One hundred and six brand guides to hand tools — woodworking and sharpening, hammers, pliers and drivers, and the jobsite basics.
Hand-tool brands are some of the oldest names in any shop, and some of the most misleading. A tool can carry an American heritage name and belong to a Mexican, Swedish, Chinese or Hong Kong group; a store brand can be built by a contract manufacturer you have never heard of; and two unrelated companies can share one famous word.
Who owns the name
The guides below trace those chains. Louisville Ladder has been owned since 2004 by Mexico’s Grupo Cuprum. Empire Level belongs to Milwaukee Tool under Hong Kong’s Techtronic Industries, and Johnson Level sits inside Sweden’s Hultafors Group. The Jorgensen and Pony clamp names closed with Chicago’s Adjustable Clamp Company in 2016 and were revived by China’s GreatStar. Irwin and Stanley are both Stanley Black & Decker brands.
Family firms and specialists
Others have stayed in the family. Stabila in Annweiler, Bessey in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Wiha in Schonach and Hazet in Remscheid are German family firms, some in their third or fifth generation. Olfa in Osaka, which says it invented the snap-off blade in 1956, is family-led; so is Kreg in Iowa. Store brands are a category of their own: Gorilla Ladders is a Home Depot house brand made by Tricam Industries, and Bauer is Harbor Freight’s.
Name traps
Several guides exist partly to separate brands that share a name: Bauer tools are unrelated to Bauer hockey, Cosco step ladders to COSCO shipping, Wilton vises to Wilton cake decorating, Stanley tools to Stanley 1913 drinkware.
Woodworking and precision tools
Woodworking tools are often still made by their founders’ firms: Lie-Nielsen makes planes in Warren, Maine; Veritas is Lee Valley’s manufacturing arm; Gränsfors Bruk stamps each hand-forged axe with the smith’s initials; Knipex, fourth-generation family-owned, still makes pliers at its founding site in Cronenberg, Wuppertal; and PB Swiss Tools makes its screwdrivers entirely in the Emmental. Facom, by contrast, is a Stanley Black & Decker brand.
How to use these guides
Each guide covers who owns the name today, where the products are made — by the maker’s own account and, where it differs, by other sources — and the brand’s visual identity. A company’s description of itself is attributed to the company, and where a business has closed we say so plainly. The table at the end gathers the essentials.
Ladders
The ladder makers, from pro brands to store brands.
- Werner — The 1922 American ladder brand that dominates the pro and DIY market, now privately held under the ProDriven Global Brands group.
- Little Giant — The family-run Utah maker whose articulating, multi-position ladders came from a German prototype and were sold on late-night TV.
- Louisville Ladder — The Kentucky pro-ladder brand, dating to 1946, owned since 2004 by the Mexican aluminium group Grupo Cuprum.
- Gorilla Ladders — The Home Depot house brand of step ladders and stools, actually manufactured by Tricam Industries and unrelated to Gorilla Glue.
- Bauer — The value house brand of Harbor Freight Tools, sold only in its stores, and completely unrelated to Bauer hockey equipment.
- Cosco — The American brand of step stools and folding step ladders owned by Canada’s Dorel Industries, and unrelated to COSCO shipping or Costco.
- Xtend & Climb — The American telescoping-ladder specialist from Core Distribution of Minneapolis, whose aluminium ladders collapse down for storage.
Levels and layout tools
Spirit levels and layout tools, from German family firms to conglomerate brands.
- Stabila — The German, family-owned maker in Annweiler whose bright-yellow spirit level and cast-in vial are a pro-jobsite standard since 1889.
- Empire Level — The Wisconsin level maker famous for its “true blue” vials, now owned by Milwaukee Tool under the Hong Kong group Techtronic Industries.
- Sola — The Austrian spirit-level maker in Götzis, founded 1949 by Guido Scheyer, whose “Made in Austria” precision levels sell in 80-plus countries.
- Johnson Level — The Wisconsin layout-tool maker that is now one of the American brands inside Sweden’s Hultafors Group, owned by Investment AB Latour.
- Kapro — The Israeli spirit-level maker from Kibbutz Kadarim whose PlumbSite see-through vial and layout tools carry a “Tools With Vision” idea.
- Swanson Tool — The American company in Frankfort, Illinois, whose founder Albert Swanson invented the Speed Square in 1925, a registered trademark to this day.
- Stanley — The 1843 American tool name with deep level-and-plane heritage, now a brand of Stanley Black & Decker, and not the Stanley 1913 drinkware brand.
Work gloves
Work and safety glove makers, from performance brands to global PPE groups.
- Mechanix Wear — The 1991 California mechanic glove that broke through in NASCAR pit lanes, now a private-equity buy-and-build platform under Gryphon Investors.
- Ironclad — The American task-specific work-glove brand that went through bankruptcy and is now owned by Brighton-Best International, tied to Taiwan’s Ta Chen group.
- Youngstown Glove — The American glove maker that pivoted to serve utility and lineman crews only, and was the first performance-glove brand licensed to use DuPont Kevlar.
- Ansell — The Melbourne-listed global PPE maker of industrial and medical gloves, from HyFlex to surgical, that began in 1905 and once ran a condom business.
- HexArmor — The Grand Rapids maker of extreme cut- and needle-resistant gloves, built on licensed SuperFabric, now majority-owned by Germany’s uvex safety group.
- Kinco — The Oregon glove maker founded by the Kindler family in 1975, famous for its tan pigskin work glove, acquired by Mechanix Wear in 2025.
- ATG — The vertically integrated Sri Lankan glove maker, management-owned since a 2005 buyout, whose MaxiFlex coated glove is a global industry benchmark.
Utility and craft knives
The snap-off blade and its rivals, from Osaka to Solingen and New Jersey.
- Olfa — The family-led Osaka maker that invented the snap-off segmented utility blade in 1956, its name meaning simply “break the blade.”
- NT Cutter — The family-owned Osaka maker (NT Incorporated) that grew alongside Olfa, known for precision aluminium-body design and art knives.
- Tajima — The family-led Japanese hand-tool maker (TJM Design Corporation) whose chalk lines, tapes and Rock Hard utility knives date the business to 1909.
- Martor — The family-owned Solingen maker of industrial safety knives, founded in 1940, whose self-retracting cutters put worker safety first.
- X-Acto — The American precision hobby knife that grew from removable-blade surgical scalpels, now a Newell Brands stationery brand alongside Elmer’s.
- Slice — The American design-led maker founded in 2008 whose finger-friendly ceramic blades are engineered to cut materials while resisting cutting skin.
- Excel Blades — The family-owned New Jersey maker of precision hobby knives and blades, a second-generation X-Acto competitor with an American-made line.
Clamps and vises
Clamp and vise makers, including two revived Chicago names.
- Bessey — The independent, family-owned German clamp maker in Bietigheim-Bissingen, founded in 1889, that markets itself as the inventor of the bar clamp.
- Irwin — The American tool brand behind the Quick-Grip one-handed bar clamp, an 1885 auger-bit maker now owned by Stanley Black & Decker.
- Wilton — The American maker of the “bullet” bench vise and heavy clamps, now a JPW Industries brand alongside JET and Powermatic — not the cake brand.
- Jorgensen — The American wooden-handscrew and bar-clamp brand of Chicago’s Adjustable Clamp Company, which closed in 2016 and was revived by China’s GreatStar.
- Pony — The American pipe-clamp and spring-clamp brand that shared Chicago’s Adjustable Clamp Company with Jorgensen, closed in 2016 and revived together by China’s GreatStar.
- Kreg — The independent, family-held Iowa toolmaker whose pocket-hole jigs redefined DIY joinery, with clamps built around the same idea.
- Dubuque Clamp — The small Iowa maker of American hard-maple handscrew and cam clamps, a US-made specialist prized after the big clamp houses moved offshore.
Screwdrivers and drivers
Precision and insulated driver makers, and who still makes them in Germany.
- Wiha — The Hahn family’s third-generation German precision-tool house in Schonach, founded in Wuppertal in 1939, that now manufactures in four countries.
