Reviews
Asahi Combination Wrenches – So many great choices!
Mar
Asahi Spanners / wrenches
For over 90 years Asahi Tools has been making premium Japanese made wrenches with their hot forging process. Their wrenches meet Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS). In this article we will explore the different designations of their line. There are at least 20 types of nut/bolt wrenches alone, not including hex key and hook or pin spanners. Hopefully this article will bring clarity to those new to the line.
Asahi combination wrenches
There are five major classifications of Asahi combination wrenches:
- CP – combination spanner
- CPX – SAE combination spanner (inches)
- CL – Revowave combination spanner
- LCW – LIGHTOOL combination wrench
- LCWU – LIGHTOOL (stubby) combination wrench
All of the wrenches are finished with nickel-chrome plating.
CP and CPX Combination wrenches
The CP and CPX combination wrenches have an industrial look to them and not in a bad way. They still maintain a low profile box end and a handsome satin finish. These are not high polished jewelry for men but rather no-nonsense, rugged tools.
The CP wrench is available in an extraordinary size range. From 5.5mm all the way to 60mm!
Length-wise, a 12mm CP wrench is 140mm long.
This is virtually the same length as the “Short” combination wrenches offered by the big red and white tool trucks plying the streets of the USA. You know the one, the company that sells them for about forty dollars each with the big red “S” on the side of the truck.
The CPX series wrench is simply a CP in SAE (inches). The CPX ranges in size from 1/4″ to 1-1/4″.
CL Revo wave combination spanners
The CL Revowave wrenches are a fancier take on the CP wrench. The Revowave Combination Spanner received the Good Design Award 2008. They are a nicely profiled and finished wrench with a unique taper finish either side of center.
A 12mm Revowave wrench is 175mm in length. This puts it very close in length of the “S” company’s imported wrenches whose initials are B.P.
You could say that the Revo wave is a medium profile combination wrench.
The Revowave is available in size from 5.5mm – 32mm.
LCW LIGHTOOL Combination spanners – wrenches
Even more fancy is the LCW Lightool wrench. It is designed to have a low profile open end and to be light as possible while still being robust enough to meet and exceed JIS standards.
They are still made from Asahi steel, just like the other wrench lines. They have a series of cut-outs removing unnecessary mass. This is a great boon to people who are packing them into bicycle motorcycle tool kits. It is also handy to anyone huffing it on foot or working on a ladder or pole.
The LCW Lightool also won the Good Design award in 2023.
The length of a 12mm LCW wrench is 141mm, almost the same as the standard CP line.
The LCW Lightool wrench line is available in sizes 5.5mm – 32mm.
LCWU – LIGHTOOL (stubby) combination wrench
The LCWU (stubby) combination takes light weight and low profile to the next level. It is basically a stubby length LIGHTOOL. You can literally store these on a key chain or carabiner.
Despite the exemplary features, the value / price ratio is still amazing. Most anyone who buys tools can afford these. What a great gift idea as well.
A 12mm LCWU runs 76mm in length. This is about 25% shorter than the big “S” companies midget wrenches. Low-profile indeed.
The LCWU series stubby wrench is available in sizes 5.5mm – 17mm.
Conclusion
Asahi Tools makes several premium combination wrench lines. In a world where there are some very expensive premium wrench makers and a whole sea of low tier choices, Asahi offers incredible value for the money. Japanese design philosophy, manufacture technique, and pride in workmanship results in a truly great set of wrench choices.
If you would like to add Asahi wrenches to your tool inventory, stop by our shop page today:
If you own Asahi wrenches, let us know in the comment section what you think.