Craigslist strikes again!

[McMXi]

I scour Craigslist most days and saw a nice 15-piece set of Proto open end wrenches for sale for $60. The set was missing the 7/16" wrench but I have some other Proto wrenches in my tool box and was able to complete the set, albeit with a mismatched one. These wrenches are 20+ years old, made in the USA and are in 1/16" increments from 5/16" up to 1" and then 1-1/16", 1-1/8" and 1-1/4". A lot of hydraulic fittings on our tractors require a wrench over 1" and I typically use a couple of Proto adjustable crescent wrenches on those so these should come in handy. I like the roll up bag too both for keeping the wrenches organized, and ease of transportation.

I've bought quite a lot of Proto tools over the years between 1990 and 2010 and like them, particularly the older stuff. The seller had a bunch of other tools available for sale that belonged to his recently deceased father-in-law. I went through some boxes and put together another bundle of large open end wrenches (bigger than 1-1/4") and some nice SK wrenches with a pivoting socket on one end and an open end on the other. Not sure what that style is called but we agreed to $100 for the bunch. Just one of the bigger wrenches would cost more than $100 if from a higher-end brand so a very good deal for me. There's even a Snap-On in the mix.

 

[Outnumbered]

Nice score!

 

[BBFarmer]

I scour Craigslist most days and saw a nice 15-piece set of Proto open end wrenches for sale for $60. The set was missing the 7/16" wrench but I have some other Proto wrenches in my tool box and was able to complete the set, albeit with a mismatched one. These wrenches are 20+ years old, made in the USA and are in 1/16" increments from 5/16" up to 1" and then 1-1/16", 1-1/8" and 1-1/4". A lot of hydraulic fittings on our tractors require a wrench over 1" and I typically use a couple of Proto adjustable crescent wrenches on those so these should come in handy. I like the roll up bag too both for keeping the wrenches organized, and ease of transportation.

I've bought quite a lot of Proto tools over the years between 1990 and 2010 and like them, particularly the older stuff. The seller had a bunch of other tools available for sale that belonged to his recently deceased father-in-law. I went through some boxes and put together another bundle of large open end wrenches (bigger than 1-1/4") and some nice SK wrenches with a pivoting socket on one end and an open end on the other. Not sure what that style is called but we agreed to $100 for the bunch. Just one of the bigger wrenches would cost more than $100 if from a higher-end brand so a very good deal for me. There's even a Snap-On in the mix.

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That's how you buy tools right there! Awesome score sir.

Sure beats them hot summer deals:

14 pc 12-Point SAE Flank Drive® Combination Wrench Set (3/8–1-1/8" and 1-1/4") | OEX714KB | Snap-on Store

 

[McMXi]

That's how you buy tools right there! Awesome score sir.

Sure beats them hot summer deals:

14 pc 12-Point SAE Flank Drive® Combination Wrench Set (3/8–1-1/8" and 1-1/4") | OEX714KB | Snap-on Store

I like good tools and nice things, but I'd need to win the lottery in order to buy that Snap-on set. The current equivalent Proto set is $464 at MSC and $1,000 at Grainger. I don't know if the new stuff is made in the US or not though, but country of origin is listed as US under specs so seems like they are.

https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/72500838

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

That’s a score a SCORE (may even be a unicorn, great deal for sure)!

 

[Hoserman]

For 32 years I was a skilled tradesman at a large OSB wood panel mill. My job was breakdown maintenance. When it stopped, I started. The company bought all our tools and whenever we saw a tool that would help us, we ordered it for our tool chests. All of the wrenches the company got for us was made by Armstrong. I never heard of that brand and at first, I figured they would be junk. Boy was I wrong. I ordered a set of combo socket head/ open end wrenches. I had these wrenches for 30 of the 32 years I worked there and when I retired, I asked my boss for those wrenches and have them today. I was not gentle on them either. I would double wrench cheater with them, and they never failed. If you ever come across a set of these I recommend them highly. You scored on the set you got by the way. Well done.

 

[Workerbee]

Yes, those socket end wrenches are damn handy. Especially for hard to get at fasteners on outboards… Another name for them is Salter wrenches.

 

[Spam Bot]

Armstrong used to offer sockets in 1/16" increments. Made it easy to get a socket on a rusted nut. It also proved helpful when working on WWII-era machinery. Our government specified a lot of weird-sized heads and threads, so if something fell into the hands of the enemy, they couldn't fix it with other equipment that they had gotten in the heat of the war.

 

[GeoHorn]

I inherited a set of Proto wrenches from my electrician Dad…. They are graduated in 32nds -inch.

