Tools from the old world

[Champo]

Decaf- wow! You win. What are the red and blue (wiha?) Insulated screwdrivers?

Monte- they look like an awesome idea. Made in Vietnam? I really like wiha pliers, It's rare to see a company outsource and still maintain their quality, but from what I've seen they managed it.

 

[rodsnratfinks]

One nice plier, perfect for its purpose.

Wow. I want one of these.

 

[rodsnratfinks]

What brand are those inspection mirrors?

 

[Crown Imperial]

new cutting pliers from Wurth: (or Wiha ? )
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/trRxFi2IWxk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I want a POWER KNOPF
lulz.

 

[Crown Imperial]

I am with decaf on having all workshop tools on pegboards instead of some huge and expensive roll cart. Where are the hammers though?

Bit similar set up but not nearly as organized. lol.
So much easier and faster to work with.

 

[rice rocket]

Pegboard = dust collector. Not my style. Only way I could stand pegboard is if it was like this Beta cabinet and fully encloseable:

 

[Crown Imperial]

So every time you need a tool you need to open an close those things?
Not much different than opening and closing a drawer.
Ain't nobody got time for that.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zGxwbhkDjZM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[rice rocket]

You open and close it how ever often you want. Drawers are a bit more inconvenient because you can't open more than one at a time.

I'd probably grab the tools I needed and close it, or if I were feeling frantic and messy, I'd leave it open and scatter tools around the garage. If I were sanding or grinding, it'd definitely be closed.

It's nice to have options.

 

[Crown Imperial]

I can see my head looking like swiss cheese leaving all those doors open all the time.

 

[rice rocket]

They open flat, I'm not sure why you'd be pressing your face up against the wall.

Sounds like a personal problem...

 

[10mm]

Decaf,

Where did you get the toolholders on the pegboard?

 

[Crown Imperial]

Roll fronts brah.

 

[decaf]

Decaf- wow! You win. What are the red and blue (wiha?) Insulated screwdrivers?

Monte- they look like an awesome idea. Made in Vietnam? I really like wiha pliers, It's rare to see a company outsource and still maintain their quality, but from what I've seen they managed it.

That is the "Hager" edition, Hager is a big electric company based in Germany i think?

 

[decaf]

Decaf,

Where did you get the toolholders on the pegboard?

Localy here in Sweden.

 

[decaf]

Wow. I want one of these.

Yupp they are really nice, not cheap.
I think the listprice here in Sweden is around 165 USD/ 150 EUR.
But i got it on ebay for 47 USD/43 EUR

 

[rodsnratfinks]

Yikes!

 

[rice rocket]

Yikes!

The aerospace standard is Milbar, I'd probably get those over the made in Taiwan Bahcos.

http://www.skygeek.com/1w393.html

 

[Champo]

nevermind

 

[1foxracing]

What brand are those inspection mirrors?

Look like Ullman to me?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GTR0GM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[losvre]

Couple of big boys...



Gedore 14mm screwdriver/chisel with pound cap. Like many screwdrivers these days it's not actually made in Germany



The Elora 32mm spanner was bought many years ago to undo viscous couplings on my BMWs.
The Elora 30mm socket was found in the engine bay of a used car I bought



Talking of Elora how come they never get much of a mention on this forum by German tool experten ? They are a traditional family owned business making a wide range of tools in Germany. In the UK they are distributed by Draper, one of the largest tool importers, so they must have significant sales.

http://elora.de/site/en/start.php

Stahlwille have a specific UK catalogue with prices in Sterling. They must have enough sales in Aerospace and Industry to justify printing the large tome. I've just got a 80 teeth 3/8th ratchet from them which is very smooth. Model 435 QR N

http://www.tbs-aachen.de/Stahlwille...ahlwille_435_QR_N_Ratchet_3/8_i3475_55522.htm

Hi Maico,

I am also interested to buy the Stahlwille 435 QR N or a set including the ratchet. I saw a negative feedback at amazon about the handle that it is very soft and is destroyed with often use.

