Another great video Lyle, and the men from Ace Hardware did the company proud. Good to see them keeping their word. My late father told me of one of our family friends who had acquired a U.S. manufactured ratchet when he bought out a retiring machine shop owner. He liked the feel of that particular tool, but after some years of his ownership, a pawl broke, so he wrote to the company whose Springfield IIRC address was on the tool body, briefly stating the tool details and how he had acquired it, and asked if spare parts might be available. A couple of weeks later a parcel arrived in the post ( to Australia) with a repair kit, and a lovely letter explaining that spares were kept for all their relevant tools and how nice it was to hear that the ratchet which had left the factory in April of 1916 was still a favourite tool over 70 years later. There was no charge and he was told that if he needed any more assistance , not to hesitate to get in touch. That would have happened in the late 1980s or early 90s, and I never found out which company it was but I hope that they have survived the industrial turmoil that has decimated production in your country and mine too. Good luck with your crown, I have a mouth full of stitches at the moment, to sort out an infection on a tooth which had root canal therapy. It cost me AU$1749, roughly US$1364 at the current exchange rate. The only good thing is that all the pain has been confined to the hip pocket, and none to my mouth;-)
I work at a hardware store too. Believe me when I say the hardware guys have seen everything when it comes to abused tools. I can tell really quickly if something has been abused, most of the time even if I know its been abused I still give them a replacement though. Sometimes you have to say no though just so the customer learns a lesson about taking care of the tools, some people break anything and need a lesson in using the tool, especially when it comes to power tools.
Decades ago, I had a Craftsman 1/2" drive ratchet that gave up the ghost. I walked into the Sears store, simply held up the wrench and said "broken". Without a word, the salesman gave the ratchet a spin, saw that it was broken, and walked into the back. A few seconds later, he emerged with a brand new ratchet. Without saying a word, but with a smile on his face, he gave me the ratchet and took my broken ratchet. Fifty years later, I'm still using that new ratchet. Loved that Craftsman guarantee!
They couldn't fix my 1/2" one so they gave me a new one. Just this week. Super happy with craftsman. Loyal customer here as long as Stanley keeps the warranty for older tools
Boy, I was shocked when he headed to the store for a warranty… I was wondering if I made a mistake in watching his videos. It's about time somebody is honorable and honest and doesn't expect a guaranteed replacement for something he purposely abused. Thanks Mr. Pete more of this and my confidence would begin to be restored in people.
Many years ago (probably around 1959) when metric wrenches were fairly rare in the US, I was working on the second VW bug sold in Midland, Michigan (to my mother). It had been through some serious times and rather than trade it in on a new one, my mother sold it to me, cheap. I had to buy metric wrenches to work on it and naturally chose Craftsman. I bought a set of open end and a set of box end. For sockets I bought (at Sears) a sort of funky set, not noticing that it was not labeled "Craftsman". While trying to disassemble the torsion bar front suspension, I took the 17 mm socket which was a 1/2" hex drive (and came with its own dedicated 1/2" hex wrench). Ordinary hand leverage wasn't doing the job, so (naturally) I got a piece of pipe. Well, the hex wrench twisted, the socket split (both the 17 mm AND the 1/2" hex), and the nut still didn't come off. I put the box end wrench on the nut and the pipe on the box end, and first pulled and then began jumping on the end of the pipe (I weighed about 220 at the time) and finally the nut came off. However when I had a look at the box end wrench the shank had about a 45˚ bend in it. I took the socket set (which I thought had failed at less than maximum force - just a bit of pipe assistance) back to Sears where I discovered that if it didn't say "Craftsman" on the tool it wasn't guaranteed. Like Mr. Pete, I felt that jumping on the end of the pipe had voided the warranty, but I wanted to show the Sears guy what could happen if you overdid things a bit. He grabbed it out of my hand and said, "Now, this *IS* a Craftsman" and gave me a new one off the rack. He not only wouldn't accept my protestation that it was my fault, he wouldn't let me pay for the new wrench and keep the bent one. (I wanted to hang it on the wall as a warning to myself not to abuse tools.) It's nice to see that Craftsman still means something - even 57 years later.
+Peter W. Meek Heh, I broke some serious tools on the back axle nuts on air cooled VWs. As far as I am concerned that is the greatest I.C.E. ever built though.
If I recall correctly the back axle nuts and the flywheel gland nut were all torqued to 307 foot pounds (which is probably an even number in metric). EDIT: It was 217 ft-lbs or 30 kg-meters. I used to be able to press a bug engine. We would jack up the back wheels and while someone else removed the 4 bolts, I would let the motor down onto my chest. When it was fixed, I would press it back up into the compartment and someone else would guide it back into place and rebolt it.
i'm always kinda sad to see the small hardware shops closing up under the pressure of the big box stores. I can remember as a kid, going to the local places with my grandfather and picking up various items we needed on what ever project we were doing. That's not so true with the big box stores....they're catering to either the bldg contractor market (where the tools are good, but VERY high priced) or the "simpler" do-it-yourself market where the overall quality is cheaper so they can sell them at lower costs..... Few people actually "fix" things like appliances anymore...they just ditch it out and buy a new one.....
Never use an adjustable in a high torque situation and yet the fixed wrench broke while the adjustable didn't. That's a heck of a good wrench. Good store, too. Ace is the place. I remember when it used to be Ace is the place with the helpful hardware man, but now it's Ace is the place with the helpful hardware folks.
ACE should be thankful to have those two men staffed at their store. I also commend ACE for honoring the Craftsman lifetime warranty. Seems like most companies try to do very little with warranties these days.
Another Great Video Mr Pete. You are a GLOBAL Treasure to all us folks that love Tools & Metal Trades. Great to see the Williams wrench couldn't be broken no matter which way it was Ab-used. Cheers
Cool video ,,,I quit buying Craftsman tools many years ago ,They used to be my favorite . Living here in Florida I've tried taking many of my broken Craftsman wrenches and other broken Craftsman tools back for replacement and they have ever excuse why they can't replace them ,I buy Husky brand tools now ,never a question ,they replace. Them with no questions
Great video,its nice to know that there are still honest men in this world. They could have very simply said No Warranty and had a free wrench to take home & you were honest and did not take the new one there is still hope for this world I think- also I haven't heard the words " I do my trading here" in a very long time I remember my Granddad using that term often when I was little it brought back wonderful memories to hear them again two thumbs up!!!!
