Baffled by Wright marketing...

[Hohn]

Imagine my surprise to learn that there is no such thing as a "set" of Wright Metric box ends. Yes, all the tools are made --from 8mm to 24mm-- and that's a great size range, but no sets. Really? Is metric not popular enough yet to justify a set? Are they waiting to see if this metric fad passes before deciding whether to offer full sets of Metric double boxes?

In fact, if you poke around their set offerings, the only Metric Sets offered in their wrenches are the combo wrenches.

C'mon Wright, you're already making all the tools. Why not sell sets of them?

Then there's the other curiously absent Wright Metric tools. Flare nut crowsfoot? No metric, in 3/8 nor 1/2" drive.
Service wrenches? No metric.
Want the black industrial finish on your flare nut wrenches? No metric.
How about the black industrial finish on your sockets? No metric.

The total number of metric fasteners produced each year or tightened and loosened each year absolutely dwarfs the number of inch-denominated fasteners made or tightened/loosened each year.

Yet Wright seems to happy to sell short their metric product offerings time and again.

It's just weird.

 

[Steve_P]

I agree, but Wright is still primarily sold to industry, construction, and government agencies. And the US government still uses a LOT of inch fasteners. And trades like steel construction are vastly inch fasteners. It's like how Proto doesn't make a set of metric torque adapter wrenches but does in inch.

 

[wrenchr]

I'm sure they would make anything wanted under any of those contracts.

 

[GrantCee]

Some of us might remember the time — not all that long ago — when Wright didn't offer Wright-Grip in their metric wrenches. The story was that they'd made various runs of standard metric wrenches over the years, and until those were sold through they weren't going to do a new production run just to incorporate Wright-Grip.

Their largest markets just don't demand a whole lot of metric, apparently. That seems to be changing (and I suspect their popularity here on GJ is a sign of that), but nothing happens until enough of their customer base asks for it.

 

[Kscardsfan]

Wright isn't chasing mechanics and/or home shop guys for the most part. Industrial maintenance is dominated by SAE fasteners, especially in legacy plants. And a whole lot of the skilled trades is still heavily invested in SAE fasteners.

 

[Hohn]

Some of us might remember the time — not all that long ago — when Wright didn't offer Wright-Grip in their metric wrenches. The story was that they'd made various runs of standard metric wrenches over the years, and until those were sold through they weren't going to do a new production run just to incorporate Wright-Grip.

Their largest markets just don't demand a whole lot of metric, apparently. That seems to be changing (and I suspect their popularity here on GJ is a sign of that), but nothing happens until enough of their customer base asks for it.

That's why I think this is a *marketing* problem.

Wright isn't chasing mechanics and/or home shop guys for the most part. Industrial maintenance is dominated by SAE fasteners, especially in legacy plants. And a whole lot of the skilled trades is still heavily invested in SAE fasteners.

Agreed, I just think Wright is missing a real opportunity. Surely some bean counter has to be tracking how many tools they are selling through Amazon and other direct-to-consumer places like Acme and such. Shame on their marketing department if they aren't looking at things like YouTube reviews and seeing how many views they get and paying Google for some intel on how web searches for their products follow the YT videos.

The days of marketing by sponsoring race series and teams are largely over. The tool trucks are stuck in a loop where they have to spend a fortune on advertising to drum up sales sufficient to pay their massive overhead, in no small part which is due to advertising.

And there was once a time where SAE fasteners dominated the automotive industry too. But the cost advantages of globalization and the ubiquity of low cost and good quality metric fasteners changed all that. I could take apart almost the entire front end of my 1966 Coronet with a 9/16" wrench. Today, it's the 10mm Metric that is everywhere. Metric is a global standard with establish--and excellent-- standards. Even in the fluid power industry where SAE persists due to dash sizing of hoses, you'll see that the fittings will have a metric port and often have metric hexes, even on a nominally half inch hose.

I see no reason that the industrial holdout markets won't also eventually follow this path. It is inevitable.

 

[IndyGarage]

I bought a set of wright metric box ends a few years ago on Amazon - they are great. Am I reading your post correctly?

 

[dnschmidt]

What? Wright has a marketing department. Sounds like the perfect job to me. Do nothing for 50 years and retire.

 

[GrantCee]

That's why I think this is a *marketing* problem.

What if...

They don't see it as a "problem", because they're happy with the market share they have in the industries they primarily serve? And as those industries change (as you pointed out they might), they'll change as necessary (as they already have)?

 

[LWB]

What if...

