Montgomery Ward speed master

[Jnmario]

Older Montgomery Ward 1/2" drive speed master.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice. I like the speedmaster stuff. I have this one 1/4 set.

 

[Jnmario]

Nice. I like the speedmaster stuff. I have this one 1/4 set.

Awesome! Looks good.

 

[DadsTools]

Never heards of Ward's "Speed Master" only Powr Kraft. That ratchet looks like a Proto/Penens racetrack rat.

 

[Jnmario]

Never heards of Ward's "Speed Master" only Powr Kraft. That ratchet looks like a Proto/Penens racetrack rat.

Isn't that their "MW" logo?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Plomb made the wards speedmaster stuff. Also there was wards riverside tools. Predates powercraft.
..

 

[d42jeep]

Here are some Wards tools that are earlier than Powr-Kraft.
-Don

 

[DadsTools]

Isn't that their "MW" logo?

Perhaps you misunderstood me. I wasn't saying that it wasn't a Ward's. I was saying the rat was made by Plomb/Penens. Oy!

 

[DadsTools]

Plomb made the wards speedmaster stuff. Also there was wards riverside tools. Predates powercraft.
..

Thank you. I'm glad someone understood what I was saying.

And Lakeside too, right?

 

[Jnmario]

Perhaps you misunderstood me. I wasn't saying that it wasn't a Ward's. I was saying the rat was made by Plomb/Penens. Oy!

Have a great night

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Thank you. I'm glad someone understood what I was saying.

And Lakeside too, right?

I have seen some lakeside as well

 

[RedVise]

Thats my working set of 1/2 Speed Master sockets. I have the Speed Master ratchet but use the 2 Wright tootsie roll ratchets, one of which is a Powr-Kraft !

Brian

PS: will be posting a few interesting items in the Powr-Kraft thread to.

 

[bonneyman]

I had a 1/4" Wards ratchet at one time - here's a closeup of that logo.

 

[d42jeep]

Here are some I found at an estate sale yesterday.
-Don

 

[Username already in use]

1/2" drive Wardmaster ratchet with an forge mark.
Looks TRUTH made to me.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Looks like we can add truth to the list of wards suppliers
. Here is a wardmaster ratchet i picked up recently. This thing has a super fine tooth action. I suspect it is really an indestro 3275.

 

[outofbounds]

A nice little 5" Wards Master Quality ignition pliers found at a yard sale today.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice. Was shocked when I found this set with the pouch. Here it is with a wards mastet 1/4 set...

 

[Rileysan]

Nice. Was shocked when I found this set with the pouch. Here it is with a wards mastet 1/4 set...

That 1/4" drive set is too cool!

I recently picked up an incomplete Ward's Master ignition wrench set of eBay for $20. Just missing one wrench ...

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice. These only had 4 wrenches, last pouch was for pliers, so yours is complete! Here's a master quality and a riverside

 

[d42jeep]

Here are some Ward’s punches that were a flea find last year.
-Don

 

[Rileysan]

Nice. These only had 4 wrenches, last pouch was for pliers, so yours is complete! Here's a master quality and a riverside

I failed to mention the 4th wrench that came with my set was not a Wards wrench. I think it's Gedore.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Ahhh. Nice set still. Pouch is outstanding.

 

[outofbounds]

Crossing over to 1/4" socket sets, I have this incomplete one. Not sure the date versus "Master Quality". I am very fond of the ratchet and happy that it works!
PS - There are a couple out-of-place sockets marked STW. Is this "Stanley Tool Works"?

 

[d42jeep]

Stevens Walden, I believe
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Wright supplied both speedmaster and wardmaster labeled sets at various times, adding to the confusion.

 

[Rileysan]

Crossing over to 1/4" socket sets, I have this incomplete one. Not sure the date versus "Master Quality". I am very fond of the ratchet and happy that it works!
PS - There are a couple out-of-place sockets marked STW. Is this "Stanley Tool Works"?

I've never seen anything close to resembling that ratchet. Anyone know who made it?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Wright made them. Also sold them in wright and crescent brands.

 

[Rileysan]

Wright made them. Also sold them in wright and crescent brands.

I have that same Crescent socket set - sans ratchet. I had no idea it even came with one.

 

[outofbounds]

Wright made them. Also sold them in wright and crescent brands.

Wow, what a gorgeous little set!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

From 58 to 61 crescent went from wright supplied ratchets to patenting their own rhft version

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Picked this up a couple of weeks ago as I couldn't resist the logo. Found a slide bar handle for it at a yard sale today.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Nice joco. Any speedmaster box seems hard to find. That looks similar to the firestone version. Here are some penens made speedmaster and firestone sets.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Dayum that carry box is nice!!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Thanks joco. A little rusty but still functional.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

I'm clueless on Speed Master. I'm assuming 50s-60s vintage with that logo?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Wards used the name from the late 30s into 50s, then switched to powrkraft. The confusing part has been the simultaneous use of other names such as wardmastr, wards master, wards master quality, wardmaster, and a constantly changing vendor list. Duro indestro, truth, new britain, wright, penens, thorsen all made sets for wards. By comparison, sears was a model of consistency.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Sears makes my brain hurt with some of the wazzoo stuff they did so I'm glad I'm not trying to track what Wards was doing!

 

[d42jeep]

And don’t forget Riverside. This set was sourced from Indestro as was some early Powr-Kraft.
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I have narrowed it down a bit. Late twenties to late 30s wards sold duro indestro sets under the names wards chromium vanadium, wards riverside, wards master quality, master. Late 30s to late 40s saw mostly wright sets, branded speedmaster. Somewhere in there truth pops up under the master brand.. Then the penens made speedmaster. At the same time some wardmaster fors patent ratchets (new britain)pop up. Wright and thorsen emerge supplying powrkraft, but some duro indestro persists under the brand wardmaster. Wards started including a letter code on the ratchets, I for indestro, w for wright and t for thorsen.