That was really fun to watch. I guess it proves the wrenches can be used backwards and you either have a good wrench or you don't. Thanks for trying that one again. It was also nice to watch you guys do the wright thing in the end.
I like to see the destruction but I am kinda sad that cool old tools are being destroyed. When I was starting out as a teen working on my first car a fellow in my neighborhood walked by as he was walking his dogs, he noticed that I was struggling. He came back later with out his dogs and gave me an old toolbox full of old wrenches and said "if you are going to work on cars you need the right tools" I think what ever wrenches you don't need and don't break you should help some kid in your neighboorhood or family get started. I don't have those tools any more as I gave them away to do the same, But I'll always remember that guy for how nice he was.
I was mad that he was taking back because he used a cheater bar to break it. I was very happy I watched the return video because he didn't accept the new wrench.
In the UK we have more or less lost all our hardware stores to multinationals. We even have one that doesnt know the difference between hardware and ironmomgery. Many years ago I owned a hardware store but I couldnt compete with the massive buying power of the multiples. Also we had a government that shut down the industries so my industrial customers disappeared. In fact you could get a second hand Moore & Wright digital micrometer for around £10 from engineers that had lost their jobs but my new ones were £115. that left me with DIY and I was undercut, in fact multiples were selling at my buying prices so had to shut down
a friend of mine years ago worked in a sears store when they were the largest retailer. he always told me every craftsman tool was a hammer because they had a full unconditional warranty.
It seems to me the whole point of making the wrench 22.5 degrees or whatever instead of 90 degrees or zero degrees is so you CAN flip them over and get two angles of attack when inching a fastener along, half a flat at a time, in some tight corner.
That was one tough little bugger :) Great integrity of all involved. I know we have all done it @ one time or another but using a "cheater bar" is beyond the design capacity of the tool, any tool. Nonetheless, this series showed the results of using a crescent the wrong way, and on occasion, we all have used them the wrong way to access what we were doing :) Great stuff! Wrt lifetime warranty it is still alive and well for Snap on, Craftsman, Mastercraft and Husky. There might be more out there but those are the tools I use. That being said on a ratchet Mastercraft will give you the guts for a spare head vice replacing the entire tool, if the head is kaput. Nothing wrong with that. The downside to all these warranties, is that a lot of folks are no longer in the know, as evidenced in this video. OTOH I did once witness a warranty being denied on a Mastercraft 1/2" ratchet were there was evidence a cheater bar had been used (handle bent to almost a 45). The customer was totally POed! Sir, you used your tool outside its design characteristics, a lot can be said about this anecdote. Nonetheless, no exchange took place. He might have gotten a different response from a different store, who knows! If we read warranties, they normally say under normal use. In this day and age economy, the only thing of value we still have and that cost nothing is our integrity. Well done Lyle :)
Hi Pete Wow I’m really impressed with a whole heap of integrity. Working through your videos trying to pick up some education. Please don’t stop, your work is wonderful. Kindest thoughts from Australia Mark
Good follow up Mr. Pete! I wonder if that new American made Craftsman wrench was just old stock? I didn't see any American hand tools last time I was in Sears, but admittedly didn't look at adjustable wrenches; just socket drives, wrenches and the like.
Looks like you well exceeded the "10,000 men will see this video", so Ace Hardware and Craftsman tools will both get some good PR for this, and good on you for fessing up, most people wouldn't do that, no matter how badly they might have abused the tool, you have officially earned one 'Atta Boy'.
Nice to know that at least some places will honor the warranty.Many years ago at Sears my father tried to exchange a phillips screwdriver that was pretty stripped. The clerk said he could not exchange it because it was not actually broken. He did suggest that if somebody were to for instance stick it in a trailer hitch or other sturdy aperture and pull real hard that it might actually break. So, it took 10 minutes longer but my dad got the new screwdriver. ;-)Around that time we went to get a rebuild kit for a ratchet, and they not only supplied it for free, but installed it. The clerk had it repaired faster than you could field strip an M1911!
Possibly the advantage to using the crescent wrenches the "correct" way may be that they don't loosen themselves up in between pulls as much; and as a result have a lower tendency to slip/round nuts as much. Just a thought.
These videos convinced me that Williams makes a heck of a wrench. I've bought 2 off ebay since seeing this. They're about 80 years old and still work like they should. Now that's good old American craftsmanship! NICE to see Ace is still honoring warranties too.
Saw a comment below that said Tubalcain for president. I agree, I would go for anyone with a modicum of common sense. The problem is those with any common sense know enough to not want the job! I was surprised Ace honored the refund, but I shouldn't be. I have walked into Sears with many a broken screwdriver used as a pry bar and many a damaged socket wrench and breaker bar used with a cheater bar and they have always just replaced it no questions asked. Craftsman sometimes gets a bad rap but I have always loved them. I am building quite the collection of vintage Craftsman tools.
This is an old comment, but I feel that's the case, too. I'm no engineer, but I'm going to state that the jaws are more likely to loosen with the outward force applied near the rack whereas the rack will lock into the channel with the force applied at the tip of the jaw. Similar to a Stillson pipe wrench.
Great 2 part series Lyle ! In these videos you are showing what happens when you put a mouse into the mouth of a T-REX. The T-REX being that fantastic, U.S.A. made PARKER vise ! ! Could a Chi-Com vise of similar size hold a piece of bar stock tight enough in order to conduct a test like this ? A friend of mine is a self-employed carpenter and he bought a large Chinese made vise. While using it- the upper part of the movable jaw simply cracked off. That was years ago but he re-purposed the broken part of the jaw and it has found a new life as a door stop. It has taken on a nice antique like patina over the last decade.
This was VERY interesting!!! This series is gonna be awesome! Cant wait for more! Thanks Tubalcain for all the hard work you do to make this awesome content!! Ive also had good luck with ACE Hardware thats why I prefer them.
+rob armstrong well said sir the large retail stores are parasites once they dry up the place they move to kill the next host. it would be nice if we stop buying crap made in china even if it has a known name on it.
+thebrokenbone I ve noticed that once cheap Chinese merchandise has displaced American made products, they start slowly jacking up the prices to original American made prices,especially in automotive parts.