They don't see it as a "problem", because they're happy with the market share they have in the industries they primarily serve? And as those industries change (as you pointed out they might), they'll change as necessary (as they already have)?

This "wright" here. Not all businesses want to grow. There's nothing wrong with staying where you are in the market place.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

You're confusing marketing with merchandising. Marketing is responsible for promoting existing products or services. The marketing team isn't looking at what Wright should be making based on what customers in other market segments are buying, only at how to maximize sales of what they already make in their existing segments. Merchandising is responsible for new product design and development, placement, adjacent market placement, and pricing. As many others have alluded to, Wright's merchandisers seem pretty happy with their current overwhelmingly imperial-based marketplace, hence the overwhelmingly imperial-based offerings.

 

[liliysdad]

Their attention to the SAE market is one of the primary things i love about Wright.

 

[neophyte]

Imagine my surprise to learn that there is no such thing as a "set" of Wright Metric box ends. Yes, all the tools are made --from 8mm to 24mm-- and that's a great size range, but no sets. Really? Is metric not popular enough yet to justify a set? Are they waiting to see if this metric fad passes before deciding whether to offer full sets of Metric double boxes?

In fact, if you poke around their set offerings, the only Metric Sets offered in their wrenches are the combo wrenches.

C'mon Wright, you're already making all the tools. Why not sell sets of them?

Then there's the other curiously absent Wright Metric tools. Flare nut crowsfoot? No metric, in 3/8 nor 1/2" drive.
Service wrenches? No metric.
Want the black industrial finish on your flare nut wrenches? No metric.
How about the black industrial finish on your sockets? No metric.

The total number of metric fasteners produced each year or tightened and loosened each year absolutely dwarfs the number of inch-denominated fasteners made or tightened/loosened each year.

Yet Wright seems to happy to sell short their metric product offerings time and again.

It's just weird.

There were a lot of products that Armstrong, back when they still existed as a USA Made product, didn’t bother offering in Metric.
Flare nut wrenches were one of the products (although Matco, which Armstrong made at the time did offer).
Check nut wrenches were also only offered by Armstrong in fractional sizes. (Martin likely made these, and makes metric versions).
Tappet wrenches were also only available in inch sizes.
Armstrong could have easily made or sold metric sizes, they just didn’t feel there was enough of a market.

 

[Shoreline_]

edit Nevermind

 

[Fedwrench]

I'm still waiting for long pattern wrightgrip combination wrenches

 

[Ricky Joe]

There were a lot of products that Armstrong, back when they still existed as a USA Made product, didn’t bother offering in Metric.
Flare nut wrenches were one of the products (although Matco, which Armstrong made at the time did offer).
Check nut wrenches were also only offered by Armstrong in fractional sizes. (Martin likely made these, and makes metric versions).
Tappet wrenches were also only available in inch sizes.
Armstrong could have easily made or sold metric sizes, they just didn’t feel there was enough of a market.

I had thought that all Armstrong branded products were domestically manufactured. Were any Armstrong made overseas or outside country? Also, I know they made metric wrenches, as I have a set.

 

[dnschmidt]

I'm still waiting for long pattern wrightgrip combination wrenches

What's it been. Forty years or so?

 

[neophyte]

I had thought that all Armstrong branded products were domestically manufactured. Were any Armstrong made overseas or outside country? Also, I know they made metric wrenches, as I have a set.

I believe the locking pliers were made overseas.
The brand has currently been “revived” using imported tools at inflated prices.
My theory on that is that it is meant as a way to keep the “Armstrong Tools” trademark active, since Harbor Freight has a line of TV mounts and Electrical items (power strips etc.), that HF is selling under the “Armstrong” brand, and Apex Tool Group may have thought Harbor Freight may have been discretely trying to claim the Armstrong trademark yo use it for tools.
No clue if this is actually the case.

 

[F-22]

I just think Wright is missing a real opportunity

In my opinion the issue of pretty much all US manufacturers is ignoring the other markets entirely. In the US you can buy tools from some very niche manufacturers in Europe - but not vice versa. I think it is quite impossible to find Bondhus or Wright or even Proto or Williams anywhere in Europe unless someone imports them privately/individually.

Even the Japanese - a bit harder to find, but you can certainly buy them through resellers like Hoffman Group in Europe or e.g. Misumi globally. That's why it's easy to find them at production lines ordered through Misumi anywhere in the world...

Wider customer base should lead to more stability.