 

[McMXi]

Yes, those socket end wrenches are damn handy. Especially for hard to get at fasteners on outboards… Another name for them is Salter wrenches.

I can't find any information on Salter wrenches. These seems like another case of no industry standardization in nomenclature for a combination wrench with an open end and socket. McMaster-Carr calls them flex-head socket wrenches or just socket wrenches, but they might have been obseleted by wratcheting combination wrenches given that I can't find them on the SK, Proto or Snap-on websites. I'll post a couple of photos tomorrow of the other bundle once I've picked them up. I didn't have any cash on me yesterday other than the $60 for the Proto set so told the owner that I'd be back out on Thursday with $100.

I looked into SK tools and I found it particularly interesting that Facom owned them for a brief time. Facom is a French company and they make/made the best locking pliers I've ever used. I have five sets of their locking pliers, and for welders there is no better make or type since they can be adjusted with one hand and the finish is very resistent to weld spatter, unlike Vice-Grip or similar. Sadly, SK is now owned by a Chinese conglomerate.

I learned about Facom during the first job I had after welding school around 40 years ago. I worked at a fabrication/welding company, and a coworker was walking to work one morning and noticed something shiny under a hedge. Turns out it was a pristine pair of Facom locking pliers. How they got there, why they were there or who put them there was a mystery. None of us at the company had ever heard of the brand, and this was decades before the internet so it took actual work to get information. A few weeks later we knew they were French so used to pronounce Facom as Fuckem, but everyone who used them wanted them or wanted to buy that brand. I was so impressed by them that I tracked down an obscure seller who had a few laying around and bought them.

 

[trikepilot]

I have a SERIOUS addiction to CL and FBMP. I look at them daily. Most often it is for entertainment but every now and then - like this tool score of yours - you stumble upon a screaming deal. But you gotta be ready to pounce as they go quick.

 

[dirtydeed]

I scour Craigslist most days and saw a nice 15-piece set of Proto open end wrenches for sale for $60. The set was missing the 7/16" wrench but I have some other Proto wrenches in my tool box and was able to complete the set, albeit with a mismatched one.

I bet it ran off with the 10mm. Find the "10" and you may find your missing "7/16".

JK of course.

 

[Workerbee]

Im sorry, that should have read Saltus not salter

 

[RCW]

I bet it ran off with the 10mm. Find the "10" and you may find your missing "7/16".

JK of course.

I posted it here a while back.

I actually found a 10mm socket in the parking lot of Tractor Supply.

Cheapie chineseum, but I felt like I won the friggin lottery.....

@McMXi - those wrenches were a great find!

 

[hedgerow]

I scour Craigslist most days and saw a nice 15-piece set of Proto open end wrenches for sale for $60. The set was missing the 7/16" wrench but I have some other Proto wrenches in my tool box and was able to complete the set, albeit with a mismatched one. These wrenches are 20+ years old, made in the USA and are in 1/16" increments from 5/16" up to 1" and then 1-1/16", 1-1/8" and 1-1/4". A lot of hydraulic fittings on our tractors require a wrench over 1" and I typically use a couple of Proto adjustable crescent wrenches on those so these should come in handy. I like the roll up bag too both for keeping the wrenches organized, and ease of transportation.

I've bought quite a lot of Proto tools over the years between 1990 and 2010 and like them, particularly the older stuff. The seller had a bunch of other tools available for sale that belonged to his recently deceased father-in-law. I went through some boxes and put together another bundle of large open end wrenches (bigger than 1-1/4") and some nice SK wrenches with a pivoting socket on one end and an open end on the other. Not sure what that style is called but we agreed to $100 for the bunch. Just one of the bigger wrenches would cost more than $100 if from a higher-end brand so a very good deal for me. There's even a Snap-On in the mix.

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Nice score there for sure. I have a wrench pouch like that rolled up in every tractor, truck and pickup I own. Now I have to carry a Metric set in all of them to. I have a lot of Proto wrench's and sockets and most are 40-50 year old and older on some. Proto is good stuff. I have a fair amount of snap on and Mac at the house in my main tool box. I haven't bought a new snap on wrench in forty years. Always on the look out for name brand tools at garage and estate sales.

 

[S-G-R]

That's a great score @McMXi

 

[McMXi]

Im sorry, that should have read Saltus not salter

A search for Saltus wrenches brings up a lot of products. Thanks for setting me straight. I've learned something today.

 

[BBFarmer]

Yes, saltus is correct.

My step pops has some OG snap on saltus wrenches... Double end and 12 point.

I'm 25 years and still going in a shop and never once come across another tech that had any. They got the old style snap on logo to like this