Fuller Tool Company

Table of Contents

Introduction

Company History

The Fuller Tool Company was founded in May of 1937 by Bernard Fuller in Whitestone, New York, a section of Queens. (The founding date is based on the first use date in a later trademark filing.) The company's early products included screwdrivers and nut drivers.

The company was incorporated on July 26, 1946.

Fig. 1A. 1944 Ad for Fuller Screwdrivers.

During the 1940s and 1950s the company advertised its screwdrivers in publications such as Hardware Age, Popular Mechanics, and Popular Science.

The scan in Fig. 1A shows an ad for Fuller "De Luxe" screwdrivers, as published on page 36 of the December 7, 1944 issue of Hardware Age.

Note that the list of sales offices below the illustration already includes an office in Montreal. Fuller Tool would later open a subsidiary in Canada, and eventually the company moved to Canada.

Tool Imports

By the late 1950s Fuller had started importing tools, probably initially from Europe. By 1958 the company was advertising a selection of fixed-pivot pliers, which were probably imported from England, based on observed examples.

Fuller was also interested in sourcing tools from Japan, and the company probably worked closely with the Daido Corporation to arrange its Japanese imports. Daido was the U.S. subsidiary of a major Japanese distributor and had been set up specifically to assist American companies with finding Japanese manufacturing partners.

Fig. 1B. 1960 Notice for Fuller Adjustable Wrenches.

The scan in Fig. 1B shows a notice for Fuller adjustable wrenches in a merchandising stand, as published on page 28 of the October, 1960 edition of Hardware World.

The adjustable wrenches in the illustration are probably of Japanese origin.

By 1961 Fuller Tool was using the Kyoto Tool Company (KTC) of Japan as a contract manufacturer of Fuller brand tools. Production by KTC included adjustable wrenches, open-end wrenches, and combination wrenches.

In 1963 the FTC issued a cease-and-desist order against Fuller for complaints including improper labeling of country of origin. The FTC order notes that at that time Fuller was importing tools from Japan, England, Holland, Italy, and Portugal.

Fuller was one of the pioneers in importing tools from Japan and probably worked with a number of Japanese companies in addition to KTC. For example, Sanki is known to have supplied adjustable wrenches to Fuller, and we hope to discover other makers as well.

Acquisition of Award Tool Company

In 1965 Fuller Tool acquired the Award Tool Company of Flushing, New York. Award Tool appears to have been an importer and reseller of tools, similar to the operations of Fuller Tool by that time.

Our information on the Award Tool Company comes from a small notice regarding Martin H. Rieger, the founder of Award Tool.

Fig. 1C. 1969 Notice for Award Tool.

The scan in Fig. 1C shows a notice indirectly mentioning the Award Tool Company, as published on page 28 of the June 1, 1969 issue of Hardware Age.

The text notes that Martin H. Rieger had become president of Steelcraft Tools, having previously been the executive vice president of the Award Tool Company.

The notice provides additional background information that Award Tool had been founded by Rieger in 1963, and that Award had been a subsidiary of the Fuller Tool Company since 1965.

Prior to founding Award Tool, Rieger had been an employee of the Fuller Tool Company, and in 1947 was promoted to the position of sales manager at Fuller.

As a side note, the Steelcraft Tool Company was later acquired by the Daido Corporation, a Japanese company best known for its "Truecraft" tools.

Award Tool filed a trademark application for "AWARD" on April 16, 1964, with the first use date noted as April 1, 1964 and serial #191,242. The application was published on October 20, 1964, and the company received trademark #782,779 on January 5, 1965. The applicable goods were listed as screwdrivers, pliers, and wrenches.

Later Operations

In the 1990s Fuller Tool moved its operations to Montreal, Canada, and in 1995 Fuller was acquired by Johnson Level, a Canadian company.

Patents

We haven't found any patents issued to or used by the Fuller Tool Company.

Trademarks

References and Resources

Photographs and observations of particular tools are based on items in the Alloy Artifacts Collection.

Catalog Resources

Industrial Distributors

Fuller tools were available from some industrial distributors. We'll add references as time permits.