+rob armstrong exactly, it is a lesson history teaches over and over and guess what, you`re right we - never - learn. haha. until they find a cheaper place than china to fuck up and the poor chinese will suffer the same crap
the reason I own adjustable wrenches is because of how big they are. the biggest combo wrench I own is 17mm, and I'm not going to go out and buy a set that goes any bigger any time soon, for a fraction of the price I got an adjustable wrench that goes up to 35 or 40 mm
The reason that the adjustable wrench was slipping and rounding off the stock is that the jaws were spreading quite a bit. I would consider that to be a failure, even though it didn't permanently damage the wrench. Much the same as an unbreakable rubber wrench that can't turn any stuck bolts loose.
Good comment about farmers and tractors around the 2:50 mark. People put down the adjustable and I hardly use them myself, but I do have one in the box of my 1949 Farmall Cub that goes with me into the woods roads or fields.... comes in very handy in that instance. Good video.
Good to know where Craftsman is sold now. I have a wood plane I bought for five bucks at a garage sale that has a broken out blade slot in the shoe. We lost our local Sears about 2 years ago.
Thats why I still buy craftsman. I have even bought worn out tools,or gotten them free at garage sales,taken them to Sears,and gotten new replacements. I can still count on them.
I'm from Connecticut and at thw ripe age of 38 you wouldn't expect me to be a tool connoisseur, but my father was a tool and die maker for U.S. Steel.. And he taught me the valve of "Made in U.S.A". And I dabble in machining and fabrication, as well as buying at auctions. So I also have a wrench or 300. And so I'm covered from 1/8th" up to 6 3/4". But, what happened to me about 3 years ago made me sick. I too had a broken Crapsman adjustable wrench. it was a 12". I went to a mall in a less than desirable area and asked to get a new one. Well to my surprise the gentleman at the counter refused to exchange it on the grounds that it was abused. So I grilled him on just what was the proof of abuse that he saw. Mind you, I already knew just by his attitude, lack of articulation, and accent, that he wasn't in any position to know or may ever have truly worked with his hands. And so he stated that all the scratches and dings were his proof. Well with that being said, and my interrogation brought the attention of a manager. Also someone who didn't know tools very well. She while not exactly siding with her subordinate, also said that she couldn't replace it. Her reasoning was that that particular wrench was part of a set no longer available since the 80's . A split second before I was able to demand her to "Flying prove it!", my wife unloaded on them, grabbed the wrench and began marching out of the store. We went to the next closet store and they had a stack of new adjustable wrenches and ratchets behind the counter. So, not only do you get what you pay for, it also pays to seek out stores with knowledgeable and decent employees.
My father told a railroad story, of how a freight car had been in a switching accident and busted open. Before all of the suits arrived to investigate, one of men from another crew was seen going around the mess with a gunny sack. The suits arrived, took their notes, the mess was cleaned up, the faulty switch repaired, and things went on as usual. The car that had broke open and spilled it's contents was loaded with Craftsman rejects. And now you know the rest of that story....
LMAO, at about the 5min point when "YOU" rounded off the nut... I heard my dad yelling... 'THAT'S BECAUSE YOU HAD THE WRENCH ON BACKWARDS... JEESH... " Thanks for the chuckle.
I do try to avoid adjustable wrenches when I can, but I do tend to use the for hydraulic repairs. It's much easier to deal with 2 wrenches than to fumble around with half a dozen or more. While doing the old jungle gym routine on a piece of equipment.
Great video. I worked for the railroad in the shop for 23 years. I have also used hand tools, believe it or not since I about 4 when I took the training wheels of my first bicycle. I was given my first set of tools for my 9th birthday, A set of Champion tools from Sears. I still have some of them. It is true that there is a correct and incorrect way of using an adjustable wrench. It may not break or fail if used incorrectly but is more likely to slip or round off the fastener. The movable jaw flexes more if used incorrectly. Also I really think Craftsmen tools are the best for the money. I have to commend Sears on their warranty. I have broken and plain wore out many Craftsmen tools in my life and have never even been asked " How did you do that!!!" That's says a lot to me.
My dad used to get so mad at my grandfather for using adjustable wrenches on everything. Claimed it always rounded off the nuts or bolts. I never figured it was true. I think you proved he was right. At least in high torque or abuse situations... which were both frequent on the farm. LOL
A few years ago I went to my local hardware store that sell Craftsman tools and needed an exchange. The tools looked identical but with different numbers, so no can do. And if they exchange it the new ones are inferior. Then a week ago I went to Sears and was told a receipt is required now where none was required before. My Sears store maybe closing, don't think I will miss it.
Lyle, that long yawed open wrench was its own enemy on that square bar, notice the top jaw took the stress close to the handle but on the bottom jaw all the stress was about one inch further forward. I did not make any calculations but if we say inch pound torque the bottom jaw would have had almost double the stress at its point of contact with that bar.As a teacher I'm sure you will be able to explain that better than I did here, but I would say, that's why the jaw that takes the strain the closest to the handle takes has the best chance of staying in one peace.
I have actually been into the sears store and turned away on a warranty claim. I kept the tools in question and returned during the holiday rush. Tool was exchanged, no problems. My neighbor gave me a very expensive snap on ratchet wrench that the handle had broken off at the head. I tried to exchange it and Snap On returned it saying it had been abused. Keep in mind Snap On is also supposed to be a lifetime guarantee. So guess what brand I will never purchase new. Thanks and all the best!
sir a couple things first i believe the guarantee had more to do with the old timers than craftsman but YOU SURE BROUGHT HOPE TO THIS DAMN WORLD BY SHOWING THAT. as you stated it`s better to pull a wrench than push, also it`s true that one should never use a cheater bar (but if the need arises i do). my contribution to this thread ALWAYS watch the path the cheater bar will take if the damn wrench fails spectacularly. they use to hit you in the face if you`re not careful. nosebleeds and cuts are nothing but if you wear glasses WARNING you only have two (one in my case). be safe. take care. pete ps i hope you don`t regret giving the power to police trolls to the anti troll groupie patrol ;)
Well, I always have a cresent/bacho/whatever 4" in my pocket it is indispensable for adjusting various stops on smaller manual turret lathes (yes they are still in use). I have never broken one, never rounded anything and I have used it in any direction and for smaller adjusting taps. We can break anything if we want, but I believe the purpose of apprenticeship it to teach proper tool handling etc.
There is a small Sears store about 15 to 20 minutes from me and a Farm & Fleet about a half mile past that. Both sell Craftsman tools. The nearest Ace Hardware store is in the next county. My Sears store will replace tools which have been abused if you admit that you abused them. I occasionally break sockets. when using a long breaker bar with a cheater bar on it. They want me to return the sockets and let them know how I broke it so that they can document it.
