For those of you who would rather not waste 40 minutes of your life listening to an ill-informed AI bot:
This is an excellent example of why "AI" can never be trusted to deliver accurate information. Accurate information depends on individuals who are willing to invest the time to do their own research. "AI" relies on what its bots can glean off the web, which unfortunately is lacking. In the end, the reader is left with half-truths, misstatements, and glaring errors.
1. The "original" "Craftsman" brand was made by Craftsman Tool Co., Conneaut, OH. George Heckling, of Cleveland, Ohio was issued US patent 870781 Nov 12 1907 for a "Pipe Wrench" - marketed as the "Craft" pipe wrench.
2. The Cushman Auto Tool Co., 602 So. Neil St., Champaign, IL, marketed "Craftsman" brand tools. The company went into receivership in 1922.
3. Western Forge, 4607 Forge Road, Colorado Springs, CO closed in 2020.
4. Stanley Black and Decker never produced any tools at their new Fort Worth plant. Production delays, shipping delays, Covid, and poor planning resulted in SBD pulling the plug on the entire operation. A lot of money was spent on a building which remains empty and unused to this day.
5. The claim that one cannot find a combination wrench of equal or greater quality today than what one could find in 1968 is simply nonsense. All kinds of forging facilities all over the planet are manufacturing wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, and any and all manner of hand tools which are of much better quality (and superior design) today than what one could find 50 or 60 years ago. But you're not going to buy that wrench for 39 cents - it's going to cost you $37.80.
I only invested the time to listen to all of it to see what was mentioned about GJ - it's only one line which includes "Practical Machinist" and references the efforts made by individuals to suss out from the forging marks who the OEM manufacturers were. They do not mention Gary Lauver's name, which I found curious. I have seen other instances of AI bots naming individual members here by their "handles".
Just for the purpose of throwing a bit more shade on "AI", here's what is believed to be an early "Craftsman" logo. Our friend at AA was as puzzled by it as I am. (If any of you have any educated guesses in respect to this "Vanadium Steel" set, do let us know.)