Crescent is a brand of

hand tool A hand tool is any tool that is powered manual labour, by hand rather than a motor. Categories of hand tools include wrenches, pliers, cutter (disambiguation), cutters, File (tool), files, hammer, striking tools, chisel, struck or hammered tools, ...

s. It originated with the Crescent Tool Company, founded in 1907. The Crescent brand has changed ownership multiple times. It is currently owned by

Apex Tool Group Apex Tool Group is an American supplier of hand tools and power tools. It was formed as a joint venture of Cooper Industries and Danaher Corporation, Danaher by the merger of Cooper Tools and Danaher's Tools and Components segment. In October 2 ...

, LLC of

Sparks, Maryland Sparks is an unincorporated community that is located in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is situated approximately north of Baltimore and is considered to be a suburb of the City of Baltimore. The Gunpowder River runs through Sp ...

as part of its Hand Tools division. It is best known for its style of

adjustable wrench ''Adjustable Wrench'', sometimes also ''The Adjustable Wrench'', is a composition for mixed chamber ensemble by American composer Michael Torke. It was composed in 1987. Composition The composition was composed in 1987 and had its first perfo ...

History

The Crescent Tool Company was founded in

Jamestown, New York Jamestown is a city in southern Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 28,712 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Situated between Lake Erie to the north and the Allegheny National Forest to the south, Jamesto ...

, by Karl Peterson and Edward J. Worcester in 1907. It is considered "one of the crown jewels of Jamestown's industry". The company soon became known for its adjustable wrenches. On his famous 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic,

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...

said that he took only "gasoline, sandwiches, a bottle of water, and a Crescent wrench and pliers". There was a rumor that

Richard Evelyn Byrd Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer, and pioneering aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics. Aircraft flights in which he served as a navigator and expedition leader cr ...

, on his initial journey to Alaska, had a Crescent wrench in his provisions. The Crescent Tool Company was acquired by a group of investors from Schoellkopf, Hutton & Pomeroy in 1960 after Marvin Peterson, Karl's son, sold it. The combined company was renamed the Crescent Niagara Corporation. In 1968, Crescent Niagara was acquired by

Cooper Industries Cooper Industries was an American worldwide electrical products manufacturer headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1833, the company had seven operating divisions including Bussmann electrical and electronic fuses; Crouse-Hinds Company, Cro ...

. In 2010, the tool divisions of Cooper Industries and Danaher Corporation formed a joint venture, Apex Tool Group, LLC. The brand is currently owned by Apex Brands, Inc. the intellectual property entity of Apex Tool Group. Crescent brand adjustable wrenches are manufactured in both

Sumter, South Carolina Sumter ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sumter County, South Carolina, United States. The city makes up the Sumter, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Sumter County, along with Clarendon and Lee counties, form the core of Sumter–Lee ...

and in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Gallery

Image:Crescent adjustable wrench.jpg, A Crescent adjustable wrench.

References

External links

Crescent website
{{Tool manufacturers Tool manufacturing companies of the United States Apex Tool Group brands Manufacturing companies established in 1907 1907 establishments in New York (state)