Im looking add some hand tools made from our Common Wealth cousins. Aside from MegaPro, Rolgear and Picquik drivers from Canada, are there any other tools I should consider? Drivers, wrenches, pliers, ratchets - any hand tools really.
Made in Canada/UK/Australia?
- Thread starter Dzmax77
- Start date
CHI_Tool&Die
Well-known member
Abingdon King **** for sockets and wrenches. I think they have one importer on the East coast and one on the West.
Lesserstore
Well-known member
Fisco tape measures are made in England, Stanley makes their Fatmax thru tang, Bailey, Sweetheart, and some Dewalt chisels in England albeit, with global materials. Gray makes sockets and ratchets in Canada still, I think.
NFT5
Well-known member
From Australia, Sidchrome is the best. Used to be all made here but now mostly made overseas in various places. Even the offshore sourced stuff is still very good and I'd rate as good as SnapOn, without the price tag. Still not cheap though. No nonsense mechanics' tools that will take a pounding and just keep coming back.
Then there's Kincrome. Also pro grade but, in my opinion, designed to be uncomfortable and a bit lower down the spectrum.
SP Tools. My personal favourite for spanners and sockets, along with Sidchrome. The Motorsport range were a little longer than standard and may be destined to become collectors' items. Pro quality, as good as Kincrome but nicer design. Well known for their air tools.
There are others, especially in specialist, niche ranges.
Can't not mention Warren and Brown - arguably the best deflecting beam torque wrenches in the world.
Then there's Kincrome. Also pro grade but, in my opinion, designed to be uncomfortable and a bit lower down the spectrum.
SP Tools. My personal favourite for spanners and sockets, along with Sidchrome. The Motorsport range were a little longer than standard and may be destined to become collectors' items. Pro quality, as good as Kincrome but nicer design. Well known for their air tools.
There are others, especially in specialist, niche ranges.
Can't not mention Warren and Brown - arguably the best deflecting beam torque wrenches in the world.
Miss the Pontiacs
Well-known member
Here are 5 I’ve quoted. Gray had come to mind as I was reading your thread. The one I found that was of interest to me was the Lee Valley Veritas which I always thought was possibly an a European made article.
Top 5 hand tool brands made in Canada
Gray Tools Master Set
Gray Tools
Brampton, Ontario
Gray Tools is known for producing a huge range of quality hand-tools. This company has been established for over 100 years, and you can have confidence in the fact that it’s the only Canadian manufacturer of hand tools that meets industrial-quality standards.
Whether you’re looking for screwdrivers, wrenches, saws or toolbox organizers, this is your one-stop-shop for those go-to hand tools.
Shop at Amazon
Shop at Home Depot
Picquic Multi-Driver Pack Amazon
Picquic
Vancouver, BC
Headquartered in Vancouver, Picquic exclusively manufactures multibit screwdrivers – where a variety of screwdriver bits are conveniently stored in the screwdriver’s handle for easy access and organization. Because developing multibit drivers is the company’s sole focus, you can have confidence you’re getting the best – and besides, the customers rave about it.
Shop at Amazon
Shop at Home Depot
Agawa Canyon BOREAL21 Folding Saw Amazon
Agawa Canyon
Uxbridge, Ontario
Agawa Canyon specializes in manufacturing the BOREAL21, a portable line of saws that safely fold away for safe storage on hiking or hunting trips. So when you need your saw, you simply unfold the it and snap it into place. This is a must-have essential for every Canadian outdoorsman.
Shop at Amazon
Garant Sledgehammer Amazon
Garant
Saint-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec
Founded in 1895, Garant is now one of Canada’s largest tool manufacturers. It’s Saint-François facility produce more then 11 million tools every year.
Although its primarily known for its extensive line of gardening tools, it also produces a large selection of other tools, like hammers, shovels and axes.
Shop at Amazon
Shop at Home Depot
Lee Valley Hand Tools
Lee Valley
The Veritas brand is manufactured in Ottawa, Ontario
Lee Valley is a quintessential Canadian store. While it stocks a variety of brands, it also manufactures its own tools right here in Canada under the Veritas Tools brand. Lee Valley offers a huge selection of unique tools to make any build-job easier.
Top 5 hand tool brands made in Canada
Gray Tools Master Set
Gray Tools
Brampton, Ontario
Gray Tools is known for producing a huge range of quality hand-tools. This company has been established for over 100 years, and you can have confidence in the fact that it’s the only Canadian manufacturer of hand tools that meets industrial-quality standards.
Whether you’re looking for screwdrivers, wrenches, saws or toolbox organizers, this is your one-stop-shop for those go-to hand tools.
Shop at Amazon
Shop at Home Depot
Picquic Multi-Driver Pack Amazon
Picquic
Vancouver, BC
Headquartered in Vancouver, Picquic exclusively manufactures multibit screwdrivers – where a variety of screwdriver bits are conveniently stored in the screwdriver’s handle for easy access and organization. Because developing multibit drivers is the company’s sole focus, you can have confidence you’re getting the best – and besides, the customers rave about it.
