The tool truck stopped at work the other day and I picked up this handy adjustable wrench with narrow, thin jaws. I'm reluctant to try newly designed tools since I've seen to many cheesey designs and/or bells and whistles over the years. This one immediately proved to be an asset on the job (I'm a construction equipment mechanic). The jaws will reach much farther into tight areas than standard adjustable wrenches or regular open end wrenches will. The other bonus is it adjusts out all they way out to 2 3/8" (or 60 mm) which is unheard of for and adjustable 12" wrench. So what does this have to do with AR assembling?

I immediately remembered digging around for the correct metric wrench for a barrel nut I was tightening last week. It ended up being 27 mm. I had the correct open end wrench but it barely fit due to the thickness of the wrench vs. the width of the machined area of the wrench flat. I ran into a 30 mm barrel nut this week. I realized also this wrench will work great for muzzle devices that have wrench flats.

 If you are a barrel nut "torquer" (insist that a torque wrench must be used) this tool isn't for you unless you have the means of milling a square drive hole in the upper part of the handle (or I guess you could weld a nut to the side of the handle and use the appropriately sized socket with your torque wrench)

But if you go strictly by feel and timing like I do, this wrench will work out great. And I guarantee you'll use it around the garage for other jobs, too.

Details:
Made by T & E Tools
12" Model is part number: 10812
$41.10 at Apex Tool Company LINKY

These are pretty cool, too.