jetting technology works is that it uses a binding material in a vat of powdered metal to create metal products rather than using lasers to fuse metallic dust together. Once the part is made, it’s sent into a furnace for the sintering process, which causes the metallic parts to fuse together and the binder to melt out in the process. You can read more about it here.

The post 3D-printed workshop wrench offers 100% of the strength with just 70% of the material first appeared on Yanko Design.

Tool Handle Beer Mugs Are Perfect For Tipsy DIY Projects

Posted on 28/06/2022 by hite

Beer and DIY home projects: they go together like peanut butter and bread. Toss in accidentally hurting yourself, and you’ve got yourself a peanut butter and banana sandwich! Created by JoyJolt and available on Amazon (affiliate link), these hand tool beer mugs are the perfect accompaniment to any home project.

The 17-ounce mugs are available in multiple tool handle styles, including a screwdriver, hammer, pipe wrench, crescent wrench, and combination wrench, that way, you can match your beer mug to your current project. Tackling a project that involves all five tools? Then you’ve got a lot of beer to drink!

Alternatively, just do what I do when undertaking a home improvement project and invest in a beer helmet. That way, you can drink hands-free and don’t have to take a break to drink; just suck on the straw! Unfortunately, if the quality of my repair jobs is any indication, this is probably not a great idea and might explain why I keep finding my beer helmet hidden in the bottom of the kitchen trash.

[via DudeIWantThat]

This thin multi-functional wrench fits in your pocket to give you power over any nut or bolt

Posted on 04/04/2022 by JC Torres

There is probably no greater satisfaction than knowing you can loosen or tighten almost anything at any time with that thin steel contraption in your pocket, bringing delight and relief to friends and family.

No one probably fantasizes about being a repairperson, but some might have had dreams of being some secret agent or MacGuyver, able to break free of traps or fix breaking vehicles in the middle of a crisis. In real life, that means having to always carry a toolbox in order to be prepared for those fictional scenarios, but you don’t have to anymore, thanks to advancements in manufacturing as well as some creative thinking. These days, you can have a screwdriver as small or smaller than a pen or, in this case, a spanner that can fit any size of nut or bolt but can still fit in your shirt pocket, always ready for you to whip it out to the amazement of the audience.

Designer: Yu-Hung Cheng

Click Here to Buy Now: $69

Pen-sized tools have become possible and are even becoming quite popular these days. A set of tools that once required a large box container could now be reduced to two or three multi-functional tools that can all fit in a pouch or even your pocket. Admittedly, downscaling a wrench is a bit more difficult considering the size of its head and the different sizes it would need to cover, but even that puzzle is no match for some out-of-the-box design thinking.

That’s exactly the proposition that the WRENCHit is making in the form of a handsome, stainless steel tool that looks like an extra thin box cutter. It even shares some visual resemblance with these cutters in how the “blades” inside appear to be segmented. That’s actually not far from the truth, but instead of blades, each segment has a hole that matches a specific wrench size.

The way this rather unorthodox spanner works is similar to a tool pen. You push from one end and have the tool pop out the other, almost like a click pen. The difference is that this action pushes out the next wrench in the sequence, which you then remove from the sleeve and attach to the other end. This is how you cycle through the different wrenches until you get to the one that you need. Once that’s at the top of the head (the exposed part), you can start twisting and turning that nut, using the sleeve as an arm to give you enough torque for the work.

Even while only 4mm thin and weighing only 30g, this innovative spanner is won’t easily bend or break on you, thanks to its SUS420 Stainless Steel body. The sandblasted finish gives it a stylish appearance that is both minimalist and industrial. The Full set we carry in our store includes all ten wrenches, which include spoke and Wing Nut wrenches. There’s even a bottle opener “wrench” so that you can help save the day when no one remembered to bring one to the party.

Click Here to Buy Now: $69

The post This thin multi-functional wrench fits in your pocket to give you power over any nut or bolt first appeared on Yanko Design.

The adjustable wrench gets a glorious redesign after nearly 130 years

Posted on 10/10/2020 by Takashi Yamada

In our pursuit to relentlessly fix stuff around the world and make them better, we designers often forget to look at the very tools we use to create, repair, and redesign our lives. The adjustable spanner/wrench, a pretty standard part of every toolkit, was designed by a certain Swedish man called Johan Petter Johansson. The patent for his design (which looks exactly like the adjustable wrench we see today) dates back to 1892, and hasn’t seen much change in years. In fact, just 30 years later, it was redesigned by Edwin J. Evans, but the new format never caught on.

