Crescent R2 Rapid Wrench Preview

The R2 (R-squared) Rapid Wrench from Crescent is advertised to supposedly replace your entire socket set. Now, if your idea of using tools is the occasional non-rusty nut or wingnut, then this might be the tool for you. If anything, it might be fun to see the look on your Dad’s face when you give it to him on Fathers’ Day (the look will undoubtedly be some form of “What exactly IS this thing?”) The answer is a bit more complex. The R2 Rapid Wrench by Crescent (now a licensed name from Cooper Hand Tools) is part ratchet, part crescent wrench-turned-sideways and passed through a multi-dimensional wormhole.

Crescent R2 Rapid Wrench Preview

The Crescent R2 Rapid Wrench is advertised to supposedly replace your entire socket set. Now, if your idea of using tools is the occasional non-rusty nut or wingnut, then this might be the tool for you. If anything, it might be fun to see the look on your Dad’s face when you give it to him on Fathers’ Day (the look will undoubtedly be some form of “What exactly IS this thing?”) The answer is a bit more complex. The R2 Rapid Wrench by Crescent (now a licensed name from Cooper Hand Tools) is part ratchet, part crescent wrench-turned-sideways and passed through a multi-dimensional wormhole.


Crescent R2 Rapid Wrench Features

What we like about the new Crescent R2 Rapid Wrench is that it doesn’t look like anything we’ve ever seen before. It’s new, and how often can you say that about a hand tool? The answer is about once or twice a year if you’re lucky. It also has a 60-tooth ratcheting mechanism – which isn’t shabby, and gives the tool a short 6-degree swing for the ratcheting motion.  What we find odd is the way it works. It is a very simple thing for the tool to slip completely off the target during adjustment. The balance and the physics are all wrong. As you turn it, you are just as likely to pull it off the nut or bolt if you aren’t careful. For that reason, this is more of a fun oddity than a real tool that will see hard use.

The Crescent R2 Rapid Wrench is certainly versatile, however, we’ll give them that. The R2 Rapid Wrench will clamp onto anything from 1/4″ wide to 7/8″ wide. That’s a pretty decent range, which falls into what you can expect from a small standard adjustable wrench. A thumb switch will reverse the tool, allowing you to both tighten and loosen at will. The back of the tool has a dial that can be activated with your thumb to open and close the jaws.

At $20 it’s a neat gift, but probably one that won’t get too much use in the real world. It’s easy to recommend as a stocking stuffer, but as for “toss that old socket set” as their site suggests? We don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon.

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