Wow, thanks for sharing. Have sold a few of these sets this year, brand new with the packaging, and never realized this feature. Need to slow down and read the packaging more often, haha. Great video!
The Craftsman “Industrial” line was not sold in sears stores. I was working for Sears as a laundry technician when this line came out. I had to purchase mine thru Grainger as they were meant to boost sales of the craftsman name thru 3rd party industrial suppliers. Unfortunately they were no different than the tools sold in the stores, the only difference was the industrial name added to the tool.
Yeah, this tool was sold in the regular Craftsman catalog, the Craftsman Industrial catalog, and the Craftsman Professional catalog. So the same tool but with three different sets of brand markings...
@@ballinatorwell as a former sears employee I can tell you in the Chicagoland area (home of sears, with headquarters in Hoffman) they we not sold in stores (market industrial) regular and professional were, as my home office was in a sears parts and I had to pick up my parts from sears retail stores daily for service calls as they had parts lockers in the back room by the tool dept.
@@pmn6404 Agreed. Craftsman Industrial was only sold through Industrial supply houses. I meant that this particular wrench was sold with all three brandings on it.
It's a wall hanger. That is a beautiful U.S.A. on the Craftsman. They knew then we cared. They just didn't care themselves. I remember when we used to make things in this country. It doesn't even seem like that long ago. How the mighty have fallen.
@@ballinator That's what myself, and many others grew up with. I just graduated to longer, full polished wrenches when I became a tech for more leverage and they're easier to clean.
@@4by_yotaguy373I opted to keep my old raised panel USA Craftsman… I dunno, they work for me for the most part. I almost switched to Icon during the 40 off sale but just couldnt do it.
Very interesting. I wonder what the paperwork problem was that created this situation. Patents like you mentioned or lead times for negotiating a run of the tools. Or did engineers simply not come to a consensus on what would be best?
I suspect the deal Danaher made required them to source the GearWrenches from the plant in Taiwan. The Armstrong ones were OK since they changed the design by adding the reverse lever.
Interesting piece of history. I think this would be more of a gimmick than practical. I could see under high torque , the mechanism switching to the opposite direction. Regardless it would still have a spot in my collection if i found one.
Most craftsman industrial went to factory assembly floors I assume. Maybe great on a assembly line work? I have never layed eyes on armstrong tools in Alaska:(
I have a full set of long pattern full polish amstrong reversable ratchet wrenches sae and metric I bought about this time. I belive they were the first to offer a reversable long pattern wrench. They are beautiful and it was love at first sight. I hated their ugly short older sister brands and watied for the tall graciful long pattern ones.
I got a thing for these old oddball tools. Most of them were certainly not a great success and were often not well thought out or clunky, but they refer to a time when companies were willing to take more risks with new ideas and made some things simply because they could. Nowadays it seems like innovation in the tool industry died out and everyone is just reselling the same crap from far east.
So ... was anything of GearWrench (the brand, the ratcheting wrenches) ever made in the Armstrong factory? Sounds like Armstrong clones of GearWrench ratcheting wrenches existed and were made in that factory?
@thenexthobby @westcoasttools5179 I have those same universals, also a USA made spark plug chaser marked GearWrench. I've never seen a USA wrench marked "GearWrench", they likely had some agreement with the company that owned the patent, where they had to source them from their plant in Taiwan.
I remember these Craftsman ratchet wrenches. Though I never had any because they always felt clunky. And they were thicker. I also remember the full polish Armstrong ratcheting wrenches, and I always liked those. Still surprised I didn't remember both were made in USA.
Wow, it’s like a relic from the last gasps of our collapsing industrial juggernaut of a tool industry. It’s sad.
I suspect someone at Sears was making a last ditch effort to keep the USA line of tools going.
My guess is that it has a ridiculously cheap to make and simple mechanism that has an odd side effect that they decided to turn into a feature.
Yeah, it seems like something they thought up after the fact. "Are these wrenches defective?" "No, no, no, that's a feature!"
Wow, thanks for sharing. Have sold a few of these sets this year, brand new with the packaging, and never realized this feature. Need to slow down and read the packaging more often, haha. Great video!
The Craftsman “Industrial” line was not sold in sears stores. I was working for Sears as a laundry technician when this line came out. I had to purchase mine thru Grainger as they were meant to boost sales of the craftsman name thru 3rd party industrial suppliers. Unfortunately they were no different than the tools sold in the stores, the only difference was the industrial name added to the tool.
Yeah, this tool was sold in the regular Craftsman catalog, the Craftsman Industrial catalog, and the Craftsman Professional catalog. So the same tool but with three different sets of brand markings...
@@ballinatorwell as a former sears employee I can tell you in the Chicagoland area (home of sears, with headquarters in Hoffman) they we not sold in stores (market industrial) regular and professional were, as my home office was in a sears parts and I had to pick up my parts from sears retail stores daily for service calls as they had parts lockers in the back room by the tool dept.
@@pmn6404 Agreed. Craftsman Industrial was only sold through Industrial supply houses. I meant that this particular wrench was sold with all three brandings on it.
I miss Armstrong
It's a wall hanger. That is a beautiful U.S.A. on the Craftsman. They knew then we cared. They just didn't care themselves. I remember when we used to make things in this country. It doesn't even seem like that long ago. How the mighty have fallen.
Yeah I love the look of the raised panel Craftsman wrenches.
@@ballinator That's what myself, and many others grew up with. I just graduated to longer, full polished wrenches when I became a tech for more leverage and they're easier to clean.
@@ballinator yeah you have to have that corner to pack the grease and grime into. Gotta put all that goo somewhere.
@@4by_yotaguy373I opted to keep my old raised panel USA Craftsman… I dunno, they work for me for the most part. I almost switched to Icon during the 40 off sale but just couldnt do it.
Never seen that feature before, havea Happy New Year
Thanks! Happy New Year to yours as well.
Very interesting. I wonder what the paperwork problem was that created this situation. Patents like you mentioned or lead times for negotiating a run of the tools.
Or did engineers simply not come to a consensus on what would be best?
I suspect the deal Danaher made required them to source the GearWrenches from the plant in Taiwan. The Armstrong ones were OK since they changed the design by adding the reverse lever.
Lowes had their version of this wrench too but theirs were fully polished chrome. Made in USA as well with that cluncky ratcheting mechanism.
Very interesting about that gear release mechanism! I never knew. 😮
Could be a case of left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. I have never seen this one. Well done.
Could be. With all the different companies being merged together around that time.
Interesting piece of history. I think this would be more of a gimmick than practical. I could see under high torque , the mechanism switching to the opposite direction. Regardless it would still have a spot in my collection if i found one.
Yeah, especially if you're using in in a cramped space. Just bias the wrench slightly and it goes into free spin mode.
Most craftsman industrial went to factory assembly floors I assume. Maybe great on a assembly line work? I have never layed eyes on armstrong tools in Alaska:(
Yeah, but these were in the regular Craftsman catalog too, as well as the Craftsman 'professional' catalog.
I have a couple of the craftsman and I always thought they were broken but now I know why
I have a full set of long pattern full polish amstrong reversable ratchet wrenches sae and metric I bought about this time. I belive they were the first to offer a reversable long pattern wrench. They are beautiful and it was love at first sight. I hated their ugly short older sister brands and watied for the tall graciful long pattern ones.
Yeah the full polish Armstrong ones are nice. They might have been the first to offer the reversing switch.
GEARWRENCH bought Armstrong..so these being made in the okd Armstrong facility using the same equipment makes sense 🤔
I got a thing for these old oddball tools. Most of them were certainly not a great success and were often not well thought out or clunky, but they refer to a time when companies were willing to take more risks with new ideas and made some things simply because they could.
Nowadays it seems like innovation in the tool industry died out and everyone is just reselling the same crap from far east.
Same here. It's an interesting idea that someone came up with.
They do work but are rough as in tooth count and smoothness
So ... was anything of GearWrench (the brand, the ratcheting wrenches) ever made in the Armstrong factory? Sounds like Armstrong clones of GearWrench ratcheting wrenches existed and were made in that factory?
I have some made in USA impact universal sockets gear wrench branded but I'm sure made in the Armstrong factory
@thenexthobby @westcoasttools5179 I have those same universals, also a USA made spark plug chaser marked GearWrench. I've never seen a USA wrench marked "GearWrench", they likely had some agreement with the company that owned the patent, where they had to source them from their plant in Taiwan.
Really crappy wrench. Thanks for the interesting history about Armstrong, KD and Gearwrench.
I yoosta know a guy who got the nickname Squeezewrench who really could've used that feature.
Kmart wasn't doing such a hot job managing Sears.
Yeah they did some weird stuff towards the end.
My car won't move it must be in neutral.
Couldn't listen any longer than a minute
I remember these Craftsman ratchet wrenches. Though I never had any because they always felt clunky. And they were thicker.
I also remember the full polish Armstrong ratcheting wrenches, and I always liked those.
Still surprised I didn't remember both were made in USA.
Yeah they're def clunky. The Armstrong full polish ones are much nicer.
What a stupid idea .. how to bust your knuckles
Agreed. Just bias it the wrong way when in a tight spot and... slip...
Gear wrenches are made of broken.
If it has. Made in the usa. Then, stay clear, and run away.