Shop at Amazon
Shop at Home Depot
Agawa Canyon BOREAL21 Folding Saw Amazon
Agawa Canyon
Uxbridge, Ontario
Agawa Canyon specializes in manufacturing the BOREAL21, a portable line of saws that safely fold away for safe storage on hiking or hunting trips. So when you need your saw, you simply unfold the it and snap it into place. This is a must-have essential for every Canadian outdoorsman.
Shop at Amazon
Garant Sledgehammer Amazon
Garant
Saint-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec
Founded in 1895, Garant is now one of Canada’s largest tool manufacturers. It’s Saint-François facility produce more then 11 million tools every year.
Although its primarily known for its extensive line of gardening tools, it also produces a large selection of other tools, like hammers, shovels and axes.
Shop at Amazon
Shop at Home Depot
Lee Valley Hand Tools
Lee Valley
The Veritas brand is manufactured in Ottawa, Ontario
Lee Valley is a quintessential Canadian store. While it stocks a variety of brands, it also manufactures its own tools right here in Canada under the Veritas Tools brand. Lee Valley offers a huge selection of unique tools to make any build-job easier.
Ton ton
Well-known member
I bought a Dynamic brand hard hat. Made in Canada and super comfortable.
They have this all in one phillips & pozidrive 1,2 & 3 that I like but EBay only has a 36 driver option.
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CHI_Tool&Die
Well-known member
I can't speak to their drivers. I have some of their wrenches I bought from British Tools & Fasteners out in NY. I just really, really wanted some wrenches in my workbox with King **** on them. Immature, sure but they are probably my favorite tools to grab because they make me smile. My workbox is a mini-NATO with all the Euro companies I have represented.
I don't think King **** make screwdrivers. Drivers in the pic are German.
No matter what the reason is, at least it gives you a personal connection to the brand. And I don’t think Kind D’s marketing ignored that sentiment. I’d play it up more.
Im not sure I can find anything new and reasonably priced. The shipping charges on some of these cost more than the tool itself.
Next time Im in Ontario, I should just get some stuff while Im there. As for UK and AUS, unicorns…
Next time Im in Ontario, I should just get some stuff while Im there. As for UK and AUS, unicorns…
Dave455
Well-known member
For sockets, wrenches etc the last “volume” producer in the U.K. is the aforementioned King ****. They’re not bad tools. Their sockets are not flashy, but they are rugged, and keenly priced. Personally, I quite like their wrenches, especially their ring spanners (box end wrenches). The nearest price import would be Gedore, but the King **** are better broached, better finished, and way nicer to use.
The issue, of course, is price! In the U.K. these are very competitive. Ship ‘em across the pond and they are competing with domestic tools for less money. Same reason we don’t get many mid price U.S. tools here.
Same deal with a lot of things really. Probably the majority of my punches are British made - makes like Eclipse and Priory. Top quality and very fair prices, but by the time they are in the U.S. they’d be struggling to compete with Starrett etc.
Probably the things to look out for are things like Thorex hammers. They offer an absolutely huge range of hammers with faces in hide, nylon, plastic, brass, copper etc etc, and also many different styles including iron bodied and dead blow. I mention these as I know some are imported to the U.S. by Vaughan.
The other things to look out for are probably the specialised tools. Companies such as Maun make a great variety of compound / parallel jaw pliers. I find these invaluable in some applications and wouldn’t be without them.
The issue, of course, is price! In the U.K. these are very competitive. Ship ‘em across the pond and they are competing with domestic tools for less money. Same reason we don’t get many mid price U.S. tools here.
Same deal with a lot of things really. Probably the majority of my punches are British made - makes like Eclipse and Priory. Top quality and very fair prices, but by the time they are in the U.S. they’d be struggling to compete with Starrett etc.
Probably the things to look out for are things like Thorex hammers. They offer an absolutely huge range of hammers with faces in hide, nylon, plastic, brass, copper etc etc, and also many different styles including iron bodied and dead blow. I mention these as I know some are imported to the U.S. by Vaughan.
The other things to look out for are probably the specialised tools. Companies such as Maun make a great variety of compound / parallel jaw pliers. I find these invaluable in some applications and wouldn’t be without them.
Ton ton
Well-known member
I wish King **** would run tool trucks on the east coast USA.
Dave455
Well-known member
They’d probably pick up business out of novelty!The problem is, the British model for a tool company is totally different to a U.S. one. The concept of having 3 or 4 really big companies, who offer everything, is unknown here.
Even when we had really big mechanics tool manufacturers (I’m thinking of firms like Britool, Gordon and Bedford) they only really made wrenches, socket wrenches and accessories. If you wanted pliers, you went somewhere else, a hammer, somewhere else again.
Consequently, there were, and to an extent still are, a myriad of small firms who all do their own thing. If I look through my taps and dies, of which probably 80% are English made, I can probably pick up a random 10 or 12 and not find the same maker twice!
I’ve got an automatic centre punch, nice tool, British made, but all the manufacturer makes is centre punches and transfer punches. You want a different punch, different maker!
I think that’s part of the reason Snap On were so successful here - everything on one truck!
Ton ton
Well-known member
Snap on is boring compared to King ****. Most people outside of garage journal in the USA probably have never heard of King ****. It's almost like a personalized wrench set.