- Felo — The 1878 Thuringian forge that became a Hesse screwdriver maker, was bought by the Würth Group in 2008, and had the founding family’s name struck from its legal title.
- Witte — The 1785 Iserlohn needle-and-pin factory that only turned to hand tools in the mid-twentieth century, and today makes its screwdrivers at Hagen inside the Kirchhoff group.
- Hazet — The Zerver family’s fifth-generation Remscheid tool house, founded in 1868, whose flagship is a workshop trolley and which publishes an actual corporate-design spec.
- Bondhus — The Minnesota ball-end hex specialist whose own patent cites British prior art, and whose conventional screwdrivers are made in Germany by Felo.
- Megapro — The Langley, British Columbia multi-bit driver maker whose origin line says designed, assembled, inspected and packed in North America rather than manufactured there.
- Xcelite — The 1921 Orchard Park electronics-tool house whose Series 99 name carries a ® it never registered, now folded into Weller as its parent passed from Bain Capital to its lenders.
Woodworking tools, part 1
Lie-Nielsen, Veritas, Pfeil, Two Cherries, Auriou, Gränsfors Bruk and Naniwa.
- Lie-Nielsen — The American maker of heirloom hand planes, founded in 1981 by Thomas Lie-Nielsen and made in-house in Warren, Maine.
- Veritas — The Canadian maker of modern woodworking tools, the manufacturing arm of Lee Valley since 1985, designing and making in Ottawa.
- Pfeil — The Swiss maker of wood-carving gouges and chisels, made by F. Zulauf in Langenthal since 1902, a four-generation family firm.
- Two Cherries — The German maker of forged woodworking chisels (Kirschen), made by Wilh. Schmitt & Comp. in Remscheid since 1858.
- Auriou — The French maker of hand-stitched rasps and rifflers, forged and cut by hand in Saint-Juéry, Tarn, and trading today as G.M.A.
- Gränsfors Bruk — The Swedish forge making hand-forged axes since 1902, each stamped with the smith’s initials, family-owned in Gränsfors.
- Naniwa — The Japanese abrasives house (Naniwa Abrasive Mfg. Co.) founded in 1941, making its whetstones in Japan and headed by the founding Sadakin family.
Woodworking tools, part 2
Clifton, HNT Gordon, Narex, Corradi, Shinwa, Bad Axe and Mujingfang.
- Clifton — The English bench-plane brand made by Thomas Flinn & Co in Sheffield, part of the city’s long toolmaking tradition.
- HNT Gordon — The Australian maker of wooden-bodied, high-angle hand planes, founded by Terry Gordon in 1995 and made in Alstonville, NSW from Australian hardwoods.
- Narex — The Czech woodworking-chisel brand rooted in Bystřice, widely sold worldwide, with a company history and ownership that are honestly not fully clear.
- Corradi — The Italian maker of precision files and rasps, founded by the Corradi brothers in 1910 and made in Maser, Veneto — machine-cut, not hand-stitched.
- Shinwa — The Japanese maker of measuring and layout tools from the Tsubame-Sanjo region, honest that its tools are made both in Japan and at its own factory in China.
- Bad Axe — The American maker of hand-filed joinery saws, founded by Mark Harrell in 2009 and built in its own workshop in Superior, Wisconsin.
- Mujingfang — The Chinese maker of wooden-bodied hand planes and tools, made in Foshan, Guangdong, and sold worldwide through specialist distributors.
Forges and files
Hults Bruk, Starrett, Vallorbe, E.C. Emmerich, Robert Sorby, Koyamaichi and Goldenberg.
- Hults Bruk — One of the world’s oldest surviving forges, established in Sweden in 1697 and making hand-forged axes since the late nineteenth century.
- Starrett — The American precision-tool maker founded in 1880 in Athol, Massachusetts, famed for the combination square, now a global manufacturer taken private in 2024.
- Vallorbe — The Swiss maker of precision files and rasps, formed in 1899 in the Jura file town of Vallorbe and still made there.
