MATCO/bonney goodness

[krusty the clown]

i saw this and though someone here might want to join the bonney fan club

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mac-...Z380166909176QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools

 

[pjcforpres2020]

Must resist the urge! Must resist!

 

[bry@n]

I have an older 14mm like those. I am intrigued now, how do you like them?

 

[krusty the clown]

I have an older 14mm like those. I am intrigued now, how do you like them?

they are well liked by the members here........i found that while searching for a few sizes i need but i don't need the whole set. someone here NEEDS to buy them so i don't!

 

[Moose-LandTran]

I want them..

 

[krusty the clown]

What am I missing? I thought Bonney was done, out of business?

yes.......those are used (although they look new).

 

[krusty the clown]

I want them..

the beams are so comfortable you be glad you got them

 

[Moose-LandTran]

the beams are so comfortable you be glad you got them

Yes, but the ladyfriend would not be glad i got them..

 

[krusty the clown]

Bonney made Matco tools?

bonney made matco's wrenches until they went out of business in 1997. the sockets and ratchets were a mix of other mfr's like wright, national hand tool and allen. matco did not have any mfg other than toolboxes.

 

[bry@n]

Looks like somebody already bid on them

 

[Merkava_4]

Oh gawd those are beautiful....

And the beams are so... so... comfortable.

 

[krusty the clown]

$162.50!!!!!!! and i paid $59.95 for mine new in 81!

did someone here get them?

 

[bry@n]

I didn't get em....I was watching em but once they went above the 130 range, I was out.

 

[wrenchr]

To rich for me but those were very nice!!

 

[Merkava_4]

I'm wondering who owns the patent own those wrenches now; they've changed hands so often I've lost track.

 

[wrenchr]

I'm wondering who owns the patent own those wrenches now; they've changed hands so often I've lost track.

I've heard snap on does.

 

[Merkava_4]

I've heard snap on does.

If Snap-on does, what they should do is insert the Bonney beam in between the Snap-on open end and box end........

 

[krusty the clown]

snap on owns the right's to the bonney name. i believe it was bought specifiaclly for the torque adapters.


merk you would have a winner with that idea, the open end spread was the only weak point of the bonney combo's.

 

[wrenchr]

I prefer the V design and I know it might be weaker but it sure does look good!! And I have never spread one either.

 

[krusty the clown]

And I have never spread one either.

you shouldn't if you break a fastener loose with the box end and remove it with the open end like you should, but some peoples children......

 

[wrenchr]

you shouldn't if you break a fastener loose with the box end and remove it with the open end like you should, but some peoples children......

Yup that is also a real good way to smash the good out of your knuckle's!!

 

[sk farmer]

sweet wrenches. i have the 3/8 to 3/4 and they are hands down my favorites. i own snap-on craftsman thorsen and mac knucklesaver in that similar length and that is about the order of preferance also. in some instances the cman are even out front of the snap-on. it helps that the cman are the old sk made pros. someone here had the sizes to fill in up to 1 1/4 a while back and i passed. i most likely should not have.

 

[Bull]

I did not know that the older Matcos were made by Bonney. I want to pick up a set of SAE and a set of metric Bonneys...this lets me expand my search.

Are there any stampings or marks on the Matcos so I can be sure I am getting the Bonney version?

Also, for the Bonneys themselves, which version of their wrench has this super-comfortable beam that Merk and others talk about? I have seen a couple different types of Bonney wrench, and not all of them seem to have thick beams.

 

[krusty the clown]

these are the bonney made matco's............

they were numbered WCLxxx

they were discontinued in 97 and replaced with the RCL and then the MCL series.

 

[Bull]

So, any and all Matcos that have the code WCL... will be from Bonney?

these are the bonney made matco's............

they were numbered WCLxxx

they were discontinued in 97 and replaced with the RCL and then the MCL series.

 

[krusty the clown]

So, any and all Matcos that have the code WCL... will be from Bonney?

correct.......in the early day's matco also sold unpolished square beam wrenches labled WH series. they are a dead ringer for MAC's but not polished. knowing the connection between the two companies i'd bet they were sourced from MAC.

 

[joenero]

So the RCL wrenches with the bonney style open end are actually not bonney? I liked the later styles because the chrome was better but if I don't have a real bonney then.....

 

[MAD]

Here is a short 10mm I have had since the mid 1980s.

 

[krusty the clown]

So the RCL wrenches with the bonney style open end are actually not bonney? I liked the later styles because the chrome was better but if I don't have a real bonney then.....

i believe the RCL's were armstrong's.......when they changed to the arch open end thay became MCL's

 

[Bull]

Here is a short 10mm I have had since the mid 1980s.

Now, that seems to say "WC1" as opposed to "WCL"

 

[MAD]

Now, that seems to say "WC1" as opposed to "WCL"

"L" = Long, perhaps?

 

[krusty the clown]

my fault.......let me explain the numbering system.

W=wrench
C=combination
L=long

the WC and WCL's were both bonney made, just long and short.

MAD's wrench is a WC10M2 so.....wrench, combination, 10M (millimeter), 2 (12 pt).
a six point would be WC10M6

 

[krusty the clown]

the sae's were numbered by 32's.....

so a wc186 would be a 9/16 6pr and a wc182 would be a 9/16 12pt.

 

[Paumanok]

Krusty, thanks for the heads up on these I've been wanting some nice Bonneys for a while, can't wait to get them

 

[Bull]

Ok, great info.

Now, might I ask about the "scalloped" Bonneys? Are they anywhere near as comfortable as the version we have been discussing here? I'm now referring to the ones that look like this:

 

[krusty the clown]

i have never used them but the beam look's kinda square......the other's are nicely rounded!

 

[Bull]

Ok, I picked up a set of Bonney flare nut wrenches a couple months back. Are the good Bonney combo wrenches like this, in terms of beam shape/thickness? Or, are they different still?

 

[krusty the clown]

from what i can tell, yes........

look at the full polished wrenches pictured here

http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/bonney-forge-tool-p6.html#modern

 

[Bull]

I wish that the AA website showed more beam views...they only have one for the polished Bonneys. What I don't get, is that from above, the beam really does not look that thick.

 

[lbgradwell]

Now, might I ask about the "scalloped" Bonneys?

"Streamlined". At least, that is what AA calls them...