Neat article. The oldest wrenches I have in the box (and use) are Blackhawks, from the early 1940s I think, and Craftsman/Snap-On from the 1950s. I mic'd them on a dare and they still meet ASME tolerances. It's my understanding that Proto has a slightly different heat treatment than Stanley's "lower" grades, which are still good. You can get Proto from Grainger at the Husky prices from Home Depot. Catch is that Grainger only wants to sell to businesses, but then again you either know somebody who can do it or with your employer's permission you can use your credit card on their account. My all time best ratchet is a standard S-K 3/8in. 23yr young and has been dropped in mud, sand, used underwater, used with 6ft cheater and hasn't yet been cleaned or rebuilt. The 6pt sockets that came with it get changed to Proto as I break them. Don't think the new S-K stuff is as good as the old so I switch to Proto when the stuff breaks. I use my great-great-grandfather's soldering irons occasionally - we think they are from the 1870s-1880s - the blacksmithing type. Work good when soldering or brazing large pipe. They're kept in his toolbox.

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daBenz - 1970 220D