Sears Craftsman Tools Raised Panel Wrench Manufacturer Identification Dates, Codes, and History. 

Buy American while there's still time.

excellent video and thanks. after watching, i looked at my "first gen" double box end, raised panel wrench (1/2 - 9/16). as stated, and a little FYI, it does have a raised "V" cast (or forged) into the shank. i don't know the exact year or vintage, but i've had this wrench since 1965 and it was well used when i got it. i'm not sure, but it may have been my grandfather's wrench. too many years and the old memory ain't what used to be....

Great info. I would love to see you do Craftsman ratchets and sockets, as well.

I have a Chrafsman set 3/8 thu- 1" all marked with a W then i heard thats actually 2 VV LOL

The Tool Bandit.. New subscriber here. Thanks for showing the History of Craftsman wrenches..

Always buy 🇺🇸 made tools when possible.

I'm late to the party but most of my Craftsman wrenches came from the 70's. Often the raised panel is hard on the hands and my Japan metrics are slightly thinner and more comfortable overall.

Great video very informative I have a complete easco set of metric wrenches that I got from a family friend goes all the way up to 32mm and still has the original tool roll I bet it’s worth a pretty penny now a days

Purchased my first set of Craftsman tools back in 1967 while in high school. They made great dependable good prised tools until they switch to foreign made garbage. Around 1985 I purchased a maybe 85 piece combo action Craftsman set from an add in my bill that only cost $40. Did not find out until they shipped it to me that they were made in Tawain. Quality not as good as earlier USA tools.

The first wrench, the 3/4" one,that's a counterfeit. The 'A' is pointy. It's supposed to be flat on top.

I have the vv with double lines as "Easco, ca." from 1974 - 1989 then "Danaher, ca" from 1990 - 2011

Great video! I just picked up a box of Craftsman wrenches and sockets. It is a 46 piece set. There is no visible date but I'm guessing 1970s. I'm still doing my homework on them trying to find a date, your video is a big help! I'll post a video once soon. tHanks for the video!

The =VV= does not have a part number, they should be pre 1968 as well.

Awesome info Even the us flag comes from China I would not be too surprised

That's pretty cool I've got a bunch of old craftsman wrenches that aren't chrome-plated they're made of something different when I first started wrenching back in the 80s building up my sets from pawn shops and garage sales LOL

The "V" indicated that Moore Drop Forge made it in Springfield, MA. The "VV" means that MDF/Easco made them in Springdale, AR. The "BF" is believed to have been Daido and for a time were sourced at the same time as the USA sourced units and there was consumer backlash so the Japan units went away. No "VV" Is older than "V^" as the later was the Danaher era who bought Easco in the 1990s. Not always correct, as not all "unmarked" Craftsman tools were made in China. The wrench you showed, yes, made in China, but other tools not marked made in USA may have still been made here, but they are vintage indeed. Do not believe all of those source charts, as many of them are faulty and lack the proper research. I had spoken to many contacts at the actual Sears suppliers years back and many confirmed or denied what was published about their tools that they made for Sears.

What about the wrenches with only a single line on each side, as opposed to a double line?

Super late to the party. Japanese hand tools are the new made in the USA nowadays. Koken is where it's at. Quality is equal to Snap On IMO. Prices are steep but still cheaper than the tool truck brands.

When i buy old wrenches the first thing i do when i get home is put them in the sink get out my can of Bar Keepers Friend and give them a scrub with a tooth brush. They will look almost brand new in about 1 minute with that stuff.

Does the dating of the wrenches carry over to thier ratchets and sockets and extensions as well ???

Good video, thanks for sharing. I've always had Craftsman and loved them. Now that I have the time I'm starting to actually collect them as well as other brands. Your video will help me.

I'm not sure on exact year but SK tools made Craftsman wrenches and sockets at their forge plant in Defiance Ohio

All My Chraftsman Wrenches were purchased before 1978. From 1978 to 1986 all my wrenches were Snap On, After 1985, I have a plethora of different brands, including Harbor Freight. My set of SAE open end box end wrenches were purchased as a single large set and one of the wrenches has the double vv stamping. If memory serves I purchased that large set in 1974. All the other wrenches in that set have a signle v between a single dash. When I purchased the set i engraved my initials in each wrench so that I could identify my wrenches.

id say 98% of the tools in my tool chests are the ones with -v- on them. I started buying them in 1995 when i started driving.

What does the cast in letter O or letter B or letter N in the shank either at the open end of the shank or at the box end of the shank ??? There is also a VERY noticable ring sound when you tap older wrenches together apposed to the later made wrenches. A lesser grade of steel I assume. Also because especially the box end of the wrench has thicker steel in the casting to be stronger due to a lesser grade of steel !!!???

It seems Craftsman used a series line for their wrenches as none of them have a year. I purchased sets of wrenches, ratchets, and sockets some time after 2005. The only distinguishing marking on the wrenches besides the name and size is ST.

Hello! Another big company which produced Sears hand wrenches was Williams tool company. From my understanding they were approached by Sear to manufacturer hand wrenches... Sears bought thousands at a bulk rate to get a low price. Williams agreed, but not with the Williams stamp logo, because Williams was selling to Ma & Pa hardware stores at a higher rate. Hence the Craftsman name was born. I do to dive into the history Craftsman tools, but it is like exploring the inside of a ant hill with all kinds of twist and turns.

There are also wrenches with a "WF" on them. For Western Forge, who made them. They were I believe 1990's to early 2000's.

And Offset Box Wrenches I own have either a cast in the shank or stamped into the raised panel Cl. Not sure what the manufacturer years woukd be on thise as well ???

I’m a fan of raised panel wrenches.

I have a set of the Japanese made wrenches in metric. It was a convenient way to identify my tools vs my dad's and my brother's. I now have a good selection of v, VV, and V^ USA made ones as well.

Thanks man I was going through my wrenches and for Japan ones and one with no part number.

Do u have eBay shop ?

Esco Tools

You keep saying "I dont know"! Why make a video like this?

good info

Great video. Very informative. 👍👍

Very informative. Thank you.

G?

damn bro its just a wrench

May be wrong but i recall reading the =v= and =vv= were prodiced in the same time frame by moore drop forge but at different facilities.