Why are these Craftsman wrenches different?

[Marvin Berry]

Same size, both =v= series, why is one noticeably 'sleeker' than the other?

 

[WILD-BILL]

Bottom one looks like rust pitting to me.

 

[Daveyclimber]

Manufactured by different vendors or different design iterations.

 

[Marvin Berry]

Manufactured by different vendors or different design iterations.

That's what I assumed, but I wasn't sure. The thinner one reminds me of an SK wrench.

 

[4xdog]

The bottom one looks older to my eyes -- older than the ones I started buying in the mid 1970s.

My guesses? The metallurgy and/or the heat treatment changed, allowing the forging dies to be redone to use less metal and thereby creating the sleeker version.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...or different design iterations.

The metallurgy and/or the heat treatment changed, allowing the forging dies to be redone to use less metal and thereby creating the sleeker version.

I know nothing about postwar Craftsman, but I would think both are MDF, from different production eras/dies. @Lesserstore may have it covered in the 'Craftsman Research - Wrench History (1945->)' thread. You can find it in the A-Z Thread Index in the Sticky.

 

[leg17]

Seems to me that the thinner, the older.

 

[d42jeep]

I would like to see the Craftsman logos on the opposite sides to take a look at the ”A”s.
-Don

 

[bb29510]

only thing i care about is "forged in USA" i dont have time for the petty stuff, my craftsman is pretter than yours BS

 

[d42jeep]

The earlier pointed A =v= wrenches are slimmer than the more modern and thick =v= wrenches with the rounded tops on the A.
-Don

 

[Marvin Berry]

I'll get a pic of the other side of the wrenches tomorrow.

 

[Jim C.]

only thing i care about is "forged in USA" i dont have time for the petty stuff, my craftsman is pretter than yours BS

Yeah, but here in the “VINTAGE” tool discussion, there’s a lot of collectors and that stuff matters. Hence all the type studies, old catalog searching, and research that takes place here. It’s not a contest about whose stuff is better, etc., but rather a discussion about the use and history of old tools.

Jim C. (Tool collector)

 

[Marvin Berry]

I would like to see the Craftsman logos on the opposite sides to take a look at the ”A”s.
-Don

Looks like you nailed it with the different As.

Were they actually made by two different companies, or was it a slight change during the series?

I've always preferred the thinner style, they just look and feel better to me.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Both made by Moore Drop Forging. I suspect that at some point the metallurgy changed, necessitating a thicker wrench. I too, prefer the thinner version. I call the later version "cankle wrenches".

 

[mytool.world]

The =V= series came in two widths, slim and wide. The slim ones are earlier and date back into the '50s but transitioned to the more modern look that we know today which is wider and a somewhat fatter open end. Prior to WWII wrenches were all pretty fat and it is my suspicion that once the war effort was underway, Craftsman started producing a slimmer wrench because of the limited supply of steel at the time. Also, slimmer wrenches weighed less which probably made it less costly to ship overseas to wartime mechanics working on Jeeps and tanks. Once the war was over, the style remained unchanged until the mid '60s and the wrenches gained weight and became fatter. Not sure if I am totally correct here so anyone with info on this feel free to chime in.

 

[bonneyman]

Maybe it's the old adage, "One was made on Wednesday, the other on Friday"?

 

[mytool.world]

Same size, both =v= series, why is one noticeably 'sleeker' than the other?

The top one dates from prior to ~1966 and the bottom one is from after ~1966 thru ~1970. Earlier wrenches of the =V= series (which started in the late 40's) had a thin shank on them like the top onepictured. Starting in the mid to late 60's they went to a thicker shank and updated the font for the letter "A" in "CRAFTSMAN" from pointed at the top to being flat. Flip over your wrenches and you will see what I mean.

 

[MShaw]

I do know that sometime around 1970 Moore went from open die, drop hammer forging to a Chambersburg impacter line. This may have given better quality forgings.

 

[dchawk81]

The top one dates from prior to ~1966 and the bottom one is from after ~1966 thru ~1970. Earlier wrenches of the =V= series (which started in the late 40's) had a thin shank on them like the top onepictured. Starting in the mid to late 60's they went to a thicker shank and updated the font for the letter "A" in "CRAFTSMAN" from pointed at the top to being flat. Flip over your wrenches and you will see what I mean.

Looks like the F was also changed.

 

[Rockable]

I know I lost my 5/8 V Craftsman combination wrench and replacement was thicker than the original and I could tell the moment I picked it up. Bought another off eBay that was the correct replacement. Now, I have a spare that I probably won't use.

 

[MarkH]

I am wondering if they made the move to larger for comfort.

In the sets we had strength was not an issue. From the early 50's to around 1985 when they got retired from the main shops we had a lot of use that went like this. Ok a 5/8 double box is needed now where is the 8 foot cheater bar. Looks like it wants to move lets put two people on the cheater bar the nut is soaked with penetrating oil. Ok its off what damage did we do to the wrench. It is still straight but it looks like we put a little nick on the side where the cheater bar touched the wrench.

Farm implements standing outside for 30+ years at times get a little rust.

 

[81CJ-7]

For me personally, I prefer the older more sleek version. They simply feel more comfortable in my hand. The wider ones feel to bulky to me. Plus, the shape of the head is usually different as well. The older more sleek versions tend to have a more graceful looking crescent head. Again, that’s just my personal opinion/preference

 

[jmarkwolf]

I lost a Craftsman 7/16in ratcheting combination wrench and it bugged the hell out of me every time I looked at "the hole" in the 10-wrench set. I bought a Craftsman replacement with the same part number, from Amazon, and it is 1.25in shorter than the original was. Looks worse than the "hole" in the set.

My ADHD insists I buy another set. Looked at IKON Pro set and they're all incredibly long. Looked at Husky and they're all incredibly short. What's a poor boy to do?

 

[Ricky Joe]

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