 

[1foxracing]

I love Wright Tool but I would skip their double box wrenches and look at Proto instead. They "updated" the design around 2019 and they are much fatter around the ring ends now. When I purchased the 12x14 I thought it was a defect and contacted them. They told me this was the new "improved" design.
Look at the new 12x14 compared to my old 17x19, does this look like a improvement to you?

 

[dchawk81]

Metric..pfft. I need to know how many chicken teeth across it is.

 

[dchawk81]

I love Wright Tool but I would skip their double box wrenches and look at Proto instead. They "updated" the design around 2019 and they are much fatter around the ring ends now. When I purchased the 12x14 I thought it was a defect and contacted them. They told me this was the new "improved" design.
Look at the new 12x14 compared to my old 17x19, does this look like a improvement to you?

They look like Little Tikes.

 

[Bubba Fett]

Wright is probably running at full capacity just to fulfil their industrial and government contracts. There probably isn't much of a need to expand their marketing. I believe they make a lot of tools for Snap-on.

 

[Hohn]

I bought a set of wright metric box ends a few years ago on Amazon - they are great. Am I reading your post correctly?

Perhaps not, or my post is unclear. I bought a Wright metric combo set from Amazon. And they sell metric box ends too-- individually. But you cannot find a *set* for double box metric Wright wrenches anywhere. Because Wright doesn't offer such a set.

 

[Hohn]

I love Wright Tool but I would skip their double box wrenches and look at Proto instead. They "updated" the design around 2019 and they are much fatter around the ring ends now. When I purchased the 12x14 I thought it was a defect and contacted them. They told me this was the new "improved" design.
Look at the new 12x14 compared to my old 17x19, does this look like a improvement to you?

Ugh, that 12x14 looks like it shares a forging die with the 13x15 or a 1/2"x 9/16" or something. I wouldn't call that an "improvement" either.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[JeepYJ]

Perhaps not, or my post is unclear. I bought a Wright metric combo set from Amazon. And they sell metric box ends too-- individually. But you cannot find a *set* for double box metric Wright wrenches anywhere. Because Wright doesn't offer such a set.

Buy in bulk from Wright directly and build and sell your own box end metric sets if you think they’re missing out.

 

[Hohn]

I believe the locking pliers were made overseas.
The brand has currently been “revived” using imported tools at inflated prices.
My theory on that is that it is meant as a way to keep the “Armstrong Tools” trademark active, since Harbor Freight has a line of TV mounts and Electrical items (power strips etc.), that HF is selling under the “Armstrong” brand, and Apex Tool Group may have thought Harbor Freight may have been discretely trying to claim the Armstrong trademark yo use it for tools.
No clue if this is actually the case.

Hello fellow conspiracy theorist.

 

[neophyte]

In my opinion the issue of pretty much all US manufacturers is ignoring the other markets entirely. In the US you can buy tools from some very niche manufacturers in Europe - but not vice versa. I think it is quite impossible to find Bondhus or Wright or even Proto or Williams anywhere in Europe unless someone imports them privately/individually.

Even the Japanese - a bit harder to find, but you can certainly buy them through resellers like Hoffman Group in Europe or e.g. Misumi globally. That's why it's easy to find them at production lines ordered through Misumi anywhere in the world...

Wider customer base should lead to more stability.

This is not necessarily true.
Bondhus is available in the UK and Germany on Amazon, and I don’t think it’s that weird situation were Amazon ships stuff from a warehouse in one country to another if someone orders the item.
I haven’t checked individual tool sellers though.

Channellock is sometimes sold in Europe by toll dealers, because I’ve seen Channellock pliers for sale on foreign websites.

Estwing is basically a World standard for solid forged hammers, with the hammers sold everywhere from the UK, to Japan, to Germany, and Australia.

Snap-On is sold in various European countries, but is a specialty brand, like in the USA, but is even harder to find in Europe.
Snap-On also has a European division which focuses on selling tools in Europe, using major European brands that Snap-On now owns.

Stanley probably sells tools almost everywhere, and will use whatever brand they deem appropriate for whatever market they are selling to, and will rebrand whatever tools they believe that market wants or which are requested from them.

As far as Japanese brands go, most were niche brands, up until recently.
Only specialty retailers, or the occasional Industrial supply source would stock the brands, and if they did, there was a high probability the tools were being imported and rebranded.
The same went for a lot of European tool brands.
Facom for instance was only really known 25 or so years ago, because the investor that owned the Facom Group bought SK Tools, and rebranded the tool group as SK-Facom, although tools produced by Facom or by SK were usually individually branded so you likely knew which part of the company made the tools, although not always.
25 years ago, knipex was an obscure plier manufacturer, that mostly sold pliers in the USA that were rebranded by other tool companies, like Matco and Williams.
The Knipex branded tools you might find were specialty patented designs like the Pliers Wrench, or the Cobra pliers, and these were usually found thru industrial suppliers like Grainger or MSC.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Wright is probably running at full capacity just to fulfil their industrial and government contracts. There probably isn't much of a need to expand their marketing. I believe they make a lot of tools for Snap-on.

