screwdrivers and spanners

[chammyman]

Well today i found another of my P-B screwdrivers. I use these all the time but found another out in the shed, where I found loads more tools.

Anyway I took a pic of my P-B screwdrivers, they are very, very good I have to say and I use them frequently.

This is their US website http://www.pbtools.us/

Mine are the classic handled ones and about 25 or so years old, they were my grandfathers.

I also found in a box some almost mint imperial spanners, I found loads more but they were not so clean

various king ****

and a britool

I wish there was a decent market for imperial stuff here as I would swap 90% of them for metric stuff. Imperial is useless here in the UK.

 

[wilbilt]

I worked with a UK mechanic in the early 1980s. He was always telling me that there would never be a metric presence in the UK, due to the foot being based on the actual King's foot, etc.

I didn't think metric would ever be anything other than a minor presence here, either.

Time changes things.

 

[Merkava_4]

Anyway I took a pic of my P-B screwdrivers, they are very, very good I have to say and I use them frequently.

Looks like they've come a little ways since then:

 

[Frank Elson]

I have the one second from the top. It must be 30 years old as well. The end is worn away and I use it just for opening paint tins.
But, as I can't seem to find a decent screwdriver in that size I'm wondering about grinding the tip of the PB.
Can this be done ok if I promise to keep my hand really steady?
I've nothing to lose really do I ?

 

[eschoendorff]

Looks like they've come a little ways since then:

Damn... I REALLY want to try a set pf PB screwdrivers.

 

[chammyman]

The classic handles are still sold on the website.

Well frank if its a p-b its got a lifetime guarentee. I have the tip broken off the 3rd driver up., the one with the chrome missing so i'm wondering if I can get it changed. But I will probably just dress it up with a grinder.

Only thing is you need to really re-heat treat it.

 

[Frank Elson]

how do I re-heat treat it?

 

[chammyman]

heat it up then quench it in water or oil.

I have to say when I grind them to the shape I want them I just dunk them and they seem fine, fine means they don't break off, chip or twist btw

 

[MAD]

various king ****

I wish there was a decent market for imperial stuff here as I would swap 90% of them for metric stuff. Imperial is useless here in the UK.

There are restorers and collectors of old British cars and motorcycles here in the states that end up paying high prices for Whitworth sized spanners like those King **** wrenches. There are plenty of AF sized tools but Whitworth tools are fairly rare items. There are not all that many people that need them but the supply is mostly limited to a few specialty dealers so the prices are high. I don't know if the shipping cost would kill the deal but I would expect someone here in the U.S. would buy those or trade them for something metric.

 

[pbtoolman]

All PB Swiss Tools products have an unlimited lifetime guarantee. If an item has become broken, defective, or is not possible for use after normal wear and tear conditions, then it can be returned for a replacement part. In some cases, an exact replacement part may not be available due to design changes or discontinued items. In this case, a customer support representative will contact you with options for completing the warranty return process.

Please send your defective item(s) to:
Count On Tools, Inc.
Attn: PB Warranty Return
2481 Hilton Drive - Suite 3
Gainesville, GA 30501

Be sure to also include with your warranty items a business card or note detailing your contact information for the return. Without this information, we will not be able to process your warranty replacement. If you should have any other questions regarding this process, please contact customer support at 1.800.880.7007 or [email protected].

Also, we do not recomend grinding the tool down yourself and re-heat treating it. This significantly changes the hardness of the tool and can cause fracturing during use.

If anyone else has any questions about PB Swiss Tools. Please let me know. My name is Zach Shook and I handle the marketing for the US Distributor Count On Tools (www.pbtools.us).

Thanks for the wonderful post! It is always great to find more customers who have had the same set of screwdrivers or hex keys for 15, 20, 30+ years with no problems.

 

[wilbilt]

Welcome, Zach!

Thank you for choosing to participate here. You will likely receive a lot of questions about the brand(s) you represent!

 

[chammyman]

Hi Zach, i haven't done the heat treating on any pb tools as the broken tippe done only broke a short while back.

Do you have any info on a UK distributor?

 

[Frank Elson]

Well I'm not going to touch mine until we hear from Zach again.
I didn't hurt it with the paint tins, honest...

 

[WheelsNT]

Looking around on the website of the Swiss parent company (http://www.pbswisstools.com/) I see the following listed for the UK:

PB Swiss Tools distribution partner

The Bearing Mart
Unit 2, Olympia Trading Estate
Manchester M15 4NP
Phone +44 161 236 2300
Fax +44 161 236 3030
http://bearingmart.co.uk

Warwick Industrial Supplies
Wharf Street
Warwick CV34 5LB
Phone +44 (0) 1926 403 483
Fax +44 (0) 1926 403 777
[email protected]

 

[pbtoolman]

WheelsNT, you are correct on the distributors. I am not sure however, that all distributors process the warranties on lifetime guarantee for PB.

For us to process the warranty claim, all you have to do is mail the tool to our shop and we will replace it and send you a new one. Our address is in my above post.

Once again, if anyone has any questions about PB's products or services, just let me know. We have a lot of great products, some with very unique features that no other tool manufacture offers.

 

[Frank Elson]

Looking around on the website of the Swiss parent company (http://www.pbswisstools.com/) I see the following listed for the UK:

PB Swiss Tools distribution partner

The Bearing Mart
Unit 2, Olympia Trading Estate
Manchester M15 4NP
Phone +44 161 236 2300
Fax +44 161 236 3030
http://bearingmart.co.uk

Warwick Industrial Supplies
Wharf Street
Warwick CV34 5LB
Phone +44 (0) 1926 403 483
Fax +44 (0) 1926 403 777
[email protected]

I know the Olympia Trading Estate, drive past it two or three times a week
I think I'll have to give them a call... maybe they'd like to talk to a motoring journalist ;-)

 

[chammyman]

frank let me know if they do it, if so I may have a favour to ask...

 

[Moose-LandTran]

Me too..

On another note, i was looking through the box and the garage today, and i found some Britool spanners (from way back when, before they got crappified.) as well as a couple Bedford spanners and a 1.5mm PB SwissTools hex driver.

 

[chammyman]

pictures then Christopher

 

[Moose-LandTran]

pictures then Christopher

Who?

 

[chammyman]

thought you were called chris?

 

[chammyman]

see

"I do actually go by the name Moose (part of being strangely secretive about myself) but i'm also called Chris. Moose is a nickname given by a friend, stuck ever since. Odd, i know"

 

[Frank Elson]

it's... not... Christine is it?

 

[eschoendorff]

WheelsNT, you are correct on the distributors. I am not sure however, that all distributors process the warranties on lifetime guarantee for PB.

For us to process the warranty claim, all you have to do is mail the tool to our shop and we will replace it and send you a new one. Our address is in my above post.

Once again, if anyone has any questions about PB's products or services, just let me know. We have a lot of great products, some with very unique features that no other tool manufacture offers.

Now I REALLY want to try some PB tools. Didn't realize we'd have our own PB Tools person on the board! Welcome!

 

[Jononon]

Warwick Industrial Supplies
Wharf Street
Warwick CV34 5LB
Phone +44 (0) 1926 403 483
Fax +44 (0) 1926 403 777
[email protected]

My experience with them may have been an aberration, but as far as I'm concerned this firm comes very strongly not recommended