Old USA Proto Screwdrivers

[protoolman]

I don't know if any of you are tool junkies like me. I love the old yellow Proto screwdriver handles, they just fit my hand the best and were US made tools. Can't buy them for maybe 15 years? Just found out during this time Urrea in Mexico was making them as the companies were merged way back under one of the tool company consolidations. I just bought one of the Mexican made ones under the Urrea brand. If anything better quality. They are available on e-bay.

 

[eveled]

The handle makes a big difference for sure. Those look comfortable.

I always liked the craftsman style.

 

[OuterBanks15]

Proto was good.
I used Snap On, daily.

 

[OuterBanks15]

 

[OuterBanks15]

Their pry bars, The shaft goes all the way thru the handle and is metal capped so you can beat on them.

 

[Mike J]

When I started in the trade Craftsman was what probably 99% of the people I worked with used. I still have a lot of their screwdrivers around the house. We favored them at work because we would use a hammer & the side of a screwdriver blade to start a hole in the sheet metal when we needed to cut a tap. Then we would cut it out with our snips. Sears Craftsman had a very liberal warranty. These days I tend to use largish Ace hardware brand screwdrivers for my combination pry bar/hole knocker. They don't have a lifetime warranty that I know of & they are I believe a little more expensive than Home Depot or Lowes but there is an Ace close to my home & it is less hassle to stop in there & grab one when I need one.

 

[OuterBanks15]

Miss the convenience of Sears to run in with broken and get new.
*** The thing to look for is old American Vise Grips at garage sales ect.
Irwin bought them and are now made in China. They Are Now Junk!!!

 

[coach]

I always liked the Stanley screwdriver handles.

 

[bigbillyboy]

Miss the convenience of Sears to run in with broken and get new.
*** The thing to look for is old American Vise Grips at garage sales ect.
Irwin bought them and are now made in China. They Are Now Junk!!!

Yes, the new one are junk.....

 

[Mike J]

I preferred when Vise Grip brand was made here but I haven't had any problems with the newer ones. The only problem I ever had with Vise Grip brand vise grips was years ago. I had an eyebolt welded onto the bolt in my grips. There were two pieces I couldn't quite get to come together so I ran a big screwdriver into the vise grips until I got the two pieces to come together where I could attach them. After that day I never the jaws never would come quite all the way together again. I sprung the jaws. That wasn't Vise Grips fault though. It was all on me. Yes, those were the old USA made ones.

I still remember a co-worker back when telling me, "Don't mess with Mike L. I saw him pop the jaws off a pair 10" vise grips by squeezing them. I wondered whether it was true or not. So the next time I worked with Mike L. I told him, "Timmy Mc told me you popped the jaws off a pair of 10" vise grips by squeezing them." Mike's face turned red & he looked embarrassed & told me, "They were just old." That made me believe Timmy.

 

[eveled]

When I started in the trade Craftsman was what probably 99% of the people I worked with used. I still have a lot of their screwdrivers around the house. We favored them at work because we would use a hammer & the side of a screwdriver blade to start a hole in the sheet metal when we needed to cut a tap. Then we would cut it out with our snips. Sears Craftsman had a very liberal warranty. These days I tend to use largish Ace hardware brand screwdrivers for my combination pry bar/hole knocker. They don't have a lifetime warranty that I know of & they are I believe a little more expensive than Home Depot or Lowes but there is an Ace close to my home & it is less hassle to stop in there & grab one when I need one.

They make a specific tool for that.

 

[Mike J]

They make a specific tool for that.

View attachment 98817View attachment 98818

That may be but we always used a screwdriver. Nowadays the younger guys use a uni-bit. I remember trading a 3/8" blade screwdriver after cutting many taps into light gauge stainless. The tip of the screwdriver was a point. The sales guy at Sears asked what happened to it. I just shrugged.

 

[OuterBanks15]

Yes, the new one are junk.....

Horrible!!!
Flipped out manny; a hot day, just trying to get then to hold something simple, while trying to do something else or related to.

 

[OuterBanks15]

They make a specific tool for that.

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Klein is good on meters.. Anything else is marginal.

 

[OuterBanks15]

The handle makes a big difference for sure. Those look comfortable.

I always liked the craftsman style.

They went downhill once manufacturing was sent to China.

 

[eveled]

Klein is good on meters.. Anything else is marginal.

