Sheilajeanne Report post Posted September 28, 2021 Am sorting through some wrenches I have, and one set is chrome plated Vanadium, another drop-forged steel. Which is considered better quality? I thought it would be the Vanadium, but the 3/4 inch wrench has a piece broken off it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PastorBob Report post Posted September 28, 2021 19 minutes ago, Sheilajeanne said: Am sorting through some wrenches I have, and one set is chrome plated Vanadium, another drop-forged steel. Which is considered better quality? I thought it would be the Vanadium, but the 3/4 inch wrench has a piece broken off it! "Drop Forged" is a process. "Chrome Vanadium" is a steel alloy. The two are commonly used together: if you Google for "drop forged chrome vanadium" you will find many tool sets using that process and that alloy together. (https://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/12773/Drop-Forged-or-Chrome-Vanadium) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheilajeanne Report post Posted September 28, 2021 I think I will just keep the set that is the most complete, which is the vanadium chrome. My handyman says he managed to break both types of wrenches when doing work for me! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuck123wapati Report post Posted September 29, 2021 18 hours ago, Sheilajeanne said: I think I will just keep the set that is the most complete, which is the vanadium chrome. My handyman says he managed to break both types of wrenches when doing work for me! It would be a toss up on which was better made as the Pastor said just selling points. Who manufactured each set? keep both sets sounds like your handy man will need replacements, let him use the crappiest ones first. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheilajeanne Report post Posted September 29, 2021 (edited) The one set is Jobmate, a Canadian Tire brand. Not sure who made the Vanadium set. My metric tools are Jobmate, and that set included the Imperial measurement tools, but a LOT of those are missing. The Vanadium set is Imperial measurements only and is complete. So, going to keep some of each. I am in the midst of making a tool roll to keep them all organized - that's why I'm asking! And my handyman seems worse than most at misplacing tools, which is why I need to tool roll, so I can bug him when he doesn't put them back where they belong!! Edited September 29, 2021 by Sheilajeanne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuck123wapati Report post Posted September 29, 2021 5 minutes ago, Sheilajeanne said: The one set is Jobmate, a Canadian Tire brand. Not sure who made the Vanadium set. My metric tools are Jobmate, and that set included the Imperial measurement tools, but a LOT of those are missing. The Vanadium set is Imperial measurements only and is complete. So, going to keep some of each. I am in the midst of making a tool roll to keep them all organized - that's why I'm asking! from what ive read in about five minutes the jobmate are lower end tools sold by Canadian tire Seems Canadian tire outsources their tools and have a few different quality brands made for them. No personal knowledge of them just info from the net, that being said doesn't mean they wont work for you, i have hundreds of auto tools of every quality and use them all equally i.e. till they break lol. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheilajeanne Report post Posted September 29, 2021 Yeah, CT brands often aren't all that high quality. They are for the home handyperson, and if you want professional quality tools, you have to pay a higher price, which most of us non-pros aren't willing to do. I think the Vanadium tools are the better set, but he broke a 3/4" wrench in that set, and I'm missing the 10 mm in the Job Mate set. I assume he broke that one, too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frodo Report post Posted October 2, 2021 On 9/28/2021 at 1:26 PM, Sheilajeanne said: Am sorting through some wrenches I have, and one set is chrome plated Vanadium, another drop-forged steel. Which is considered better quality? I thought it would be the Vanadium, but the 3/4 inch wrench has a piece broken off it! Chromium-vanadium steel(Cr-V) It has better strength and toughness than carbon steel, so it is a great material for high quality tools. Commonly used for wrenches, screwdrivers, manual sleeves generally use 50BV30 chrome vanadium steel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheilajeanne Report post Posted October 2, 2021 Thanks, that's what I thought! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted October 2, 2021 An aside; Henry Ford chose to use Chrome-Vanadium Steel for the chassis (frame) members on his Model T car where competitors were using mild steel supported by teak wood. The Ford T Chassis was known for its flexibility without breaking, its overall strength and lightness compared to the others. Over 100 years on original T chassis are still in use whereas chassis on the other cars have been changed many years ago Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handstitched Report post Posted October 15, 2021 I would have thought that ' Sheffield Steel' by Joe Cocker would be better. Sorry, its late and I'm bored . HS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrisash Report post Posted October 16, 2021 My first question is how did he manage to break them, was he hitting with a hammer to try and shift some nut or using a extension bar, different ways to apply force Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuck123wapati Report post Posted October 16, 2021 6 hours ago, chrisash said: My first question is how did he manage to break them, was he hitting with a hammer to try and shift some nut or using a extension bar, different ways to apply force Ever meet a roughneck? scientists studied one. They gave him three solid steel balls and a board with three round holes and locked him in a tiny room for two hours to see what he would do with them. when they opened the door they found him asleep in the corner. One ball was smashed to pieces one ball was gone and the last one in his lunchbox. i once saw a 60" rigid pipe wrench broken. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheilajeanne Report post Posted October 23, 2021 On 10/16/2021 at 3:14 AM, chrisash said: My first question is how did he manage to break them, was he hitting with a hammer to try and shift some nut or using a extension bar, different ways to apply force I didn't ask. He was working on my old riding mower, which was pretty dirty and rusty. The bearings needed replacing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
