wright tool question

[47newcastle]

So I'm buying some adjustable wrenches.
Wright has some but I hear they come from WF as well as the craftsman.
Both are usa made so if thats true I'll pick up the Cman ones since their right down the street. Is this true? Also the vise grips wright sells. Are those usa made or rebranded IRWIN?

As far as I know wrights sockets wrenches and ratchets are made by them. Everything else is rebranded. Correct me if I'm wrong. I do love wright tools by the way I just dont care for buying rebranded tools if I can by them from the maker or others for cheaper.

 

[Shootingblanks]

 

[SMKS]

Western Forge makes pretty much every USA made adjustable wrench currently sold. It appears Klein still makes USA adjustables in-house.

There have also been rumors of new Crescent-branded adjustables appearing that are USA made, but the last USA Crescent adjustables were so floppy that I don't care about that brand anymore. WF adjustables are better quality, in my experience.

 

[JDon99]

AFAIK, all locking pliers are now made overseas, with the European and Spanish being far superior to the others. Wright's are made by Irwin:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002M45DIQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20


WF adj wrenches are pretty good IMO. Although the Bahco and Irega are just as good or better.

 

[1950mercury]

If your not worried about warranty buy the craftman. I wouldnt dought that they will be china made like the rest of craftman tools soon. One thing i dont like about the newer craftmam is they are no longer chrome and rust quickly.

 

[47newcastle]

So are the Wright cresent wrenches chrome then and the Craftsman ones not?

 

[LB-1911]

So are the Wright cresent wrenches chrome then and the Craftsman ones not?

Take your pick- a few examples of each @

http://search.toolup.com/search?w=wright+tool+adjustable+wrench
&
http://www.sears.com/tools-wrenches...&lastSelectedFilter=User+Ratings&viewItems=50

edit to add

There are several different brands of adjustables shown on the Western Forge Closeout
page @
http://store.harryepstein.com/c/WesternForge.html

 

[Ruger_556]

Not all WF adjustable wrenches are created equal...

 

[davethorik]

I have 2 black oxided Wright adjustables, a 6" and 12" i bought simultaneously brand new in '06 or '07. They are indeed WF and they work well. The metal they are forged from is tough. However, the adjustable jaw is very sloppy on both, and I mean sloppy...shake them and they sound like maracas. Every other adjustable I own is tighter, and they are all a LOT older than the Wrights I bought. Not really enough to make me toss them out, they are adjustables after all...not a precision tool.

 

[SMKS]

Are you sure those loose adjustables are WF? Perhaps Cresent was making them at that time. That timeframe is before Crescent went Chinese.

Remember, Wright adjustables were made in Spain by Irega for a while, then in the last couple years they switched them to WF so they'd be US production.

Who made them before Irega is unknown to me. It would make sense that when Crescent outsourced them is when they switched to Irega.

 

[OutsideMachinist]

Not all WF adjustable wrenches are created equal...

That is true. The new craftsman adjustable by WF are decent, better than chinese ones. Definitely not as good as some others by WF though.

 

[Tinner]

Not all WF adjustable wrenches are created equal...

True. I've owned many throughout the years and they vary in quality, from piss poor to pretty good. They were never the best or the worst. All of mine were Craftsman, except one.

 

[davethorik]

Are you sure those loose adjustables are WF? Perhaps Cresent was making them at that time. That timeframe is before Crescent went Chinese.

Remember, Wright adjustables were made in Spain by Irega for a while, then in the last couple years they switched them to WF so they'd be US production.

Who made them before Irega is unknown to me. It would make sense that when Crescent outsourced them is when they switched to Irega.

They have the little W F inside the panel at the bottom by the hanging-hole. They are marked USA.

 

[Wakefield]

Not all WF adjustable wrenches are created equal...

Does WF build different price/quality lines for different customers in the same sizes? (Other than just flashy chrome vs. plainer finish)

I guess if you order something online (and actually receive it!) from Sears it might have sat in a warehouse for a few years.

 

[metaldad]

Western Forge makes pretty much every USA made adjustable wrench currently sold. It appears Klein still makes USA adjustables in-house.

Kleins are now outsourced to irega
the top pic is a channey wide jaw, irega made. next to it is a klein wide opening irega. a little different stamping. same stupid sizing 'chart' on the jaws.
second pic is klein. top of pic is old USA production.
bottom 4'' are current irega made, with the same stupid jaw markings.


hope you can see the coo in the following:

 

[metaldad]

these are better.

 

[47newcastle]

Thanks for the pics, I like the ones wearing the condoms. I'll buy a set of them.

 

[Ruger_556]

Does WF build different price/quality lines for different customers in the same sizes? (Other than just flashy chrome vs. plainer finish)

Yes, my WF made Proto Clik-Stop adjustable are far better than their twin also WF adjustable sold by Craftsman. Same size, shape, and finish but not at all the same. Different mechanism (My Proto's are very tight and the jaws are actually parallel). The steel jaws aren't near as hard as the Proto's either (They're starting to actually round off from use).

 

[otis66]

Buy the SK branded adjustable. Or go to Sears and find a 15" USA made adjustable for 50% off. The last tool I bought from Sears was a 15" USA made adjustable wrench.

 

[NoahG]

I don't think anyone is making adjustables in the USA besides Western Forge? Apex MIGHT be making the Crescent pattern under the Armstrong label.