Master⭐️Pro wrenches-Who made them?

[LanceMc]

I have this nice set of metric Combination wrenches I bought new probably in the 90s. Maybe at the PX (military exchange) or NAPA, I don't recall exactly. I've only seen one other thread on here about them and no real difinitive answer so I thought I'd ask. They are good quality and I've used them quite a bit over the last 30 years or so. It's the only metric combination set of wrenched I owned until my Wright set showed up yesterday.
Thanks for your help and information in advance.

 

[four.cycle]

no information on this one.

Masterpro / Masterpro /

 

[four.cycle]

fat rings

otherwise I'd think possibly S-K

ProAmerica?

National Tool?

 

[LanceMc]

no information on this one.

Masterpro / Masterpro /

Well shucks. I was hoping you'd know for sure but I think National Tool is probably correct.

Here's what Grok says when I asked-

"Master Pro Wrenches: Manufacturer and BackgroundMaster Pro is a private-label brand primarily associated with O'Reilly Auto Parts, used for a range of automotive tools and replacement parts. While O'Reilly does not manufacture its own products, Master Pro items are produced by third-party suppliers to meet OEM (original equipment manufacturer) specifications. Based on discussions among tool enthusiasts and collectors, the USA-made Master Pro wrenches (likely from the 1970s–1990s era, given the "Made in USA" markings) were manufactured by National Tool (based in Dallas, Texas), a company known exclusively for private-label production of hand tools like wrenches and sockets.Key Details:

• Manufacturer Confirmation: National Tool specialized in forging and producing high-quality, USA-made tools for various brands under private labels. They shared design markings (e.g., specific dashes or equals symbols on sockets and wrenches) with other private-label producers like ProAmerica/KAL and Thorsen Tools. These markings have been observed on surviving Master Pro examples.
• Brand Context: Master Pro tools were stocked in O'Reilly stores as budget-friendly alternatives to premium brands. Similar to how other retailers (e.g., Menards with Masterforce or Craftsman with SK/Armstrong) sourced USA-made tools, O'Reilly partnered with domestic forgers like National Tool during a period when offshoring was less common.
• Quality and Availability: These wrenches are noted for solid construction, comparable to mid-tier USA brands of the time. They are now vintage items, often found on secondary markets like eBay or tool forums, as modern Master Pro lines have shifted to imported components for cost reasons.
• Why USA-Made?: Pre-2000s production emphasized domestic forging for durability in automotive repair, aligning with National Tool's Texas-based operations.

If you have a specific model, photo, or markings from your wrench, more precise identification could be possible (e.g., via tool dating forums like The Garage Journal). For current equivalents, consider USA-made options from Wright Tool or SK X-Frame."

 

[neophyte]

The wider “chunkier” area next to the box end reminds me of older USA made SK wrenches, and SK used to do private label work for Craftsman, and maybe other brands as well.

Regular length Armstrong might be another possibility, but SK looks closer.

 

[cgrutt]

They look alot like Snap-on just going out on a limb but maybe an early private label deal like they now do with some CAT?

 

[sk farmer]

i would say definately not sk. every sk made wrench has that slightly large bulge on the open end that tapers to the beam. some call it the side sk hip. not a lonster claw but more of a design flow.


i will go with the comment above that said armstrong. i have some wrnches marked goodwrench that i beleive came from sams club, they look very similar in shape and finish. of course that would mean apex so who knows

 

[four.cycle]

^ If you're able to definitively establish that those tools were sold through O'Reilly's Auto Parts (or CSK Automotive, which O'Reilly's bought out), I'd be more inclined to think National Tool (as opposed to S-K) as being the supplier based solely on what the price point would have been.
(They would not have been able to re-brand an S-K wrench and be competitive in the marketplace with a no-name brand.)

 

[four.cycle]

Here's what Grok says when I asked-

I don't know what "Grok" is, but litmus test is:
* photograph
* patent number
* patent date
* manufacturer's catalog
* promotional brochure
* print advertisement

"AI" doesn't pass litmus test.

 

[LanceMc]

So, you DO know what Grok is.

I don't know what "Grok" is, but litmus test is:
* photograph
* patent number
* patent date
* manufacturer's catalog
* promotional brochure
* print advertisement

"AI" doesn't pass litmus test.

I can't say for sure I bought them at O'Reilly's, but that is one of the two auto parts stores I frequent. The other being NAPA.
They don't look like S-K to me. I also don't think they are from Armstrong. The thickness of the box end wall is pretty chunky.

