Tools from the old world
- Thread starter Monte
- Start date
Reed Prince
Well-known member
Those look tempting, but I keep telling myself that I really don't need any more hex tools right now. Lets see how long that works.
acer66
Well-known member
Still made in Germany?
Dave455
Well-known member
I agree.The ones with the round shank mid-section are a lot better, they do not flex.
I have both the PB Swiss and the Wera.
The PB Swiss are superb, but you do pay a premium for the round shank.
You pay much less of a premium for the Wera!
honcho
Well-known member
Was in France recently and stopped in a couple of hardware stores looking around. Bought these pliers as gifts for my boys. The Unior bent needle nose I believe are made in Slovenia but all I can't find an actual COO on the packaging. The Techman pliers are made in Germany. They're not as nice as Knipex, but they're a nice size and should be a good addition. I would have liked to have bought French made tools but couldn't find anything other than some painting items in the stores I was in.
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As a Slovene myself - I'm also not sure. I have some 80's combination pliers with a stamped "UNIOR" on the hinge and I bet those are made in Slovenia. I also have two more modern ones with a laser etched "Unior" marking. The latter are okay pliers but the teeth seem to wear out more than on the old ones. Old ones also had the "german pattern" cutters while the new ones have the generic flush pattern.
Sadly I assume they're made in Taiwan and not in Slovenia but I could be wrong. Their ratcheting wrenches are also using just laser etched markings on an obviously Taiwanese wrench. Unior certainly does make high end forgings in Slovenia (for the car industry), and they manufacture the regular wrenches, sockets, puller tools and some other stuff in Slovenia.
You can see the slight difference on the shape of everything. Not sure if they'd just for some reason make such minute differences in all the shapes, most likely they just started outsourcing their production. You can see the slovene pliers had more rounded corners and the plier head looks ever-so-slightly wider and the pin is also different...
Snakevz
Well-known member
Pay attention at 2:03
That's awesome for me to see.
Though I think the guy presenting it does not know exactly what he was watching! At 1:30 I assume he shows the chroming process, but then at 1:35 he shows half-finished wrenches in the tumbler (you can see no broaching on them yet, and no lettering stamped on) and he says that happens after chroming which... Chrome does not work that way and it would make no sense to polish and grind and forge them after being chromed
) You always polish before chroming. Chrome is not shiny if applied on a rough surface.Really nice to see they still make pliers in-house. Really disappoints me to know their quality is worse than it was in the past. Instead of being driven to be the best, they're going for cutting costs... Doubt they'll be able to stay cheaper than the eastern manufacturers for long. Slovenia at the moment has a weird position with the wages closer to the western european but the cost of living closer to the eastern european. Which... is very favourable for the people but will likely prove expensive for such a manufacturer to keep competitive with imported tools.
Just comparing to Wera, which mainly manufactures in the Czech republic (almost half the minimum wage of Slovenia, and a third of German minimum wage) and imports from Taiwan. Can Unior compete with Wera? Probably not even close, Wera must sell waay more tools all over the world due to successful marketing and being very driven towards innovation and being unique.
MWEric
Well-known member
Picked up a Craftsman V “pliers wrench”.
Ratchet.
Well-known member
Very interesting, ive seen the same pliers on the Mac tools van here, so likely a facom product (they still make the pliers in france).. which segues into this, which i picked up from said tool van, mostly facom stuff is hilariously overpriced via the vans but these were on offer.Picked up a Craftsman V “pliers wrench”.
seem very nicely made, not sure about the plastic spring on these, as unlike the other facom pliers i have they doesnt appear to be able to be disengaged, but will see after i use them a bit.
Have been doing a bit of a inventory/toolbox sort out and rationalising what i have and selling some things, came across this Britool 3/4" wrench i have had for ages..
Real oddball one, as its similar in size to the common RJ series.. but its fully polished chrome rather then the semi matte finish on most britool stuff, doesnt have the usual recessed forged in lettering on the shank, just has the model number C750, England and the old oval Britool logo stamped into it.