Great video MrPete222. I hope you decide to make a series on different tools. I repaired & painted cars for 28 years and used Snap-On tools whenever I could. I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for". That was a very honourable thing you did in the store. My only question would be, if you had not used that store for 30+ years & had not known them personally, would they have treated you any differently ?
My former local hardware shop owner, have bested the big box stores :) He is now, after they closed down his shop, an employe of them, but still makes good deals as he did when he had his own shop (just got 35% off on a german vice for my small mill)
Not that anyone really cares what I think but, after 20 years of turning wrenches and busting knuckles, this perfectly exemplifies why choosing the right tool for the job is really half the battle. That wrench might be more or less indestructible (I'm not arguing) but it accomplishes this by giving way and damaging the part you are working on. It used to be that cheap off brand tools - sockets, combination wrenches, screw drivers - were only good for making the job harder after they destroyed the head of whatever fastener you were trying to remove. ...It appears the harbor freight stuff is reasonably hard these days. But it still pays to know when to use 6-Point over 12-Point, a line wrench rather than an open end, an impact driver (not an impact wrench or any sort of power tool), and so on. I haven't rounded the head off of anything in quite a while now and I work on a lot of rusty junk. A combination wrench is good in a pinch, or when you know the nut or bolt is free but if you are working on equipment, you might make your life easier with a 6-pt socket... for whatever that's worth.
Thanks for the video, need a piece of hardened square stock, something that won't distort maybe. Probably wouldn't make any difference though. That was fun. I especially enjoyed the Ace hardware clip. Thanks again.
The only craftsman tools I've ever exchanged were a large socket (1/2" drive/19mm; broke two in the same afternoon with a breaker bar) and a glass cutter (at that point, they no longer made the "craftsman" version, and they gave me a Sears version).
Williams tools in Buffalo used to employ hard men, some ex cons to forge these sorts of things. My father worked in the offices there, he would often share about how hard those men worked, some couldn't even tabulate, only make a mark of each piece made for their pay and have another count it for them. If you ask who he respected in his career, these sorts of 'workers' we're certainly tops. We need those men and outlets for their character more today than ever.
The new Craftsman looks a little more beefy. Maybe they found out that not so well made tools, even with a lifetime no-questions-asked warranty, are not that good for reputation?
The other 8in Williams adjustable was made of carbon steel unless it was marked and I didn't see the marking. The super adjustable one was alloy for sure.
I would like to see what would happen if you took a Craftsman wrench to Sears, and asked for a warranty exchange. Years ago there was no problem, but things have changed. Great video .....Ken Marina CA
I violently broke a Craftsman pair of Arc joint pliers... they honored the warranty. Ever since then I've felt dirty breaking my Craftsman tools so I just buy a replacement when I break it. Of course now 90% of the items are made in China... and so if I break one of my made in the USA tools there is no true replacement. Now I'm left to buy things like Wright, and S&K.
Seen a guy break a 36AF spanner undoing a nut. Was not even using a tickler bar, just by hand, overhead in a confined space. Ting, clang, clang clang and then a few choice words, and then he climbed down with half, walked to get the other half then went to get a new one. Friend also was undoing a clutch bolt, so needed a little more than hand length on the Gerdore power bar. 1in drive socket, 6ft pry bar in ground to hold the breaker bar on the nut, and 6m of pipe with eventually 2 guys jumping on the end to "persuade" it to undo. I have taken spanners, detempered them, bent and ground them to fit a job then rehardened them, though for a lot of the time the cheapie was perfect in this use, not a good one.
+SeanBZA Yeah, I've had to heat up and bend a few wrenches for specialty tools over the years, I looked at the wrenches I had and used the least precious ones for the job, not that they were cheapies but weren't my favorites. But then I'm like Mr Pete, I have so many more of each than I ever needed.
Once again you have proven something to us. These small wrenches can break especially if a long cheater bar is used. Something you hinted at has now become the...."Lyle Factor" "The diameter of a nut or bolt cannot exceed more than one half the capacity of the wrench."
Another great video Lyle, and the men from Ace Hardware did the company proud. Good to see them keeping their word. My late father told me of one of our family friends who had acquired a U.S. manufactured ratchet when he bought out a retiring machine shop owner. He liked the feel of that particular tool, but after some years of his ownership, a pawl broke, so he wrote to the company whose Springfield IIRC address was on the tool body, briefly stating the tool details and how he had acquired it, and asked if spare parts might be available. A couple of weeks later a parcel arrived in the post ( to Australia) with a repair kit, and a lovely letter explaining that spares were kept for all their relevant tools and how nice it was to hear that the ratchet which had left the factory in April of 1916 was still a favourite tool over 70 years later. There was no charge and he was told that if he needed any more assistance , not to hesitate to get in touch. That would have happened in the late 1980s or early 90s, and I never found out which company it was but I hope that they have survived the industrial turmoil that has decimated production in your country and mine too.
Good luck with your crown, I have a mouth full of stitches at the moment, to sort out an infection on a tooth which had root canal therapy. It cost me AU$1749, roughly US$1364 at the current exchange rate. The only good thing is that all the pain has been confined to the hip pocket, and none to my mouth;-)
+Rope Tangler Thanks--a good story & good company
Good on the hardware store guys for honouring the warranty, but also good on you for fessing up to what you did.
I work at a hardware store too. Believe me when I say the hardware guys have seen everything when it comes to abused tools. I can tell really quickly if something has been abused, most of the time even if I know its been abused I still give them a replacement though.
Sometimes you have to say no though just so the customer learns a lesson about taking care of the tools, some people break anything and need a lesson in using the tool, especially when it comes to power tools.
Jeje, i believe everyone must watch the ABC of Tools cartoon before start to using tools.
Decades ago, I had a Craftsman 1/2" drive ratchet that gave up the ghost. I walked into the Sears store, simply held up the wrench and said "broken". Without a word, the salesman gave the ratchet a spin, saw that it was broken, and walked into the back. A few seconds later, he emerged with a brand new ratchet. Without saying a word, but with a smile on his face, he gave me the ratchet and took my broken ratchet. Fifty years later, I'm still using that new ratchet.
Loved that Craftsman guarantee!
They couldn't fix my 1/2" one so they gave me a new one. Just this week. Super happy with craftsman. Loyal customer here as long as Stanley keeps the warranty for older tools
mrpete when you told bob how you broke it. a lot of people would not have done that. you are a honourable person.. great video sir thanks..