Being that wright just makes hand tools, and snap on has their own hand tool plants they own, what is Wright making for them?

FWIW I prefer wright grips to snap on.

 

[neophyte]

Hello fellow conspiracy theorist.

Harbor Freight literally uses the “Armstrong” name for a bunch or electrical items, which would not be covered by the “Armstrong” trademark used for tools (I checked the Apex Trademark”).
Part of Trademark law is that a Trademark has to be “defended” by the owner.
If Apex stopped making tools under the “Armstrong” trademark, then they can lose the right to the trademark.

 

[tool_scrounge]

I love Wright Tool but I would skip their double box wrenches and look at Proto instead. They "updated" the design around 2019 and they are much fatter around the ring ends now. When I purchased the 12x14 I thought it was a defect and contacted them. They told me this was the new "improved" design.
Look at the new 12x14 compared to my old 17x19, does this look like a improvement to you?

If their main market is industrial, a stronger wrench may make sense. Makes me wonder if they made the change based on excess warrant returns.

For reference, I have a SAE set of these new version box end wrenches I bought a few years back. I find they are my first choice to use as I reach over a bunch of other thin walled brands to get to them. Why? So comfortable in the hands. But i am mainly using them on machinery and not cars.

 

[Hohn]

Buy in bulk from Wright directly and build and sell your own box end metric sets if you think they’re missing out.

That's actually a great idea, but if their box wrenches don't look like the box end of the WrightGrip 2.0 combo wrenches, then no bueno. I could never sell something I myself wouldn't buy. The pics posted above don't suggest the market opportunity I thought.

 

[honcho]

That's why I think this is a *marketing* problem.



Agreed, I just think Wright is missing a real opportunity. Surely some bean counter has to be tracking how many tools they are selling through Amazon and other direct-to-consumer places like Acme and such. Shame on their marketing department if they aren't looking at things like YouTube reviews and seeing how many views they get and paying Google for some intel on how web searches for their products follow the YT videos.

The days of marketing by sponsoring race series and teams are largely over. The tool trucks are stuck in a loop where they have to spend a fortune on advertising to drum up sales sufficient to pay their massive overhead, in no small part which is due to advertising.

And there was once a time where SAE fasteners dominated the automotive industry too. But the cost advantages of globalization and the ubiquity of low cost and good quality metric fasteners changed all that. I could take apart almost the entire front end of my 1966 Coronet with a 9/16" wrench. Today, it's the 10mm Metric that is everywhere. Metric is a global standard with establish--and excellent-- standards. Even in the fluid power industry where SAE persists due to dash sizing of hoses, you'll see that the fittings will have a metric port and often have metric hexes, even on a nominally half inch hose.

I see no reason that the industrial holdout markets won't also eventually follow this path. It is inevitable.

Inevitable, certainly. Timely, probably not so much given how many much traction fractional hardware has in the world. Wright manages to stay in business selling what they do so I'd say the owner(s)/management are content and just don't share a vision that includes metric sets.

 

[Wamsutta]

I'm still waiting for long pattern wrightgrip combination wrenches

Me too. Although I don't need the WrightGrip open end.

 

[drtyler]

I believe they make a lot of tools for Snap-on.

Which tools?

 

[Bubba Fett]

I know Snap-on has their own manufacturing lines, but I read somewhere that they were using Wright to supplement their socket production.

 

[M635_Guy]

What? Wright has a marketing department. Sounds like the perfect job to me. Do nothing for 50 years and retire.

I might single-handedly outnumber Wright's marketing department.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

I know Snap-on has their own manufacturing lines, but I read somewhere that they were using Wright to supplement their socket production.

I really, really, doubt that.

Williams is a Snap On umbrella brand, and they share a production line. Nothing wright makes even looks like Snap On products. Unless snap on was sending over forging dies and having Wright use them.

 

[turnthewrench 2.0]

That's why I think this is a *marketing* problem.

It's a Market "problem", not marketing.
Their Market is covered by what they offer.

 

[KnurledNut]

WrightGrip 2.0 crowsfeet. Please and thank-you.