The GearWrench / KD Tools Iceberg - History & Lore

4 months ago
1

In this video we go over the history of K-D Tools, and the origin story of GearWrench.
How K-D created GearWrench, and then later got replaced by GearWrench.

Kulp Patents:
https://patents.google.com/?inventor=Harry+W+Kulp

KD Patents:
https://patents.google.com/?assignee=KD+Manufacturing+Co&country=US

GearWrench patent:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US5636557A/en?oq=US5636557

KD Tools History:
http://alloy-artifacts.org/k-d-manufacturing.html

Apex Factory Closing:
https://www.thestate.com/news/business/article126068444.html

1934 KD Catalog:
https://archive.org/details/k-d-tools-catalog-no-16-1934/mode/2up

1942 KD Catalog:
https://archive.org/details/k-d-tools-catalog-21/K-D%20Tools%20Catalog%2021/page/4/mode/2up

1969 KD Catalog:
https://archive.org/details/k-d-tools-catalog-69/K-D%20Tools%20Catalog%2069/

2006 GearWrench Catalog:
https://archive.org/details/gear-wrench-automotive-catalog-2006

2010 KD Catalog:
https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6019350/page/1/mode/2up

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:24 Early Days of K-D
01:10 K-D Gets Bought Out
01:45 The GearWrench is Born
02:37 Apex Era & Closures
03:32 GearWrench Replaces K-D
04:07 Final Thoughts

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