Bluegrass isn't just music

Anyone know anything about the quality of Bluegrass tools out of Lexington, KY?

I did a search and didn't come up with anything significant.......even here on GJ there were only 5 posts from 2005 w/ no real useful info.

I've never heard anything about them or seen any of their tools before until the other day. I stopped in a small hole in the wall little town and pulled into their mom and pop general store.......the kind that has a little bit of everything and has been in the family for a hundred years. The grandpa had run the store for decades and had just died in August. He had stashes of different items from days gone by on every shelf. Behind the counter there was an old display of Bluegrass tools. Apparently they've been there a long time b/c some of the wrenches actually had spots of tarnish on them. I was curious so I picked a few things up and checked them out. Interesting feel to them and seemed heavy duty, not great looking or superior finish, but I felt like they would certainly get a job done.

Some prices were very reasonable to downright cheap. Others were what I would consider pretty expensive for a wrench that the company has (what looks like) been out of business for a number of years. I could be wrong on that though.

Curious to hear if there's anyone with experience with Bluegrass. I might pick one or two items up next time I go through that way just to have a different brand in the box. Don't really "need" anything they had that I could tell, but for two or three bucks it's not big money.

Belknap Bluegrass tools are a general store tool like Keen Kutter. They are pretty good tools. I have a old Bluegrass hatchet that maybe pre-war. History on the company: Link

I think Bluegrass tools were mostly rebadged. Kind of like Sears and the Craftsman tools. I have a needlenose Bluegrass plier and the quality seems very good. Take a good look at the wrenches you may be able to figure out who supplied them to Bluegrass.

i remember some blugrass tools dad had when i was a kid. next time i get back home i'll look around for them and get some pics.

Only Bluegrass tool I have ever seen is a pair of slip joint pliers my dad has had as long as I can remember. They are grest pliers, I just don't know anything about the brand.

I have a 6" and 8' adjustable wrenches . They work OK. I would recommend them.

Of the three Blue Grass ratchets I have, two are New Britain sourced and one is Thorsen sourced. The few wrenches I have are definitely Barcalo's.

I would be interested to know more about these as well.

I have only seen a few of these at flea markets when I lived in Tennessee. While I thought they were interesting for the name and they seemed like they would be decent; I never thought enough of them to buy them.

-BWP

Harry Epstein has this 10" adjustable wrench for $12.
http://www.harryepstein.com/usaadjustables.htm

Talk about an old line name. Belknap goes back a long ways. They were actually headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Their tools were very common in this neck of the woods maybe 15 or 20 years ago. In the early days they manufactured their our tools. Generally stuff needed on the "farm". Elroy has several various Blue Grass / Belknap tools. Problem is they are all over the place. Layed my hands quickly on this example tonight. Snapped a pic simply as a service to others. Would venture to say this particular example is a rebadge.



Have one of their claw hammers around here somewhere. If Elroy finds it, he'll post that up as well. Generally speaking their tools are just fine. Nothing flashy just good general line tool. Better than ANYTHING from China.

Despite going out of business 22 years ago, Bluegrass tools still have a good reputation in their namesake state. I have several in my toolbox including this excellent SAE tap and die set. (Just wish I had a companion metric set.)

In the era before Lowe's and Home Depot, Bluegrass was commonly seen at S&T Hardware Stores and was very popular among building tradesmen.

Here's a link to the company's history.

Belknap Bluegrass tool history...

Elroys wrench looks a bit like Proto/Plomb from the transition era.

The smaller sized wrenches I handled at the general store looked similar to Elroy's but the larger sized, a 3/4" 12pt. combination wrench for example was very hefty and had a slim, long diamond shape etched into the length of the handle.

All wrenches were stamped with Bluegrass made in U.S.A. and had a satin type finish.