- E.C. Emmerich — The German maker of traditional wooden-bodied hand planes, founded in Remscheid in 1852 and still family-owned, home of the Primus adjustable plane.
- Robert Sorby — The Sheffield wood-turning and carving tool name dating to 1828, still made in Sheffield but now a brand within the Spear & Jackson group.
- Koyamaichi — A traditional Japanese blacksmith making hand-forged woodworking chisels, reportedly in the Hyōgo region, sold through specialists with no official website.
- Goldenberg — The historic Alsace edge-tool and hardware maker whose Zornhoff factory closed in the 1970s, its axes and chisels now prized by collectors.
Sharpening and blades
Hock Tools, Ray Iles, Shapton, Tormek, DMT, Pégas and Ulmia.
- Hock Tools — The American maker of premium plane irons and blade steel, founded by Ron Hock in Fort Bragg in 1981 and now owned by Lee Valley.
- Ray Iles — The independent English edge-tool maker of D2 mortise chisels and replacement plane irons, made in England and sold through specialists.
- Shapton — The Japanese maker of high-performance ceramic sharpening stones, based in Mashiko, whose splash-and-go glass stones sharpen the world’s edge tools.
- Tormek — The Swedish maker of water-cooled sharpening machines and jigs, founded by Torgny Jansson in 1973 and made in Lindesberg, Sweden.
- DMT — Diamond Machining Technology, the American maker of diamond sharpening plates founded in 1976 in Marlborough and now an Acme United brand.
- Pégas — The Swiss scroll and jeweller’s saw-blade brand of Scies Miniatures, produced in Vallorbe, Switzerland.
- Ulmia — The German workbench and bench-hardware name whose heritage is Ulm, now owned and made by Anton Kessel in Langenenslingen.
Hammers and striking tools
Picard, Vaughan, Leborgne, Thor Hammer, Barr Tools, Hultafors and Dave’s Shaves.
- Picard — The German drop-forged hammer maker from Wuppertal, founded in 1857 and now part of the Halder group.
- Vaughan — The American hammer maker founded in 1869, five generations a family firm, now a Marshalltown brand.
- Leborgne — The French maker of forged striking and digging tools, forged in Savoie since 1829, once owned by Fiskars and now French-owned again.
- Thor Hammer — The British family maker of soft-face copper and hide mallets, made in the West Midlands with hammer-making roots to the early 1930s.
- Barr Tools — The American maker of hand-forged timber-framing chisels, slicks and drawknives, forged in Idaho and now run by the founder’s son.
- Hultafors — The Swedish hand-tool brand of hammers, chisels and the famous folding rule, dating to 1883 and now part of a group owned by Latour.
- Dave’s Shaves — The American one-maker workshop of Dave Wachnicki, hand-making wooden spokeshaves in New Hampshire, its website offline in 2026.
Pliers and drivers
Knipex, Wera, PB Swiss Tools, Klein Tools, Channellock, Vessel and Facom.
- Knipex — The fourth-generation family-owned German pliers maker, founded 1882 in Wuppertal, whose pliers and cutters are still made at the founding site in Cronenberg.
- Wera — The German screwdriver and bit brand founded 1936, known as the “Tool Rebels,” now owned by Bitburger Holding and made mostly in the Czech Republic.
- PB Swiss Tools — The family-owned Swiss tool maker whose screwdrivers and keys are made entirely in the Emmental, the rare hand-tool house producing everything in Switzerland.
- Klein Tools — The family-owned American tool maker founded in 1857, whose core professional hand tools, led by its lineman’s pliers, are made in the USA.
- Channellock — The family-owned American pliers maker founded in 1886 in Meadville, Pennsylvania, whose core pliers are made in the USA and whose handle colour is a registered trademark.
- Vessel — The family-owned Japanese tool maker founded in 1916 in Osaka, Japan’s first volume screwdriver manufacturer, whose screwdrivers and bits are made in Japan.
- Facom — The French mechanic’s-tool maker founded in 1918, now a Stanley Black & Decker brand, its production spread from France across a global network.
