Old tool brands to avoid

[elmwood]

Lurking in threads here, I noticed that whenever anyone asks about old, almost forgotten brands of tools to look out for at flea markets, garage sales, and the like, the answers seem to be ... well, everything. Pretty much, everything made in the US was awesome.

That can't really be the case, though. They must have made crappy tools before 1990. I know, because I remember generic pot metal tools found in giant baskets at local hardware and discount department store chains. How about less-than-great brands, though? What vintage made-in-the-USA/Canada/Europe brands should one avoid?

 

[sselander]

stay far away from Globemaster.

 

[woody 73]

Stanley years ago made a pro line 100 brand of screwdriver that was fantastic; but they made a homeowner line the ones with bright yellow and black stripes that would self destruct the moment it touched the screw.

 

[Zrexxer]

Oh my God, I'd almost forgotten about Globemaster. I remember the baskets full of that **** at the lumberyards, even some grocery stores.

 

[rockinacummins]

I don't like the old Indestro stuff but that's just an opinion. Probably nothin wrong with them, they just aren't physicaly appealing to me. The duro-chrome stuff as well

 

[stikman56]

Stanley years ago made a pro line 100 brand of screwdriver that was fantastic; but they made a homeowner line the ones with bright yellow and black stripes that would self destruct the moment it touched the screw.

These are the first tools that came to my mind when I read the topic. Worst I've ever used.

 

[vintage nut]

I don't really know the brands, I can just tell if a tool is any good just by looking at it. After a while its pretty easy to see quality. I could give you a big list of good stuff, but I have never even took a second look at any cheap stuff. And the only junk available new in my lifetime is asian stuff, so I only pay attention to quality American and European stuff.

you can never have too many tools

 

[egnorant]

Oxwall was the first to pop into my mind.

 

[vintage nut]

Anything that says made in india I just toss right away

you can never have too many tools

 

[Coach James]

HA! I still have some of those Stanley black and yellow screw drivers and still use them. Homeowner or Handyman series I think they were. I must have gotten the one good set.

Coach

 

[hangfirew8]

Gedore's India wrenches that flooded the US a some years back. Of course their European stuff is OK.

HF's $5 3/8 socket set. I bought one a few decades ago when mail-order was the only option. Each socket literally failed the first time I used it, butter-soft. It was unreal, as if each socket was made of lead. Finally the ratchet failed with a Craftsman socket on it, I bent the round head a little oval on a not-really-that-tight bolt.

I threw the remaining lesser-used sockets away because I couldn't afford be in a position where I needed them, and it was all I had.

 

[jakemac]

I still have my Gedore combo wrench set made in India that I got for X-mas when I was a teen sometime around 1980. I don't like them, but in 35yrs I've never broken one.

 

[vintage nut]

I was using some round head ratchets at my uncle's farm one time. Just standard 3/8 drive, only marking was China, and they were pretty crude. I was installing bolts, and they weren't being tightened too much. First ratchet stripped out in 15 bolts. Second ratchet stripped out in 9. Third stripped in 14. At this point I threw all 3 as far out of the machine shed as I could, and got a snapon out, and finished the job with no issue.

you can never have too many tools

 

[toddoky]

Any Stanley tool marked/identified as "Handyman". Greatneck and Buck Bros. tools also come to mind as being useless ****.

 

[lotsoftools]

HA! I still have some of those Stanley black and yellow screw drivers and still use them. Homeowner or Handyman series I think they were. I must have gotten the one good set.

Coach

I have a couple of them, and don't think I've ever used them as screwdrivers. I use them to open paint cans or as mini-chisels and prybars.

 

[Jim C.]

Oxwall was the first to pop into my mind.

I used to think that Oxwall tools were actually toys.

 

[jeffmoss26]

I have some old Stanley Handyman stuff that is okay. The yellow and black screwdrivers were marked Thrifty and were not very good.

 

[zkling]

I used to think that Oxwall tools were actually toys.

Handy Andy

 

[zcbauer89]

Globemaster really sticks out. I actually have a pair of Globemaster pliers that were made in Italy. Always kept those in the tractor toolboxes.

 

[Hootbro]

With very few exceptions, found most of the "Thorsen" branded stuff to be junk.

 

[carcajou]

Damn near anything marked TOOL TECH is junk.

 

[Zeke]

With very few exceptions, found most of the "Thorsen" branded stuff to be junk.

I have wrenches and sockets made by them and they've served me well. None have broken and the finish is good after many years. Do you have any now?

Any Stanley tool marked/identified as "Handyman". Greatneck and Buck Bros. tools also come to mind as being useless ****.

Must be 2 'Buck Bros' because their chisels are really, really good.

 

[zcbauer89]

With very few exceptions, found most of the "Thorsen" branded stuff to be junk.

I'll agree with that to an extent. I think they made decent stuff up until the early to mid sixties. After that, they were known as a lower tier tool, at least "here"

 

[pauls_workshop]

Thorsen made in USA was fine, unmarked, generally bad. I'm surprised someone said Indestro was bad. I love Indestro. Very good quality - outstanding sockets.

At least 90% of old vintage US made is going to be good. But of course, some is better than others quality wise within that grouping. Pre-90's is going to be better too than post 90's US made in general, again with exceptions. Come hangout in the new Vintage Tool section to learn about all the old stuff out there and why people like it or not. - Paul

 

[Hootbro]

I have wrenches and sockets made by them and they've served me well. None have broken and the finish is good after many years. Do you have any now?

Other than a open gear ratchet, I do not keep any Thorsen tools.

Growing up, my Grandfather had quite a bit of Thorsen stuff from the late 1950's through the 1970's that included all the basic wrenches, sockets and ratchets. He was one to never abuse tools but it seemed without fail every other weekend he had a cracked socket or a wrench end spread that was Thorsen. By the 1980's, he went straight over to USA made Craftsman stuff and the breaking of tools after that almost became unheard of.