The MetMo Grip builds on Edwin J. Evans’ redesign, which now exists in the public domain. There’s something extremely simple and sophisticated about the MetMo Grip’s schematic. The wrench’s jaw is operated using a single metal piece that slides up and down a threaded column with varying pitches. Long-story-short, move the metal piece up and down and the jaws of the wrench open and close. The entire tool comes fabricated from stainless steel, with incredibly low tolerances that result in a smooth movement of parts. The wrench’s innovative mechanism makes it much easier to open and close as compared to the conventional adjustable wrench you’ve got in your toolkit, while ensuring that once opened, the jaws of the wrench are incredibly secure, allowing you to tighten or loosen screws with ease.

That, however, isn’t all that the MetMo Grip has to offer. Its robust design even integrates a box-cutter and bottle-opener into it. Its small, effective design makes it the perfect upgrade for every toolkit, allowing it to be used in workshops, repair centers, garages, and if you plan on carrying the MetMo Grip outdoors, an integrated belt hook loop allows you to secure this innovative EDC tool around your waist.

What’s really remarkable about the MetMo Grip’s design is the fact that its schematic existed over 90 years ago, but never really reached its full potential. With over a 1000 backers since the project’s launch, the MetMo Grip hopes to fix that discrepancy, and give the world a wrench that’s efficient, delightful to use, and is so buttery smooth, it could even serve as a fidget-toy!

Designers: Sean Sykes & James Whitfield

Click Here to Buy Now: $129 ~~$142~~ (10% off). Hurry, less than 48 hours left! Raised over $470,000.

MetMo Grip – A Piece of History Re-engineered

The MetMo Grip is both a fidget toy and multi-tool, keeping you satisfied for hours on end either fiddling with it or using it to clamp the life out of something.

Why MetMo Grip?

The team found a patent of an early 20th Century variable grip wrench and immediately fell in love with the concept. MetMo Grip is a tribute to the furious innovation at the start of the last century that lead to an overhaul in the means of production and design of everyday tools.

Made using modern methods from contemporary materials, MetMo Grip is an engineering oddity and marvel that’s as comfortable as a fidget toy as it is clamping together steel.

Who’s it For?

Made for designers, engineers, thinkers, and anyone who wants to just take a moment to focus, relieve stress or just play around.

A Fidget Toy That’s Also a Handy Tool

From a standard 1/4 inch bit holder to a handy box opener, the MetMo Grip is ready to tackle your daily tasks with ease.

Simply sliding the jaws open and closed is satisfying. The weight feels reassuring in the hand and you know that if you do ever need to get a grip on something, MetMo is there for the job.

No more fiddling with your adjustable wrenches, spinning the gear over and over til (maybe) you fix it in the right place. The MetMo Grip design is snap-able in a second and securely locks in place so you get it right first time, every time.

What is MetMo Grip Made Of?

MetMo Grip is machined from solid stainless steel, with a hard anodized 6061 aluminum adjuster. Stainless steel components form the body of MetMo Grip with a precision formed solid rod and CNC machined jaws. The helix shaft is machined from 1020 carbon steel that’s ready to take on the rigors of any tough job.

6061 hard anodized aluminum is the chosen metal for the adjuster. Lightweight and durable, aluminum adds function without adding extra weight.

Precision manufactured using five axis CNC machinery puts the grip a cut above the rest. With the precise tolerances achievable with modern manufacturing, their re-imagining of this grip is more fluid and satisfying than the original, as well as being stronger and more reliable.

Technical Data

Weight: 300g
Size: 180mm x 60mm x 13mm
Finish: Sandblasted stainless steel
Grip Force: 1.2Kg (2.6 lbs)
Materials: 304 Stainless Steel – 6061 Anodized Aluminum – 1020 Carbon Steel

Built-in automatic locking – Simply adjust to a size and the jaws will hold firmly in place.

Why This Design?

Design Team: We found the original tool and immediately fell in love with just how satisfying it was to use and fiddle with. We found ourselves constantly playing with the mechanism whilst at our desks. It was so fascinating watching the motion and feeling the weight of such a well constructed tool, it left us feeling that this was something we just had to share with the world!