 

[finn]

Well shucks. I was hoping you'd know for sure but I think National Tool is probably correct.

Here's what Grok says when I asked-

"Master Pro Wrenches: Manufacturer and BackgroundMaster Pro is a private-label brand primarily associated with O'Reilly Auto Parts, used for a range of automotive tools and replacement parts. While O'Reilly does not manufacture its own products, Master Pro items are produced by third-party suppliers to meet OEM (original equipment manufacturer) specifications. Based on discussions among tool enthusiasts and collectors, the USA-made Master Pro wrenches (likely from the 1970s–1990s era, given the "Made in USA" markings) were manufactured by National Tool (based in Dallas, Texas), a company known exclusively for private-label production of hand tools like wrenches and sockets.Key Details:

• Manufacturer Confirmation: National Tool specialized in forging and producing high-quality, USA-made tools for various brands under private labels. They shared design markings (e.g., specific dashes or equals symbols on sockets and wrenches) with other private-label producers like ProAmerica/KAL and Thorsen Tools. These markings have been observed on surviving Master Pro examples.
• Brand Context: Master Pro tools were stocked in O'Reilly stores as budget-friendly alternatives to premium brands. Similar to how other retailers (e.g., Menards with Masterforce or Craftsman with SK/Armstrong) sourced USA-made tools, O'Reilly partnered with domestic forgers like National Tool during a period when offshoring was less common.
• Quality and Availability: These wrenches are noted for solid construction, comparable to mid-tier USA brands of the time. They are now vintage items, often found on secondary markets like eBay or tool forums, as modern Master Pro lines have shifted to imported components for cost reasons.
• Why USA-Made?: Pre-2000s production emphasized domestic forging for durability in automotive repair, aligning with National Tool's Texas-based operations.

If you have a specific model, photo, or markings from your wrench, more precise identification could be possible (e.g., via tool dating forums like The Garage Journal). For current equivalents, consider USA-made options from Wright Tool or SK X-Frame."

Is that the same National Hand tool of Dallas that bought a lot of the New Britain equipment out of bankruptcy in about 1978, and was subsequently bought by SBD in about 1984 or 1986?

They made some of the Craftsman and Husky tools, among others.

If I recall, that factory was later shut down, and production transferred offshore, as the equipment was considered outmoded and in poor condition.

 

[four.cycle]

So, you DO know what Grok is.

No, I don't.
So my guess was correct? It's some sort of "AI" program?

Sentence structure and syntax in "AI" stuff is too easy to figure out. Humans don't talk like that.

 

[four.cycle]

. The other being NAPA.

Okay, then National Tool would be the logical assumption.

National / National Hand Tool, 12827 Valley Branch Lane, Dallas, TX / est. 1978 / acquired by Stanley 1986 / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/what-can-you-tell-me-about-national-hand-tool.325051/ /

But without some tangible evidence, it's still "best guess"/"reasonable assumption" - not "definitive".

Same situation we have with:
JS Technology
ES Tool
ROCO

and several other brands for which we think we're reasonably certain that we know who actually manufactured the stuff, but we're still waiting for that irrefutable empirical evidence. (Because it could well be a product that came out of the "ProAmerica/American KAL Enterprises" empire.)

(* did anyone check ITCL to see if there's a "Master*Pro" or NAPA tool catalog available? *)

 

[four.cycle]

just to keep things interesting:


Master-Pro Master*Pro 1/2" drive RHFT Quick-Release ratchet (photo: ebay)

 

[LanceMc]

Okay, then National Tool would be the logical assumption.

National / National Hand Tool, 12827 Valley Branch Lane, Dallas, TX / est. 1978 / acquired by Stanley 1986 / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/what-can-you-tell-me-about-national-hand-tool.325051/ /

But without some tangible evidence, it's still "best guess"/"reasonable assumption" - not "definitive".

Same situation we have with:
JS Technology
ES Tool
ROCO

and several other brands for which we think we're reasonably certain that we know who actually manufactured the stuff, but we're still waiting for that irrefutable empirical evidence. (Because it could well be a product that came out of the "ProAmerica/American KAL Enterprises" empire.)

(* did anyone check ITCL to see if there's a "Master*Pro" or NAPA tool catalog available? *)

Thanks for all that information. The NHT thread is a good read. I haven't finished it yet though.
Never heard of the ITCL. Is it available online?

