The plumber's helper changed my mind about using channel locks on nuts

I used to grab channel locks for everything until I heard a fellow contractor say 'channel locks are for turning, not gripping round things' while I was trying to loosen a stuck nut. He showed me how using a crescent wrench on that 3/4 inch brass nut actually prevented it from rounding off. Has anyone else switched up a common habit after hearing one specific piece of advice?

2 comments

2 Comments

norag5513d agoMost Upvoted

Honestly my dad was a pipe fitter for like 40 years and he always told me to use a crescent wrench on brass fittings because they're soft metal, not channel locks. One time I was helping him swap out a toilet in a rental property and he just handed me the crescent wrench without saying anything. I grabbed the channel locks anyway and bam the nut rounded off in two seconds flat. He just looked at me and said 'channel locks are for gripping pipe, not turning nuts' and made me go buy a new brass nut. That lesson stuck with me ever since.

the_richard13d ago

Man I learned that one the hard way too. Now I keep a set of adjustable wrenches in my truck and only bust out the channel locks for stuff like galvanized pipe or cast iron. Brass and chrome are just too soft. Another thing I figured out is put a little penetrating oil on the threads before you even touch it with a wrench. Saves you from having to run to the hardware store mid job.