Core77

this does have some advantages, but good luck getting that wrench in 90% of situations where socket wrenches, box wrenches and open-ended wrenches work perfectly fine.

The problems with this wrench are: 1) you can't slot it into a nut from the side, it has to fit over the top. I know plenty of situations where slotting in is not an option. 2) the HK1 hydrokinetic wrench (google it), a simpler wrench with fewer moving parts already does this, and doesn't require any grip strength to maintain its grip on the nut. But even the HK1 can't slot-in.

This looks decidedly right-handed. The fix-it person in my house is left-handed and is often very frustrated by the over designed right-handedness of today's fancy re-imagining of old tools. The old wrenches work well in either hand. Can this be flipped over and used easily by a left-handed person?

I also agree it looks bulky for getting into tight spots where the old design can easily go.

I agree with the above comments. The grip-strength issue is a real problem this wrench has over traditional ones. I have held one of these and can easily see how gripping it on a tough bolt or nut could be troublesome and tiring.

What? A tool that only works in specific situations? I've never heard of such a thing...

And P.S.:

http://loggerheadtools.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=7

Another better idea than this:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000X4OG94/ref=nosim/kkorg-20

Knipex plier wrench

I had this wrench at one point. I only once found an application where I could use it. It had been in my home tool box, in with my car tools, and then in with my work tools.

I had to attach some large flat plates together with bolts. I pulled out this tool and even in the situation where I had all the room in the world to get the tool around a nut I could get enough leverage to torque the nut down tight enough with the short handles. Also, the body of the tool is planar. If the nut is flat on a surface then the tool also has to lie flat with the surface. No clearance for hands.

Eventually I just threw it in the trash. Not even useful enough for me to put it up for sale for a nickel on craigslist and try to pawn it off on some other sucker.

Awesome? Not at all.