Quickie: All about tool rolls

It's funny, I have been on the look out for an original tool kit for my car for some years, but nothing suitable has come up for sale. Occasionally I have seen the canvas roll minus tools and sometimes the odd individual tool, but nothing close to complete. I decided to invest in a good quality reproduction item that Wolfsberg West manufacture and picked one up recently at a VW show. However, less than a few weeks later a complete original kit from a '62 turned up on eBay and fortunately I was the highest bidder. I was delighted that I actually paid less for the original kit than I did for the repro WW version! 

Anyway, I thought it would be good to do an overview and comparison post as I am now in possession of both an original kit and the re-manufactured version.

The original kit includes the following (as confirmed by the official owners manual): 

1. Tool roll
2. Hub cap removal tool
3. Combination pliers
4. Screwdriver 0.8
5. Screwdriver 0.5
6. Open end wrench 8/13mm (Hazet)
7. Socket wrench (for spark plug, fan pulley nut and wheel bolt)
8. Socket wrench 14mm
9. Bar (for socket wrench and jack)

The WW remanufactured item is largely the same with small variations. These deviations could be a way of making the kit appropriate for a wider range of cars years. Anyway, you would have to be a really anal person to let that put you off as the kit is pretty sweet for the price point. Here be a few shots giving some side by side comparisons:

All original items shown on top and repro versions underneath:

In summary, there are no prizes for guessing which one I will be keeping. Although, I do have to say that WW have certainly produced a great item here and my only minor criticism is that the finish on a some of the tools could be better. However, I guess any small quality refinements would inevitably push up the manufacturing cost and subsequently the retail price. On balance it seems WW have struck a perfect balance between affordability and a product that closely resembles the original.

Ohh, last thing. I do get a geeky tingle from the fact that my combination pliers say this on the side: