Yeah,
I've never been impressed with the finish on Gedore wrenches either. Don't be suspicious, if they're stamped Germany, then they really are made in Germany.
I remember seeing images of the Gedore 1B wrenches and thinking that they are such a cool design with the flutes off the open end. Like old Williams or Belzer. But when I actually got some, I felt somehow let down by the finish when you see them "in-person".
They're meant as a heavy duty wrench and they have the mother of all box ends with loads of offset. So they don't fit in tight places so well. They're more of an industrial wrench rather than an auto repair type wrench. That role is filled by the Gedore No.7 series.
Gedores aren't such a joy to look at like Hazet.
So they're not the belle of the ball, but don't worry, the steel is excellent and they will be good wrenches for you. A little Autosol or Simichrome and some elbow grease and you're on your way.
Anyway, with Whitworth nowadays you're choices are getting very limited.
Agreed Whitworth options are far less than they used to be, but it is rare I need it these days. I am rebuilding an old Tough (Australia) drill press ( c. 1950's), and a couple of jobs on old John Heine ...
Way back when I worked on Morris Minors, Triumph and the odd Jag ( first car I ever bought was a Mk7; at 16), whitworth was 'normal'. The first set of sockets and spanners I was given was a Sidchrome set, sadly, stolen years ago.
The bit of storage rust will come off, it's not major, more an illustration of sloppier/cheaper production
ahh the Gedore "Farmers Choice®" finish
Their tools are not made for the eye of a DIY user
The rust is a bit "unfavorable" though....Can you wipe it off or scrape it off with your finger nail ? (looks like surface rust and not really deep ?)
farmers finish! ha! good description. It doesn’t really matter, but the gross differences in the finish are an insight into Gedore production standards (or lack thereof). They are more than strong enough/functional to do what is required.
I guess it irks a bit, that Hazet, Stahlwille, Elora et al, can achieve decent plating… and finish standards generally . Why I normally only buy Hazet or Stahlwille
Gedore offer two styles of combination wrench. One style (No.7 I think) comes in a 'matte' finish, which is o.k. but they don't offer Whitworth in this style!
The only style they do offer Whitworth in (No.1?), has a fairly rough finish (what would be called 'industrial' in the U.K.) which I don't like much either! To be fair, they are tough, and work just fine, but they don't give much pleasure in use!
Wrench wise, you would probably be much better served by King **** or Elora! The former are British made, the latter German, but both have a much better finish than the Gedore. Snap On still offer their superb wrenches in Whitworth too, and I reckon it's worth acquiring a couple while you can! Sadly, none of these firms offer long pattern combination wrenches!
If you havn't discovered them already, KoKen make a huge range of sockets, at seriously reasonable prices!
Worth keeping an eye on fleabay U.K. as decent a Whit tools come up often, and don't always go for much money!
The series is 1B
Elora are ok, I have some small BA open enders. The only reason I went with the Gedore is that I already had one; can’t remember when I bought it, but must have been for a specific job, and all I could get at the time.
So getting the Gedore was just a means of completing a brand set, and the sizes I needed for a couple of current projects
Gedore was around when I was a kid, along with King **** and a few other 'exotics' , but mostly Sidchrome in 1950-1960's Oz. Gedore went off my mental list, when Gedore indian **** started infiltrating the little market share they had here. One of the local industrial supply houses carried it, same price of course as corresponding German made. No thanks; offside for life. I have read in this forum that they had changed position somewhat. But clearly still not on the same level as Hazet/Stahlwille.
Koken make nice stuff, agreed. A mate has some.
I sometimes check fleabay,; but just easier most time to stump up the $$ for a new set, and get on with it, rather than chasing the missing sizes… I had a look on ebay au yesterday and of course there was a set of old Sidchrome W for c. $19
/ :-(
The 3/4 is quite large too
).