The new toolmakers
Blue Spruce, Vesper, Skelton Saws, Benchcrafted, Hans Karlsson, Philly Planes and Crucible.
- Blue Spruce — The modern American maker of premium marking knives and chisels, founded by Dave Jeske and now made under Woodpeckers in Ohio.
- Vesper Tools — The Australian one-person workshop of Chris Vesper, hand-making precision squares and sliding bevels in Melbourne since 1998.
- Skelton Saws — The modern English backsaw workshop of Shane and Jacqueline Skelton in Scarborough, reviving handmade British sawmaking since around 2014.
- Benchcrafted — The American family workshop making premium workbench vises and workholding hardware in Iowa since 2005, home of the Glide vise and Crisscross.
- Hans Karlsson — The independent Swedish forge established in Motala in 1981, hand-forging sought-after carving adzes and gouges from Swedish steel.
- Philly Planes — The one-man English workshop of Phil Edwards in Dorset, reviving traditional wooden-bodied hand planes made by hand.
- Crucible Tool — The American maker of hand tools designed by woodworkers and made in the USA with named foundries and machinists, operated alongside Lost Art Press.
Everyday tool icons
Victorinox, Opinel, Zippo, Leatherman, BIC, Maglite and Thermos.
- Victorinox — The Swiss cross-and-shield emblem, the ‘Victoria + inox’ name, the red Swiss Army Knife, the 1884 founding, and family ownership.
- Opinel — The ‘main couronnée’ crowned-hand emblem, the numbered beechwood knives and the No.8, the 1955 Virobloc, the 1890 Savoie founding, and design-canon status.
- Zippo — The rectangular flip-top windproof lighter and its click, the ‘it works or we fix it free’ guarantee, the ‘zipper’ name, the 1932 founding, and made in Bradford, PA.
- Leatherman — The pliers-based multi-tool it invented, the 1983 PST, Tim Leatherman’s 1975 road-trip origin, Portland manufacturing, and the 25-year warranty.
- BIC — The orange ‘Bic Boy’ mascot, the hexagonal Cristal ballpoint in MoMA, the pens/lighters/razors pillars, Marcel Bich and the 1945 founding.
- Maglite — The machined-aluminum flashlight with a focusing beam, the Mini Maglite, Anthony Maglica and Mag Instrument, made in the USA, and Smithsonian design status.
- Thermos — The vacuum flask (Dewar 1892, commercialised by Burger 1904), the famous genericide court ruling, the red wordmark, and Japanese ownership.
Mechanics’ and hardware-store tools
Snap-on, Matco, GEARWRENCH, Craftsman, Husky, Kobalt, SK and Proto.
- Snap-on — The tool company founded in Milwaukee in 1920 by Joseph Johnson and William Seidemann around five handles and ten interchangeable sockets, headquartered in Kenosha, Wisconsin since 1930, and sold by dealers who drive their stock to mechanics in vans.
- Matco Tools — The Stow, Ohio tool company whose franchised distributors drive their stock to mechanics, which Chicago Pneumatic bought in 1981, Danaher kept in 1987, Fortive took on in 2016 and Vontier has owned since its separation from Fortive in 2020.
- GEARWRENCH — The mechanics’ hand-tool brand that Apex Tool Group says launched in 1996 with a professional ratcheting wrench, part of the Apex joint venture formed by Danaher and Cooper in 2010, and bought by Bain Capital in 2013.
- Craftsman — The tool brand Sears registered as a trademark in 1927, made under contract by suppliers such as Easco and sold through Sears, Kmart and Ace Hardware, then sold to Stanley Black & Decker in 2017; its name returned to NASCAR’s Truck Series in 2023.
- Husky — The Home Depot tool brand whose name began with the Husky Wrench Company of Milwaukee in 1924, passed through New Britain Machine, Litton and Stanley, and has been sold at The Home Depot since 1992.
- Kobalt — The Lowe’s tool brand launched in 1998 with J.H. Williams, then a division of Snap-on, later supplied by Danaher and by importers, and extended into cordless power tools from 2011.