Could you provide some feedback from your experience?

Thanks
Nikos

 

[ukrainian_horse_thief]

In no small part has this thread influenced several of my hand tool purchases over the past two years: Wiha drivers, Felo and Wera socket sets, the obligatory Knipex Cobras replacing all my Channellocks, etc., and a Metabo grinder that has converted many a welder.

Most of these brands have been absolutely spectacular. But I have now broken three Wiha SoftFinish hollow shaft nut drivers (out of two 34390 sets) in an identical manner in the past six weeks. Not hammering with them, not even reefing on them, just twisting, and then...pop ... and spin. One disassembled itself while we were suspended on a gangway hanging off the side of a bridge; the driver took a dive into the river, and the $1500 fixture in my other arm nearly followed suit.

Has anyone else had similar problems with these Wiha tools? I have collected a heap of their softfinish screwdrivers with nary a problem in two years, but these nut drivers are falling apart in the manner of Canajun Rubber trash.

 

[Crown Imperial]

^ I don't ever want to shake your hand.
You animal.

 

[Mr MoAiZo]

He guys,

made a trip to the US and these are the tools that came back home with me:

SK long pattern six point and midget twelve point combination wrenches (all metric)

Their finish is overall superb, only the 18mm long pattern has rough spots on the box end.

SK 12mm long pattern / Stahlwille Open Box 14 12mm



Channellock Nutbusters, all three of them


More Channellock


Channellock oil filter plier


Klein and Channellock combo pliers/side cutters/Lineman's


The overall finish of Channellock is not as good compared to Knipex or Klein.
But they are cheaper and do the work well.
I hope that the moving action of the Klein gets better, as it is really hard to push the two levers together.

Williams HiVis Supercombo wrench, 3/4"

Red tools are awesome.

Vise-Grip 7LW



Wilde pry bar set. Put the little one to the test. Love them.



Misc.

 

[ttpete]

The aerospace standard is Milbar, I'd probably get those over the made in Taiwan Bahcos.

http://www.skygeek.com/1w393.html

I use these. They have smooth jaws that don't nick the wire, polymer in the jaws to hold the cut-off wire piece, and are reversible.

http://www.skygeek.com/25w.html

 

[decaf]

Look like Ullman to me?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GTR0GM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Sorry for late answer, yes it´s Ullmans, and the quality is great.
Is Ullman a USA company?

 

[Crown Imperial]

Yes.
Connecticut.
They also make good pics.

 

[PiotrxV]

That's really just the packaging anyways, most lithium cells are made in China/Korea/Japan, I don't think there's any factories anywhere in Europe but I could be wrong.

Metabo batteries indeed were only assembled in Hungary and cells were made in Japan. But I want to leave as much money as I can in European worker's hands

Nice

 

[Miskin]

Sorry for late answer, yes it´s Ullmans, and the quality is great.
Is Ullman a USA company?

We use this hook & pick set at the workshop! Not a Old World tool but i saw your post and i remember them! Excellent quality! Better than my Klann.

View media item 49350
View media item 49351
View media item 49352

 

[lok]

In no small part has this thread influenced several of my hand tool purchases over the past two years: Wiha drivers, Felo and Wera socket sets, the obligatory Knipex Cobras replacing all my Channellocks, etc., and a Metabo grinder that has converted many a welder.

Most of these brands have been absolutely spectacular. But I have now broken three Wiha SoftFinish hollow shaft nut drivers (out of two 34390 sets) in an identical manner in the past six weeks. Not hammering with them, not even reefing on them, just twisting, and then...pop ... and spin. One disassembled itself while we were suspended on a gangway hanging off the side of a bridge; the driver took a dive into the river, and the $1500 fixture in my other arm nearly followed suit.

Has anyone else had similar problems with these Wiha tools? I have collected a heap of their softfinish screwdrivers with nary a problem in two years, but these nut drivers are falling apart in the manner of Canajun Rubber trash.

