I bought some FACOM wrenches. 440.JP14PB, $107.20, Amazon USA. (I just realized I didn't check Amazon UK or Fronce.)
7-24mm, skipping 9, 20, 21, 23. (Does anybody ever use a 23mm?!)
Oh good, I need more confort.
More money than the similar Craftsman V-series wrench set/organizer, except two more, bigger wrenches and priced accordingly. My initial reaction: very comfy, round edges wherever you handle a wrench. Also, I'd heard their pattern was short but it turns out the largest-sized wrenches in the set are kind of short -- but the smallest-sized are a little long. Which is kind of backwards from what life might throw at you, I guess.
Organizer is pretty neat.
Size comparisons, Craftsman Professional (long pattern), FACOM, Craftsman raised panel:
The 440 wrenches really are nice.
I wasn’t sure at first. I was very attached to my (French made) No.40 wrenches and didn’t really want changes, especially to a wrench obviously designed for minimal hand finishing.
However, as it turned out the 440’s are superb wrenches. The standard of manufacturing is incredibly high, as is the quality of the steel, the heat treatment, and the finishing. These were tools that changed my perception of Taiwanese manufacturing,
I bought a few to “fill some gaps” in my road box, and ended up with a complete set from 6 to 22mm (less 20). They are a pleasure to use and so far seem durable. The prices paid this side of the pond are incredibly reasonable too.
You’re right about the disparity in the lengths though. The smaller sizes are relatively long, the larger ones less so.
I’ve ended up adding a few 440 XL’s in the popular sizes too, and in all honesty only see more of these in my life.
The FACOM 440XL.JP8 set is a clones of the Mac wrenches but has skips in the set. I have both the MACs and the FACOM set as a travel backup. I’m guessing the FACOM 40 series XL wrenches are eventually going to get phased out and replaced with a better selection of the 440XL’s to fill out the skips. The 440 wrenches are the same as the Craftsman V-series wrenches.
23mm is sometimes useful. Way more useful than 20mm.
Other way around really.
The Facom 440 was the original design. I’m guessing it’s been available for the best part of 20 years, and was a Facom design. For a considerable period it was only available under the Facom name, though other brand names in the SBD group have subsequently followed.
The longer version, the 440XL, and the USAG / Proto / Mac equivalents are a newer design. Although they have been introduced almost simultaneously by all the brands the SBD group, the original design remains Facom.
I suspect that SBD know that longer wrenches tend to be preferred in the U.S. so were keen to market these as a Proto / Mac product as soon as feasible.
The long version of the Facom No.40 is the 40L (now the 40LA). The 40L has never been available in sizes smaller than 19mm, so it’s feasible that Facom will market the 440XL as a complement to the regular 440, but retain the 4OL. We can only guess.
The 40L is available up to 65mm and I can’t imagine the 440XL’s being produced that big.
Other designs of Facom wrench, such as the No.41 with the offset box end (slightly longer than the 440) remain available as well.
Brands such as Mac of course, don’t have the option of a 40L, hence the MAC version of the 440XL is available in a greater range of sizes.
23mm was a standard size in the (now obsolete) French metric standard. You find them on all manner of French equipment, and older French cars - Renault 16 comes to mind.