Boy, I was shocked when he headed to the store for a warranty… I was wondering if I made a mistake in watching his videos. It's about time somebody is honorable and honest and doesn't expect a guaranteed replacement for something he purposely abused. Thanks Mr. Pete more of this and my confidence would begin to be restored in people.
A great follow up. Its nice to see there are still honourable people and companies about. I think I will like this series. regards from the UK
Many years ago (probably around 1959) when metric wrenches were fairly rare in the US, I was working on the second VW bug sold in Midland, Michigan (to my mother). It had been through some serious times and rather than trade it in on a new one, my mother sold it to me, cheap. I had to buy metric wrenches to work on it and naturally chose Craftsman. I bought a set of open end and a set of box end. For sockets I bought (at Sears) a sort of funky set, not noticing that it was not labeled "Craftsman". While trying to disassemble the torsion bar front suspension, I took the 17 mm socket which was a 1/2" hex drive (and came with its own dedicated 1/2" hex wrench). Ordinary hand leverage wasn't doing the job, so (naturally) I got a piece of pipe. Well, the hex wrench twisted, the socket split (both the 17 mm AND the 1/2" hex), and the nut still didn't come off. I put the box end wrench on the nut and the pipe on the box end, and first pulled and then began jumping on the end of the pipe (I weighed about 220 at the time) and finally the nut came off. However when I had a look at the box end wrench the shank had about a 45˚ bend in it.
I took the socket set (which I thought had failed at less than maximum force - just a bit of pipe assistance) back to Sears where I discovered that if it didn't say "Craftsman" on the tool it wasn't guaranteed. Like Mr. Pete, I felt that jumping on the end of the pipe had voided the warranty, but I wanted to show the Sears guy what could happen if you overdid things a bit. He grabbed it out of my hand and said, "Now, this *IS* a Craftsman" and gave me a new one off the rack. He not only wouldn't accept my protestation that it was my fault, he wouldn't let me pay for the new wrench and keep the bent one. (I wanted to hang it on the wall as a warning to myself not to abuse tools.) It's nice to see that Craftsman still means something - even 57 years later.
+Peter W. Meek Heh, I broke some serious tools on the back axle nuts on air cooled VWs. As far as I am concerned that is the greatest I.C.E. ever built though.
If I recall correctly the back axle nuts and the flywheel gland nut were all torqued to 307 foot pounds (which is probably an even number in metric). EDIT: It was 217 ft-lbs or 30 kg-meters.
I used to be able to press a bug engine. We would jack up the back wheels and while someone else removed the 4 bolts, I would let the motor down onto my chest. When it was fixed, I would press it back up into the compartment and someone else would guide it back into place and rebolt it.
Peter W. Meek
Yep. Fuel line, throttle cable, coil, oil sender and gen. wires, 4 bolts and bam, she's out. I miss the good old days.
+Peter W. Meek good story-thanks
+Peter W. Meek
Amen, the moral here is Death, taxes, and Craftsman! It's all I own too.
You've proven beyond any doubt that the adjustable wrench is an excellent "rounding" tool.
+Adam Pierce And most open end wrenches too.
I love how you can remember what year you bought a crescent wrench but I've got to think really hard to remember my children's birthdays!
I bought a set of craftsman wrenches at Kmart and they tried to sell me a extended warranty
i'm always kinda sad to see the small hardware shops closing up under the pressure of the big box stores. I can remember as a kid, going to the local places with my grandfather and picking up various items we needed on what ever project we were doing. That's not so true with the big box stores....they're catering to either the bldg contractor market (where the tools are good, but VERY high priced) or the "simpler" do-it-yourself market where the overall quality is cheaper so they can sell them at lower costs..... Few people actually "fix" things like appliances anymore...they just ditch it out and buy a new one.....
Never use an adjustable in a high torque situation and yet the fixed wrench broke while the adjustable didn't. That's a heck of a good wrench. Good store, too. Ace is the place. I remember when it used to be Ace is the place with the helpful hardware man, but now it's Ace is the place with the helpful hardware folks.
Fantastic video Mr. Pete. Thank you for being you!!!
ACE should be thankful to have those two men staffed at their store. I also commend ACE for honoring the Craftsman lifetime warranty. Seems like most companies try to do very little with warranties these days.
Another Great Video Mr Pete. You are a GLOBAL Treasure to all us folks that love Tools & Metal Trades.
Great to see the Williams wrench couldn't be broken no matter which way it was Ab-used.
Cheers
Outstanding series and follow up... I have always been a fan of Craftsman tools... Thanks Lyle!
Cool video ,,,I quit buying Craftsman tools many years ago ,They used to be my favorite . Living here in Florida I've tried taking many of my broken Craftsman wrenches and other broken Craftsman tools back for replacement and they have ever excuse why they can't replace them ,I buy Husky brand tools now ,never a question ,they replace. Them with no questions
Great video and good to see some companies are still willing to stand by their promises.
Wow! I'm sold on Ace hardware now. I'm old and can't do much anymore but that was great! thank you.
U The Man #2....Keep em coming Lyle....Never get tired of your positive, honest style....Don't Slow Down...Tubalcain 4 President !!!...jm
When in need.... The closest available tool becomes a hammer.
+ramosel allwys
+ramosel Even when it's your hand.
Great video,its nice to know that there are still honest men in this world. They could have very simply said No Warranty and had a free wrench to take home & you were honest and did not take the new one there is still hope for this world I think- also I haven't heard the words " I do my trading here" in a very long time I remember my Granddad using that term often when I was little it brought back wonderful memories to hear them again two thumbs up!!!!
That was really fun to watch. I guess it proves the wrenches can be used backwards and you either have a good wrench or you don't. Thanks for trying that one again. It was also nice to watch you guys do the wright thing in the end.
I like to see the destruction but I am kinda sad that cool old tools are being destroyed. When I was starting out as a teen working on my first car a fellow in my neighborhood walked by as he was walking his dogs, he noticed that I was struggling. He came back later with out his dogs and gave me an old toolbox full of old wrenches and said "if you are going to work on cars you need the right tools" I think what ever wrenches you don't need and don't break you should help some kid in your neighboorhood or family get started. I don't have those tools any more as I gave them away to do the same, But I'll always remember that guy for how nice he was.
iron duke That's good stuff right there! The smallest gestures can change someone for life. Take care friend.
I was mad that he was taking back because he used a cheater bar to break it. I was very happy I watched the return video because he didn't accept the new wrench.
