Craftsman Hand Tool Manufacturers & Date Ranges

[fxr3guy]

So much great info here! Love this site. I was surprised because I haven't seen any made in the states for a while. I didn't see those codes (K1AB, K2AB) listed here. Any thoughts on year or quality?

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

So much great info here! Love this site. I was surprised because I haven't seen any made in the states for a while. I didn't see those codes (K1AB, K2AB) listed here. Any thoughts on year or quality?

Late 2010s most likely like between 2010 and 2012 when they fully moved out of the states besides certain tools and quality went down as they got closer to moving out of the USA but it was still pretty good for the money at the time. But I have never seen one with those codes so that is just a estimate they had so many codes towards the end that it was hard to keep up with them all.


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[fxr3guy]

Late 2010s most likely like between 2010 and 2012 when they fully moved out of the states besides certain tools and quality went down as they got closer to moving out of the USA but it was still pretty good for the money at the time. But I have never seen one with those codes so that is just a estimate they had so many codes towards the end that it was hard to keep up with them all.


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Thanks! It just surprised me because the packaging looks like the current stuff, but without the "CMMT" part number. They were like 9 bucks and change. Think I'll head back to base exchange and pick up a couple.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Thanks! It just surprised me because the packaging looks like the current stuff, but without the "CMMT" part number. They were like 9 bucks and change. Think I'll head back to base exchange and pick up a couple.

You’re welcome. I’ll try to see if I can find an exact date for you online most likely they are New Old Stock if you found them new in a store I see tons of NOS at my hardware store so I always stock up but it’s code G2D and CG


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[Mawkovin]

Hi guys! I have looked all through this thread but I can't find any info on a T in a circle I found on an old, 3" screwdriver. I have a pict but I'm not sure how to post it. Also, I have an old C-man push drill with BB on it - any info? I am trying to sell my stepfathers tools. He passed away 10 years ago and his tools were sitting in a leaky shed for all those years. I have been slowly cleaning all of it and I have finally found, cleaned, and recorded all of his Craftsman stuff and am just about ready to try selling it. I have been working my a** off for a year cleaning up this stuff!

 

[Lesserstore]

Hi guys! I have looked all through this thread but I can't find any info on a T in a circle I found on an old, 3" screwdriver. I have a pict but I'm not sure how to post it. Also, I have an old C-man push drill with BB on it - any info? I am trying to sell my stepfathers tools. He passed away 10 years ago and his tools were sitting in a leaky shed for all those years. I have been slowly cleaning all of it and I have finally found, cleaned, and recorded all of his Craftsman stuff and am just about ready to try selling it. I have been working my a** off for a year cleaning up this stuff!

I can't help you with the codes yet, but to post photos you need to have at least 5 posts.

 

[Mawkovin]

Oh, thank you very much

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Hi guys! I have looked all through this thread but I can't find any info on a T in a circle I found on an old, 3" screwdriver. I have a pict but I'm not sure how to post it. Also, I have an old C-man push drill with BB on it - any info? I am trying to sell my stepfathers tools. He passed away 10 years ago and his tools were sitting in a leaky shed for all those years. I have been slowly cleaning all of it and I have finally found, cleaned, and recorded all of his Craftsman stuff and am just about ready to try selling it. I have been working my a** off for a year cleaning up this stuff!

The BB is early probably from the 40s as I have a BE from that time period. The Circle T I have never seen so I don’t know there I have a Circle U from the 30s or 40s.


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[Outlawmws]

BB is Stanley. Circa 39-50

 

[Mawkovin]

Thanks for the info. BTW the BB mark is with the early C-man block letter logo, before the line under the RAF so I think it must be pretty old.

 

[Mawkovin]

Yes, the push drill I have has the BB mark with the old Craftsman block C before the line was added

 

[d42jeep]

I recently found this General bevel at an estate sale and noticed the similarity to my Long C bevel. It’s not in the list at the beginning of the thread but I would conclude that R circle = General Tool
-Don

 

[Outlawmws]

It may also be the registered trademark symbol. in existence since its creation by the USPTO, in 1905

 

[d42jeep]

The registered trademark symbol started appearing on tools in 1946. I’ve never seen a registered trademark symbol on any other Craftsman Long C tool but I suppose it’s possible. Maybe someone can show an example of one.
-Don

 

[Outlawmws]

Tools I haven't looked at, but the catalogs show its a registered trademark as early as 1935:

The Circle R symbol was officially enabled in 1946

As noted below the use of the ® symbol is enabled by Title III Section 29 of the Trademark Act of 1946, as amended 1949, 1962, 1975, and 1988 and published November 25, 2013.

So a key question is how early is your bevel? Long C went to the late 40's and in some cases into the 50's?

 

[jakemac]

Given the placement, I’m inclined to agree with Outlaw that it’s a Registered mark. Otherwise, I think that the mark would be placed further from the logo if it was a code.


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[d42jeep]

It could well be. I’m just used to seeing Craftsman codes as letters in circles. I’ve been re-reading Outlaw’s Long C thread. I’m up to page 90 and I’ve only seen trademark signs on this one early Heritage label and two other identical bevels. It was certainly not common to put trademark signs on Long C tools.
-Don

 

[jmegown52302]

DJ is not Mitutoyo but rather Scherr-Tumico.

 

[Outlawmws]

Do you have any substantiation?

 

[slim1025]

1/2" Ratchet Marked U.S.A. K6AB 44809.
Manufacture date?
Thanks!

 

[Lesserstore]

1/2" Ratchet Marked U.S.A. K6AB 44809.
Manufacture date?
Thanks!

The AB is a code for 2012; A=1 B=2.

 

[dungeoncrawler]

G2D = Danaher, ca. 2008 - 2011

So I wanted to chime in about this one - I have a set of Craftsman 3/8 dual marked sockets that are G2D, and I am quite certain I bought them as early as 2005 when I started working on my first metric car, bought a year prior. I definitely didn't buy them anywhere near as late as 2008.

 

[WinMod21]

I found an odd looking little Craftsman socket the other day in my vehicles' cntr-seat-console storage, (black oxide, 3/8 drive, 3/8 socket, "Not For Impact Use")-- but with an elongated hex, with a u-shaped spring clip inside the socket. I hope I'm not startin' to lose my mind cuz I can't recall where it came from or what it's meant for !:~\

The elongated hex opening of the socket is similar to this shape, and has a u-shaped spring clip inside the socket:
( the 1/4" & inch dimensions don't apply; I pasted this just to show the shape of the elongated hex)

. . anyone know what sockets with a hex opening of this shape might be meant for? The code is: L-AE 44573
Thx ;-)

 

[vjquan]

Sounds like a bit socket holder but for 3/8".

 

[WinMod21]

Thx. I must've found it somewhere then, as I don't recall having any bits with that shape at their base. Nor any bits that came with a socket like it. Also haven't found anything re 'L-AE 44573' via online searches.

 

[vjquan]

The bit would just be a regular hex. The elongation is to house the spring clip to hold the bit. It's common in 1/4" (craftsman 44955), I've never seen one in 3/8".

Craftsman Socket Adapter 1/4" Hex Shank Bit Adapter (44955) - - Amazon.com

Craftsman Socket Adapter 1/4" Hex Shank Bit Adapter (44955) - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

 

[WinMod21]

Oh Okay! I see what you mean. Thanks for explaining ;-) So the elongated hex is just for housing the spring clip.

 

[fastev]

interesting read, thanks for keeping this alive. I just found a box in my garage attic that contained a set each of metric and SAE stubbies. All are marked “-W-“ which indicates to me based on the first post that these were made by SK between 2005-2008.
I’m a little bummed- I just sold a set of SK labeled stubbies that were purchased new, by me, in 2010. The craftsman’s are SIGNIFICANTLY nicer in every aspect. I just wish I was able to get a side-by-side pic. Crazy to see what a difference a few years makes.

 

[radrush]

The ergonomic pistol grip ratcheting driver model 47473 was marked with both WF T and WF W.

The manufacturer's name SCHRODER appears to stamped right next to "made in Germany". I don't have one with me so if you have one please help verify that name and spelling.

 

[joseywales]

The ergonomic pistol grip ratcheting driver model 47473 was marked with both WF T and WF W.

The manufacturer's name SCHNEIDER appears to stamped right next to "made in Germany". I don't have one with me so if you have one please help verify that name and spelling.

Mine just arrived today! It actually reads Schroder. If you look closely, it's SchrOder. The O is capital, and also has two "antennae" marks, which makes it a tougher read. It's the logo for Schroder Tools.

 

[radrush]

Mine just arrived today! It actually reads Schroder. If you look closely, it's SchrOder.

Thanks for the info. I corrected my post.


Did you get that tool from

Harry J. Epstein Co.?​

They have 4473 in stock at $12.50 each.

 

[joseywales]

Thanks for the info. I corrected my post.


Did you get that tool from

Harry J. Epstein Co.?​

They have 4473 in stock at $12.50 each.

eBay was easier to place the order. Harry = $9.09 in shipping. So, I paid an extra $1.76, since shipping was free on eBay. It arrived quickly. I have a snap-in orange, pistol grip style. The action on the snap-on might be better, but I really like the grip on this Craftsman. I also like that my right thumb can rest on top, while turning. The Snap-on was also $110.

 

[mikeyzog]

I just picked up (on eBay) the Craftsman 4-in-1 Screwdriver shown in the pics. It's Part #41502, and the Manufacturer Code is "PD", and that's why I'm writing. I've looked through this whole thread and I can't seem to find any reference to that Code, and was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction? I'm also curious about the date it was produced, which I'm guessing someone might know as well.

My apologies if this is posted incorrectly. It's my first post after a couple of years just looking and researching. Please let me know and I'll get it right on the next one.

 

[Cruzan80]

Anything on the screwdrivers themselves?

 

[Lesserstore]

I just picked up (on eBay) the Craftsman 4-in-1 Screwdriver shown in the pics. It's Part #41502, and the Manufacturer Code is "PD", and that's why I'm writing. I've looked through this whole thread and I can't seem to find any reference to that Code, and was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction? I'm also curious about the date it was produced, which I'm guessing someone might know as well.

My apologies if this is posted incorrectly. It's my first post after a couple of years just looking and researching. Please let me know and I'll get it right on the next one.

I ran into that code when I was researching craftsman magnetic bit screwdrivers, but this is the first reversible I've seen with that code. The style is very similar to Vaco so it could have been made by them.

 

[Adam Aragon]

I just got this today for free at a pawn shop. The clerk would not take my card for one dollar and I did not have cash. I can’t find this wrench or information on the “z”. I have tried Alloy Artifacts, archive.com, etc. Patiently waiting for an expert to chime in. However, I will continue to search as I am a rookie and I seem to learn by searching and rereading hints and rules. Thank you GJ pros.

kc-steve,

I feel your pain. The V-series is huge; it spans 1946 -1986 (perhaps a little later), two OEMs, and just about every tool catagory known to man. There are, however, small visual clues on most tools that can help to narrow the broader V-series date range.

If you want to post your Crafty ratchets on this thread, I'll help you narrow the date ranges where possible and share what knowledge I have of dating these tools.

 

[four.cycle]

RE: Mikeyzog's reversible screwdriver.

The blade part looks kinda-sorta Vaco-ish, but not the handle.
here's a Vaco manufactured Indestro reversible: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...d-duro-chrome-tools.94937/page-5#post-5246963

Mikeyzog - welcome to the site!

I got nothin' on "PD"

Z WF = Western Forge, ca. 2010 - 2011

the copy of my list says: Last Updated: 9/29/17
is there a newer one?

 

[Lesserstore]

I just got this today for free at a pawn shop. The clerk would not take my card for one dollar and I did not have cash. I can’t find this wrench or information on the “z”. I have tried Alloy Artifacts, archive.com, etc. Patiently waiting for an expert to chime in. However, I will continue to search as I am a rookie and I seem to learn by searching and rereading hints and rules. Thank you GJ pros.

Made in China or Taiwan Craftsman universal ratcheting combo wrench. They were introduced in 2009 and Sears still sells them I think.

 

[mikeyzog]

Anything on the screwdrivers themselves?

Unfortunately they haven't arrived yet, so when they do I'll check them and let you know.

 

[mikeyzog]

RE: Mikeyzog's reversible screwdriver.

The blade part looks kinda-sorta Vaco-ish, but not the handle.
here's a Vaco manufactured Indestro reversible: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...d-duro-chrome-tools.94937/page-5#post-5246963

Mikeyzog - welcome to the site!

I got nothin' on "PD"

Z WF = Western Forge, ca. 2010 - 2011

the copy of my list says: Last Updated: 9/29/17
is there a newer one?

I'm definitely going to start looking at the Vaco stuff. I should have added this yesterday, but I've got 2 other "PD" 4-in-1's, but the shaft portion is very different. I posted them here... They both are listed as 41504, but one is a traditional Slotted/Phillips combo, where the other one has 4 different Robertson-sized ends. I've looked in every Craftsman catalog I have (1968-2004), and I don't see it in any of them, so I'm guessing that they are even older than that. When they arrive (2-3 days) I'll check the shaft like Cruzan80 mentioned and post it. Thanks for the welcome.