Tools from the old world
- Thread starter Monte
- Start date
Those Gedore drivers look interesting. I really like ratchet screwdrivers even though I don't really have a use for them. 
VBW 575015 280mm pliers. These are the first chromed pliers that I've handled. Not sure chrome plating works very well for pliers as it appears to fill the gaps in the teeth making them smoother and not so grippy.
Compared to Snap On 911ACF. Was hoping that the VBW would have finer tips than the Snap on but they are very similar.
VBW 575015 280mm pliers. These are the first chromed pliers that I've handled. Not sure chrome plating works very well for pliers as it appears to fill the gaps in the teeth making them smoother and not so grippy.
Compared to Snap On 911ACF. Was hoping that the VBW would have finer tips than the Snap on but they are very similar.
Made me do some digging.
Your intuition is, as usual, spot on.
https://www.ashcroftcachecreekjourn...es-another-step-forward-with-european-patent/
"...Rolgear now has a licencing agreement with Oplast, the biggest tool manufacturer in Europe [did not know that!], which uses the technology in their Kraftgrip ratcheting screwdrivers."
The Gedore one appears to be a rebrand rather than an exclusive.
NOS Proto (Schmitz made?) pliers and cutters. Except for the handles it is hard to believe these are at least 30 years old ("Made in W. Germany"). The metal bits look like they could have been forged and polished last month, and the joints feel smooth (over the spring action range) without any apparent gummed-up lube.
View media item 99734
The serrated snipe nose ones are a mrspeed find.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8242632&postcount=4401
I think I prefer the straight serrations to the angled serrations on my well-used similar Wiha pair (also likely Schmitz). The handles feel as old fashioned as they look. Wiha are much better in that regard.
The cutters are larger than the other precision cutters I have, and have a longer head. They are very nicely balanced, and leave a nice flush cut on zip ties. They are going to replace a well used set of those $5 Hakko flush cutters for zip ties. I expect I won't ever need another pair of flush cutters, unless these walk away.
Last edited:
Jack84
Well-known member
measuredtwice
Well-known member
Bosch GRO 12V-35 rotary tool.
Really don't like the ergonomics of the Bosch. It gets positive reviews on Amazon so I may be in the minority here but compared to a cordless Dremel and corded Proxxon it does not handle well IMHO.
The issue I have with the Bosch is that it is too heavy at the battery end and too fat when holding it like a pen which is my prefered way to hold rotary tools.
The Proxxon and Dremel are slimmer where you grip them and feel much more evenly weighted. This is not just due to weight but because the gripping area is a higher up on the body of the tool. Proxxon corded rotary tools are awesome BTW.
Spotted on Ebay. Advent Official England Screwdriver Set. Would normally expect these to be the cheapest **** but the back of the box says 'Made in EU' so they may be Oplast.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-New-Ad...017435&hash=item46a4d65527:g:b8IAAOSw4ARcfq5t
Also on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006XBT4K2/?tag=atomicindustr-21
All the best for the new year gentlemen (and ladies if there are any here).
to Monte for setting the tone of this thread so it has remained respectful and friendly for such a long time. 
Really don't like the ergonomics of the Bosch. It gets positive reviews on Amazon so I may be in the minority here but compared to a cordless Dremel and corded Proxxon it does not handle well IMHO.
The issue I have with the Bosch is that it is too heavy at the battery end and too fat when holding it like a pen which is my prefered way to hold rotary tools.
The Proxxon and Dremel are slimmer where you grip them and feel much more evenly weighted. This is not just due to weight but because the gripping area is a higher up on the body of the tool. Proxxon corded rotary tools are awesome BTW.
Spotted on Ebay. Advent Official England Screwdriver Set. Would normally expect these to be the cheapest **** but the back of the box says 'Made in EU' so they may be Oplast.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-New-Ad...017435&hash=item46a4d65527:g:b8IAAOSw4ARcfq5t
Also on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006XBT4K2/?tag=atomicindustr-21
All the best for the new year gentlemen (and ladies if there are any here).
to Monte for setting the tone of this thread so it has remained respectful and friendly for such a long time. In terms of how they've held up to storage, they could have been made last week. Materials quality is excellent. They are grippy and supple after 3 decades or more. However, the design is old fashioned. I think that multicomponent handles are more comfortable in the hand. These are similar to current Snapon - cushioned with no contouring, textured coating on top.
Reasonable is in the eye of the beholder, but price does include shipping and I am not aware of a minimum order value requirement.
https://www.schmitz-pliers.com/collections/special-cutters
Made me do some digging.
"...Rolgear now has a licencing agreement with Oplast, the biggest tool manufacturer in Europe [did not know that!], which uses the technology in their Kraftgrip ratcheting screwdrivers."
Also just been reading about Oplast. Do they just manufacture plastic parts so in the case of screwdrivers they only make the handles?
measuredtwice
Well-known member
Ah. Good to know they've held up well.
They look similar to the grips on Tronex and Swanstrom. At one time, I dug up the supplier for them and meant to call them up to ask about the minimum order quantity. But I forgot and misplaced the link. Hopefully I'll find it again.
Hadn't seen those. Thank you for the link.
I found replacement handles from Merry on Amazon Japan. Oddly, they appear to be sold individually and there's only one in stock!
https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B00EE13Y2W/
Found these at flea market. Can't find anything on model 1525-B, E A Berg. I do like buying good used tools, but not adjusted; those little holes on cutting edges are original, or?
https://ibb.co/3fBd9z1
https://ibb.co/3fBd9z1
Last edited:
Cynical huckster
Well-known member
tomalophicon
Well-known member
HenryAZ
MEMBER EMERITUS
I used to use verniers a lot, but can no longer read one without a magnifying glass.
I've never understood the appeal of those: high price, old-fashioned grips, and screws for joints.
I think there are some posts further up discussing Oplast as OEM to Hazet as well as Gedore. Everything I know about that company I learned from Monte et al. in this thread though!
measuredtwice
Well-known member
They manufacture a wide range from inexpensive hobby pliers to expensive industrial pliers. The medical series with carbide cutters are the best flush cutters that I've used by far. The budget hobby grade pliers don't have appeal to me but I appreciate their value to hobbyists.
The appeal of the handles is subjective but I like them. I also like the handles on Snap-On. I found the handle manufacturer that I had been searching for. I'd love to get a bunch of those handles for old pliers that lacked grips originally and pliers that are worn.
https://www.harmancorp.com/search-by-industry/hand-tools/
They prominently show the Tronex brand on a pliers which leads me to believe that they make the handles for Tronex (and maybe Swantstrom).
I noticed that Klein is using similar handles on some of their wire strippers. I wonder if they are also made by Harman?
Happy new year everybody
I dunno if these "How it´s made" videos were already posted.....
however some vids about drills and grinders:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XpFy5GOm_Rc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1VO-78W0jNU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I dunno if these "How it´s made" videos were already posted.....
however
some vids about drills and grinders:<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XpFy5GOm_Rc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1VO-78W0jNU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Dave455
Well-known member
Maybe it was the other way around, and Bahco bought Record?
If they did, I think they pretty much left them alone.
There are quite a few “Bahco Record” tools on U.K. eBay. I think I have a couple of chisels marked as that. The packing certainly was!
Van Steele
Well-known member
Record was taken over by Bahco in the early 1980's.
Superbec
Well-known member
This little guy here is Audisse Shokunin , he does it all , fm , DAB ,BT ,internet radio (country/regio) , it runs on batteries or plugged in , it can also charge a phone, they say it's shockproof and can get wet .
Since I got it my productivity went thru the roof , what was half an hour "work" day now I can stretch to 2-3 hours with just a few coffee breaks .
Since I got it my productivity went thru the roof , what was half an hour "work" day now I can stretch to 2-3 hours with just a few coffee breaks .
Attachments
Cybermike
Well-known member
Happy new year everybody
Best wishes to you to
And also to every member of 'The Garage Journal'
May the Tools be with us
Qualitytools
Well-known member
Thanks Monte, best wishes for 2020 and to all!
It seems that is what happened. I found it very interesting, I hadn't heard that part of Bahco history before. By this source it seems as the ownership period was short, 81-85 http://www.vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=11116
Not surprising that they bought them, since wood chisels was a large focus point for them. Strange that they didn't keep them for longer though.
You're right!
Dave455
Well-known member
Ahh! Very interesting! Yes, that explains a lot. We saw ‘Bahco Record’ tools for a very short time, then they just went back to being ‘Record’ again! The quality seemed unchanged though, I would have no hesitation about buying any.
Marples had already been absorbed by Record, so there was quite a sizeable firm that was eventually bought by, I think, Newell Rubbermaid. With a name like that behind them you knew the outlook was bleak.
All the British factories were closed in pretty quick time. Some lines, such as pliers, were dropped totally, while the rest was substituted with ‘Irwin Record’ which as far as I can determine are simply ‘fakes’ made with the managements blessing! I have yet to use any Irwin product that is close to the original quality, and most are not fit for the purpose they are intended for!
I did once buy an Irwin auger bit (I was away from base and needed it for a job). As that’s what Irwin originally made, I hoped there was a chance it would be useable. Nope - it chewed the shittiest hole ever through a piece of otherwise decent softwood. I could have done neater with a jack knife!
jimmyin3D
Banned
Thanks guys
Gedore chisel
Those look very similar to my Rennsteig chisels!
Pump spray bottle, I bought three of these.
How is it? I was gonna get two of those as well but kept reading about mixed reviews about leakage around the tip screw. Is it all plastic with some orings? Do you mind snapping a few pictures of the inside mechanism?
Jack84
Well-known member
Speaking of Rennsteig.
I dunno if Gedore makes all of their chisels on their own or if they source some from other companies.....