In the UK we have more or less lost all our hardware stores to multinationals. We even have one that doesnt know the difference between hardware and ironmomgery.
Many years ago I owned a hardware store but I couldnt compete with the massive buying power of the multiples. Also we had a government that shut down the industries so my industrial customers disappeared. In fact you could get a second hand Moore & Wright digital micrometer for around £10 from engineers that had lost their jobs but my new ones were £115. that left me with DIY and I was undercut, in fact multiples were selling at my buying prices so had to shut down
Great follow up video Mr.. Pete. Great show of honesty on both your part and ACE hardware!
Excellent video Mr Pete and I must say you are a real honorable gentleman. Looking forward to more myths being investigated. Kind regards, Bob.
Thank you for being a honorable man Mr Pete !
I am with you on this ! You're an honorable man.!
a friend of mine years ago worked in a sears store when they were the largest retailer. he always told me every craftsman tool was a hammer because they had a full unconditional warranty.
It seems to me the whole point of making the wrench 22.5 degrees or whatever instead of 90 degrees or zero degrees is so you CAN flip them over and get two angles of attack when inching a fastener along, half a flat at a time, in some tight corner.
Interesting. I know some guys at work that can break anything.
some people can tear up an anvil
I thought you were going to break the corner off your bench with that 1" wrench.
+M. Heedes Same here. I was waiting for the crash but then the wrench FINALLY gave way.
Western forge still makes these in the US for Craftsman.
I Agree! Made in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
That was one tough little bugger :) Great integrity of all involved. I know we have all done it @ one time or another but using a "cheater bar" is beyond the design capacity of the tool, any tool. Nonetheless, this series showed the results of using a crescent the wrong way, and on occasion, we all have used them the wrong way to access what we were doing :) Great stuff!
Wrt lifetime warranty it is still alive and well for Snap on, Craftsman, Mastercraft and Husky. There might be more out there but those are the tools I use. That being said on a ratchet Mastercraft will give you the guts for a spare head vice replacing the entire tool, if the head is kaput. Nothing wrong with that. The downside to all these warranties, is that a lot of folks are no longer in the know, as evidenced in this video.
OTOH I did once witness a warranty being denied on a Mastercraft 1/2" ratchet were there was evidence a cheater bar had been used (handle bent to almost a 45). The customer was totally POed! Sir, you used your tool outside its design characteristics, a lot can be said about this anecdote. Nonetheless, no exchange took place. He might have gotten a different response from a different store, who knows! If we read warranties, they normally say under normal use. In this day and age economy, the only thing of value we still have and that cost nothing is our integrity. Well done Lyle :)
Jim C
The 3 or 4 times I broke a Craftsman tool, they promptly replaced it. That's why I continue to buy Craftsman tools.
So cool that they honored the guarantee and hand you a new one. I didn't think they did that any more.
Hi Pete
Wow I’m really impressed with a whole heap of integrity.
Working through your videos trying to pick up some education. Please don’t stop, your work is wonderful.
Kindest thoughts from Australia
Mark
Thank you very much, keep watching
shockingly the newer one looks a bit thicker......maybe thats due to poorer quality in material.
Good follow up Mr. Pete!
I wonder if that new American made Craftsman wrench was just old stock? I didn't see any American hand tools last time I was in Sears, but admittedly didn't look at adjustable wrenches; just socket drives, wrenches and the like.
There is still honesty around. Thank you.
Looks like you well exceeded the "10,000 men will see this video", so Ace Hardware and Craftsman tools will both get some good PR for this, and good on you for fessing up, most people wouldn't do that, no matter how badly they might have abused the tool, you have officially earned one 'Atta Boy'.
Definitely a +1 for Ace Hardware! Nice going, Lyle :D
Audio was fine by the way :)
Nice to know that at least some places will honor the warranty.Many years ago at Sears my father tried to exchange a phillips screwdriver that was pretty stripped. The clerk said he could not exchange it because it was not actually broken. He did suggest that if somebody were to for instance stick it in a trailer hitch or other sturdy aperture and pull real hard that it might actually break. So, it took 10 minutes longer but my dad got the new screwdriver. ;-)Around that time we went to get a rebuild kit for a ratchet, and they not only supplied it for free, but installed it. The clerk had it repaired faster than you could field strip an M1911!
Possibly the advantage to using the crescent wrenches the "correct" way may be that they don't loosen themselves up in between pulls as much; and as a result have a lower tendency to slip/round nuts as much. Just a thought.
These videos convinced me that Williams makes a heck of a wrench. I've bought 2 off ebay since seeing this. They're about 80 years old and still work like they should. Now that's good old American craftsmanship! NICE to see Ace is still honoring warranties too.
They are one of the best
Saw a comment below that said Tubalcain for president. I agree, I would go for anyone with a modicum of common sense. The problem is those with any common sense know enough to not want the job!
I was surprised Ace honored the refund, but I shouldn't be. I have walked into Sears with many a broken screwdriver used as a pry bar and many a damaged socket wrench and breaker bar used with a cheater bar and they have always just replaced it no questions asked. Craftsman sometimes gets a bad rap but I have always loved them. I am building quite the collection of vintage Craftsman tools.
+Tenspeed TheBikeHanger I agree!
from factory work, I've found that the directional crescent wrench issue is more about rounding the nuts
This is an old comment, but I feel that's the case, too. I'm no engineer, but I'm going to state that the jaws are more likely to loosen with the outward force applied near the rack whereas the rack will lock into the channel with the force applied at the tip of the jaw.
Similar to a Stillson pipe wrench.
Great 2 part series Lyle ! In these videos you are showing what happens when you put a mouse into the mouth of a T-REX. The T-REX being that fantastic, U.S.A. made PARKER vise ! ! Could a Chi-Com vise of similar size hold a piece of bar stock tight enough in order to conduct a test like this ? A friend of mine is a self-employed carpenter and he bought a large Chinese made vise. While using it- the upper part of the movable jaw simply cracked off. That was years ago but he re-purposed the broken part of the jaw and it has found a new life as a door stop. It has taken on a nice antique like patina over the last decade.
For some reason, I don't care at all about breaking the adjustable wrenches, but when the 1" broke I kind of felt bad! Weird.
+Black Pup Me too-even though I have scores of them in that size
+mrpete222 Was it the only one with the long jaws?
Excellent video again, Lovely to see ace hardware keeping up the warranty.
VERY INTERESTING! As a retired mechanic I really appreciate it.
