Hey Don, I'm not sure about the combos, but that 13mm x 15mm DBE wrench definitely has a pointed "A."  That's a collectible tool.  Like I said earlier, I paid good money for mine.  I'd offer to buy it from you but I don't think I can afford it twice.

Jim C.

Jim,
I'd be happy to let them all go. Just send me a PM and we'll discuss them.
-Don

Only have 2 that fit this post

12mm combo and 13/15 DOE

DSCF9983 by Skip Albright, on Flickr

DSCF9985 by Skip Albright, on Flickr

An old friend passed these combos along to me a few days ago. He had them for a while but is getting rid of his tools in anticipation of a move to New York City.
-Don

Wow Don!  Those are definitely early Craftsman metric combos!  Notice the pointed letter "A" in the CR"A"FTSM"A"N stamp.   Nice!   I'm envious....

Jim C.

Jim,
If you'd like to add them to your collection, we could do something similar to our deal on the metric DBE wrenches. Just send me an email or PM.
-Don

Hey Don,

PM sent. Thanks.

Jim C.

I found a carry box and some metric =v= wrenches at a recent estate sale. I threw the rest of my =v= metric tools in the box to keep them all together and added a few drive tools. If anyone needs one to complete a set they are available for trade.
-Don

Hey Don,

Looks like some good stuff in that box!

Jim C.

Nice stuff, guys!

I have also found metric tools to be hard to find before the 1970's. My Bonney search to find metric wrenches was also a long and wearying journey, with the 13 x 15 very elusive. I guess being two of the most used sizes those tools wore out sooner than others and that's maybe why they are so hard to find. Just my guess though.

The 13mm yes, in the '70 15mm was an odd ball.

Quote from: bonneyman on December 17, 2019, 10:03:40 AM
Nice stuff, guys!

I have also found metric tools to be hard to find before the 1970's. My Bonney search to find metric wrenches was also a long and wearying journey, with the 13 x 15 very elusive. I guess being two of the most used sizes those tools wore out sooner than others and that's maybe why they are so hard to find. Just my guess though.

Hey bonneyman,

I had a similar experience.  After I finished the first Craftsman metric set shown above, I started looking for the Craftsman 13mm and 15mm sockets and wrenches.  They weren't initially offered in 1960 and didn't make it into the Sears catalog until a couple years later.  I had some trouble finding the earliest 13mm and 15mm tools.  In particular, the 13mm x 15mm DBE wrench was the hardest to find. 

Jim C.

Very interesting.  By the time I started working on cars myself (1969), Sears had a pretty comprehensive selection of metric tools, individually and in sets.  I got by for years with a 3/8" flex handle and a set of sockets, plus, when I could afford it, a set of combination wrenches.  Craftsman were my standard tools: affordable, high quality, and, back then, they took their lifetime warranty seriously.  I can't tell you how many flex handles and sockets I replaced, broken trying to remove the lug bolts on a VW bus.

Quote from: Bill Houghton on December 31, 2019, 10:35:28 AM
Very interesting.  By the time I started working on cars myself (1969), Sears had a pretty comprehensive selection of metric tools, individually and in sets.  I got by for years with a 3/8" flex handle and a set of sockets, plus, when I could afford it, a set of combination wrenches.  Craftsman were my standard tools: affordable, high quality, and, back then, they took their lifetime warranty seriously.  I can't tell you how many flex handles and sockets I replaced, broken trying to remove the lug bolts on a VW bus.

My dad told similar stories of replacing ratchets and sockets at the Sears store. They were all broken removing lug nuts.

I think the two foot length of pipe I used as a cheater, combined with my standing on the pipe and bouncing to loosen the bolts, could maybe have contributed to the breakage.  Just maybe.  A little bit.