Rosco tools

[DaighterROSCO]

My father was one of the owners of Rosco Tools
(Rosenberg Bro’s & Co.)
I was wondering if there are any people who knew Rosco Tools back in the 50’s, 60’s, or 70,s??? Or.......are there are still people using his tools???
Thanks.....
DaughterRosco tools

 

[Username already in use]

Welcome to the forum. I've got a few boxes of Phillips screwdrivers that I bought at the flea a few years ago.

I've seen the 'two fister' posted on here a coupe of times as well.

Here's a pic of the boxes I have.

 

[four.cycle]

Hello there Daughter of Rosco Tools.

My father started buying the big cardboard drums full of Rosco Screwdrivers back in the 1950s.
We continued buying from Rosenberg Brothers & Co. clear through the late 1970s.
We dumped them into cardboard buckets next to the cash registers in all of our stores and retailed them for 39 cents each or 3 for a dollar.
If somebody wanted to "borrow a screwdriver", we sold them a 39-cent Rosco screwdriver.
My mother, and all three of my sisters, still have black-and-yellow striped handled Rosco screwdrivers in the backs of drawers in their houses.
I have at least a couple dozen of them in my tool box.

I have been waiting for you to show up.

There is unfortunately a dearth of information about the company, which is unfortunate for those of us who are working on gathering and making available on the web information and the history of American tool makers.

You will find a tiny bit of information about Rosenberg Bros. & Co. HERE:
Rosenberg Bros. & Co., Smithtown, L.I., N.Y.
see: http://progress-is-fine.blogspot.com/2012/10/vanished-tool-makes-rosco.html

You will find nothing about the company at Alloy-Artifacts.org.

I would encourage you to contact GarageJournal.com member twertsy at ToolArchives.com and provide him with any information and company history as you see appropriate in order that it be archived and made available on the web.
If you have any old catalogs, they would be of tremendous value should you be willing to share them so that they can be scanned, converted to *.pdf format, and made available on both ToolArchives.com and Archives.org. (here: https://archive.org/details/internationaltoolcataloglibrary )

Thank you very much!

 

[Paul k.]

My father was one of the owners of Rosco Tools
(Rosenberg Bro’s & Co.)
I was wondering if there are any people who knew Rosco Tools back in the 50’s, 60’s, or 70,s??? Or.......are there are still people using his tools???
Thanks.....
DaughterRosco tools

Hi,
I worked for your dad from 1973 to the doors closed. Are you Joe’s daughter ? I worked as the cost account then quality manager, and as manager of Top line tools. Would love to catch up.

 

[d42jeep]

Apparently she isn’t watching this thread very often.
I‘ve found a couple of screwdrivers lately including one yesterday.
-Don

 

[bonneyman]

I think I've got some Rosco drivers in the stash. Seemed like decent quality as I recall.

 

[OtherdaughterROSCO]

Greetings, I'm another daughter of a different ROSCO owner: Bud. Paul, I think I remember you from my summers there ages ago. I have a treasure trove of ROSCO screwdrivers, mallets, etc. and stuff from the factory. Not long ago, Sid's Hardware in Downtown Brooklyn still used the Rosco Tools display to showcase some of the tools from their current lineup. I tried to buy it from them but they refused.

 

[d42jeep]

Welcome to the Garage Journal. We would love to see pictures of your treasure trove. Except for the red handle stubby screwdriver, these are my Rosco screwdrivers.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

A couple of recent Rosco screwdriver finds.
-Don

 

[S-K Tool Fanatic!]

I have quite a few Rosco drivers in my collection, if I can remember i’ll round them all up for a pic.

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

I have a few which are my go To's now. I like the gripping power you can possess.

 

[bonneyman]

Here's a group pic with my ROSCO driver in it.

 

[four.cycle]

Rosco Screwdrivers

Rosco / Rosenberg Bros. & Co., Smithtown, L.I., NY / acquired by Vermont American 1974 / (see also: http://progress-is-fine.blogspot.com/2012/10/vanished-tool-makes-rosco.html ) / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/rosco-tools.442126/ /

 

[Mikeped7]

I have some of the orange and blacks, including a Two-Fister (sounds funny, doesn't it).

 

[micromind]

I still have (and use) a bunch of Rosco screwdrivers from the 70s.

They are pretty good quality, so far I have wrecked very few of them.