And this is what we mean good grip.

 

[Monte]

Made in Germany wire twisting pliers if anybody is interested
(by Stahlwille)

btw. pegboards......love these Gedore versions...

Monte- they look like an awesome idea. Made in Vietnam? I really like wiha pliers, It's rare to see a company outsource and still maintain their quality, but from what I've seen they managed it.

yes, forged in Vietnam.

I want a POWER KNOPF
lulz.

Power to the Knopf !

But I have now broken three Wiha SoftFinish hollow shaft nut drivers

I never have seen something like this....but i also don´t know anybody who use their nutdrivers

He guys,
made a trip to the US and these are the tools that came back home with me:

combination wrenches with 6 point box end ! Very nice !! Ideal for smaller sizes.

 

[nanofrog]

In no small part has this thread influenced several of my hand tool purchases over the past two years: Wiha drivers, Felo and Wera socket sets, the obligatory Knipex Cobras replacing all my Channellocks, etc., and a Metabo grinder that has converted many a welder.

Most of these brands have been absolutely spectacular. But I have now broken three Wiha SoftFinish hollow shaft nut drivers (out of two 34390 sets) in an identical manner in the past six weeks. Not hammering with them, not even reefing on them, just twisting, and then...pop ... and spin. One disassembled itself while we were suspended on a gangway hanging off the side of a bridge; the driver took a dive into the river, and the $1500 fixture in my other arm nearly followed suit.

Has anyone else had similar problems with these Wiha tools? I have collected a heap of their softfinish screwdrivers with nary a problem in two years, but these nut drivers are falling apart in the manner of Canajun Rubber trash.

Damn.

Looks like all the torque is handled by the weakest part of the tool, which is the yellow plastic at it's thinnest. I'd think Wiha should be able to improve the design, as it does appear weak to me.

Perhaps make the grips thicker/change the contour a bit so there's more plastic to take the force at that location would be one way (nut driver shaft is a larger diameter than the screwdriver blades for the same handle).

Better yet however, lengthen the shaft so it goes deeper into the handle (wings/splines on shaft set in the thicker/est part of the handle). Call me crazy, but I'd have expected this to have been noticed during design. And it happens to keeps the existing grip size & contour, while allowing for more torque to be applied without breaking in two. Yes, it will be a little more expensive to produce, but it will also save money in the long run over warranty returns. Might discover it's actually more cost effective in the long run.

 

[Bogdan M.]

 

[ukrainian_horse_thief]

Damn.

Looks like all the torque is handled by the weakest part of the tool, which is the yellow plastic at it's thinnest. I'd think Wiha should be able to improve the design, as it does appear weak to me.

Perhaps make the grips thicker/change the contour a bit so there's more plastic to take the force at that location would be one way (nut driver shaft is a larger diameter than the screwdriver blades for the same handle).

Nanofrog: Both are very good points. When the first 5/16" driver broke, I was astonished to find that the hollow shaft terminated in a splined pattern at the thinnest portion of the handle, only 1" in from the bolster. Counter-intuitive for these thicker diameter units, especially considering they make a very robust "extra heavy duty" screwdriver with a through-shaft and striking cap, telling me that although they know full well how to make a durable fastener-turning tool, they chose not to apply that knowledge in these nut drivers.

Wiha will warranty these tools, with the caveat that "we have not had any other issues on these". Like I've never heard that song before.

I guarantee that I am not a gorilla on the hand tools, and this kind of failure was wholly unexpected from this brand. Quite disappointing.

 

[Monte]

Format F-clamp

 

[maico]

Some splitting mauls. On the left an Ochsenkopf (Ox head) OX-635, 3kg head made of 60C steel. Ochsenkopf have been making axes in Germany since 1781. Must be one of the oldest brand names shown on the forum.
On the right a newish Swedish manufacturer who started in 1901. A Gransfors Bruk maul, a bit lighter with a shorter 800mm hickory handle and more expensive.

 

[Trucky]

Hey guys! Long time no see.

