Re: Tool Manufacturers quick reference and working list
I have been working on this list for a little while now. Trying to compile an accurate working list of mainly old USA made hand tools. Some references are not mine. If you have any additional info or corrections please let me know. - BWP
DANAHER TOOLS:
Allen
Armstrong
1. K-D Tools
2. Holo-Krome - fasteners
Matco Tools
Sata - Chinese made (Uses MATCO Emblem!!)
Spline Gauges – England
Iseli - precision measurements
Makes Kobalt line
Makes Craftsman line
Makes NAPA Line
STANLEY TOOLS:
BEST - Electronic access control
BLICK - England
BOSTITCH - Air nailers
CST/BERGER - Measurement laser levels, opticals
MAC
PROTO – Made fleet and challenger
1. Blackhawk – line made by proto
VIDMAR - Storage systems
ZAG - Plastic storage
HUSKY
****National Hand Tool Corp. div. of Stanley is also the Taiwan supplier of tools for True Value Hardware's Master Mechanic brand as well as where John Deere Tractor dealers get tools as well – From Jim Craftsman club
****MAGNA - ??? OLD Stanley line????
SNAP ON:
1. Williams
2. Bahco
3. Blue Point (rebadged)
CORNWELL: Based in Ohio. Make tools in Mogodore, Oh and also Pennsylvania
S-K: Bought themselves back from FACOM
IRWIN:
1. Vise Grip
2. Hanson - Makes SO and MAC TAPS N DIES
WRIGHT: Made in USA, based in Ohio
EMERSON:
1. RIDGID
2. RIDGID Kollmann
3. Peddinghaus
4. Knaack
5. Weatherguard
COOPER HAND TOOLS:
1. Crescent
2. Wiss
3. Lufkin
4. Nicholson
5. H.K. Porter
6. Weller
7. Erem
8. Exelite
9. Campbell
OLYMPIA TOOLS:
1. Thorsen
2. Roughneck – shovels picks and such
3. Chronium
4. Work Gear
5. Village blacksmith – Lawn and garden
6. Eurocut blades
7. Babco – Vises and clamps
KLEIN:
1. Vaco
STARRETT – Precision measuring devises
CHANNEL LOCK
MALCO - HVAC STUFF
Waterloo - toolboxes
Granco – ??????
Vim Tools – Durston Manufacturing. USA MADE???
BARCALO BUFFALO - ???
Kraeuter - ????
Herbrand - ??????
Vanadium tool company - ??????
INDESTRO - Indestro was a brand name used by Duro Metal Products Company of Chicago, Illinois.
Duro Metal Products was a well-named company, as they made many, many different types of metal products, including office furnishings, bottle cappers, woodworking power tools, and hand tools.
Duro produced at least 3 different lines of Indestro tools -- Indestro, Indestro Classic, Indestro Super -- ranging from low-price-and-strength stamped sheet steel wrenches to what we would call today "professional quality" tools forged from alloy steel.
In the 1950's through the 1970's, Duro Metal Products made and marketed hand tools under their own Indestro and Duro-Chrome lines, but they made private-label tools for a whole slew of other marketers, including Fairmount Forge, W. T. Grant, True Value Hardware, Western Auto, and Montgomery Ward. (It's worth noting that Montgomery Ward seemingly flitted from vendor to vendor for their mechanics' tools, going from Duro Metal to Wright to Thorsen in about a decade.)
Duro Metal Products fell onto hard times in the 1980's, and in their last days they sold a fair number of wrenches to the US Government stamped with a single Duro-Indestro branding . . . or maybe it was Indestro-Duro, I forget. I don't think I've seen any of the Duro Metal tool lines featured in an auto-parts or hardware store in the last twenty years.
BONNEY - Out of business in 1995
Proamerica – Looks like craftsman – seems to still be in business
Fairmount – Made in Cleveland old tool co, poss bought out or sold in 1934
VLCHEK – The Vlchek Tool Company was founded in Cleveland, Ohio on February 18, 1895 by a blacksmith named Frank J. Vlchek. The company continued to produce mechanic's tools at least until 1969. Sometime prior to 1965, the company became a subsidiary of Pendelton Tool Industries, Inc. The Vlchek Tool Company was then purchased on 6/30/69 by Flambeau Products and tool production was discontinued. Open end wrenches, hammers, screwdrivers, spark plug wrenches, 9" adjustable wrenches and pliers were supplied to Chevrolet by Vlchek. Prior to World War II, Vlchek also sold tools to Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac. They supplied tool kits for Chevrolets up until the year 1966. That was the year that Chevrolet discontinued offering tool kits. The tool kit was a standard item provided with each and every Chevrolet from the beginning of production in 1912 through the year 1948. In 1949, the tool kit became an optional accessory. Generally speaking, the tool kits included: one or two screwdrivers, a pair of pliers, a hammer and a spark plug wrench. The tools were usually housed in a tool bag. Cloth bags were used up until about 1955. After that date, a plastic tool bag was used. The only Chevrolet tools which were stamped with the company name "Vlchek" were some spark plug sockets which were made in the 1950's and 1960's. Many open end wrenches can be found at swap meets with "Vlchek" stamped on the tool, however, it is believed that these tools were sold at local hardware stores and were not included in the Chevrolet tool kits.
The following titles, take you to pages where drawings of each Vlchek tool are found. You will note that most of the tools have dates beside them as to when the specific tool was produced for Chevrolet. Most of the information on Vlchek tools has come from: Chevrolet Parts Catalogs, NOS tool kits from original unrestored Chevrolets and from talking with a Vlchek salesman who had worked at the Vlchek Tool Company from 1946 through the mid 1990's.
DIAMOND - A nice clean vintage wrench from the 1920's-50's era! Diamond Tool and Horseshoe Co. and Diamond Calk and Horseshoe Co. where apparently the same company, the Diamond Tool mark, we believe to be the later mark, or around 1950's era. The design is so close to that of the Crescent Tool Co., one wonders if the two companies were connected in some way. Yet we find no evidence of this in any records regarding these quality tool making companies. We can't find any history about Diamond Tool or Diamond Calk after early 1950. This size is a bit more rare than most of the other sizes in this model.
KAL – Some USA MADE others overseas
TRUECRAFT – still some out there , company as of 1998 ????
Giller - ????
Moore – Possibly made old ford wrenches (Have stamped M)
Sparta - ???
Sears – Old Stanley ???
EASCO – Bought out by Danaher (Changed name???)
Zenal- ???
WIZARD- ???
Western Forge, Inc – Now Emerson
P&C - ?????
PLUMB - ???
Billings?
MAGNA (Poss line under stanley look like old Stanley and MAC)
IVY tool company - IVY Classic (???)
UTICA – Possibly bought out and under Cooper tools
Wakefield - ??
GEDORE- ????
From Paul J. Cirulli
Now that I have a bit of computer time at the library, if I may, let me pick-up, were I left off.
(1) Pennens Corporation, once headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, then entire operations moved to Schiller Park, Illinois. No longer around, bought out.
Manufactured under the following brands:
(a) Pennens
(b) Challenger
(c) Fleet
The Stanley Works may have bought out,
because in later years manufactured the Challenger Line. However I do not know if these tools were made at the Proto Division Plant.
Pay attention to Schiller Park, Illinois manufacturing facility.
(2) S-K Wayne/S-K Tools, Inc./S-K Facom
The S-K facilities were originally in Chicago, Illinois, then to Franklin Park, Illinois and today in Defiance, Ohio.
-BWP
