Chinese socket set from the 60's

[toolmaniac]

Hi guys,

I found a primitive looking 1/2 inch drive socket set from the late 60's, and I picked it up, strictly as a novelty item, and a conversation piece. Other than that, condition wise, this thing is pristine as you can see, tin box and everything. Since the ratchet does not reverse with a lever, you move the drive according to the direction you want to go. It comes with the ratchets, sockets, a breaker bar, and a handle for the breaker bar. Seeing this, we all realize the evolution and the progression of their copying skills in the past few decades. Has anyone seen something similar?

Thnx for looking,

Nick

 

[Arps]

I think its pretty cool. Nice find!

 

[bwringer]

Interesting ratchet. Is this a design found elsewhere?

You know, I kinda like the name "Iron Bull". Wish they'd stick with brand names like that rather than co-opting the names of random American cities.

 

[LX-Markham]

If that's their way of reversing a ratchet.... maybe it's a good thing they copy western designs.

 

[Gmonkee]

That is called a "waterwheel" type ratchet, it has the same basic mechanism as the ancient Snappy's. Just pull the drive plug and flip over the ratchet to reverse it. I have one made in Mexico just like that.

They do work but the low tooth count hurts in tight places. They have a very 'clunky' feel while using them.

 

[James_B]

My father's vintage ratchet (an Australian made Sidchrome) works the same way ... you push the 1/2" square drive section through the head and flip it over to change ratcheting direction.

His is identical to the one in the attached image.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Other than the low tooth count I like that type of ratchet. Seems to be more robust. Using the levers and knobs to change direction seems to occasionally happen randomly during wrenching (bump it on something) and as the tool wears they don't always work smoothly or positively lock in.

 

[FJ 432]

Cool set.

Do you think there's anyone over in China saying "we sure don't make them like our father's did"?

 

[KEH]

1930s design ratchet. I have a Sears Craftsman made like that. It seems to be a simple rugged design. The square drive bars also came in longer lengths to use as extensions. Check the Alloy Artifacts site for examples. I believe early Snap on used that system as was said above.

KEH

 

[NUTTSGT]

I just realized that the OP is in Greece. Is stuff like that a normal find or a rarity ?

 

[toolmaniac]

NUTTSGT, this set is certainly a rarity, in a country that until recently was dominated by mostly German tools. In the last decade or so, with the help of DIY stores (HD and Lowes equivelands), the market is flooded with Chinese stuff, pretty much to the extend that is in the States.

 

[sberry]

I bet it was top of the line from them then. In this country we were just seeing the advent of the 40 pc Japanese 5$ socket set.

 

[4xdog]

Can you confidently date the set to the 1960s, toolmaniac? That seems early for PRC exports -- certainly to the US there was NOTHING coming here from that period (although that was political, of course). China was *really* backward in many, many places when I started travelling there in the 1990s. I didn't take many years before that for the PRC to become near primitive.

If you told me 1980s I'd believe it.

 

[toolmaniac]

4xDOG,

I found this set in Europe, where the export cituation with Chinese goods might have been more relaxed than in the States. It came from an old harware store that liquidated its inventory due to to the owner retiring. I was told he had them since the mid sixties, and what cought my attention, is the fact that there were no Latin characters cast or stamped on to the tools (chinese only), which leads me to belive, that this was prior to their export explosion in the 80's.

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

Is that a 14 point socket? LOL

 

[Gmonkee]

The Central and South Americas certainly had trade with China in the 1960's and 1970's.

I've found a few really decent Chinese made wrenches in SAE and whitworth in Mexico.

 

[Ayrhead]

Hi guys,

I found a primitive looking 1/2 inch drive socket set from the late 60's, and I picked it up, strictly as a novelty item, and a conversation piece. Other than that, condition wise, this thing is pristine as you can see, tin box and everything. Since the ratchet does not reverse with a lever, you move the drive according to the direction you want to go. It comes with the ratchets, sockets, a breaker bar, and a handle for the breaker bar. Seeing this, we all realize the evolution and the progression of their copying skills in the past few decades. Has anyone seen something similar?

Thnx for looking,

Nick

Good Afternoon: I found this set yesterday. Similar to yours but mine doesn’t have the ratchet. I got it from a guy in his 20’s who said it was his grand father’s set.

 

[F-22]

These are really interesting. Is it possible these were actually kind of decent quality? Back then, China probably didn't have a fraction of the manufacturing they have today and these sockets were likely the main sockets that were sold and used in China too, not just for export. So they probably had more incentive to produce quality compared to dumping and flooding the market nowadays?

 

[visionguru]

So they probably had more incentive to produce quality compared to dumping and flooding the market nowadays?

Probably not "incentive", rather it's the cutting throat competition that causes the race to the bottom.

 

[F-22]

Probably not "incentive", rather it's the cutting throat competition that causes the race to the bottom.

I don't think I put my point across well enough. China is known for exporting low quality tools. But the country advanced so far in the last century. For their own needs, for their own industry, they surely also require high quality tools and I doubt they import them. Three Gorges Dam, Shanghai Maglev Train, countless impressive bridge systems like their ~ 160 km longest bridge in the world or the Jinan cable bridge, manned spaceflight, landing on the moon, largest high speed rail network... And also high end industrial equipment, construction machinery, automotive manufacturing, marine engineering...

You don't build that with the tools they export to the western markets. They must have some quality tools on their market that is very unknown to us. Probably far less variety of quality tools, but still enough to make quality work...

 

[mike93lx]

I don't think I put my point across well enough. China is known for exporting low quality tools. But the country advanced so far in the last century. For their own needs, for their own industry, they surely also require high quality tools and I doubt they import them. Three Gorges Dam, Shanghai Maglev Train, countless impressive bridge systems like their ~ 160 km longest bridge in the world or the Jinan cable bridge, manned spaceflight, landing on the moon, largest high speed rail network... And also high end industrial equipment, construction machinery, automotive manufacturing, marine engineering...

You don't build that with the tools they export to the western markets. They must have some quality tools on their market that is very unknown to us. Probably far less variety of quality tools, but still enough to make quality work...

Either that or they are just as beholden to the snap on driver as American mechanics are...I jest, I jest

 

[dogdog]

If that's their way of reversing a ratchet.... maybe it's a good thing they copy western designs.

It’s from the 60s probably common design back then. I think there was a post some one with a similar USA wrench that is looking for that double square driver thing… some post two years or 3 ago.

 

[dogdog]

These are really interesting. Is it possible these were actually kind of decent quality? Back then, China probably didn't have a fraction of the manufacturing they have today and these sockets were likely the main sockets that were sold and used in China too, not just for export. So they probably had more incentive to produce quality compared to dumping and flooding the market nowadays?

FIL have a socket set that is make in Japan probably from the 70s and they are **** quality comparing to any cheap $20 HF sockets. But the design is similar to that round ratchet from SBDs old ratchet.

 

[Bubba Fett]

Cool set.

Do you think there's anyone over in China saying "we sure don't make them like our father's did"?

"My father was making better tools when he was a child."

 

[chris142]

I have an old snap on ratchet that you take the square drive out to reverse it

 

[VolvoRyan]

These are pretty groovy as a novelty.

Wera has a ratchet handle where you push the square drive through to get the opposite direction.

-Ryan

 

[Grokew]

If that's their way of reversing a ratchet.... maybe it's a good thing they copy western designs.

Ours used to be like that. XD