Not seen another one like this, and not been able to find any via google (though no doubt thats in part down to googles search engine being awful now)
Anyone got an idea if its an early wrench, some quickly dropped product line, or even something from Britool hallmark.. though it doesnt have their hexagonal logo so i doubt this.
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Dave455
Well-known member
That is a Britool “C Series” wrench.Have been doing a bit of a inventory/toolbox sort out and rationalising what i have and selling some things, came across this Britool 3/4" wrench i have had for ages..
Real oddball one, as its similar in size to the common RJ series.. but its fully polished chrome rather then the semi matte finish on most britool stuff, doesnt have the usual recessed forged in lettering on the shank, just has the model number C750, England and the old oval Britool logo stamped into it.
Not seen another one like this, and not been able to find any via google (though no doubt thats in part down to googles search engine being awful now)
Anyone got an idea if its an early wrench, some quickly dropped product line, or even something from Britool hallmark.. though it doesnt have their hexagonal logo so i doubt this.
If I recall correctly they were designed specifically for the automotive / aerospace mechanic, and were particularly nicely finished.
They date (I think, but don’t quote me) from the 1980’s
They were never a common item - I love my Britool but never encountered these ’back in the day’.
HannibalLecter
Well-known member
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- Aug 26, 2023
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Since Facom acquired the Bost factory in France all pliers and screwdrivers are made there. You can find also cheap stanley branded pliers and screwdrivers of the fatmax series and they are the same, minus the handles.Very interesting, ive seen the same pliers on the Mac tools van here, so likely a facom product (they still make the pliers in france).. which segues into this, which i picked up from said tool van, mostly facom stuff is hilariously overpriced via the vans but these were on offer.
seem very nicely made, not sure about the plastic spring on these, as unlike the other facom pliers i have they doesnt appear to be able to be disengaged, but will see after i use them a bit.
Have been doing a bit of a inventory/toolbox sort out and rationalising what i have and selling some things, came across this Britool 3/4" wrench i have had for ages..
Real oddball one, as its similar in size to the common RJ series.. but its fully polished chrome rather then the semi matte finish on most britool stuff, doesnt have the usual recessed forged in lettering on the shank, just has the model number C750, England and the old oval Britool logo stamped into it.
Not seen another one like this, and not been able to find any via google (though no doubt thats in part down to googles search engine being awful now)
Anyone got an idea if its an early wrench, some quickly dropped product line, or even something from Britool hallmark.. though it doesnt have their hexagonal logo so i doubt this.
Ratchet.
Well-known member
Ah thanks, i did search c series spanners etc, but google just returned lots of images of C-spanners.. (the aformentioned uselessness of search engines in 2023 i guess...)
I did have an idea that they may have been aimed at mechanics, maybe to compete with the likes of snap on, what with the with the nicely finished polished chrome but wasnt sure if i was wildly off the mark.. guess not.
Shame they werent more common as it is really nicely finished, was somewhat neglected when i got it (with a bunch of more normal britool wrenches) but as can be seen polished up nicely, but yeah its the only one i have ever seen, and looks like assembling a set would be a futile task...
I have the same set in small flat and phillips. Absolutely superb.Witte Torx screwdriver set
The problem is that to find French-made tools in France, you have to contact industrial tool suppliers and not traditional sellers like Leroy-Merlin, Castorama or Brico-Dépôt and, even there, the most tools are imported except those from BOST (pliers), SAM and part of the FACOM range... Apart from real connoisseurs, professionals or industrialists, people prefer to buy disposable tools or, at least, of mediocre or average quality rather than spending a little more money for a durable tool which indirectly gives them work...
HannibalLecter
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- Aug 26, 2023
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To check where a facom tool is made I always use rs-online. I don't know other sourse and I don't even trust the local retailer
Dave455
Well-known member
Nice!Stopped by BAUHAUS in Berlin today. Think of it like a Lowes or Home Depot. Nice selection of tools but nothing of great interest...
I wish I could get Hazet at a chain store!
upgrading
Well-known member
Actually with all those tools it would be of great interest.
Stopped by BAUHAUS in Berlin today. Think of it like a Lowes or Home Depot. Nice selection of tools but nothing of great interest...