Wrenches

Currently all of our examples of Fuller wrenches were made by KTC. KTC's production for Fuller goes back to the early 1960s, and based on KTC's reputation we would expect these to be high quality tools.

Open-End Wrenches

Fuller "KTC" 11/16x3/4 Open-End Wrench

Fig. 2. Fuller 11/16x3/4 Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Back Side, ca. 1970s to 1980s.

Fig. 2 shows a Fuller 11/16x3/4 open-end wrench with raised oval panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional sizes on the front panel, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.

The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "F24" code visible at the right.

The overall length is 7.3 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

Fuller "KTC" 3/4x7/8 Open-End Wrench

Fig. 3. Fuller 3/4x7/8 Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Back Side, ca. 1960s.

Fig. 3 shows an early Fuller 3/4x7/8 open-end wrench with depressed oval panels, marked with "*Fuller*" and "Chrome Vanadium" plus the fractional sizes forged into the front, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo forged into the back.

The overall length is 8.6 inches, and the finish is chrome plating, with extensive losses due to wear and rust.

Fuller "KTC" 15/16x1 Inch Open-End Wrench

Fig. 4. Fuller 15/16x1 Inch Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Back Side, ca. 1970s to 1980s.

Fig. 4 shows a Fuller 15/16x1 inch open-end wrench with parallelogram panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional sizes on the front panel, with "Chrome Molybdenum" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.

The back side of the shank also has a forged-in code "U02" visible at the right.

The overall length is 11.9 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

Fuller "KTC" 13x15mm Open-End Wrench

Fig. 5. Fuller 13x15mm Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Back Side, ca. 1970s to 1980s.

Fig. 5 shows a Fuller 13x15mm open-end wrench with raised oval panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the metric sizes on the front panel, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.

The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "F35" code visible at the right.

The overall length is 5.9 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

Fuller "KTC" 17x19mm Open-End Wrench

Fig. 6. Fuller 17x19mm Open-End Wrench, with Inset for Back Side, ca. 1970s to 1980s.

Fig. 6 shows a Fuller 17x19mm open-end wrench with raised oval panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the metric sizes on the front panel, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.

The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "F79" code visible at the right.

The overall length is 7.1 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.

Combination Wrenches

Fuller "KTC" 7/16 Combination Wrench

Fig. 7. Fuller 7/16 Combination Wrench, with Insets for Back Side and Edge View, ca. 1970s to 1980s.

Fig. 7 shows a Fuller 7/16 combination wrench with raised oval panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Forged Alloy" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.

The back side of the shank also has a forged-in code "F4" visible at the left.

The overall length is 5.0 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces and ends.

Fuller "KTC" 1/2 Combination Wrench

Fig. 8. Fuller 1/2 Combination Wrench, with Insets for Back Side and Edge View, ca. 1970s to 1980s.

Fig. 8 shows a Fuller 1/2 combination wrench with raised oval panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Forged Alloy" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.

The back side of the shank also has a forged-in code "F6" visible at the left.

The overall length is 5.5 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces and ends.

Fuller "KTC" 5/8 Combination Wrenches

The next figures show two generations of Fuller 5/8 combination wrenches made by KTC.

Fig. 9. Fuller 5/8 Combination Wrench, with Insets for Back Side and Edge View, ca. 1970s to 1980s.

Fig. 9 shows a Fuller 5/8 combination wrench with raised parallelogram panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Chrome Molybdenum" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.

The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "U0" code visible at the left.

The overall length is 7.8 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces and ends.

Fig. 10. Fuller 5/8 Combination Wrench, with Insets for Edge View and Back Side Detail, ca. 1970s to 1980s.

Fig. 10 shows a Fuller 5/8 combination wrench with raised oval panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Forged Alloy" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.

The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "F6" code visible at the left.

The overall length is 7.0 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces and ends.

Fuller "KTC" 11/16 Combination Wrench

Fig. 11. Fuller 11/16 Combination Wrench, with Insets for Back Side and Edge View, ca. 1970s to 1980s.

Fig. 11 shows a Fuller 11/16 combination wrench with raised parallelogram panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Chrome Vanadium" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.

