In my work as an HVAC technician I'm sometimes called upon to help the install crews if they get backed up. Also, some A/C repair jobs require modifications to existing duct work (i.e. evap coil replacement). Additionally, various small sheet metal jobs come up (vent piping, gutters, shielding, etc.) and those usually fall upon the A/C techs. Thus, having a fairly complete set of quality sheet metal tools is virtually a requirement for guys doing A/C.
During my years as a technician I've had the opportunity to try alot of different brands of metal working tools. Tin snips (or aviation snips as they're sometimes called) are the most prolific. Probably because sheet metal was first widely used on airplanes. IIRC Klenk was the "inventor" of the hand held metal snips we use today. Other notable brands are Pexto, Wiss, and Midwest. I was gifted a trio of snips made by Lenox which are becoming a favorite.
Malco started in the 1950's (IIRC it was 1953, though their new website differs), and what made them really great was that they designed sheet metal tools specifically for the duct work industry. (They now do alot of other trade tools but I'm focusing on the sheet metal stuff). As such their tools incorporated innovations that made them stand apart from other brands. For me, their most remarkable tool was their line of screwdrivers. The alloy steel of the blades were bulletproof, and the handles were made of an indestructible (their advertising claim and my experience bears it out) polycarbonate material that stood up to daily wear and out right abuse. A pukey orange color, they were instantly recognizeable and easy to spot. Very rarely did you leave one on a job, as that ugly orange handle stood out and was hard to miss.
I bought my first one in the late 70's. I used it as a screwdriver, chisel, pry bar - even used it to jump the solenoid on my old car to get it started! it finally gave out in the mid 90's, and I bought a replacement (which I still have, see pics below). Never even thinking they'd discontinue the line, I blindly used the driver until it started showing it's age around 5-6 years ago. It was then that I found out that Malco had decided that they couldn't compete with the Chinese on price with screwdrivers, so they dropped the orange polycarbonate line and outsourced their drivers to China! Now all of their drivers are the same clear acetate (I think) as everybody else. I immediately hit up the 2 dealers that carried Malco tools, in an attempt to grab a few of the orange ones while they cleared out the inventory. No luck - they were gone virtually overnight.
As an avid estate saler I keep my eyes open, and over the past 6 years have found 3 scratch awls. Just recently I acquired a 5 piece lot off of ebay (including styles I never knew Malco offered in the orange handle). I've kept my 20+ year old beater as the one to pound on, but feel very fortunate to have been able to get the other ones. