Husky 1/4” Ratchet and Sockets USA

[Dzmax77]

Hello! I was helping my father organize his tools and found a 1/4” Husky ratchet 20201 and various 1/4” Husky sockets stamped USA. Im not sure how old they are and so Im not sure if these are made by New Britain or Stanley. The Ratchet looks like an SK ratchet but apparently, SK didn’t supply Husky with tools. Can anyone help confirm?

Thanks in advance!

 

[darkzero]

I've got those same generation socket & ratchets in 1/4" & 3/8". Was actually the very first socket/ratchet set I ever bought myself when I was a teen. I bought them in the mid 90s.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I’ve got a lot that looks the same. I’m not sure who would of made these so i will be happy to learn from this thread as well. You don’t see the old Husky stuff too often.

 

[c1504]

New britain made ratchets that were very similar to sk ones, but I am not enough of a new britain guy to tell you if this is one of them. I do have some sockets like those so I am also curious if anyone knows for sure

 

[darkzero]

According to this thread, if it's accurate they may be made by Stanley considering when I bought my set.

I still have the full set, I don't really use em anymore, just keeping them more for sentimental value. I just went out & looked at mine. The blow molded case is long gone. Set came with 6 point & 12 point for all the shallow sockets and even a few 8 points/square drive. The loose sockets in the zip lock are the 1/4" metric & only came with 6 points for those.

Oddly my ratchets don't say USA on them like yours but all the sockets do. So maybe your's are even older than mine? My set also came with a 1/2" ratchet but I'm pretty sure it didn't come with any 1/2" sockets. I used this set a lot & don't ever remembering using 1/2" Husky sockets back then.

I only ever broke just one of the sockets, the 3/8" 14mm shallow 6 point. HD replaced it under warranty but by that time it was all China. I actually just found me a matching replacement for it on ebay last month.

 

[Dzmax77]

Thanks guys. So, what my dad has is probably from the mid-90’s. He’s missing quite a few sockets and trying to replace them will be challenging.

On another note, I didn’t know New Britain was a tool maker until I tried researching this myself. So many great tool companies that made mid grade products for the average DIY are all gone. Now, if you want anything American, its the truck and a second mortgage.

 

[Dzmax77]

I also found this Husky ratcheting screwdriver and Im not able to determine when this was offered and where it’s made. The bits that were in the handle are marked USA but Im not sure if those are the original bits.

 

[XxToolAholicxX]

Go on eBay you can find all the missing sockets or hit the local flea market if you like to walk around and look for tools and never know what kind of gem you will find..

 

[Fedwrench]

The US made Husky stuff is rebadged Blackhawk from the same timeframe. The ratcheting screwdriver is from western forge.
The font with the small stamping on the sockets matches Blackhawk perfectly.

 

[Lesserstore]

I also found this Husky ratcheting screwdriver and Im not able to determine when this was offered and where it’s made. The bits that were in the handle are marked USA but Im not sure if those are the original bits.

That looks very similar to WF made Craftsman ratchet screwdrivers. WF did make screwdrivers for Husky in the 90s and 2000s. I have a Husky multi bit screwdriver that can convert to a T handle that had made in USA on the package, but the craftsman version had handle made in USA, but the bits and shaft were made in Taiwan.

 

[ForrestT]

The US made Husky stuff is rebadged Blackhawk from the same timeframe. The ratcheting screwdriver is from western forge.
The font with the small stamping on the sockets matches Blackhawk perfectly.

Fed, I never knew this. Thanks for the lesson.

 

[Dzmax77]

Thanks again fellas! So, Blackhawk which according to Wikipedia, was a tool manufacturer from Milwaukee, WI with tools designed from the same guy who founded Husky in Milwaukee, WI, was ultimately bought by Stanley in the mid 80’s shortly after Stanley bought Proto and Mac tools in the ealry 80’s.

What would the difference between Stanley, Blackhawk, Proto and Mac sockets from that era be? Steel quality or just the label? If Husky tools cater more towards the carpentry/construction trade, wouldn’t the Husky line be rebranded Stanley?

I do recall a WF ratcheting screwdriver that looked like that Husky I found. It’s not great, but serviceable for basic use. Still considering age and how its been beat and thrown around, it’s ugly but works like new. I wonder if any offering from behind the great wall would’ve lasted as long? Lol, not.

