Good set of tools for the boy?

[Torvy]

Probably mine. Looks just like mine. I'll IM the address so you can send it back home.

 

[ultrarunner]

Really like the Dimond Adjustable wrenches that are no longer made… they had wide mouth and great for fasteners a little larger then the other brands.

Craftsman had the perfect slip joint I much prefer to channel lock for under sink p-traps…

Checked on EBay to add both and some are asking $50 for new 8” Dimond adjustable wrenches.

 

[ponytug]

Really like the Dimond Adjustable wrenches that are no longer made… they had wide mouth and great for fasteners a little larger then the other brands.

Craftsman had the perfect slip joint I much prefer to channel lock for under sink p-traps…

Checked on EBay to add both and some are asking $50 for new 8” Dimond adjustable wrenches.

I have one, and like it as well. It came with the ranch.

What I like about both the Diamond and the Craftsman adjustable wrenches are the tight tolerances on the adjustable jaw, so that they don't flex (much) as I use them and they aren't prone to drifting open. I hate working on a nut that isn't easy to see and having the wrench enlarge, and the round over the nut.

I find my wrench collection grows in response to skinned knuckles and particular nuts/bolts; "well, that was a tough puppy to get to with a normal wrench, I'm going to bite the bullet and get a ____". That and finding a collection of used tools that include the sought after "magic" wrench. "Who me? Tool habit? No!..."

Generally, I am way ahead of having someone else do the work, even accounting for my labor and tool costs. I try to keep it that way.

All the best,

Peter

 

[EddieWalker]

I just bought another 15/16's wrench. I need two of them to replace the bolts on my batwing gearbox. I tried a socket, but it keeps falling off. I can wedge the wrench in between the stump jumper with a pieces of wood so it stays on the bolt.

What's odd to me is that I never, ever, used a 15/16's wrench before I bought my farm and started having tractors. Now it seems like it's used all the time.

 

[jmc]

Saw an article last week in the business press about Craftsman's attempt at a highly mechanized factory (in Texas, maybe) to make wrenches in the US. They built it but couldn't make it work.

One point in the article was about something I'd noticed for years: they now make their open ended wrenches so wide around the opening that they don't fit into tight spaces. Those wrenches are known informally within the industry as "lobster claw wrenches"...

possibly paywalled:

Why America’s Largest Tool Company Couldn’t Make a Wrench in America

A highly automated Texas factory was supposed to bring the manufacturing of Craftsman mechanics’ tools back to American shores. The $90 million project was doomed by equipment problems and slow production.

www.wsj.com

 

[ultrarunner]

Thicker can be substitute for lower quality material.

My very old Craftsman from the 50’s tend to have lower profile than wrenches sold today.

 

[2manyrocks]

Astro nano sockets have a low profile.

my Dad had an adjustable wrench with tight tolerances. I have yet to find one like his.

 

[Sigarms]

My very old Craftsman from the 50’s tend to have lower profile than wrenches sold today.

I don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to tools, but I'd guess the manufacturing process with the same material back then used today would be to expensive to sell in the marketplace.

I do know what I'm talking about to some extent when it comes to HVAC, and if I could buy a brand new Singer 6 SEER unit that was made in the 1970's at the same price point as a 14.3 SEER2 2023 brand new heat pump, I'd do so in a heartbeat.

I no nothing about the tool manufacturing process, but todays manufacturing process per Government regulations for HVAC equipment almost makes it impossible for a new HVAC unit to last 15 years without some major maintenance when the older units could run 20 years without a hiccup. The money you save for energy efficient HVAC equipment is more than doubled per the maintenance fees because you have to have so many parts that can go bad, added the PSC blower motor is going to become a dinosaur because it's not energy efficient.

There has to be some correlation in the manufacturing process over time per regulations vs "quality".

We are becoming a disposable society to some extent where it's not worth fixing anything per price point.

 

[2manyrocks]

Who wouldn't go back and buy a pre-emissions tractor at yesterday's prices if had forseen today's tractors and prices?

 

[Sigarms]

Saw an article last week in the business press about Craftsman's attempt at a highly mechanized factory (in Texas, maybe) to make wrenches in the US. They built it but couldn't make it work.

One point in the article was about something I'd noticed for years: they now make their open ended wrenches so wide around the opening that they don't fit into tight spaces. Those wrenches are known informally within the industry as "lobster claw wrenches"...

possibly paywalled:

Why America’s Largest Tool Company Couldn’t Make a Wrench in America

A highly automated Texas factory was supposed to bring the manufacturing of Craftsman mechanics’ tools back to American shores. The $90 million project was doomed by equipment problems and slow production.

www.wsj.com

Does make you wonder how Toyota, BMW and some others in the auto industry can manufacturer their autos in the US.

Perhaps price point has something to do with it, just a guess, don't know what I'm talking about.