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List of Professional Premium Grade Hand Tool Manufactuers

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Rico.

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I thought I'd start this thread to help out newbies, and those of us not so well
educated in the makes of quality tools, What names to look out for when starting
out a tool collection or indeed upgrading an exisiting one.

There seems to be quite a few threads about is X better than Y and is Z a good
make and so on.... So I thought a list of generally accepted premium professional
grade hand tools could be useful.

There is no reason that we can't include tool makes from the past, but it would
be very helpful to include the years they were regarded as high quality, as there
are bound to be few names that were once great but not so much any more.

I guess I will start the ball rolling, but being from England I will no doubt have
more of a European twist on things.... Lets try to keep this list only on professional
grade tools and not great value good quality tools, if that makes sense.....

ok, in no particular order....

Facom
Stahlwille
Snap On
Hazet
Beta
Gedore
King ****
Britool (Made in England)
Mac
Proto
Matco
Cornwell
Elora


ok, keep them coming... Hopefully it will be useful :thumbup:

Cheers,
Rico.
 
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magova1104

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I never saw "King ****" tools. Are they made in the UK? And I will add Armstrong and Wright Tools (the original tools manufacturers for Matco)
 
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Rico.

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magova1104 said:
I never saw "King ****" tools. Are they made in the UK? And I will add Armstrong and Wright Tools (the original tools manufacturers for Matco)
Click to expand...

Yes, King **** hand tools are made in England, Very highly regarded over here.

I thought about SK, Wright and Armstrong, but I wasn't quite sure if
they were generally accepted Professional grade tools. They have
always looked really nice, but never seen any.
 
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magova1104

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Rico. said:
Yes, King **** hand tools are made in England, Very highly regarded over here.

I thought about SK, Wright and Armstrong, but I wasn't quite sure if
they were generally accepted Professional grade tools. They have
always looked really nice, but never seen any.
Click to expand...

You want me to go for my chakos? :lol_hitti:lol_hitti:lol_hitti:lol_hitti Those companies make some tools even better than SO and Elora together.
 
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magova1104

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Anyway, lets keep this awesome thread Rico. You forgot USAG tools (Italy). The makers of Ferrari and Lamborghini tools.
 
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Rico.

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magova1104 said:
Any Japanese tools maybe? :headscrat
Click to expand...

I did think about Nepros, they are beautiful looking tools, but I've never used one
so I couldn't put it on the list as I have no experience using them and haven't
read enough from people that have used them.

I do have one Koken tool that is really good, but I don't know if they
are accepted as Pro grade.
 
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magova1104

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Rico. said:
I did think about Nepros, they are beautiful looking tools, but I've never used one
so I couldn't put it on the list as I have no experience using them and haven't
read enough from people that have used them.

I do have one Koken tool that is really good, but I don't know if they
are accepted as Pro grade.
Click to expand...

Right! Nepros tools look really nice, but I never see one in person either.:thumbup:
 
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nine4gmc

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any way Rico could update the first post to include all the new additions? i know it would be a lot of trouble but the list would be composed instead of scattered through the possibly hundreds of posts this thread could generate.
 
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Rico.

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cbracer said:
Britool has a lot of tools but they are mostly made in asia now if I remember correctly.
Click to expand...

Correct... Since Stanley swallowed them up in about 2005, They are now mostly
imported from Taiwan. I have quite allot of it actually, I keep a 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2"
socket set in my car kit and it is very good stuff and great value for money but it is
no longer the amazing pro quality stuff it once was. My dear old Dad would
turn in his grave if he knew.

There are still a few "made in England" bits around, but it's slim pickings now. I have
a couple of hard used Britool sockets that were my Dad's from the 60's and the
quality of those is unbelievable.
 
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Big Johnson

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oldtools said:
I don't think Channellocks is professional grade. I am also questioning Bondus.

Toptul
Click to expand...

Every professional tech I have ever met has Channellocks. I have some old stuff from Proto, Super Indestro, quality looks professional. Smith and Wesson, Glock, wait.... those are tools aren't they?
 
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Trucky

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magova1104 said:
Starret? Mitutoyo? Then, let me add FLUKE and MIDTRONICS . Are we talking about hand/power tools right?:eyecrazy:
Click to expand...

Starrett and Mitutoyo make excellent hand tools as well.. punches and the like. It'd be a shame not to include them. We're not talking laser micrometers, CMMs, granite plates, and height gages here.

And what's this about Bondhus? They make hex stuff, and it IS by all means professional grade. High quality that lasts and takes a beating. Isn't that what a "professional" tool is all about? Ease of use is also there.. as well as a wide selection and a good price point. I'll agree with you on CL.. slightly. Some of it is very good compared to other models by other companies, some of it is subpar but still tough. Not pro-grade, unless you're counting the Irega-manufactured adjustables they carry :)
 
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byoungblood

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Rico. said:
Yes, King **** hand tools are made in England, Very highly regarded over here.

I thought about SK, Wright and Armstrong, but I wasn't quite sure if
they were generally accepted Professional grade tools. They have
always looked really nice, but never seen any.
Click to expand...

Wright's combo wrenches are at least on par with, if not better than, SOs at about 40% (or less) of the price. They, like Proto, are primarily an industrial brand so their distributors tend to be more limited to those particular distribution channels. Even in the US you have to dig a bit to find someone local selling Wright tools.
 
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Vvmvbb

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Ridgid, Wiss

I am starting to think there are more brands on this list than not.
 
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Mr Ratchet

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It's a list I don't think can ever be truly made. What's the definition of a professional brand? What if a full time mechanic or maintenance guy uses brand X that some others say is not a professional grade tool. Yet that brand is used by professionals day in and day out.

I would think it would be easier to make a list with sub categories of quality brands. An example would be like something below.

Automotive tool truck brands:
Cornwell, Mac, Matco, Snap On, etc.

Industrial brands:
Armstrong, Proto, Williams, Wright, etc.

Automotive supply brands:
Gearwrench, KD, Napa, SK, etc.

General purpose:
Craftsman, Knipex, Wera, wiha, etc.

Even then there are brands that span more than one category and debates if brand X, y, or Z belong on any list quality wise.
 
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Rico.

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Mr Ratchet said:
It's a list I don't think can ever be truly made. What's the definition of a professional brand? What if a full time mechanic or maintenance guy uses brand X that some others say is not a professional grade tool. Yet that brand is used by professionals day in and day out.
Click to expand...

This isn't designed to be the definitive list of pro brands. It's main purpose
is to give newbies a good idea on what brands to look out for when starting
a tool collection thats all.

For instance, I can't imagine there are that many "professional mechanics"
using SK tools, but it would seem that they are "generally" accepted as pro
quality, so would be a good buy.

Your question.. "Whats the definition of a pro brand" is probably impossible
to answer scientifically, but the valuable combined wisdom of all the members
here can make that judgement over years of use as it's more of an art. The
way a tool feel's and works in the users hand is much more useful to me than
any raw data, which is what I think you agree with.
 
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