The end of the video is awesome.
This was VERY interesting!!! This series is gonna be awesome! Cant wait for more! Thanks Tubalcain for all the hard work you do to make this awesome content!! Ive also had good luck with ACE Hardware thats why I prefer them.
+Jacob S. Never really used Ace until we moved to Walhalla, SC a year ago. Our local Ace in West Union rocks. Great store, great people.
It's nice to be reminded that there are a few honourable folks left...
im loving this series mrpete.. really interesting.
I think if you close the jaws you will find out that they are no longer parallel.
support your local small town hardware stores!! screw the homeless despot!!
+rob armstrong well said sir the large retail stores are parasites once they dry up the place they move to kill the next host. it would be nice if we stop buying crap made in china even if it has a known name on it.
+thebrokenbone I ve noticed that once cheap Chinese merchandise has displaced American made products, they start slowly jacking up the prices to original American made prices,especially in automotive parts.
+rob armstrong exactly, it is a lesson history teaches over and over and guess what, you`re right we - never - learn. haha. until they find a cheaper place than china to fuck up and the poor chinese will suffer the same crap
the reason I own adjustable wrenches is because of how big they are. the biggest combo wrench I own is 17mm, and I'm not going to go out and buy a set that goes any bigger any time soon, for a fraction of the price I got an adjustable wrench that goes up to 35 or 40 mm
You're a good man, Charlie Brown! LOL I appreciate everything you do, Mr. Tubalcain. I will never meet you but I've grown very fond of you. God bless!
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!
mepete222 Please make more Myth Breakers videos. I really enjoyed this one and would enjoy a whole series even more.
The reason that the adjustable wrench was slipping and rounding off the stock is that the jaws were spreading quite a bit. I would consider that to be a failure, even though it didn't permanently damage the wrench. Much the same as an unbreakable rubber wrench that can't turn any stuck bolts loose.
Good comment about farmers and tractors around the 2:50 mark. People put down the adjustable and I hardly use them myself, but I do have one in the box of my 1949 Farmall Cub that goes with me into the woods roads or fields.... comes in very handy in that instance.
Good video.
Yes, I find them quite handy
Good to know where Craftsman is sold now. I have a wood plane I bought for five bucks at a garage sale that has a broken out blade slot in the shoe. We lost our local Sears about 2 years ago.
Down here in Florida you have to go to the Sears store to get a replacement.
Suddenly the yebay price of williams adjustable wrenches has skyrocketed!!!!
Thats why I still buy craftsman. I have even bought worn out tools,or gotten them free at garage sales,taken them to Sears,and gotten new replacements. I can still count on them.
I'm from Connecticut and at thw ripe age of 38 you wouldn't expect me to be a tool connoisseur, but my father was a tool and die maker for U.S. Steel.. And he taught me the valve of "Made in U.S.A". And I dabble in machining and fabrication, as well as buying at auctions. So I also have a wrench or 300. And so I'm covered from 1/8th" up to 6 3/4". But, what happened to me about 3 years ago made me sick. I too had a broken Crapsman adjustable wrench. it was a 12". I went to a mall in a less than desirable area and asked to get a new one. Well to my surprise the gentleman at the counter refused to exchange it on the grounds that it was abused. So I grilled him on just what was the proof of abuse that he saw. Mind you, I already knew just by his attitude, lack of articulation, and accent, that he wasn't in any position to know or may ever have truly worked with his hands. And so he stated that all the scratches and dings were his proof. Well with that being said, and my interrogation brought the attention of a manager. Also someone who didn't know tools very well. She while not exactly siding with her subordinate, also said that she couldn't replace it. Her reasoning was that that particular wrench was part of a set no longer available since the 80's . A split second before I was able to demand her to "Flying prove it!", my wife unloaded on them, grabbed the wrench and began marching out of the store. We went to the next closet store and they had a stack of new adjustable wrenches and ratchets behind the counter. So, not only do you get what you pay for, it also pays to seek out stores with knowledgeable and decent employees.
My father told a railroad story, of how a freight car had been in a switching accident and busted open. Before all of the suits arrived to investigate, one of men from another crew was seen going around the mess with a gunny sack. The suits arrived, took their notes, the mess was cleaned up, the faulty switch repaired, and things went on as usual.
The car that had broke open and spilled it's contents was loaded with Craftsman rejects.
And now you know the rest of that story....
great to see the warranty was up held. I really enjoy your video's. Thank You for sharing.
LMAO, at about the 5min point when "YOU" rounded off the nut... I heard my dad yelling... 'THAT'S BECAUSE YOU HAD THE WRENCH ON BACKWARDS... JEESH... " Thanks for the chuckle.
I do try to avoid adjustable wrenches when I can, but I do tend to use the for hydraulic repairs. It's much easier to deal with 2 wrenches than to fumble around with half a dozen or more. While doing the old jungle gym routine on a piece of equipment.
Nice to see that there are still companies and businesses living up to their claims and warranties.
Great video. I worked for the railroad in the shop for 23 years. I have also used hand tools, believe it or not since I about 4 when I took the training wheels of my first bicycle. I was given my first set of tools for my 9th birthday, A set of Champion tools from Sears. I still have some of them. It is true that there is a correct and incorrect way of using an adjustable wrench. It may not break or fail if used incorrectly but is more likely to slip or round off the fastener. The movable jaw flexes more if used incorrectly. Also I really think Craftsmen tools are the best for the money. I have to commend Sears on their warranty. I have broken and plain wore out many Craftsmen tools in my life and have never even been asked " How did you do that!!!" That's says a lot to me.
Boy, you got an early start
Good video! Thanks for your honesty and for sharing your experience.
My dad used to get so mad at my grandfather for using adjustable wrenches on everything. Claimed it always rounded off the nuts or bolts. I never figured it was true. I think you proved he was right. At least in high torque or abuse situations... which were both frequent on the farm. LOL
A few years ago I went to my local hardware store that sell Craftsman tools and needed an exchange. The tools looked identical but with different numbers, so no can do. And if they exchange it the new ones are inferior. Then a week ago I went to Sears and was told a receipt is required now where none was required before. My Sears store maybe closing, don't think I will miss it.
Apparently they have no intentions of honoring warranties. But they can't, they are broke
Lyle, that long yawed open wrench was its own enemy on that square bar, notice the top jaw took the stress close to the handle but on the bottom jaw all the stress was about one inch further forward. I did not make any calculations but if we say inch pound torque the bottom jaw would have had almost double the stress at its point of contact with that bar.As a teacher I'm sure you will be able to explain that better than I did here, but I would say, that's why the jaw that takes the strain the closest to the handle takes has the best chance of staying in one peace.