I also remember that they had oddball sizes too. Like a 1/8" slot that's 12" long; very few others had a line that complete.

If they still made the same ones, they would be my first choice for replacements.

 

[d42jeep]

If I see a Rosco screwdriver at a sale I generally pick it up if it’s in good condition. I found this stubby at a yard sale today and shined it up a little. It will live in my user toolbox.
-Don

 

[IMCA38]

Interesting new video on YT.

 

[four.cycle]

^ way too much chatter, which is why I very rarely bother to click on any "youtube" videos posted by people who like to hear themselves talk.

 

[IMCA38]

Picked up some nice Rosco screwdrivers with boxes at an estate sale.

 

[Thrashercharged]

The first tool I ever bought was a stubby #2 Phillips Rosco as a college freshman in Aug 1983 at a Chief's Auto Parts on MLK Blvd across the street from my dorm (Jester Center) in Austin, TX. I didn't have a car and it was within walking distance. I think I needed it to fix something on my bicycle. Even though I have a shop full of tools now, I still keep that Rosco in my home garage toolbox and somehow haven't lost it. As I was putting it back tonight I got curious about the Rosco brand, did a Google search and wound up here! It's a good tool, edges are still sharp, it's good steel. I'll have to keep an eye out for more at garage sales.

When did Rosco end production and why? I assume the usual - couldn't keep up with competition that moved manufacturing overseas?

 

[d42jeep]

Looks like they were sold to Vermont American around 1974. I still pick them up when I see them.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

yes. 1974
Rosco / Rosenberg Bros. & Co., Smithtown, L.I., NY / acquired by Vermont American 1974 / screwdriver / 2871899 Feb 3 1959 John H. Coyle et al & 3080900 Mar 12 1963 Ross Rosenberg / http://progress-is-fine.blogspot.com/2012/10/vanished-tool-makes-rosco.html / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/rosco-tools.442126/ /

@Thrashercharged -

link to LIST below on my "signature" line:

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a pretty nice one I found at a sale on Saturday.
-Don

 

[59Sled]

A couple Rosco drivers I had laying in a drawer.
Gave them a quick clean up.

Middle one is already done. just a pic comparing before and after.


All 3 cleaned up.

 

[d42jeep]

I cleaned up a two-fister I found a while back and found another last week.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

We headed to the kid’s house this morning to celebrate our granddaughter’s ninth birthday. I spotted a familiar orange and black handle on a stubby screwdriver sitting on a counter. It was indeed a Rosco so I asked if I could take it home and promised to replace it with another brand. It joined it’s relatives this afternoon.
-Don

 

[genog]

.......are there are still people using his tools???

Heck yes
I'm still using my two Two-Fisters
Although not to turn big slotted screws.....

One of those Big Boys lives in my Pry Bar drawer and the other is in the Garden Shed.
That second Big Boy is hammered into the ground (hard ground) to leverage out those annoying weeds with long roots

 

[genog]

I shot this blue Rosco while on Photo Safari yesterday

.....I seem to remember Rosco black/orange screwdrivers near the front counter at Kragen's Auto Parts.
My Dad bought a few of them.

This would be waaaaay back in the early 1980's.....
.....late 70's maybe?

This is the first Blue one that I have seen In the Wild...

 

[four.cycle]

.....I seem to remember Rosco black/orange screwdrivers near the front counter at Kragen's Auto Parts.
My Dad bought a few of them.

This would be waaaaay back in the early 1980's.....
.....late 70's maybe?

When we were selling the Rosco drivers in the 1960s, the low-end models had black and yellow handles.
They also had a model similar to the Klein "insulated grip" model that had the black rubber grip around the handle.
They came in cardboard barrels about 36 inches tall - there were hundreds of screwdrivers in each barrel. We used the barrels for the merchandisers. Sold them for 39 cents each, or 3 for a dollar - clear up until we closed the stores in 1988. We never saw any orange and black handles, so those must have been later.

There was a standing order in all of the stores: We do not loan screwdrivers. We sold a lot of Rosco screwdrivers.

 

[d42jeep]

Quite a few of them have ended up at my house. I did another pass through the screwdriver drawer and found a few more.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I found three more Rosco drivers at a family estate sale yesterday. I spent some time cleaning them up and eventually removing the rust from the shafts.

