Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Haha. Neither, DWise. G'monkee and others bring up good points about tool vernacular being dependent on many things, including location and age. But I think the terminology difference between this site - especially the Vintage Board, and the street, is history. When you are talking about antique and vintage tools as collectibles, to be identified, researched, traded, bought and sold, period terminology is often used. If you look in catalogs, advertisement and manuals from the 20's through the 50's, you will see all types of wrenches with two open ends called Double Open Ends (engineers, textile, obstruction, ignition, etc) and all kinds of wrenches with two box ends called Double Box Ends. Because they also made and sold Single Open Ends and Single Box Ends. And that terminology has leeched into the vocabulary of collectors. In fact, there are so many variants of wrenches, that it's often essential to be as specific as possible.
I'll give you a great example outside of open or box wrenches.
We probably all grew up calling a breaker bar a breaker bar, due to the function it probably most often serves, but that is not the ONLY function it serves, and you absolutely will not find it called a breaker bar in vintage catalogs. Most mfgrs called it a Hinge Handle. Some called it a Flex Handle or a Flex-Head Handle.