 

[Fedwrench]

What would the difference between Stanley, Blackhawk, Proto and Mac sockets from that era be? Steel quality or just the label? If Husky tools cater more towards the carpentry/construction trade, wouldn’t the Husky line be rebranded Stanley?

Don't overthink it Differences could include the steel itself but, would mostly center around the finishing process. Size availability would also be a factor. These were Husky Mechanics tools not carpenter's tools. Think NASCAR with Tony Stewart driving the Home Depot ride. They even had the 41 inch (or so) tool box set in Home Depot orange.

 

[Al Borland]

The ratchets with the thumbwheel are a Stanley product, of an older Challenger design. They also made those type ratchets overseas, and labelled them "USA"

 

[darkzero]

What would the difference between Stanley, Blackhawk, Proto and Mac sockets from that era be? Steel quality or just the label? If Husky tools cater more towards the carpentry/construction trade

I personally can't say but as far as quality, from worst to best, the order that you listed the brands is pretty much spot on although it's arguable.

I agree with Fedwrench, these Husky sets were aimed at mechanics rather than carpenters. I say that cause my set came with a whole lot of 12 points which as far as I know don't matter for carpenters. And my set came with a spark plug socket.

EDIT: Ok, maybe I'm wrong about the 12 point thing, square nuts just came to mind. I know jack didley about carpentry.

 

[Dzmax77]

The ratchets with the thumbwheel are a Stanley product, of an older Challenger design. They also made those type ratchets overseas, and labelled them "USA"

Isn’t that fraudulent? False advertising? Has to be illegal.

 

[Dzmax77]

I personally can't say but as far as quality, from worst to best, the order that you listed the brands is pretty much spot on although it's arguable.

I agree with Fedwrench, these Husky sets were aimed at mechanics rather than carpenters. I say that cause my set came with a whole lot of 12 points which as far as I know don't matter for carpenters. And my set came with a spark plug socket.

EDIT: Ok, maybe I'm wrong about the 12 point thing, square nuts just came to mind. I know jack didley about carpentry.

These are 6pt 1/4” sockets. Still, they look good. High quality sockets. But then again, I don’t own many USA made sockets except for some 1/4” and 3/8” craftsman usa and 1/4” Armstrong (from cripes). The rest are of some Taiwanese made Kobalt/Neiko/Stanley.

 

[Lesserstore]

Isn’t that fraudulent? False advertising? Has to be illegal.

Yep. https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/cases/1999/06/stanleyworks.do_.htm

I'm surprised Craftsman wasn't listed in this because they had a ratchet similar to your Husky, that was made in Taiwan and only for the last few years of Stanley Craftsman production was it labeled as such. Stanley also got in trouble in 2006 for mislabeling a zero degree ratchet.

 

[Keep]

On another note, I didn’t know New Britain was a tool maker until I tried researching this myself. So many great tool companies that made mid grade products for the average DIY are all gone. Now, if you want anything American, its the truck and a second mortgage.

Not necessarily true. There are still some US tool makers out there that make damn good tools.

Snap-on - yeah buying off the truck retail will certainly hurt, but hunt the classifieds here and on ebay and you can do pretty well.

US Made Williams (Snap on industrial brand) - same as snapon with out the tool truck mark up.

Wright Tools - great tools made in Ohio, pricing is all over the map especially in the used market as most folks dont know who they are.
Highly recommend looking at these (yeah Im biased, I own a bunch of their stuff)

There are others, just have to look around. Well that and spend a bunch of time here to find more.

 

[Dzmax77]

Not necessarily true. There are still some US tool makers out there that make damn good tools.

Snap-on - yeah buying off the truck retail will certainly hurt, but hunt the classifieds here and on ebay and you can do pretty well.

US Made Williams (Snap on industrial brand) - same as snapon with out the tool truck mark up.

Wright Tools - great tools made in Ohio, pricing is all over the map especially in the used market as most folks dont know who they are.
Highly recommend looking at these (yeah Im biased, I own a bunch of their stuff)

There are others, just have to look around. Well that and spend a bunch of time here to find more.

Yes, SnapOn - Williams, Wright, SK, Proto, Blackhawk can be bought second hand or you can catch a deal online (which is how I started to build up my Wright wrench set), but if you need that 1 piece, that 1” socket thats lost or anything you need in a pinch, there aren’t any USA mid tier consumer grade offerings at the box stores.

Maybe this new Craftsman factory in Texas will start providing these for us.