Deconstructing Product Design

Crescent Adjustable Wrench

Karl Peterson and Crescent Tool Company. 1908

1. Contrary to popular belief, the name “Crescent wrench” did not come from the tool’s resemblance to a crescent moon, but from the name of the company that produced it, the Crescent Tool Company. Inspiration for the adjustable wrench came when a visitor described an ingenious adjustable wrench he had seen in Sweden. Karl Peterson quickly developed a wooden prototype of the tool based on the description, and a steel version soon followed — the Crescent wrench was born. The tool was received amazingly well by consumers, and quickly became the must-have tool for makeshift mechanics and diehard adventurers. Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic with only “gasoline, ...