Above, my Holub Model 18-800 wire stripper and terminal crimping tool. Apparently, it was advertised as the "Big-7."
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| Popular Mechanics, June 1969 |
Bert E. Holub (1904-1976) founded Holub Industries in 1946. Its product line eventually included wire connectors; plastic straps and clamps; conduit and pipe straps; wiring tools; fuse specialties and testers; screw anchors and toggle bolts; masonry drills; and commutator maintenance products. These were sold under a number of trade names, principally “HI” ("Holub Industries") for the general line of products; “LOK-IT” for wire connector wrenches; “HI-RED” for plastic screw anchors; “WALLY” for screw fasteners; “TRIPLE-FLUTE” for percussion drills; and “TRU-START” for masonry core drills.
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| Billboard, January 1953 |
Holub products found their way into aircraft, electrical appliances, lighting fixtures and even guided missiles. In 1963, with 800 products listed in their catalogue, the company had grown to the point where it could purchase the former Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Depot in Sycamore (now on the National Register of Historic Places), which included the warehouse, railroad siding and an entire block of land to the north. This was the seventh addition to the original Holub plant since the company's founding. Also scheduled to share the new space was a Holub subsidiary, Ace-Sycamore, which manufactured industrial blowers and cleaners , dust collectors , fume exhausers , magnetic floor sweepers , magnetic floor sweepers , electric spot welders and live lathe centers.
Mr. Holub was quoted at the time as saying that that he was very confident of America s industrial future, security and growth. Ah, the 1960's.
In the 1970's, possibly following Mr. Holub's death, the company became ITT Holub Industries, a division of the International Telephone & Telegraph Corporation. The company seems to have stayed afloat until the late 1980's, when the patents started to expire, copies of their tools flowed in from domestic and off-shore sources and the "All-American Handyman" pursued lower price points.
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| Popular Mechanics, June 1967 |
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| Popular Mechanics, May 1976 |
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| The competition |
21 comments:
thanks for sharing, I just recently discovered the 'little 7' 18-850 wire-stripper pliers in a tool-box. I was in the process of assembling a travel took-kit to keep in my Jeep. Have not used these in decades, not because they still are not a good wire-stripper, because I replaced them with wire-stripper pliers that have a spring. I live a few miles from Sycamore and did not realize the history.
I have the same pair of Wire Stippers from Holub, IND.
18-800. I still use them almost every day. I wanted another pair and didn't realize how old they were and that I'd never find another pair. That's ok.
Start frequenting garage sales!
I have a pair of old Holub Linesman pliers that are stamped Japan, the jaws are in great shape even though the finish is all but gone, they must have been quite good tools.
I hate that way so much of our manufacturing is gone.
I have the tool marked ITT HOLUB IND. trying to identify what it's used for.
Can you send a picture to gerald@vanwyngaarden.ca? I'll add it to the post. Thanks!
Don't lose them! :-)
Growing up I was an electrician, and I had a very special wire stripper that I used. It was the best, anything else just didn’t work right for me. I was doing some research trying to find a new one that I could use 20 years later…..that brought me to your web page. I have my old one. But I’m interested in getting a newer one. Do you still have yours and would you be interested in selling it?
For context the one I'm speaking about is the one pictured here!
I've thrown away all the modern ones that I've tried, my go-to is an old Blue Point PWC-6 that I picked up out of whole bucket of used ones at a swap meet about 25 years ago. It seemed like maybe a service depot had done a wholesale replacement of all their wire srippers, someone had rescued them from the trash to sell... and they still work great.
I remember the Tape Mate steel fishing tape. In the 1970's I remember as a kid my father telling me to roll it up after he fished some wires. I still have it today and still use it as I pass it on to my little girl. The Tape mate is the best that is out there and has outlasted 3 of the modern ones today. Thanks Mr Holub for your contribution to this world.
Granddads got blown up today and he is so mad. Trying to surprise him by finding them. Any suggestions? TIA
I am from Sycamore illinois I now live in arkansas my sisters husband's father passed away 2yrs ago they gave me a box of tools and I came across a pair of the 18-800 wire strippers along with a voltage tested model number 19-087 made by holub in Sycamore illinois if anyone would like to purchase these please contact me (870)321-8102 text or call for pics
I have a pair of them along with a voltage meter model no 19-087 if your interested in them text me at (870)321-8102
I have a Ream-right hand tool from HI , it has a screwdriver handle with a metal biforecated tool . I would like to know what it was used for.
Could it be a screw-holding screwdriver? You can send a picture to gerald@vanwyngaarden.ca and I will post it.
From what I've read, Holub Industries, Blackburn, and Meyer were merged into American Electric, which later merged with Thomas & Betts, which was acquired by ABB.
I have various Holub Industries tools with the Hi logo (wire-sripper/crimper, fish tape, fuse pullers, voltage meter and voltage testers), but just saw some marked Blackburn Holub (fish tape, voltage tester) with triangle-B logo.
Reaming conduit
I bought the 18-800 in the late 70s because it was cheaper than Klein and I told myself I would by a Klein one day. I damaged my 18-800 over the years and 44 years later my kids bought me a Klein. I used the Klein to shear a stainless steel screw and it damaged it. Now it has difficulty shearing regular steel screws. I am disappointed. I sheared dozens of stainless steel screws with the Holub 18-800 and it still shears them. So I went looking for a new one on prime and ebay without luck and found this post, for which I am grateful. Shucks. Are there special tools for shearing stainless steel screws ?
I just bought this very fish tape at a used tool store. In December 2024
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