- SK Tools — The mechanics’ tool brand that grew out of the Sherman-Klove Company of Chicago, began marking tools “S-K” in a diamond in 1932, passed through Symington-Wayne, Dresser, Facom and Ideal Industries, and was acquired by Hangzhou GreatStar Industrial in July 2021.
- Proto — The industrial hand-tool brand that began as the Plomb Tool Company, a Los Angeles blacksmith shop of 1907, adopted the PROTO name in 1948 after a trademark dispute, became part of Ingersoll-Rand in 1964 and of The Stanley Works in 1984, and today belongs to Stanley Black & Decker.
At a glance: who owns the name and where it is made
Taken from each guide’s fact panel, as of October 2026. Ownership and production change; follow the link for sources and detail.
| Brand | Origin | Owner | Where made |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ansell | Australia (1905) | Public (ASX: ANN) | Melbourne |
| ATG | Sri Lanka (1992) | Management (2005) | See guide |
| Auriou | See guide | See guide | Made in France |
| Bad Axe | See guide | See guide | Made in the USA |
| Barr Tools | See guide | See guide | Made in the USA |
| Bauer | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Benchcrafted | See guide | See guide | Made in the USA |
| Bessey | Germany (1889) | Bessey family | Germany |
| BIC | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Blue Spruce | See guide | See guide | Made in the USA |
| Bondhus | USA (1964) | Undisclosed | USA, Germany, Taiwan |
| Channellock | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Clifton | See guide | See guide | Made in Sheffield |
| Corradi | See guide | See guide | Made in Italy |
| Cosco | USA | Dorel (Canada) | See guide |
| Craftsman | See guide | See guide | Owned by Stanley Black & Decker |
| Crucible Tool | See guide | See guide | Made in the USA |
| Dave’s Shaves | See guide | See guide | Made in the USA |
| DMT | See guide | See guide | Made in the USA |
| Dubuque Clamp | USA (Iowa) | Small independent | Dubuque, Iowa |
| E.C. Emmerich | See guide | See guide | Made in Germany |
| Empire Level | USA (Wisconsin) | Milwaukee / TTI | See guide |
| Excel Blades | USA (New Jersey) | Family (2nd gen) | USA (partial) |
| Facom | France (now global) | See guide | See guide |
| Felo | Germany (1878) | Würth Group | Germany + 2nd site |
| GEARWRENCH | Ratcheting wrench brand (Apex says) (1996) | Apex Tool Group, Sparks, Maryland | Part of Apex Tool Group |
| Goldenberg | Early 1800s (Alsace, France) | Factory closed 1970s | See guide |
| Gorilla Ladders | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Gränsfors Bruk | See guide | See guide | Made in Sweden |
| Hans Karlsson | See guide | See guide | Made in Sweden |
| Hazet | Germany (1868) | Zerver family | Four German plants |
| HexArmor | USA (Michigan) (2002) | uvex (Germany) | See guide |
| HNT Gordon | See guide | See guide | Made in Australia |
| Hock Tools | See guide | See guide | Fort Bragg, USA & France |
| Hultafors | See guide | See guide | Sweden & abroad |
| Hults Bruk | See guide | See guide | Made in Sweden |
| Husky | Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1924 (as Husky Wrench)) | See guide | House brand of The Home Depot |
| Ironclad | USA (1998) | Brighton-Best Intl | See guide |
| Irwin | USA (1885) | Stanley Black & Decker | Huntersville NC |
| Johnson Level | USA (Mequon WI) | Hultafors Group | See guide |
| Jorgensen | USA (Chicago) | GreatStar (China) | See guide |
| Kapro | Israel | See guide | Israel + China + US |
| Kinco | USA (Oregon) (1975) | Mechanix Wear (2025) | See guide |
| Klein Tools | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Knipex | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Kobalt | Lowe’s, United States (1998) | See guide | House brand of Lowe’s |
| Koyamaichi | See guide | See guide | Made in Japan |
| Kreg | USA (Iowa) | Independent (family) | See guide |
| Leatherman | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Leborgne | See guide | See guide | Forged in Savoie |
