Learned something new about German tools today!

[Blacknwhitepit]

Here the story. I was at the Pawn shoppe today where I thought I saw a F726 a few weeks ago. Turns out it got sold. But while rifling through their Snap on box, I found a Snap on ratchet and Snap on Screwdriver. I offered $20 and he bit. As he was ringing up my sale I continued to look around the place and noticed they had a bin of "import" tools, with some old USA made ones in there at twenty five cents each $.25! I looked in and noticed BMW, then Mercedez-Benz.


I couldn't stay around long, but I grabbed 12 wrenches for $3.00. There were so many wrenches in there, that I couldn't get to them all. Gonna go back later and get the rest .

I noticed that DIN 895 was on ALL of the German tools.

After a google search I found this ::

DIN is an abbreviation for Deutsche Industrie Norm, or German Industrial Standard. This was a set of standards that specified all important parameters of industrial goods, including size, tolerances, finish, and hardness. DIN 895 was a standard that applied to a wrench. A wrench marked DIN 895 meant that it complied with all aspects of that particular standard.


Here are some of the photos.

Left to right. Snap on F720, Snap on SDD460, A pebble Grain Plumb, A USA made Companion, a 9mm and 11mm Gray, A 9/16 and 5/8 Proto Moon wrench.

The HEYCO's Seem very Stout!!

Yes, I know I am a tool *****!

-BWP

 

[CAT_serviceman927]

Ooo I spy pebble grain and some gray stuff too.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

I have a few of those "toolkit" wrenches, they're very handy for little jobs like changing batteries and stuff. I love them. I have some real nice German tools, they make some excellent stuff.

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

I knew about the standards but have never found a reference for all the different ones. (well maybe once, but not in English)

I found out about it, when looking at Chisels (woodworking). There are several brands that the handles are different, but the blades are all to the same spec, and they vary greatly in price.

There are times when I wish I could speak any language, as spec finding might be easier.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

If it's German and has a DIN number on it (which it will, almost without doubt) then it's a quality tool.

 

[goodfellow]

If it's German and has a DIN number on it (which it will, almost without doubt) then it's a quality tool.

Yeah, but they look like sh!!!t.

I used to have a few old BMW and Mercedes kits as well as Jaguar and Austin kits, and the British OEM tools were just so much more refined.

Nothing against the German stuff; I love my Stahlwille tools, but the British tools had a certain style, and (dare I say it ) "flair". For the most part, they were a much more elegant design.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

"Form follows function"

They might not be all shiny, but they sure do the job. My German Elora wrenches are satin forged finishe, with the parts of the open ends brushed. None a single polished part on them, but damn do they work like a charm!

I think i have one English tool, a Britool 15/16" & 13/16 double open-end wrench. It's actually pretty nice. Only thing i've ever used it on is the rod bolts on my 14"-long Rolls-Royce Eagle Diesel engine conrod i use as a doorstop.

 

[olds88]

reminds me of Reinheitsgebot http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinheitsgebot

 

[Moose-LandTran]

They aint as pretty as a drawer full of shiny Snap-on, but they costs a 1/10 of the price and they serve me just fine. I love 'em. They're all DIN too.

 

[CAT_serviceman927]

I like the offset box end they have. Too bad they aren't readily available over here. Actually that is probably a good thing, being that I would probably buy those even with all the wrenches I already have.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

You could buy them and ship then with the exchage rate and they're still cheaper than Snap-on. I love mine, won't be replacing them any time soon either.