 

[Hootbro]

I'll agree with that to an extent. I think they made decent stuff up until the early to mid sixties. After that, they were known as a lower tier tool, at least "here"

Sounds about right. I just remember them being the low cost tool line in independent car parts stores back in the day.

 

[woody 73]

yes back in the day at car parts counters you could pick up thorsen cheap, the finish inside the sockets was awful, darn I think the machinist was half blind , shavings would curl and never be cleaned out; I broke my share of those sockets back in the day.

I forgot about the India gedore , one day I was working on an old motorcycle and that wrench broke and darn near took my hand with it.

 

[justanengineer]

Personally I dont like a lot of the store branded stuff - JCPenney, Sears, etc bc I find a lot of it big and clumsy to use, solid, but too-far overbuilt.

 

[chris142]

When I was a teen I bought a 40 pc socket set at the swap meet for about $4 or so. The sockets were soft like butter. The ratchet actually worked for several years.

 

[Cope]

I still have a small Globemaster tack hammer I bought at a convenience store when I was in high school, and also a Globemaster48 oz ball pein hammer handle.

 

[goforride57]

Stanley years ago made a pro line 100 brand of screwdriver that was fantastic; but they made a homeowner line the ones with bright yellow and black stripes that would self destruct the moment it touched the screw.

Like this?



I remember these Stanley screwdrivers well. I got a little red metal Homak tool box full of cheap Stanley tools and a small jack for my 5th birthday from my father. (1987) I remember all the stupid toys that I didn't play with because I was busy going around taking **** apart. Never figured out how to put stuff back together. Most of the tools are gone. I have those two screwdrivers I use to open body filler and paint cans. The tool box is somewhere I'm sure. And all that's left of the jack is the handle which I use for my transmission jack. Those might have have been the shittiest tools ever produced, but, I have fond memories of them ****** tools. Best present ever right there.

 

[404]

When I was a teen I bought a 40 pc socket set at the swap meet for about $4 or so. The sockets were soft like butter. The ratchet actually worked for several years.

I had a set like that in 1982. The sockets were die cast aluminum or zinc with chrome on them.

 

[PugetDude]

I forgot about the India gedore , one day I was working on an old motorcycle and that wrench broke and darn near took my hand with it.

I've got a set of India Gedore open-end wrenches in a crispy plastic roll I bought at NAPA around 1979 when I needed to change the clutch in my Volvo...the first time I needed metric, and I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on tools I might not use again...

 

[lbgradwell]

Must be 2 'Buck Bros' because their chisels are really, really good.

Old Buck Bros. was good - but we're talking old. The stuff available under that name for the ~ past couple of decades is garbage.

 

[CNGsaves]

From knowledge learned here on GJ from Sparky's
. . . .
. . . . . . AVOID any main electrical panel with . . . . Zinsco, Federal Pacific, etc

Those 2 come to mind but sure that Sparky's will chime in more.

 

[shanny19]

Some Thorsen was good stuff.

I avoid Giller, I've come to associate it with high volume, lowest bidder Vietnam war era government contracts.
I avoid Proamerica, I've come to associate it with a sneaky way for KAL to sell cheap tools to the government in the 80's.
I avoid anything from the 60's through 80's with a Japanese motor brand (Yamaha, Hodaka, Honda, etc).

 

[PFSard]

Must be 2 'Buck Bros' because their chisels are really, really good.

Old Buck Bros. was good - but we're talking old. The stuff available under that name for the ~ past couple of decades is garbage.

I don't know what the story is, but I had friends in Millbury MA. back in the 1970s. The Buck Bros. there was synonymous with high quality.

http://www.craftsmanstudio.com/html_p/BuckBrosChisels.htm
http://workingwith-wood.com/my-favorite-hand-tools/buck-brothers-chisel/

 

[Mechanical Noise]

What vintage made-in-the-USA/Canada/Europe brands should one avoid?

Oxwall was typically weak, low end stuff made to sell at a low price. Although I was given a set of made in Taiwan metric wrenches about 35 years ago, and they held up fairly well.

Great Neck tools, back in the day, seemed to be in a race to the bottom with Oxwall. Great Neck has since upped their game and they've progressed from crummy to mediocre.

Maybe most of the cheap tools were unmarked or stamped only "USA".

There were TONS of cheap tools at the various supermarkets, drug stores and K-marts in the 60s and 70s. Good tools last, cheap tools get scrapped.

 

[toddoky]

I have wrenches and sockets made by them and they've served me well. None have broken and the finish is good after many years. Do you have any now?

Must be 2 'Buck Bros' because their chisels are really, really good.

Maybe I was too hasty including the Buck Bros. product line...I did so from my experiences with their hand planes.

 

[neophyte]

Old Buck Bros. was good - but we're talking old. The stuff available under that name for the ~ past couple of decades is garbage.

I have wrenches and sockets made by them and they've served me well. None have broken and the finish is good after many years. Do you have any now?

Must be 2 'Buck Bros' because their chisels are really, really good.

Any Stanley tool marked/identified as "Handyman". Greatneck and Buck Bros. tools also come to mind as being useless ****.

Fine woodworking interviewed someone from Buck Brothers a while back. I think he may have been in charge of the chisel production. He basically said the chisels were being tempered softer than they should for woodworking, because the average person buying them in a hardware store or home center was going to use them for opening up cans of paint, or as a prybar.

The article was done long enough ago, that it might not be relevant today.

Diefenbacher Tools sells some Buck Brothers chisels and gouges, so maybe they have them made with less tempering.

http://www.diefenbacher.com/chisels.htm

The older pre cellulose handled chisels may also be the better made ones.