If these tools were on display like this at Home Depot or Lowes, they would probably have to be inside a locked cage.
acer66
Well-known member
Making a note not to go there next year unless I am under strickt adult supervision.Stopped by BAUHAUS in Berlin today. Think of it like a Lowes or Home Depot. Nice selection of tools but nothing of great interest...
MWEric
Well-known member
When I was in Nantes for work a few months ago, I did notice Leroy Merlin had an ok supply of French made Facom. BricoDepot didn’t have anything except the crappy Magnusson tools.
dutchgray
Well-known member
That's pretty much the same situation anywhere, you don’t get much worth having at any DIY type retail stores.
Yes, Leroy Merlin offers Facom tools but the majority of them are entry-level and manufactured outside the EU. And, if you want a tool that is not in their usual range, they will send you to an industrial distributor. On the other hand, they sell tons of Chinese junk...
Reed Prince
Well-known member
I bought some new Knipex wire strippers today. Hopefully these are the last ones I'll ever need to get, but I've said that before...
Pixel_Rage
Member
Ersa soldering station
I bought some new Knipex wire strippers today. Hopefully these are the last ones I'll ever need to get, but I've said that before...
I think I have the older version of that one. I think I like Embla with the blue V-blade cartridge (under 24AWG - for 24+ I usually use the Jokari version of that tiny Knipex) best but Knipex works well too. I also like that Knipex often leaves the cut insulation on the end of the wire. I prefer that to ejecting the end who knows where or having it stuck between guide and blade.
Reed Prince
Well-known member
I was hoping that the new Knipex strippers would hold and cut through the thick and sometimes slick insulation of speaker cables, but it did neither task very well when I tried some 8 and 12 gauge samples. My Merrys will strip these but it's still a struggle.
They do work great with 10 gauge SJO wire, and don't get insulation caught in them as the Jokaris tend to.
They do work great with 10 gauge SJO wire, and don't get insulation caught in them as the Jokaris tend to.
snowblindb
Well-known member
I was hoping that the new Knipex strippers would hold and cut through the thick and sometimes slick insulation of speaker cables, but it did neither task very well when I tried some 8 and 12 gauge samples. My Merrys will strip these but it's still a struggle.
They do work great with 10 gauge SJO wire, and don't get insulation caught in them as the Jokaris tend to.
Have you tried this kind of strippers?
I think that with round speaker cables it’s better to use strippers that you can twist around a cable. With bigger cables I have used Olfa utility knife with 25mm wide blade.
Bought this 19mm Hazet 606 wrench at Amazon Global Store, for a grand total of $46.36. I've read comments in various GJ threads that the Hazet ratcheting wrenches are made in Germany + Taiwan (forged in Germany, final assembly in Taiwan) or made entirely in Taiwan. I believe the latter is true, as I see a few differences between this ratcheting wrench and my 3 year old made-in-Germany Hazet combination wrenches. The most noticeable difference is the lack of edge chamfering on the Taiwan manufactured wrench. The Hazet German wrenches (and my German Stahlwille wrenches) have edge chamfering on the center beam and at both ends, This Taiwan wrench only has some on the beam, and it is incompletely done. My German manufactured Hazet and Stahlwille wrenches feel noticeably better in the hand than the Taiwan Hazet wrench. I don't expect any problems from the ratcheting mechanism, but the backdrag is medium, and I prefer light backdrag.
ConductorChris
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- Mar 21, 2017
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Came across this Canadian made BSW wrench
honcho
Well-known member
Was thinking you got a changer for Corgi cars like this?we bought a used Corghi wheel balancer and Hofmann tire changer for our hobby garage
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I have to restore a gedore old panelist set,as well as a dowidat old friction ratchet set. What I see is that gedore changed the blue color over the years.
upgrading
Well-known member
Why isn't it a Monte 2200 ???we bought a used Corghi wheel balancer and Hofmann tire changer for our hobby garage
maybe it works for corgi cars too
probably just a typo
Hazet 666-1 tire valve tool for installing and removing tire valve cores