| Lie-Nielsen | See guide | See guide | Made in the USA |
| Little Giant | USA (Utah) | Wing Enterprises | Many in Utah |
| Louisville Ladder | USA (KY) (1946) | Grupo Cuprum (Mexico) | US + Mexico |
| Maglite | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Martor | Germany (1940) | Beermann family | Solingen |
| Matco Tools | See guide | See guide | Stow, Ohio |
| Mechanix Wear | USA (1991) | Gryphon (PE) | See guide |
| Megapro | Canada (~1996) | Undisclosed | Assembled in N. America |
| Mujingfang | See guide | See guide | Made in China |
| Naniwa | See guide | See guide | Made in Japan |
| Narex | See guide | See guide | Made in the Czech Republic |
| NT Cutter | Japan (Osaka) | Ihata family | See guide |
| Olfa | Japan (Osaka) (1956) | Okada family | See guide |
| Opinel | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| PB Swiss Tools | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Pfeil | See guide | See guide | Made in Switzerland |
| Philly Planes | See guide | See guide | Made in England |
| Picard | See guide | See guide | Made in Germany |
| Pony | USA (Chicago) | GreatStar (China) | See guide |
| Proto | Plomb Tool Company, Los Angeles (1907) | See guide | Part of Stanley Black & Decker |
| Pégas | See guide | See guide | Made in Switzerland |
| Ray Iles | See guide | See guide | Made in England |
| Robert Sorby | See guide | See guide | Made in Sheffield |
| Shapton | See guide | See guide | Made in Japan |
| Shinwa | 1950 · company 1971 (Sanjo, Niigata, Japan) | See guide | Japan & Dalian, China |
| SK Tools | Sherman-Klove Company, Chicago (1914 (company date)) | See guide | Owned by Hangzhou GreatStar Industrial since 2021 |
| Skelton Saws | See guide | See guide | Made in England |
| Slice | USA (2008) | See guide | See guide |
| Snap-on | Snap-on Wrench Company, Milwaukee (1920) | See guide | Snap-on Incorporated, Kenosha, Wisconsin |
| Sola | Austria (1949) | See guide | Austria |
| Stabila | Germany (1889) | Ullrich family | Germany |
| Stanley | USA (1843) | Stanley Black & Decker | See guide |
| Starrett | See guide | See guide | Athol, USA & abroad |
| Swanson Tool | USA (Frankfort IL) (1925) | Family (reported) | See guide |
| Tajima | Japan (Tokyo) (1909) | Tajima family | See guide |
| Thermos | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Thor Hammer | See guide | See guide | Made in Britain |
| Tormek | See guide | See guide | Made in Sweden |
| Two Cherries | See guide | See guide | Made in Germany |
| Ulmia | See guide | See guide | Made in Germany |
| Vallorbe | See guide | See guide | Made in Switzerland |
| Vaughan | See guide | See guide | Assembled in the USA |
| Veritas | See guide | See guide | Made in Canada |
| Vesper Tools | See guide | See guide | Made in Australia |
| Vessel | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Victorinox | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Wera | Germany (made mostly in Czechia) | See guide | See guide |
| Werner | USA (1922) | ProDriven (PE) | Multinational |
| Wiha | Germany (1939) | Hahn family | Four countries |
| Wilton | USA (Chicago) | JPW Industries | See guide |
| Witte | Germany (1785) | Kirchhoff group | Hagen, Germany |
| X-Acto | USA (1930s) | Newell Brands | See guide |
| Xcelite | USA (1921) | Apex, lender-held | Not published |
| Xtend & Climb | USA | Core Distribution | China |
| Youngstown Glove | USA (2002) | Undisclosed | Springfield MO |
| Zippo | See guide | See guide | See guide |
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Empire Level?
Milwaukee Tool, which is part of the Hong Kong group Techtronic Industries, according to our Empire Level guide.
Are Gorilla Ladders made by Gorilla Glue?
No. Gorilla Ladders is a Home Depot house brand manufactured by Tricam Industries, and it is unrelated to Gorilla Glue.
Part of our Tools & Industrial brand guidelines. See also all collections.