So we set out to recreate this ancient design with the focus on making it useful as well as enjoyable, to have and to hold even when it’s not being used as a tool.

We wanted it to stand out against modern tools by keeping its vintage design roots, resembling the trusty engineers precision calipers.

We also wanted to honor the legacy and impact of the Wrench Wars. Without this period of rapid innovation, we’d likely have much fewer options in terms of the tools we have today. Necessity begets invention, as they say, and though now a half-forgotten relic, the Grip style can make a comeback in the 21st Century.

Click Here to Buy Now: $129 ~~$142~~ (10% off). Hurry, less than 48 hours left! Raised over $470,000.

The adjustable wrench gets a glorious redesign after nearly 130 years

Posted on 28/08/2020 by Sarang Sheth

Designers: Sean Sykes & James Whitfield

Click Here to Buy Now: $129 ~~$142~~ (10% off). Hurry, only 5/70 left! Raised over $220,000.

MetMo Grip – A Piece of History Re-engineered

The MetMo Grip is both a fidget toy and multi-tool, keeping you satisfied for hours on end either fiddling with it or using it to clamp the life out of something.

Why MetMo Grip?

Made using modern methods from contemporary materials, MetMo Grip is an engineering oddity and marvel that’s as comfortable as a fidget toy as it is clamping together steel.

Who’s it For?

Made for designers, engineers, thinkers, and anyone who wants to just take a moment to focus, relieve stress or just play around.

A Fidget Toy That’s Also a Handy Tool

From a standard 1/4 inch bit holder to a handy box opener, the MetMo Grip is ready to tackle your daily tasks with ease.

Simply sliding the jaws open and closed is satisfying. The weight feels reassuring in the hand and you know that if you do ever need to get a grip on something, MetMo is there for the job.

What is MetMo Grip Made Of?

6061 hard anodized aluminum is the chosen metal for the adjuster. Lightweight and durable, aluminum adds function without adding extra weight.

Technical Data

Built-in automatic locking – Simply adjust to a size and the jaws will hold firmly in place.

Why This Design?

So we set out to recreate this ancient design with the focus on making it useful as well as enjoyable, to have and to hold even when it’s not being used as a tool.

We wanted it to stand out against modern tools by keeping its vintage design roots, resembling the trusty engineers precision calipers.

Click Here to Buy Now: $129 ~~$142~~ (10% off). Hurry, only 5/70 left! Raised over $220,000.

A perfect multitool for the season!

Posted on 09/11/2018 by Sarang Sheth

If you’re struggling to pick a great gift for a DIY enthusiast, or perhaps for secret Santa, the HexFlex MultiTool is just about the best way to go. It fits 14 incredibly useful tools into its small frame, and comes with a keyring attachment so you’ve always got it on you. Made from stainless steel, this incredibly season-appropriate multitool comes with two Phillips screwdrivers, a flathead screwdriver, three hex drivers, a box-cutter, a bottle opener, and six different wrenches cleverly integrated into its snowflake-shaped design. Originally designed to be a snowboard tool (hence the snowflake theme), the HexFlex actually lends itself to a lot of regular daily use too. It fastens right to your keychain, allowing you to carry it around wherever you go, and gives you the power to open stuff from bottles to boxes, and tighten or loosen screws, and bolts. Now that’s quite chill isn’t it?!

Designer: HexFlex

Click Here to Visit Store

A perfect multitool for the season!

Posted on 09/11/2018 by Sarang Sheth

Designer: HexFlex

Click Here to Visit Store

The Tool Pen gets one-upped

Posted on 25/03/2016 by Sarang Sheth

wrenchit_multitool_1

From the guys who brought us the heavily talked about, Tool Pen, comes another innovative multi-tool. The Wrenchit is the Tool Pen’s BFF and wrench-based counterpart. Designed to be as light-weight and sleek as the tool pen, the Wrenchit is small, pocketable and can hold up to five wrenches. The entire kit comes with 10 interchangeable wrench-pieces, allowing you to work with Allen nuts, spoke nuts, wing nuts, and just to sweeten the deal, it can open bottles too. It comes in a beautiful consolidated package, wrapped in black leather; and makes a great addition to your tool kit, without occupying any space. I’ll say it, I’m thotoughly impressed!

Designer: Mininch

wrenchit_multitool_2