Snap-On Date Code on an Americraft Wrench??

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dimwittedmoose51
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Snap-On Date Code on an Americraft Wrench??

Post by dimwittedmoose51 »

I either got hoodwinked at an estate sale today or the same tool company that makes Americraft wrenches also made Snap-ons back in 1982. The funky looking "2" that designates 1982 as the model year, is stamped right on the end of the logo for the Americraft double box end ratchet set I bought today. The seller had taped a set of 5 together with opaque masking tape covering up the brand name, but leaving that tell tale date code showing. Honestly for $5, I didn't get burned, but I was a little disappointed when it didn't say Snap-On on the tools when i got home and unraveled everything. I also don't think the seller was smart enough or shrewd enough to do this on purpose. I got caught being greedy, I guess..... Any info on other tools that use the Snap On date codes would prove invaluable to me so I don't make such "assumptions" in the future. Will try to get some photos up later tonight....

TIA


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dimwittedmoose51
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Re: Snap-On Date Code on an Americraft Wrench??

Post by dimwittedmoose51 »

Got a couple of photos for the viewing audience....

DM&FS
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wondering now if the patent # is the same.....
wondering now if the patent # is the same.....
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snapmom
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Re: Snap-On Date Code on an Americraft Wrench??

Post by snapmom »

ImageImage
dimwittedmoose51
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Re: Snap-On Date Code on an Americraft Wrench??

Post by dimwittedmoose51 »

Guess I oly get one photo per post, here's the other....

DM&FS
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J.A.F.E.
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Re: Snap-On Date Code on an Americraft Wrench??

Post by J.A.F.E. »

Do you have a picture of the whole wrench?
dimwittedmoose51
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Re: Snap-On Date Code on an Americraft Wrench??

Post by dimwittedmoose51 »

JAFE, I'll get one up. The RB- number comes up as mostly Williams tools via Google. There's a whole set of 5 of the Americrafts I brought home...

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J.A.F.E.
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Re: Snap-On Date Code on an Americraft Wrench??

Post by J.A.F.E. »

Here is what I believe. I put this together partly by my own research and partly with the the help of others in this thread http://www.thegaragegazette.com/index.p ... #msg243123 at The Garage Gazette when I found this Craftsman wrench with a Snap-on date code.

Image

Image

The patents on my wrench go back to John W. Lang and are assigned to A&E Incorporated of Racine, Wisconsin. Racine and Kenosha are only a few miles apart and Daniel M. Lang, the founder, was an engineer at Snap-on who started the company to make feeler stock and other items to be sold to Snap-on. A&E acquired or started a couple other companies and brands including Kastar. Kastar makes the above wrench and OEM's it to others mostly private branded. For some reason Kastar uses the Snap-on date codes even on items not marked Snap-on. Perhaps it's just because of the close history the two companies have or maybe they just want the wrenches date coded and the codes are already worked out. Interestingly, one of the A&E companies, Eckmann Custom Products, does metal stampings like the sides of these laminated wrenches.

Here is a link to one catalog page from Lang Tools web site showing the twins to your wrenches:

http://www.langtools.com/wratcheting-wr ... nches.html

So I am going to venture a guess and say your wrench was made by Kastar, private branded and like what seems to be most of the Kastar laminated ratcheting wrenches carries the Snap-on date code.
dimwittedmoose51
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Re: Snap-On Date Code on an Americraft Wrench??

Post by dimwittedmoose51 »

Mystery Solved!!! thanks man

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four.cycle
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Re: Snap-On Date Code on an Americraft Wrench??

Post by four.cycle »

Gentlemen:
I stumbled onto this three-year-old thread searching for some information on the same type of "Americraft" laminated-type ratcheting box wrench as shown above in the post from dimwittedmoose51.
I thought it would be appropriate to post a comment in the hope it will clarify the matter, although Mr. Lauver's post on TheGarageGazette.com (cited above) does a pretty good job of it.
Several months ago I posed a rant about these wrenches on GarageJournal.com HERE: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/show ... ost5720596

As the buyer for a wholesale distributor feeding nine retail stores, and as an independent manufacturer's agent, I bought and sold hundreds (if not thousands) of this type of laminated box-end wrench from Kastar (now Lang) out of Racine, Wisconsin.
Lang still owns the patent rights to that design, and produces it for a plethora of other tool "manufacturers", among them "tool truck" brands such as Snap-on.

The bottom line is: if it looks like that Kastar-Lang wrench, odds are that it came off that same production line in Racine, Wisconsin.

I hope this will answer the question about who actually manufactures that wrench, regardless of any "date codes" stamped on them.

I suppose I should note as well that "Americraft" is/was a trademarked brand name owned by A & E Manufacturing of Racine, Wisconsin. (see HERE: http://www.trademarkia.com/americraft-73265739.html )( A & E, Kastar, Lang = all same/same.)

Thanks!
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