The first Torx Rosco I’ve run across



Red and clear handles.
Black and gold handles.
I got tired of looking at the rusty shafts. The Phillips tip has some wear.
-Don

 

[Mr. Tool]

All these post about ROSCO tools, etc…..got me to check in my small stash of tools and well low and behold, come to find out I actually do have a ROSCO tool!

Its a basic screwdriver.
Don’t know how long I’ve had it or how I acquired it, etc but I know that I’ve had it for years now. As you can see it’s been through a lot of action over the years.

 

[d42jeep]

I found this Awl at today’s estate sale. I cleaned the rust off of the shaft.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

For some reason I’ve been on kind of a Rosco run lately. Here is my estate sale find from yesterday after cleaning.
Space age finish!
Precision ground.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ I have some of those from that series - those are nice drivers! They weren't cheap!

 

[Leviton]

I had a four fister day!

I found two Two-Fisters in one day (at different unrelated locations).

The traditional Rosco-colored screwdriver is marked "Rosco Two-Fister Mechanics Unbreakable USA” on the handle and “Tool Steel U.S.A.” on the shank.
The translucent yellow handled version is marked the same, except it does not have the word "Rosco".

The handles are made slightly different - the yellow handle flutes are cut deeper and more square.








(PS: Shame on Private Lugnutz for not having a ROSCO listing in the manufacturer sticky section! ROSCO gets no respect.)

 

[four.cycle]

Shame on Private Lugnutz for not having a ROSCO listing in the manufacturer sticky section!

@Private Lugnutz and I discussed that issue some time back.

The "sticky index" was intended to be a quick reference - heavy emphasis on the quick part.
Once you start adding in every manufacturer under the sun, it no longer becomes quick - it becomes bloated and cumbersome and unusable.

Ergo: Use the "sticky index" for a quick reference guide.

For manufacturers which do not appear in the "sticky index", refer to the list, which includes in most cases a link to the appropriate GarageJournal.com thread:

Rosco / Rosenberg Bros. & Co., Smithtown, L.I., NY / acquired by Vermont American 1974 / screwdriver / 2871899 Feb 3 1959 John H. Coyle et al & 3080900 Mar 12 1963 Ross Rosenberg / http://progress-is-fine.blogspot.com/2012/10/vanished-tool-makes-rosco.html / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/rosco-tools.442126/ /

I make an effort to be sure to include the link(s) to the appropriate thread(s) as I see them. "Thread proliferation" makes this a more difficult task: multiple threads on the same tool (or manufacturer) just makes things more confusing for all users.

 

[Leviton]

@Private Lugnutz and I discussed that issue some time back.

The "sticky index" was intended to be a quick reference - heavy emphasis on the quick part.
Once you start adding in every manufacturer under the sun, it no longer becomes quick - it becomes bloated and cumbersome and unusable.

Ergo: Use the "sticky index" for a quick reference guide.

For manufacturers which do not appear in the "sticky index", refer to the list, which includes in most cases a link to the appropriate GarageJournal.com thread:

Rosco / Rosenberg Bros. & Co., Smithtown, L.I., NY / acquired by Vermont American 1974 / screwdriver / 2871899 Feb 3 1959 John H. Coyle et al & 3080900 Mar 12 1963 Ross Rosenberg / http://progress-is-fine.blogspot.com/2012/10/vanished-tool-makes-rosco.html / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/rosco-tools.442126/ /

I make an effort to be sure to include the link(s) to the appropriate thread(s) as I see them. "Thread proliferation" makes this a more difficult task: multiple threads on the same tool (or manufacturer) just makes things more confusing for all users.

I know. It was a joke. Hence the . I greatly appreciate his Sticky and your List, and use them all the time!

 

[four.cycle]

^ Well... I felt it appropriate to address the question for the benefit of others as well.
Used together, @Private Lugnutz 's "sticky index" and "the list" should direct the reader the right direction.
I make a point to include every URL appropriate, although I try to avoid including "Wikipedia"(because of the amount of errata) and "mycompanies.fandom.com" (because the site seems to be plagued with malware and obnoxious advertising popups.)

 

[Leviton]

^ Well... I felt it appropriate to address the question for the benefit of others as well.
Used together, @Private Lugnutz 's "sticky index" and "the list" should direct the reader the right direction.
I make a point to include every URL appropriate, although I try to avoid including "Wikipedia"(because of the amount of errata) and "mycompanies.fandom.com" (because the site seems to be plagued with malware and obnoxious advertising popups.)

Thanks for all you do.