How old is your oldest Ridgid pipe wrench?

[Bob D.]

I think it would be interesting to know how old the oldest Ridgid pipe wrench in your toolbox (or bucket) is.

For instance I have an Ridgid aluminum 18" that is over 25 years old, I bought it in my second year of my apprenticeship in 1978. I may have a couple wrenches that are older, but I don't remember exactly when I bought them.

Just Ridgid wrenches and just the one oldest wrench that you use regularly, no antiques or museum pieces that sit on the shelf or behind glass please. I know there are very old wrenches out there, I am interested in getting an idea of how long the lifespan of a Ridgid pipe wrench is.

[oldslowchevy]

i dont have it but my father in law does, i have to say it must be close to 50 years old his grand father gave it ti his father and he used to he retired(all steam fitters) about 3 years ago it is 4 feet tall(jaw closed) and i think it does up to 5" pipe might be 6" i am not sure but i think he said 5" and it will make a man out of you. this thing whiehs in at something like 75lbs use that all day every day................... go on i dare you ........... lol

[BadgerDave]

I have two Heavy Duty Straight Pipe Wrenches that I bought back in 1975. They don't get used everyday but they have seen quite a bit of work over the years.

[PLUMBER RICK]

i have many old wrenches that sit. the one i use on a regular basis is an old 10'' that has an emt cheater on it:eek:. this is my all time favorite for getting into tight spaces, like fireplaces. its narow jaw and cheater make for a very good combination. the cheater turns he 10'' wrench into a 16'', with the access of a narrow 10'' jaw.

rick.

i'm sitting on a new set of collectors 75th anniversary edition wrench set.

[PhilG.]

I have a 24 from the 70's. I still got it because it stays locked up till I need it! (A bunch of other tools n stuff got cleaned out in a burlgary in '91)

[smorris]

I have a 14" Heavy Duty that I use most frequently that I picked up in about 1982, so I'm in the 21-25 range.

And I also have a 75th Anniversary set still boxed up and in the cabinet. I'm going to retire on the proceeds of that when I sell it on eBay! ;)

[boytyperanma]

I have several really old ones around. My grandfather started the company in the 40's not sure when each paticular wrench came around. I have a freakin huge one thats a 60 inch or so. I haven't moved it for years bet remeber it being pretty heavy.

I have a 24 that is dated I still use. The smaller ones have been replaces with aluminum. I need to keep 2 14's and an 18 in my tool box and while I like the old ones I like a lighter tool box more.

[wuerfele]

I have an old pipe wrench the head is mounted on swing arms and the handle has an hole in it to put a piece of pipe in it to move the handle model b 25

[PLUMBER JAY]

It is going on two years

[Bob D.]

It's been almost 3 months since I started this poll, and I think it is interesting what the results have been to date. I did not expect a full 2/3 of the replies to be for wrenches that have been in use for 21 years or more, I would have guessed at the beginning of this that 10 to 20 years was a more likely result.

While I am not surprised at the longevity shown by the small sampling in the poll so far (just 18 votes to date), it does I think show the quality of Ridgid pipe wrenches. Yes, there is little to wrong with the design, I guess that speaks their quality in a way too.

[JimDon]

Ridgid Al 36" from around 1998.
I know this posting is only supposed to be for Ridgids, but since there aren't a lot of replies, I'll list my Trimo's too. Anybody out there recognize that name or are you youngun's way to young for that one? LOL
Trimo, 10", 1889 (yes that's with an 18, not a misprint.)
Trimo 14", 3-5-1918
Trimo 18", 3-5-1918
Trimo 18", 1889
Trimo 24", (No Date, but looks to be about as old as the 1889.)
Yes, all Trimos, even those dated 1889, STILL IN SERVICE.
Jim Don

[Bob D.]

"I know this posting is only supposed to be for Ridgids, but since there aren't a lot of replies, I'll list my Trimo's too."

Listing or discussion of other wrenches is OK by me, but please keep the votes in the poll to Ridgid brand pipe wrenches, otherwise the value of the data is tainted.

[JimDon]

Bob D.
FYI,
I listed my wrenches but I DID NOT vote in the poll. Not even for the Ridgid one I have because I did not want to skew the results. Hope this helps.
Jim D.
PS Nobody got anything older than my Trimos????
(He who dies with the oldest pipe wrenches wins!) LMAO

[Bob D.]

"but I DID NOT vote in the poll. Not even for the Ridgid one"
Why not list the Ridgid? I don't understand how that would skew the results.

"I'll let Jim allow or delete this from the poll as he wishes."

AFAIK once you have made an entry in the poll removing your post does not remove the poll entry. I have not found a way to rescind an entry in a poll. Maybe there is and I just missed it. Josh should be able to shed some light on this. I don't know why Jim would have anything to say about it anyway. I started the poll and there is nothing I can do to change an entry, so how could Jim? Josh would be the only one I know of who might be able to change the poll results.

[hvactechforum]

7 years old and still good as new.:)

[Woussko]

Bob, Too bad you don't have a choice of 50 and older and still in use. I have 2 Ridgid a 14 and a 24 that are over 50 and just won't die. Both of them have really been through (used hard and abused at time) hell too.:eek:

[JimDon]

What Woussko?
The oldest Ridgid you've got is over 50? What the heck, doesn't even qualify as a step grandchild of my old Trimo! LOL
JimDon

[Bob D.]

Bob, Too bad you don't have a choice of 50 and older and still in use. I have 2 Ridgid a 14 and a 24 that are over 50 and just won't die. Both of them have really been through (used hard and abused at time) hell too.:eek:

Well, a wrench that is over 50 falls into the Over 30 group right? So there is a place to record your 50 wrenches. I am surprised at how many wrenches are over 30, if people are listing their regular, daily use wrenches, and not museum pieces or collector tools.

Looking back now after 27 entries almost half are in the over 30 group, so probably should have added a couple other age categories, but it's too late now.

[Woussko]

Bob

You did well with your pole. Maybe for fun you can try another where the minimum age for a Ridgid pipe wrench would be 30 and then do steps of maybe 10 or 15 years. Just an idea. I think your work shows that they last and last.

[Bogart]

Just because a wrench has a date stamped on it, doesn't mean it's that old. That's usually the patent or introduction date. They are still quite old, but if the design didn't change, it could be much newer.

[Bob D.]

Just because a wrench has a date stamped on it, doesn't mean it's that old. That's usually the patent or introduction date. They are still quite old, but if the design didn't change, it could be much newer.

Agreed, I was not implying that people should use the patent date (if it appeared on the wrench) as an in-service date. I think most people should be able to pin down a date to within a year of when they bought it, and that's close enough for the purposes of this poll..