Vulcan

Vulcan tools are the hammers, screwdrivers, shovels and trailer balls you buy for work around the house, the shop and the yard. It’s a house brand for homeowners and contractors who want a plain working tool, and the range runs from a nail punch set to a steel wheelbarrow.

Vulcan is Orgill’s own brand, and Orgill is the company that warrants it. Orgill is a hardware distributor founded in 1847 and headquartered in Collierville, Tennessee. Its other house brands include ProSource, PowerZone and Landscapers Select.

The Vulcan range

Most of the Vulcan range is hand tools. After that come lawn and garden tools, towing hardware, and drill and driver accessories.

Department	What’s in it	What it’s for
Hand tools	Sledge and claw hammers, screwdrivers, nut drivers, nail punch set, bolt and wire cutters, hacksaw	Driving, fastening, cutting and demolition at the bench and on the job
Lawn and garden	Square-point and round-point shovels, trench and drain spades, spading fork, rakes, hoes, four-tine cultivator, steel-head scraper, axe, splitting maul and wedges, tampers, post hole digger, snow shovels, steel wheelbarrows, replacement handles	Digging, trenching, cultivating, clearing, splitting and hauling
Towing	Trailer balls, ball mounts, couplers, hitch pins, tri-ball hitch	Setting up a hitch for a utility or equipment trailer
Drill and driver accessories	Star bits, telescoping driver bit set, wire cup and wheel brushes, sanding sponge	Driving star-head fasteners, stripping rust and paint, hand sanding
Housewares and paint	Kitchen, contractor and drum liner trash bags, flexible drywall joint knife, single-edge razor scraper	Cleanup, drywall taping and scraping

Picking the striking tools

For firewood, drive a splitting wedge with a sledge or the flat of a splitting maul, never with the back of an axe, which isn’t made to pound steel. Grind the curled lip off a mushroomed wedge before a chip flies. A drilling hammer drives cold chisels and masonry bits; a cross pein hammer starts nails and shapes metal. Replace a cracked or loose handle before the next swing; Vulcan sells hickory and fiberglass replacements.

Who stands behind a Vulcan tool

With a house brand, the first thing to know is who makes it right when a tool fails. That’s Orgill. It warrants select Vulcan items against defects in materials and workmanship under normal use, starting on the day you buy them, as long as they’re used, stored and installed the way Orgill recommends. The package states how long the coverage lasts, from 1 year up to the useful life of the product, and it covers only the original buyer. When two Vulcan items would both do the job, read both packages, take the one with the longer coverage and keep the receipt with it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Vulcan star bits used for?

A star bit drives screws with a six-point star recess, like most deck and exterior construction screws. The star shape grips the screw better than a Phillips bit does, so it’s less likely to slip out under heavy torque. Fit the bit to the recess before you drive a box of screws, because a bit that’s one size small wobbles and strips the head.

What do you need to match when setting up Vulcan towing hardware?

The ball diameter has to match the size stamped on the trailer’s coupler, and the ball, the ball mount and the hitch pin all have to be rated for the loaded trailer. Your hitch is only as strong as its lowest-rated part. Pick a ball mount with enough drop or rise that the trailer rides level behind the truck.

Should you get a square-point or a round-point shovel?

A round-point shovel is for digging: the point bites into packed ground, cuts roots and breaks sod. A square-point shovel is for moving loose material like gravel, sand or spilled feed off a flat surface, and for squaring up the bottom of a trench. If you’re only getting one for breaking new ground, get the round point.