UPDATED: Tools That Used to be Quality Bargains

Master Mechanic used to be Made in USA and had a great warranty. I seem to recall it was supposedly lifetime. I know in our little country store we replaced Master Mechanic tools on the spot and Cotter & Co (True Value Hardware and V&S Variety) reimbursed us periodically. Then they changed to made in Taiwan to keep price down, but warranty was still good. Then Cotter & Co decided to screw all the small stores and all the small stock holders in the Co-Op when they sold out. Oh, well. Anyway, back in the day they were decent and affordable. I may have broken a socket, but I don’t recall for sure. I sure remember breaking a Snap-On socket or three.

Challenger by Proto. This was the premium brand we stocked. Same warranty as Proto, darn good tools, and while expensive, quite a bit cheaper than Proto labeled tools. I don’t recall ever breaking a Challenger tool. This was what all the local farm mechanics wanted when they could afford them.

I was just cleaning out the trunk of the car my dad was using before he passed. He was obviously still doing service work