Gear Wrenches Getting the lobsterclaw?

[DARKSCOPE001]

hey guys. I dont have many gearwrenches. (just a small set of the flex heads) but I went out and bought a 5/16" reversing one at sears this weekend because it had the cap stop and the reversing one is offset like I need. But as soon as i bought it I noticed that the head is kind of thick like the newer craftsman style wrenches.

Im not super upset about this I guess because I bought the wrench for just the ratcheting end for a project at work. but since danaher tools is making craftsman wrenches sloppy and fat are they doing the same to gearwrench? Shame As i wanted to buy an entire set of reversible gearwrenches.

Sorry for no pic. I took a pic then discovered I cant find my camera cable. Ill upload the picture I took as soon as possible but i wanted to know if anyone else has noticed this. Or if maybe the 5/16 and smaller wrenches are thicker or something.

Thanks

 

[ihateminimumwage]

I'm planning on grabbing a couple of the 20 piece sets when the holiday sale starts, and haven't noticed any difference in the open end design, but I wasn't really looking at that end of the wrench... Might have to go in for a closer look.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

The 20pc Taiwan set I bought has larger ends than my old GWs, but not into the 'lobster claw' realm that the China GW flex sets or China Craftsman stuff has.
New Gearwrench (L-), Old Gearwrench (E-), and Snap-On

Old GW on top of new GW for comparison

 

[Dieselbutterfly]

the new one is thicker

 

[fflintstone]

I bought the 7 pc sets online a few days back, when the wife picked them up at sears they were china, back they went.

 

[Stuey]

Lobster claw? Can someone point me to a visual?

 

[firebox40dash5]

Lobster claw? Can someone point me to a visual?

Oh, and in the interest of seriousness: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2674043&postcount=1

 

[Stuey]

So the major lobster claw complaint is about added bulk of the open end?

 

[jamesc]

yes they are very bulky open end wrenches.

 

[firebox40dash5]

So the major lobster claw complaint is about added bulk of the open end?

Yep, and I don't own any, but I can think of about a million times it would have made the open end 110% useless for me.

I hope Danaher doesn't continue this trend, or I'll have to start some serious savings for Snap On wrenches.

 

[NoNN37]

I think the extra metal in the lobster claw is to compensate for the loss of strength due to cheaper manufacturing/material. Or the people that make them dont care about quality control/ original specs.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133877&showall=1

 

[DodgeMech]

The blue point ratcheters are very nice...

 

[NoNN37]

I dont know how they make wrenches, but it looks like they may have skipped a finishing step in the new GW by not grinding down the edges around the ratcheting end and leaving extra material. to save costs?

 

[kunkernator]

I bought the new flex head wrenches last week. I did notice they were made in China, but I am not completely disappointed. I do not think the heads are really that big, and they seem pretty strong. I was also fooling around with the ratchet end and there is no more slop in it than my Taiwan ones. All in all, I am disappointed that they are made in China, but they do not lack quality.

The new Craftsman ones on the other hand, I think are ridiculous. I want to see a large size with the lobster claw......

 

[Stuey]

Wow, just wow.

Craftsman and Sears has been saying that imported wrenches and other tools must meet the same strength requirements as those previously made in the USA. Seems to me that adding a lot of bulk around jaws of inferior steel is the way to do it. Yikes.

 

[Mickey O]

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[neel2008]

guess that means more trips to the bench grinder when things get tight....lol

 

[NC-Fordguy]

I have a set of made in the USA crafty crossforce wrenches that have the larger open end. This is not a new development unique to the outsourced wrenches

 

[ihateminimumwage]

I think the extra metal in the lobster claw is to compensate for the loss of strength due to cheaper manufacturing/material. Or the people that make them dont care about quality control/ original specs.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133877&showall=1

WOW. I'd never seen your thread on those Craftsman Pro Stubbys, that is cartoonishly oversized...

 

[Hiball]

I have a set of made in the USA crafty crossforce wrenches that have the larger open end. This is not a new development unique to the outsourced wrenches

Pictures? Preferably 18mm, my wife drug me to the Mall last night and I these things are amazingly huge.

 

[dirtydogintex]

WOW. I'd never seen your thread on those Craftsman Pro Stubbys, that is cartoonishly oversized...

.... plus it makes'em look cheap in most aspects.

 

[Hiball]

.... plus it makes'em look cheap in most aspects.

In all fairness... They are relatively cheap $$$ Wise.