Review on General Tools 164 Wrench Capacity by Joshua Albright

I had an old handyman ratchet wrench, no. 4065, at least 30 years old. Recently I dropped it and broke the reverse button and its shaft. This General 161R is almost identical - Sears probably had a Craftsman key made by General. But the old key had a much better finish and finish. Especially the front "nose" nut and jaws. (It was made in the USA.) The jaws (and spring) of the new general wrench are poorly shaped and poorly adjusted. To insert a #10 or 1/4 tap, the jaws had to be spread apart to insert the tap. It was very uncomfortable. (The new General wrench is made in India.) However, the General and Craftsman are so similar that I was able to use the best parts from two wrenches to make a very good Frankenstein wrench. I used the ratchet body of the new general wrench and the jaws and nose of the old craftsman to make a good wrench. The photographs show the darker metal of the old master; shiny silver from the general. The top left button is good. The ratchet works well and the old jaws fit great. In addition, these sponges are over 30 years old and have never suffered cracks or breaks. Another disadvantage of the new master key is the lack of a center hole on the back of the fitting body. This hole is typically used on a lathe or other machine tool to align the crank on the same axis as the workpiece. See photo. Luckily my Kludge block uses an old case with a centering hole. I don't use this feature much at all, but if it's important to you, find a different brand key or change General.