Before I ever found this site and knew about the hobby of collecting tools--that people actually bought these tools without use intended--the main reason I ever got stuck on Plomb and Proto was simply that they were a main industrial brand with a lot of history(means they were tried-and-true), the tools looked solid, and unlike Craftsman, SnapOn, and MAC/MATCO, nobody at the swap knew they were any good and I could pick most of it up for penny's compared to the Big 4.
I only bought them because they were the secret brand of really good tools. I know this isn't much of a work story, but the point is that these tools were never meant to be collected, they were forged to be used in a professional setting even if they don't really keep up with modern similar tools in terms of finish and ridiculous tooth counts or comfy rubber handles.
These were workin' tools, that's where they feel at home.
EIDT: after reading my post back I kind feel I come of as an anti-collect pretentious jerk. What I'm actually trying to say is even though these tools are old and do not possess some of the qualities that modern tools have that your everyday mechanics desire, they will do just fine in a real world work setting. Hope nobody takes it the wrong way.