 

[LanceMc]

I saw a few tools from Master Pro on ebay. It's a cool ratchet but then I'd want the sockets....
I don't think I've seen similar ratchets before.

just to keep things interesting:


Master-Pro Master*Pro 1/2" drive RHFT Quick-Release ratchet (photo: ebay)

 

[blackwire]

Don't think these are from O'Reilly Auto Parts. Back in the 90's these would have been branded GM Goodwrench.

 

[four.cycle]

ITCL = International Tool Catalog Library

The reason I posted the image of the "Master*Pro" ratchet is because it is not like other product we know for sure came out of National Hand Tool in Dallas. That odd "thumbwheel" is a bit different... maybe it's just the font that's throwing me off.

@blackwire - I'm not at all familiar with "G.M. Goodwrench" - I don't even think it's in the list.

Nope... it is not......

... and if I had to guess: I never got it into the list because nobody ever figured out who made it, like several other brands distributed by U.S. based companies but produced offshore. And then there are a few which started out as "made in U.S.A." that then went to offshore (e.g., "Kobalt".)

and... I'll bet Lance hasn't found the list yet, right?

The LIST is HERE - follow the link for the most recent update and download it in *.txt format

I have a lunch date. We're celebrating the closure of my buddy's shop today.... it' the end of an era:

 

[cody1325]

I also have some MasterPro odds and ends. We never had O'Reilly here until the late '10s--so it's unlikely they came from there.

The Torx screwdriver looks a lot like Craftsman. So, I'm wondering if at least some of Sears' OEMs was involved.

 

[KnurledNut]

Granco would be my guess.

 

[Snaparxon]

Granco would be my guess.

Great guess, looking at some Granco wrenches on Ebay I do see a chunky box end on the combo's.
If I recall correctly Granco bought some of Bonney's old equipment and continue to make the boxend/flarenut wrench.

 

[LanceMc]

ITCL = International Tool Catalog Library

The reason I posted the image of the "Master*Pro" ratchet is because it is not like other product we know for sure came out of National Hand Tool in Dallas. That odd "thumbwheel" is a bit different... maybe it's just the font that's throwing me off.

@blackwire - I'm not at all familiar with "G.M. Goodwrench" - I don't even think it's in the list.

Nope... it is not......

... and if I had to guess: I never got it into the list because nobody ever figured out who made it, like several other brands distributed by U.S. based companies but produced offshore. And then there are a few which started out as "made in U.S.A." that then went to offshore (e.g., "Kobalt".)

and... I'll bet Lance hasn't found the list yet, right?

The LIST is HERE - follow the link for the most recent update and download it in *.txt format

I have a lunch date. We're celebrating the closure of my buddy's shop today.... it' the end of an era:

Hope your lunch was fun. The classic American Service Center. Definitely iconic. Best to your bud in his new endeavors.
Thanks for the list link. Lots of things to read here!

This granco wrench on Ebay looks very similar to the Master️Pro wrenches I have.

 

[liliysdad]

Boy, that’s a chunky fellow…

 

[four.cycle]

While Granco made a lot of stuff for the military, we don't have any evidence at all that they were supplying other companies, but it does remain a possibilty.

Hope your lunch was fun. The classic American Service Center. Definitely iconic. Best to your bud in his new endeavors.

It was a 1947 Union 76 Station. The original steel service desk and 8-foot steel work table are still in the back room.
Lunch was great. He's retiring. He's been in that building 36 years. I first met him at his original location, which was a block east.
We dragged out the fancy coffee table for our farewell lunch.

 

[four.cycle]

I was looking at a photo of a Craftsman 43796 ratchet and started poking around and found:

WHat tool companies have produced Craftsman ratchets?

I was wondering with reading how Craftsman ratchets have gone downhill in the last 10-20 years who has been producing them for Sears? Danaher does now if I am correct. TheGrooveking

www.garagejournal.com

and now I'm wondering if perhaps Danaher might have been the maker.

 

[KnurledNut]

I was looking at a photo of a Craftsman 43796 ratchet and started poking around and found:

WHat tool companies have produced Craftsman ratchets?

I was wondering with reading how Craftsman ratchets have gone downhill in the last 10-20 years who has been producing them for Sears? Danaher does now if I am correct. TheGrooveking

www.garagejournal.com

and now I'm wondering if perhaps Danaher might have been the maker.

The 43796 triwing roundhead was Stanley production and imported.

