What type of wrenches are designed to provide a wide range of applications in a single tool?

The adjustable wrench is specifically designed to accommodate a wide variety of fastener sizes with just one tool, making it extremely versatile for various applications. The unique feature of the adjustable wrench is its movable jaw, which allows the user to modify the opening width to grip different sized nuts, bolts, and other fasteners effectively. This adaptability is particularly useful in situations where multiple sizes are needed, reducing the need to carry an extensive set of fixed-size wrenches.

In contrast, sockets are used with ratchets for specific sized fasteners, which restricts their use to particular sizes; torque wrenches are calibrated for precise torque measurements, hence their function is more specialized; and box-end wrenches offer a specific shape to fit on the heads of bolts and nuts, which also limits their application compared to the adjustable counterpart. Thus, the adjustable wrench's design is what makes it the ideal choice for providing a broad range of applications in a single tool.