Anyone familiar with this place?   Looks sort of eclectic.   Warehouse sort of resembles Steve's shop ;-)     They used to have a funky video showing how they picked an order and it was quite entertaining.    They will also do "box art" and paint a picture on your shipment's box.    If I ever get to KC, I'll have to check them out.

 

https://www.harryepstein.com/

No, never heard of them but I've book marked the site! Appears many of the Ee's have been there for a long time which says something great about the company...

I'm with you Keith, if I ever get to KC, will be on my must do list...would love  tour of this place.

Thanks for posting this...I've got a lot more reading to do on their site when I have time.

Epstein is highly recommended by his fans. I have bought PEC "factory seconds" from them and found them to be a fantastic deal. I have a 4" double T square that is my favorite. I followed another thread somewhere from a guy who bought one that was out by some amount. Epstein sent him a replacement, no questions asked. The service I've received from them has always been first rate. To get the "seconds" deal you have to catch them when in stock....but the PEC stuff is US made and very high quality.

Ya got me, Fred. What's PEC?

32 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

Ya got me, Fred. What's PEC?

 

Here you go Gene

 

http://www.pectools.com/

Thanks, Dan. Those are some really nice toys.

Man o man, I certainly hope the item linked here is an example of Harry's humor.

2 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

Man o man, I certainly hope the item linked here is an example of Harry's humor.

12 Point Raised Panel Combination Wrenches - 1-7/8", 2", 2-1/16", 2-1/8", 2-3/16", 2-1/4"

 

Gene, While it might seem like humor, I suspect that price is a good price for a quality tool in wrenches of this size. I spent over $60/each for 1-5/16", 1-3/8", 1-7/16" and 1-1/2" Snap-on Open end combinations wrenches similar to these and that was over 40 years ago. 

35 minutes ago, Grandpadave52 said:

12 Point Raised Panel Combination Wrenches - 1-7/8", 2", 2-1/16", 2-1/8", 2-3/16", 2-1/4"

 

Gene, While it might seem like humor, I suspect that price is a good price for a quality tool in wrenches of this size. I spent over $60/each for 1-5/16", 1-3/8", 1-7/16" and 1-1/2" Snap-on Open end combinations wrenches similar to these and that was over 40 years ago. 

I presume that's for guys working on heavy equipment, power plants, trains, etc.  I certainly have never seen a 2 1/4" nut that needed some tightening (other than plumbing).  I tried to find that video of order picking -- it was hilarious.   Guy takes an old grocery cart through a dirty door, up a freight elevator, down congested and cluttered aisles, pulls something off the shelf, looks at it,puts it back and goes down one more bin, and so on.   I half expected him to run over the barn cat somewhere in that maze.

 

I went to a small hardware store once near my office.  One center gondola and two walls was it.   I needed a nut for my lawn tractor.   He walked down an aisle, stopped, pulled out some cardboard boxes from the floor, sized up my nut, and said, well, here's two of them, how about 50 cents?

 

A discount store in my college town had the motto proudly posted "If you don't see it on the rack, look for it on the floor."

 

Another farm store the owners always wore dirty white t-shirts and had a bunch of high school boys working there.   They'll always yell at them, "Take this customer back to building 4 and find him some whazzits.    One time I bought an ax handle.   The owner walked around, looked up in the joists,, pulled out a couple and handed me the one marked $2.50 -- probably priced in the '50s.

 

 

Love those old timey hardware stores.

1 hour ago, kmealy said:

Love those old timey hardware stores.

Been in a few of those. Sure do miss them, now that they're extinct!

John

Edited May 16, 20179 yr by HARO50

4 hours ago, HARO50 said:

Been in a few of those. Sure do miss them, now that they're extinct!

John

Me too. Miss the smells. Miss the friendliness and humor. Miss the coffee, too. In the winter, there was always a pot on the wood burning stove. Metal cups. Kept your gloves on to drink it. 

4 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

Me too. Miss the smells. Miss the friendliness and humor. Miss the coffee, too. In the winter, there was always a pot on the wood burning stove. Metal cups. Kept your gloves on to drink it. 

And me also. A few around here would always have these during the winter months too...

 

Just crack, eat, and toss your shells on the floor...You could buy them by the pound to take home, or could eat for free while shopping or just sitting around the stove...

Most had "basements" of some sort too...kinda' creepy places especially since there were only a few lights hanging from the cords...usually had to advance from one light to the other to turn the old porcelain switch knob on at the fixture... 

13 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

12 Point Raised Panel Combination Wrenches - 1-7/8", 2", 2-1/16", 2-1/8", 2-3/16", 2-1/4"

 

Gene, While it might seem like humor, I suspect that price is a good price for a quality tool in wrenches of this size. I spent over $60/each for 1-5/16", 1-3/8", 1-7/16" and 1-1/2" Snap-on Open end combinations wrenches similar to these and that was over 40 years ago. 

Injection Molding Machines used even bigger nuts and bolts ( BTDT)

Worked with the ironworkers, set a column onto a pier I made,  with four to eight anchor bolts sticking up......2-3/8"  nuts and their washers to "bolt the Grey Iron down".    Even worse when there was a crane rail column with it.

Here is todays prices per wrench.  For some reason you have to scroll up after clicking on link.

 

https://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/MCL522/1-5-8-COMBINATION-WRENCH/#to-details

 

Edited May 17, 20179 yr by HandyDan

Dan, if you go through to check out, it looks like it's for the whole set. Although, I did see an Ampco one for $331.75. Geez o Pete! For one wrench. 

I'm glad I don't have any nuts that big.

39 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

Dan, if you go through to check out, it looks like it's for the whole set. Although, I did see an Ampco one for $331.75. Geez o Pete! For one wrench. 

I'm glad I don't have any nuts that big.

 

I don't know about that!!!!  Do an individual part number search, search boa upper right..  I tried a link after I searched but it didn't hold when I posted it.

 

https://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/MCL522/1-5-8-COMBINATION-WRENCH/#to-details

 

Smaller set from Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/SK-86048-SuperKrome-6-Inch-Combination/dp/B0002NYCNG

 

And a larger Proto set from MSC

https://www.mscdirect.com/industrialtools/2-sp-45-sp-1-sp-47-sp-2-inch-combination-wrench.html

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 17, 20179 yr by HandyDan

Wow! 

Our son works on OTR rigs. Just spoke with him and mentioned how I couldn't believe some of those prices. He said "Believe it dad. That's why our company has full time security guards and cameras in the bays, and I still worry."

And, Phyllis complains about my tool buys. 

 

 

I remember we bought a 3/4" drive socket set (at work, when i had a day job) for our department. Just one set since we only needed them occasionally. This was probably 17-18 years ago, and it was a Snap On set. I remember the cost being north of $1500.

I have a big wrenches and a 3/4" drive set in the tool box in the basement from back when.  Probably couldn't get much selling them used.

3 hours ago, HandyDan said:

I have a big wrenches and a 3/4" drive set in the tool box in the basement from back when.  Probably couldn't get much selling them used.

Might surprise ya. Find the right mechanic shop.