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KD Tools COO?

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lbgradwell

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Mar 21, 2007
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Oakville, ON
Hmm. How about that...

Obviously, Danaher could quite easily re-brand one of their other USA lines as Gearwrench but I have to say I'm a bit surprised. I looked at quite a number of other websites & there doesn't seem to be a mention of USA on them. I wonder...
 

air

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Oct 13, 2010
Messages
184
My friend has a Gearwrench branded torque wrench that is Made in the USA.
 

mrholeshot

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Jun 22, 2010
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Tooltopia isn't an autorized dealer so you have to lie to gearwrench if you need warranty service
 

amolaver

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Mar 10, 2009
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i just received that set a week or so ago. the wrenches themselves are not marked with COO - not the LP combos or the stubbies. i BELIEVE i recall seeing made in china on the stubbies, but don't remember seeing anything on the LP packaging. that said, they chrome appears flawless to me. the LP have been tested a bit but not much - no issues to report. the stubbies haven't been used yet (those went into the race trailer).

both sets (well 3 really - LP metric, stubby metric + sae) have the call-it-anything-but-flank-drive-plus on the open end as well.

attached is a little comparo. the 32mm from that kit on top, 3 below are all 19mm. top (of the 3) is the long pattern from the kit. middle is their 'normal' from the 6pt set (81925 - http://www.toolsource.com/full-polish-combination-nonratcheting-wrench-metric-14pc-p-111493.html). bottom is a toptul extra long. i'm actually a little nervous about the toptul; the beam seems pretty thin and with all that extra leverage...put your imagination to work! i'm also not a fan of the satin finish. haven't had any fail yet, but haven't really worked them particularly hard.

ahm
 

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trainwreck

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Dec 25, 2010
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northern NJ
Everything I've seen by KD has been USA. Everything I've seen by Gearwrench has been overseas. I've seen things marketed as Gearwrench (by KD), but I can't remember if they were consistently one way or the other. Again, all of this is just in my own experience. Exceptions are likely.
 
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PSYKO_Inc

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Oct 23, 2010
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Fairfield, CA
Amolaver, thank you for your post. So the wrenches you got are branded as Gearwrench and not KD? What are your thoughts on the set overall?
 

Skin

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Feb 24, 2010
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Boston
I've seen KD and GW sharing the same part numbers but i've never actually seen KD branded ratcheting wrenches. I'd definetly expect to recieve GW branded wrenches. I believe KD is about eliminated as a brand anyway.
 

Fedwrench

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Dec 9, 2007
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Valley of the sun
Most of the online tool vendors list Gearwrench under the KD label because that's how the brand started out (As part of Easco/KD tools). However, KD mechanics hand tools (wrenches, ratchets, and sockets) was killed off by Danaher more than two years ago to facilitate Gearwrench's expansion.
The wrench set you asked about is either made in Taiwan or the PRC depending on its vintage. Older Gearwrench items are mostly made in Taiwan whereas, most current items are made in the PRC. The only place you'll find COO is on the packaging in small letters by the UPC symbol. Gearwrench Torque Wrenches (non digital) are the only US made item in their catalog.
There are still plenty of US made K-D branded tools floating around on Ebay and at closeout places like Cripe Distributing. However, if you want US made, make sure the tool is branded K-D. A word of caution about KD specialty tools, many of them are now imported as well.
By the way, that's an excellent deal on that wrench set and the wrenches themselves will serve you well.
 
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Busted Bolts

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Nov 27, 2009
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369
Location
NewEngland
I noticed a short time ago that they now say "an APEX company" not DANAHER? same address, but now under the apex lable Why?
 

amolaver

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Mar 10, 2009
Messages
834
Amolaver, thank you for your post. So the wrenches you got are branded as Gearwrench and not KD? What are your thoughts on the set overall?

all 3 sets are stamped GW, no COO printed on them. i realized i wasn't clear before - i BELIEVE i saw 'Made in China' on the packaging of the stubbies just as fedwrench described (small print, near UPC). i think i might have noticed it after removing/tossing the packing on the LP set, because i don't remember seeing the COO for them.

imo, the LP wrenches are excellent. finish is perfect, and with some light use this past week, they felt good in the hand and worked well. love the not-flank-drive open end :) i feel like that tooltopia listing is a great deal with the included two sets of stubbies and large # of LP wrenches included. since i haven't used the stubbies, i'll reserve judgment other than to say they appear to be of identical quality and build as the LP.

i had been considering the wright 958 set, but it was a LOT more money and included four fewer wrenches (and no stubbies). i've had such consistently good luck with KD/gearwrench stuff, so when this set came back in stock at tooltopia, i had no qualms. i found it when it showed out of stock and i had thought it was a promo set that would disappear.

while most of my KD/gearwrench stuff is taiwanese and i have some concerns about china-made stuff, i haven't had an issue yet.

i think my only complaint is that i wish they were longer. the toptul is a little extreme, but i would have preferred something in the middle. i tend to use the 6pt preferentially as a box end, but the LP for open end. my first race of the year is in a couple weeks, so we'll see how they fare during the season.

ahm
 
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