Two thumbs up for Cornwell Tools

Sam Cogley

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 2, 2012
Messages
558
Location
Springfield, MO
Earlier this year, I found a nice, older Cornwell 1/2" drive socket set and a bunch of end wrenches while looking for a rolling tool cabinet. The seller was the original owner, who bought everything new while working as a professional mechanic in 1960. The price was more than fair, so I didn't even dicker, even after he mentioned that three of the sockets were cracked.

A few months later, I finally got around to getting in touch with Cornwell to see about buying replacements. I ended up catching up with the local truck on one of their sales deliveries, and they replaced the broken ones under warranty, 54 years later and on the second owner! I was fully prepared to pay for them, but the driver said "no charge" and tossed the old ones into their warranty bin after remarking as to how old they were. That's good service. :thumbs::thumbs:

Also, the part numbers for their non-impact, chrome, standard-depth 1/2" drive sockets haven't changed in 54 years. That's rather amazing.
 
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Strange in that I have never heard of Cornwell tools not in the DC region and not here in Jax either....

but can't fight that service for sure....:D:cool:

I have a Snap 1/4 inch drive flex ratchet that has been fixed maybe 3 times by the trucks, but really the whole thing needs replaced, the head is shot...

:suicide:
 
Snap-On and MAC I know of and have some experience with their tools. I've seen Cornwell trucks around, but never dealt with any of their stuff until now. They've apparently been around forever, but don't seem to have the same level of name recognition as the other two. The original owner of this set bought it in Ohio, then moved it all to OKC and finally here when he retired.

Quality seems to be on a par with Snap-On and MAC, and a step up from the old-school, pro-grade Craftsman. The three cracked sockets looked like they probably had impact socket levels of force applied, multiple times. I've seen every good brand fail under that kind of repeated abuse.

The end wrenches that also came with the cabinet look like they've been through hell and back, and don't have any signs of structural damage.

Considering the quality of their service, I'm seriously considering picking up metric socket and end wrench sets to match the SAE ones I have now. Initial purchase price starts to look cheap when they'll replace stuff under warranty when I'm 90.
 
I"m 70 and arthritic as hell.....doubt to see the need for my tools at age 90...

I forgot to mention an old friend from the DC region, Pete Ryba, he was a mechanic at an Esso station....tells you how long ago THAT was, well he got tired of it, and took a Matco route, made it to area/regional manager, and Snap made him an offer he could not refuse, I suspect he retired by now....:cool:
 
FYI, I just checked the last socket that had to go back in the set (they were out of the 5/8" and had to order it for me the first time I caught them) - it's marked "USA."

I also looked at the matching metric socket and end wrench sets on their website, thinking it would be nice to have matching, high quality tools (even though I have some well made old-school USA-produced GM Goodwrench and Craftsman that work very well). Talk about sticker shock!
 
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FYI, I just checked the last socket that had to go back in the set (they were out of the 5/8" and had to order it for me the first time I caught them) - it's marked "USA."

I also looked at the matching metric socket and end wrench sets on their website, thinking it would be nice to have matching, high quality tools (even though I have some well made old-school GM Goodwrench and Craftsman that work very well). Talk about sticker shock!

Hey man, I hear you on that USA sticker shock, but I stay away for the reasons why.....

just have to say that some 30? years ago there was a small tool sales shop that got known and I bought a set of 1/2" deep well impact/black sockets for some 60-80 bux goes from 3/8 to damn near an inch if not larger.....still hammering on my Ingersoll impact true they not commercial use, but still hammering....can't complain.....

:smash::smash:
 
I had a great cornwell tool experience too. My dad had some cornwell, but mostly snap-on. I borrowed a cornwell mid-length impact socket & broke it. I asked him about exhange. He said he bought the cornwell tools, used, in the late 1950's from a retiring mechanic. I met a cornwell truck at a local car dealer & he exchanged it! So I really don't know how old the tool really was!
 
FYI, I just checked the last socket that had to go back in the set (they were out of the 5/8" and had to order it for me the first time I caught them) - it's marked "USA."

I also looked at the matching metric socket and end wrench sets on their website, thinking it would be nice to have matching, high quality tools (even though I have some well made old-school GM Goodwrench and Craftsman that work very well). Talk about sticker shock!

Hey man, I hear you on that USA sticker shock, but I stay away for the reasons why.....

just have to say that some 30? years ago there was a small tool sales shop that got known and I bought a set of 1/2" deep well impact/black sockets for some 60-80 bux goes from 3/8 to damn near an inch if not larger.....still hammering on my Ingersoll impact true they not commercial use, but still hammering....can't complain.....

:smash::smash:

Some of that price is obviously wrapped up in having a no-questions-asked warranty until the sun blows up.
 
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