*EARLY PRE 1947 1ST GEN* NEW BRITAIN NS58 T- HANDLE BREAKER BAR 1/2" DRIVE USA

Description: Earliest style, 1st generation design for NEW BRITAIN BRANDING, earlier tools sold under NONE BETTER BRAND.Can be seen in the 1940 catalog.In the next available catalog 1947, the design style for these had changed. NEW BRITAIN NS58 Flex handle +double ended extension +T-handle cross bar - modified, one end cut down and open. In 1940 the company published New Britain catalog No. 56, which is currently our earliest reference to the New Britain brand. Catalog No. 56 may have been the introduction of "New Britain" as a brand for hand tools. The company had long used the New Britain brand for its automatic screw machines and other machinery, but had relegated hand tools to the None Better brand. With the huge success of its Craftsman "BE" tools produced for Sears Roebuck, New Britain would have seen great potential in the hand tools market, making this an opportune time to introduce its main brand. The catalog offered the wide variety of automotive service tools expected of a full-service vendor. Socket tools were offered in 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, and 3/4 drive sizes and are basically identical to the None Better socket tools, but with the addition of an "N" prefix to the model number. Sockets were available only in the straight-wall design, continuing a trend away from the earlier tapered walls. During the 1940s the company continued to expand its automotive service line under the New Britain brand. After about 1945, New Britain's Sears contract declined as the older socket tools were replaced by the new "V"-series tools. Some of the older sockets were still listed in the 1947 catalog, but by 1949 only the "V" series tools were shown.

Price: 39.99 USD

Location: Riverside, California

End Time: 2024-12-01T07:11:08.000Z

Shipping Cost: 10.95 USD