Mine works since about 13 years (hobby use though)
Got me another safety coupler for the grease gun...this time from Gurtech and it also fits to american *******
www.gurtech.co.za
www.locknlube.com
Jack84
Well-known member
The Gedore chisels could be made by Habero.
These are well made, from a well-known manufacturer, seal kits for various fluids. The oldest is from the 90's and used a lot, 5€ seals replaced.
jimmyin3D
Banned
These are well made, from a well-known manufacturer, seal kits for various fluids. The oldest is from the 90's and used a lot, 5€ seals replaced.
Awesome thanks!
New Wiha 2020 catalogue. Not sure if there are any new tools.
https://www.wiha.com/media/pdf/fb/0b/36/99999240_EN_oPreise_Katalog_2020_online.pdf
https://www.wiha.com/media/pdf/fb/0b/36/99999240_EN_oPreise_Katalog_2020_online.pdf
Qualitytools
Well-known member
I looked at WIHA's catalog but I didn't see a ratcheting screwdriver, unless I missed it. Do they make one?
Werkzeug 1244-WW easy lock wiper arm removal tool.
Compared to my older puller which I think is about the cheapest available and sold under many brands.
The Werkzeug puller looks to be a copy of the Facom U.14A. The sprung design really does make it easier to use. The Werkzeug also has a deeper reach than my old puller which only just fitted on my car's rear wiper arm.
Spring design in action.
Facom U.14A puller for reference. I think the Facom puller is made in France and is probably much better quality than the Werkzeug but twice the price.
I don't know much about Werkzeug tools. Their tools look to be rebrands sourced from China so the puller may be available under different brands in different parts of the world. There is no COO on the box or tool.
Quote from the Werkzeug website.
Founded in 2011 by Tyrone Welch, Welzh Werkzeug Ltd has grown rapidly over a short period of time to become one of the largest UK automotive tool suppliers. We specialise in the automotive sector providing an extensive range of tools and accessories. Our products are available through motor factors, independent retailers, hardware stores and van sales.
Compared to my older puller which I think is about the cheapest available and sold under many brands.
The Werkzeug puller looks to be a copy of the Facom U.14A. The sprung design really does make it easier to use. The Werkzeug also has a deeper reach than my old puller which only just fitted on my car's rear wiper arm.
Spring design in action.
Facom U.14A puller for reference. I think the Facom puller is made in France and is probably much better quality than the Werkzeug but twice the price.
I don't know much about Werkzeug tools. Their tools look to be rebrands sourced from China so the puller may be available under different brands in different parts of the world. There is no COO on the box or tool.
Quote from the Werkzeug website.
Founded in 2011 by Tyrone Welch, Welzh Werkzeug Ltd has grown rapidly over a short period of time to become one of the largest UK automotive tool suppliers. We specialise in the automotive sector providing an extensive range of tools and accessories. Our products are available through motor factors, independent retailers, hardware stores and van sales.
Last edited:
One would think a ratcheting or clutch version of the “ultra driver” is a natural addition...
Wiha used to have a pistol grip clutch bitholder called Topra. It seems most of them are configured just for use with proprietary 6mm hex blades, but they made one with a 1/4” bitholder end too. I have one. It’s ok. The clutch is a little “stickier” than a PB Swiss or Williams/Snapon ratchet screwdriver.
Last edited:
ultgar
Well-known member
The Facom CR.D10 has a spacer for wiper arms with integral washer jets. Early production was made in France (still have 20 of these left in stock). Moved to Taiwan in 2018. The U.14A and U.14L are also popular.
The Facom CR.D10 has a spacer for wiper arms with integral washer jets. Early production was made in France (still have 20 of these left in stock). Moved to Taiwan in 2018. The U.14A and U.14L are also popular.
Thanks for the info. If the spindle on the CR.D10 is wide and hollow then it may be a disadvantage on wipers without an integrated washer jet. The Werkzeug and presumably the Facom U.14A have a ball bearing in the tip that sits into the loosened wiper arm retaining bolt which prevents the puller slipping off.
Dave455
Well-known member
I’ve got one of those pullers too.
I got it when my old one was struggling with a set of well crusted on wiper arms.
Seems to be a decent tool. I’ve even used it for pulling some gears off shafts!
Like you I assumed that no coo = China, but I’m not sure.
With that name, it’s obviously aimed at the German market, and they don’t generally put up with shite.
I don’t think I have encountered one Chinese tool that actually works properly, and does what it's supposed to, so I wondered if these pullers were Taiwanese?
They don’t have that ‘Made in PRC’ feel about them!
Jack84
Well-known member
Finished my Hazet 880 set. Kept adding a socket or two onto orders when doing Christmas shopping from Amazon. Found it difficult to source some sizes in the UK which is not going to be practical if I break or loose one. Only used three of the sockets so far as they are for home use but very happy with the fit and finish on both the hex and square ends.