I only buy Fluke meters. I still have my Dad’s Simson meter.

I have the Klenk duct slicer. Way better than using a screw driver.

 

[eveled]

They went downhill once manufacturing was sent to China.

That’s a fact.

People moan about not being able to warrantee Craftsman tools. Then brag about how they took advantage of the warranty.

Technically you can still get them replaced but the replacement is junk.

My 1/2” ratchet I bought in highschool broke last summer. The replacement broke in 1 day!

I bought 2 used Snap On ratchets on ebay to replace it.

 

[Fox Mike]

When I was about 16 my parents gave me my first tool box. It was a PROTO. Ratchets, sockets, screwdrivers, wrenches. I still have the metal box they came in . My '49 Ford saw a LOT of them used.

 

[Jeepnik]

It's sort of a specialty niche, but there is a tool company called Vampire. They make a line of pliers designed to remove nuts, bolts and crews that are chewed up and rounded out. I discovered them some years back when I had a screw I absolutely couldn't get out. No way to drill it out. I looked on line for something to remove the screw. Found these and bought one. Then bought the entire line.
https://vampiretools.com/shop/?wpf=shop_filter&wpf_page=1&wpf_categories=products,vampliers

 

[Wyandot Jim]

I still have and use a Proto 3/8" drive ratchet and sockets that I was issued in the USAF in 1960. They have been rode hard and put up wet a bunch along with a cheater bar for help at times.

 

[OuterBanks15]

used Snap on or Matco are the ones to buy.

 

[peachhead]

It's sort of a specialty niche, but there is a tool company called Vampire. They make a line of pliers designed to remove nuts, bolts and crews that are chewed up and rounded out. I discovered them some years back when I had a screw I absolutely couldn't get out. No way to drill it out. I looked on line for something to remove the screw. Found these and bought one. Then bought the entire line.
https://vampiretools.com/shop/?wpf=shop_filter&wpf_page=1&wpf_categories=products,vampliers

Thanks for that, I will be getting some of those.
Another bonus of that craftsman pommel, they are helpful when something needs a good brisk knock.

 

[side by side]

Craftsman still has Warranty on their tools, web sight is Craftsmantoolwarranty.com.I just put a claim in on two Phillips, and two T 10 Torx. They require a picture of what you’re claiming. They will mail you replacements and tell you to dispose of the worn tools.No receipt required, they do ask how old the tool is.

 

[el caminero]

When he was a millwright electrician, dad favoured craftsman, but had a lot of klein around. couldnt often find a klein replacement out in the sticks, and they were more often lost or stolen than broken. Never bought snapon new, but ya find the dangdest things in pawnshops.

 

[sfhogman]

Just replaced my Snap-on Phillips #2 (sorry, old friend) with a couple of Tektons that I got through Amazon. They're well made, comfortable, and the price was right. I'm long retired, so they should work just fine.

 

[Randyzzz]

I really love my Mac screwdrivers. All of the ergonomic advantages of the Proto/Craftsman drivers, with a hex cast into the shaft for a wrench if you need extra torque, and a nice rubber handle that’s grippy but hard.

But the screwdrivers that I grab most often are my SnapOn ratcheting screwdrivers. They are amazing. I even have a shorty that I keep in my gunsmith box.

But a new, neat little tool I recently got is a mini cordless screwdriver. Great for removing screws after breaking them free with the big guns- and this little guy is great on removing grip frame screws after the Grace screwdriver breaks them free. I would occasionally have the issue where the slotted blade in a Grace driver would get off center and I’d put a slight scrape inside the recessed screw hole on a grip frame. Not with this little guy.

Illuminated, rechargeable, 5 speeds/torque setting, and 60 or more bits. All for $39.99 on Amazon. Yeah, it’s overseas. But it works so well.

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

Not screwdrivers, but crescent/adjustable wrenches. In case anyone doesn't know, the Chinesium ones are crap. I consistently have the jaws slip when I'm trying to really wrench on something! You can still find made in America wrenches, but they demand a premium. There are NO (as in ZERO) forges in operation in this country any more, so anything that you find will be previously owned. They're worth it, in my experience.

 

[protoolman]

Here are some of the best ones that fit my hand.Snap-ons last hard handle, A Wera from Germany with their cats tongue grip,Proto USA, Craftmans short lived professional,and a Felo from France.