I have actually been into the sears store and turned away on a warranty claim. I kept the tools in question and returned during the holiday rush. Tool was exchanged, no problems. My neighbor gave me a very expensive snap on ratchet wrench that the handle had broken off at the head. I tried to exchange it and Snap On returned it saying it had been abused. Keep in mind Snap On is also supposed to be a lifetime guarantee. So guess what brand I will never purchase new.
Thanks and all the best!
sir a couple things first i believe the guarantee had more to do with the old timers than craftsman but YOU SURE BROUGHT HOPE TO THIS DAMN WORLD BY SHOWING THAT. as you stated it`s better to pull a wrench than push, also it`s true that one should never use a cheater bar (but if the need arises i do). my contribution to this thread ALWAYS watch the path the cheater bar will take if the damn wrench fails spectacularly. they use to hit you in the face if you`re not careful. nosebleeds and cuts are nothing but if you wear glasses WARNING you only have two (one in my case). be safe. take care. pete
ps i hope you don`t regret giving the power to police trolls to the anti troll groupie patrol ;)
I got my hands on a locking adjustable wrench not long ago. It's brilliant for undoing rusty bolts.
Well, I always have a cresent/bacho/whatever 4" in my pocket it is indispensable for adjusting various stops on smaller manual turret lathes (yes they are still in use). I have never broken one, never rounded anything and I have used it in any direction and for smaller adjusting taps.
We can break anything if we want, but I believe the purpose of apprenticeship it to teach proper tool handling etc.
There is a small Sears store about 15 to 20 minutes from me and a Farm & Fleet about a half mile past that. Both sell Craftsman tools. The nearest Ace Hardware store is in the next county. My Sears store will replace tools which have been abused if you admit that you abused them. I occasionally break sockets. when using a long breaker bar with a cheater bar on it. They want me to return the sockets and let them know how I broke it so that they can document it.
Do more of this kind of video ,very enjoyable.
Great video MrPete222. I hope you decide to make a series on different tools. I repaired & painted cars for 28 years and used Snap-On tools whenever I could. I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for". That was a very honourable thing you did in the store. My only question would be, if you had not used that store for 30+ years & had not known them personally, would they have treated you any differently ?
My former local hardware shop owner, have bested the big box stores :) He is now, after they closed down his shop, an employe of them, but still makes good deals as he did when he had his own shop (just got 35% off on a german vice for my small mill)
Did you know the hole in the handle is a gauge for bolt size. Any bolt the hole will slip over, the wrench will loosen the nut on that bolt size.
Not that anyone really cares what I think but, after 20 years of turning wrenches and busting knuckles, this perfectly exemplifies why choosing the right tool for the job is really half the battle. That wrench might be more or less indestructible (I'm not arguing) but it accomplishes this by giving way and damaging the part you are working on. It used to be that cheap off brand tools - sockets, combination wrenches, screw drivers - were only good for making the job harder after they destroyed the head of whatever fastener you were trying to remove. ...It appears the harbor freight stuff is reasonably hard these days. But it still pays to know when to use 6-Point over 12-Point, a line wrench rather than an open end, an impact driver (not an impact wrench or any sort of power tool), and so on. I haven't rounded the head off of anything in quite a while now and I work on a lot of rusty junk. A combination wrench is good in a pinch, or when you know the nut or bolt is free but if you are working on equipment, you might make your life easier with a 6-pt socket... for whatever that's worth.
Thanks for the video, need a piece of hardened square stock, something that won't distort maybe. Probably wouldn't make any difference though. That was fun. I especially enjoyed the Ace hardware clip. Thanks again.
The only craftsman tools I've ever exchanged were a large socket (1/2" drive/19mm; broke two in the same afternoon with a breaker bar) and a glass cutter (at that point, they no longer made the "craftsman" version, and they gave me a Sears version).
i am amazed they would replace the wrench great vid , as usual mr pete thanks.
8:13 looks like a bottle cap opener.
Williams tools in Buffalo used to employ hard men, some ex cons to forge these sorts of things. My father worked in the offices there, he would often share about how hard those men worked, some couldn't even tabulate, only make a mark of each piece made for their pay and have another count it for them. If you ask who he respected in his career, these sorts of 'workers' we're certainly tops. We need those men and outlets for their character more today than ever.
The new Craftsman looks a little more beefy.
Maybe they found out that not so well made tools, even with a lifetime no-questions-asked warranty, are not that good for reputation?
The other 8in Williams adjustable was made of carbon steel unless it was marked and I didn't see the marking. The super adjustable one was alloy for sure.
I would like to see what would happen if you took a Craftsman wrench to Sears, and asked for a warranty exchange. Years ago there was no problem, but things have changed. Great video .....Ken Marina CA
I violently broke a Craftsman pair of Arc joint pliers... they honored the warranty. Ever since then I've felt dirty breaking my Craftsman tools so I just buy a replacement when I break it.
Of course now 90% of the items are made in China... and so if I break one of my made in the USA tools there is no true replacement. Now I'm left to buy things like Wright, and S&K.
Seen a guy break a 36AF spanner undoing a nut. Was not even using a tickler bar, just by hand, overhead in a confined space. Ting, clang, clang clang and then a few choice words, and then he climbed down with half, walked to get the other half then went to get a new one.
Friend also was undoing a clutch bolt, so needed a little more than hand length on the Gerdore power bar. 1in drive socket, 6ft pry bar in ground to hold the breaker bar on the nut, and 6m of pipe with eventually 2 guys jumping on the end to "persuade" it to undo.
I have taken spanners, detempered them, bent and ground them to fit a job then rehardened them, though for a lot of the time the cheapie was perfect in this use, not a good one.
+SeanBZA Yeah, I've had to heat up and bend a few wrenches for specialty tools over the years, I looked at the wrenches I had and used the least precious ones for the job, not that they were cheapies but weren't my favorites. But then I'm like Mr Pete, I have so many more of each than I ever needed.
Once again you have proven something to us. These small wrenches can break especially if a long cheater bar is used.
Something you hinted at has now become the...."Lyle Factor" "The diameter of a nut or bolt cannot exceed more than one half the capacity of the wrench."
I especially love the end. Mr. Pete you are very honorable. Thanks again for your very interesting videos