 

[four.cycle]

^ If you read @lauver's notes up and down from that post (go up half a dozen and go down about half a dozen), you will see why I am asking. There's a rather gray area there.

 

[Snaparxon]

I was looking at a photo of a Craftsman 43796 ratchet and started poking around and found:

WHat tool companies have produced Craftsman ratchets?

I was wondering with reading how Craftsman ratchets have gone downhill in the last 10-20 years who has been producing them for Sears? Danaher does now if I am correct. TheGrooveking

www.garagejournal.com

and now I'm wondering if perhaps Danaher might have been the maker.

Craftsman 43175 3/8" ratchet and an Armstrong 11-915 3/8" and Napa NB43 3/8" appear to have the same tri wing selector. Danaher made Napa tools for several years.

 

[four.cycle]

^ and that's one of the reasons I'm thinking it's possible the manufacturer of the "Master*Pro" might have been Danaher.
There was a time window during which Easco and Danaher were both jockeying for Craftsman's business. During that same time window, Home Depot was selling a U.S. made "Husky" line that bears some resemblance to other items on this page. (check the = = marks on the sockets and the extension stamped on either side of the size stamping.)
As I said above: there's a big gray area there. No definitive evidence in respect to manufacturer - and it's not just "Master*Pro".

 

[LanceMc]

Yeah it's a bit murky I see.
It is still possible that I bought them at the AAFES PX (military exchange) back then. I sent an email to O'Reilly Auto Parts to inquire about what they may be able to tell me.
Thank you all for chiming in with your assistance on this. They are really nice wrenches. I much prefer to use them over the SAE satin Craftsman set I have. The Master️Pro has similar handfeel to the higher end wrenches like S-K, K-D and Armstrong.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I just edited the LIST and uploaded an updated version here. While I was scrolling through it, I noted that in a section which has now been removed titled "MAKER UNKNOWN", "Master Pro" was the only remaining entry.

I think it's reasonable to narrow it down to these possibilities, although there is still a possibility of the original maker having been the ProAmerica/American KAL Enterprises/Emporium Forging empire, but the ratchet kind of belies that theory. (The handle is all wrong for those three.)

And while these companies were all buying and selling each other and/or merging with one another, they were at the same time engaged in producing products for private-label accounts (such as "Master*Pro"):

Danaher / Danaher Tool Group, 11011 McCormick Rd., Hunt Valley, MD 21031 / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...mily-tree-show-your-usa-danaher-tools.471468/ /

Easco / Easco Hand Tools, Hunt Valley, MD (1901-1990) / acquired by Danaher Corp., merged with Cooper to form Apex Tool Group 2010 / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/easco-tools.421269/ /

National / National Hand Tool, 12827 Valley Branch Lane, Dallas, TX / est. 1978 / acquired by Stanley 1986 / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/what-can-you-tell-me-about-national-hand-tool.325051/ /

 

[dscheidt]

Don’t forget that different tools could be made by different companies, either because they got different parts from different suppliers, or the suppliers changed over time. I don’t think oreilys would hesitate to replace the whole line to save a nickel, and keeping the name would mean they didn’t have to liquidate the old stock.

 

[four.cycle]

^ There were far more players than just O'Reilly's. Remember that O'Reilly's didn't exist in the west until they bought out CSK Automotive (Checker-Schucks-Kragen), and Schucks was originally a Pacific Northwest operation only.
You also had - during that same time frame - Home Depot, Lowes, ACE Hardware, Do-It-Best, and several other mass-merchandiser retailers, any of whom would have had enough buying power to command a private-label line from a manufacturer.

 

[KnurledNut]

Don't think these are from O'Reilly Auto Parts. Back in the 90's these would have been branded GM Goodwrench.

I don’t think so either. They have used the name “MasterPro” on some items, but its not the same logo and I have never seen it on any hardline tools.

 

[LanceMc]

The font stamping looks the same to me when comparing the GRANCO sockets in this post and this post of the GRANCO tools thread to the Master️Pro wrenches I have. Whatch'all think?

 

[Steve_P]

Not my expertise, but the wrenches in the OP don't look like SK or Danaher to me- the 10/11mm, and also the 12/13mm appear to share the same blanks; I don't have any SK, Danaher, Apex, Proto, Williams, Snap On, Taiwan made..... combo wrenches that do that, at least in smaller sizes.

Edit- I don't believe I have any wrenches or sockets by Granco, ProAmerica, or National.