The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "U1" code visible (upside-down) at the left.

The overall length is 8.6 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces and ends.

Fuller "KTC" 3/4 Combination Wrench

Fig. 12. Fuller 3/4 Combination Wrench, with Insets for Edge View and Back Side Detail, ca. 1970s to 1980s.

Fig. 12 shows a Fuller 3/4 combination wrench with raised parallelogram panels, stamped with "Fuller" and the fractional size on the front panel, with "Chrome Molybdenum" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo on the back panel.

The back side of the shank also has a forged-in "U4" code visible at the left.

The overall length is 9.5 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces and ends.

Pliers

Fuller 8 Inch Slip-Joint Combination Pliers

Fig. 13. Fuller 8 Inch Slip-Joint Combination Pliers, with Insets for Side View and Marking Detail.

Fig. 13 shows a pair of Fuller 8 inch combination pliers, stamped with "Fuller" and "Drop Forged" near the pivot, and with "Japan" forged into the undersides of the handles.

The handles of the pliers are also marked with a forged-in "H" code at the ends.

The overall length is 8.0 inches, and the finish is polished chrome.

Fuller 192 6 Inch Needlenose Pliers with Side-Cutters

Fig. 13B. Fuller 192 6 Inch Needlenose Pliers with Side-Cutters, with Insets for Back Side, Side View and Marking Detail, ca. Mid 1970s.

Fig. 13B shows a pair of Fuller No. 192 6 inch needlenose pliers with side-cutters, stamped with "Fuller" and "Drop Forged" around the pivot, with "BF Japan" and "ITO" on the back.

The handles of the pliers are covered with vinyl plastic grips.

The overall length is 6.5 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

These pliers were found in a vehicle toolkit we used in the mid 1970s to 1980s.

The Fuller 192-6 needlenose pliers were listed in the company's 1981 catalog. The pliers were also available in 5 and 8 inch sizes.

The "ITO" marking is believed to indicate the Japanese maker, but we need to do more research to identify the specific manufacturer. The "BF" code likely indicates that the maker was also producing pliers for Sears Roebuck.

Other Tools

Fuller 7218 18 Ounce Claw Hammer

Fig. 13C. Fuller 7218 18 Ounce Claw Hammer, with Insets for Marking Detail, ca. 1970s.

Fig. 13C shows a Fuller No. 7218 18 ounce claw hammer, stamped with "Fuller" plus "#7218" and "18oz" on the front, with "Japan-BF" on the back side.

The tubular steel handle is fitted with a rubber cushion grip, making the hammer comfortable to hold and use.

The overall length is 12.8 inches, and the finish is plain steel.

This hammer is very similar to the Sears Companion No. 3812 "BF" Claw Hammer, and the presence of the "BF" code suggests that they may have been made by the same manufacturer.

Award Tools

The Award Tool Company was formed in 1963 by Martin H. Rieger, formerly a sales manager at Fuller Tool. The company operated independently only briefly, as by 1965 Award Tool had been acquired by Fuller Tool.

Award "KTC" 15/16x1 Open-End Wrench

Fig. 14. Award "KTC" 15/16x1 Open-End Wrench, with Insets for Back Side and Marking Detail, ca. Mid to Late 1960s.

Fig. 14 shows an Award 15/16x1 open-end wrench with depressed oval panels, marked with "Chrome Vanadium" and the fractional sizes forged into the shank, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo forged into the back side.

The overall length is 11.9 inches, and the finish is chrome plating.

The KTC-Oval logo indicates that the wrench was produced by the Kyoto Tool Company.

Award "KTC" 3/8 Combination Wrench

Fig. 15. Award "KTC" 3/8 Combination Wrench, with Insets for Back Side and Edge View, ca. Mid to Late 1960s.

Fig. 15 shows an Award 3/8 combination wrench with depressed oval panels, marked with "Award" and "Chrome Vanadium" plus the fractional size forged into the shank, with "Drop Forged" and "Japan" plus the KTC-Oval logo forged into the back side.

The overall length is 4.6 inches, and the finish is chrome plating with polished faces.