Companion tools.

[Cruzan80]

Depends on when you got Companion. Some of the stuff was overseas, others was domestic. Just like Dunlap.

 

[piehammer]

I am trying to avoid some real work I decided to dig into the history a bit and it was really pretty interesting. (I posted this all on the Craftsman FB page earlier today) PDF file attached of the table I put together figuring it would be helpful for dating wrenches later on.

(this is all based on info from Craftsman tool catalogs I have on hand, so there may be some other information I am missing - feel free to jump in)

1952 - first mention of (Full Size) Dunlap wrenches I could find. Open end, Forged Steel, Painted Black Satin Finish
1954 - Same wrenches, now says Drop Forged Steel
1957 - Dunlap OE, CO, BE wrenches, Drop Forged High Carbon Steel, Chrome Plated, Heat Treated, Hardened
1964 - Now called 'Economy-priced carbon-steel Wrenches' No mention of Dunlap, 'Not Craftsman Brand Wrenches' added.
1970 - Name changes to 'Companion carbon-steel Wrenches', Drop Forged High Carbon Steel, Chrome Plated, Heat Treated, Hardened, 'Not Craftsman'
1971 - Name changes to 'Companion Wrench Sets' Select Steel, Nickel-chrome plated, 'Accurately Broached and Heat Treated', 'Not Craftsman'
1972 - Name changes to 'Durable Companion Wrench Sets' Select Steel, Nickel-chrome plated, 'Accurately Broached and Heat Treated', 'Not Craftsman'
1974 - Name changes to 'Durable Wrench Sets'
1975-76 - Metric is added
1977 - Name changes to "Assortment of nickel-chrome plated rust-resistant Wrench Sets"
1977-78 - Name changes to "Combination, Open-end and box-end Wrench Sets in standard and metric sizes" and 'From Japan' is added
1978-79 - Name changes to "Sears Standard, Metric Wrench Sets", 'Imported' is added ('From Japan' is dropped)
1981 - Name is changed to "Wrench Sets"
I don't see mention of these wrenches after that in the catalogs I have, but it sounds like the Companion name resurfaced at some point as made in China.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

Back from the dead! I just got some companion tools and they arent junk at all.. in fact they have western forge markings on them! I always thought wf made good tools!

I have a Sears Companion ratchet and socket set from the mid 70s. The sockets didn't crack but wore out quickly. The ratchet is almost identical to the old external gear Thorsen but an order of magnitude more crudely made. I wouldn't be surprised if WF bought the old tooling from Thorsen when Thorsen changed over to their later roundheads. Then WF started knocking them out as quickly as possible without truing up the tooling.

I know my ratchet isn't quite squared up. The pawl has an obvious uneven wear pattern. It has coarse machining marks,. It makes a loud CLACK, CLACK, CLACK on the backstroke. It has alot of backdrag. For comparison, I have an almost identical Thorsen external gear ratchet which is much more pleasant to use. Less noise, less backdrag. No crude machining.

To WF's credit, the Companion ratchet NEVER has shifted itself into neutral or reverse. That alone makes it better than my crummy self shifting Craftsman pear heads. The Companion ratchet is also quite strong, having been cheater piped good several times without apparent effect.

I'd say the old Companion set was a decent value for the money back then, but I'm happy to be using better tools now.

 

[four.cycle]

^ The Western Forge made product wasn't all bad. I have a set of Western Forge branded 1/4" sockets and a couple sets of Western Forge made "Companion" brand 1/4" sockets and they are all above average product quality. Not top tier, but not bottom-of-the-barrel either.

Thanks for the research, piehammer. Great work.

 

[Ohmthis]

I just used a 3/8 companion ratchet today. Years ago 2004, I received a socket set, 3/8 drive standard and metric. It has been in my work box ever since. the sockets have mostly been replaced with proto and SK, but I use the ratchet (not my main use ratchet, but set up for a specific job) a few times a week. No ****, but not gold either.

 

[Wickedwardscustoms]

seller said he bought these in the 70’s. Says on the box tab made in usa. You can tell a good solid 70’s tool just by looks

 

[beltdrive]

I wanted to add my 2 cents to this so that young readers don't learn an incorrect history. Companion tools today - like many brands that were bought and sent overseas - are garbage. In contrast, Companion tools that were sold by Sears many decades ago (like 70s and 80s) were marked USA and are excellent quality, as good as USA Craftsman. They can be acquired cheaply because people get the old USA confused with the new chinese crapola. Those USA marked ones are excellent. People confuse "Great Neck" in the same way. Great Neck used to be made in USA and are marked as such....not to be confused with 90s-on chinese garbage Great Neck.

 

[hesty24]

I bought a set of Companion wrenches back in 2005’ish. Same ol’ sob story as everyone else…broke/ no money. To be fair, I was just one cheap SOB back then. Fast forward 20 years and I have more money than I know what to do with and pretty much buy only high end stuff now. For me, my go to is Milwaukee. Why? That company doesn’t play around with warranty and incredibly easy. I digress… Companion wrenches, I cannot attest to their durability to the extent of a pro mechanic, but what I can say is that they have served me well to say the least over 20 years. I have hit them with sledge hammers trying to break free frozen rusted bolts, and cranked on them with some serious torque, and they have held up remarkably well. They are obviously made in China or the similar, but honestly these have been great tools for me. I have wrenched on multiple vehicles, motorcycles, around the home uses, and to be honest they have been more than excellent for me. Unless you plan on using these tools professionally, I give them a big thumbs up. If I HAD to buy replacements, I’d go with Milwaukee Tools. Not everything they make is tops, but you just can’t beat their no frills warranty, especially their power tools and batteries. Now if it is a saw…I prefer DeWalt (excessively tough to beat the quality, accuracy, and value. Simple hand tools, I say get something reputable but with a no hassle warranty. Anyway, that’s my 0.02¢.

 

[yatg]

Here's some pictures of Companion USA wrenches.
Easy to see how bad the casting is.

 

[four.cycle]

^ Those wrenches look a bit rough, but.... the Western Forge manufactured sockets and ratchets were decent stuff:

Companion 13 pc 1.4 dr SAE socket set

 

[Ohio Andy]

I work on alot of metric bits, from Toyotas to my Honda Dirtbike and my Shiftkart. I have hardly any SAE tools and I needed a wrench today that I did not have. I went to sears and picked up a set of Companion combo wrenches.
I got a few metrics in the kit that I am going to throw in my travel box. I am only going to use these once or twice a year and i cant see spending a ton of cash on them. Companion wasnt on the master tool list on this site, I was wondering who makes them, the same people that makes craftsman? What is the warranty? Anyone else use them for occasional use?

Thanks.
Here is the set I got
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...=00930376000&vertical=TOOL&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

Great site by the way.

Lino doesn't work for me, but, The one thing that I really like off their website that's on some crazy sale. Are these just amazing? Screwdrivers, at least I think they're amazing

Craftsman 6-Piece Extreme Grip Diamond Tip Screwdriver Set https://share.google/mT8b8OuByK19BDODm

And for some reason they're selling them for under $25 a set direct from Sears. But then you have to pay $10 shipping. So you may want to buy a couple sets for gifts or something.

Project farm found these to be number one. They grip like crazy and they're strong. And they're crazy cheap if you order them directly from Sears anyone else, it's more than twice the price. Makes no sense to me