Is that clamp german made, Monte? I've noticed a lot of the locally stocked Bessey clamps are now made in China. Unfortunate. Jorgensen/Pony is still US made or Taiwan for some of the stuff and will get my $$$ when I do some woodworking project this summer.

No new old world tools for me unfortunately. Just some new Mac drivers.

 

[Ratchet.]

probably a minor 'you ****' here,

Picked up this made in Switzerland Bosch wood plane for free from one of the builders depots i service plant at, had been dumped there by a customer as the blade adjustment handle was broken/bodged.

Picked up the replacement parts for it online for about £5 and it works great, will come in handy soon as just in the process of moving into my own house (rented up to now, have more excuses to buy new tools )

Would i be right in saying scintilla is the company that made engine magnetos etc?

 

[superautobacs]

Hi Maico,

I am also interested to buy the Stahlwille 435 QR N or a set including the ratchet. I saw a negative feedback at amazon about the handle that it is very soft and is destroyed with often use.

Could you provide some feedback from your experience?

Thanks
Nikos

Hi Losvre,

I don't own the 435 QR N, but I did play around with it at a tool shop. I was really excited to purchase it's smaller sibling, the 415 QR N, but I wasn't overly impressed with the ratcheting action....unfortunately. It didn't meet my expectations when it came to the degree of drag the mechanism had in its backstroke swing. Having said that, it's still an outstanding ratchet.
As for the handle, as with any soft-grip-handled tool, you need to be weary of the wear and tear it's going to get--it's inevitable. The amount of abuse the handle sees will depend on the environment it's being used (industrial or DIY....dirty;oily or clean room setting). I guess the important thing now is that you're already concious of it, so I'm sure your ratchet handle will last a long time.

BTW, the internals look like this:

and new, next to old:

Hey guys! Long time no see.

Is that clamp german made, Monte? I've noticed a lot of the locally stocked Bessey clamps are now made in China. Unfortunate. Jorgensen/Pony is still US made or Taiwan for some of the stuff and will get my $$$ when I do some woodworking project this summer.

No new old world tools for me unfortunately. Just some new Mac drivers.

Bessey has been outsourcing their cheaper/lower end clamps for some years already. The K-body/Revo-vario/Kliklamp (woodworking stuff) are still Germany.








New World item I recently purchased:

The the Bosch 10-pc blade set was a steel at $8.

 

[maico]

Hi Losvre,

I don't own the 435 QR N, but I did play around with it at a tool shop. I was really excited to purchase it's smaller sibling, the 415 QR N, but I wasn't overly impressed with the ratcheting action....unfortunately. It didn't meet my expectations when it came to the degree of drag the mechanism had in its backstroke swing. Having said that, it's still an outstanding ratchet.
As for the handle, as with any soft-grip-handled tool, you need to be weary of the wear and tear it's going to get--it's inevitable. The amount of abuse the handle sees will depend on the environment it's being used (industrial or DIY....dirty;oily or clean room setting). I guess the important thing now is that you're already concious of it, so I'm sure your ratchet handle will last a long time.

BTW, the internals look like this:

and new, next to old:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've got a Stahlwille 3/8th 435QR N 80 tooth ratchet and a 1/2" 512 QR N which is 60 teeth.

Like many people I seem to own enough fire power that handle wear will never be an issue !

The French made Facom handle seems very robust. I've had the 3/8 palm ratchet for years and it's had a ton of non-pro use.

In terms of smoothness the Stahlwille 435QR N wins out of those shown bellow. With the drop test it goes past 8 O'clock. Very little drag back.

Also shown are some quick release 3/8th extensions and a 1/2" 52mm wobble extension.

 

[Fedwrench]

Hey, Those FACOM 1/2 and 3/8 drive ratchets shown above in the group photo are assembled wrong.

The palm control direction switch is supposed to be on the same side as the printing FACOM and model number. There should be nothing on the handle on the square drive side.

See how the Bottom ratchet is assembled.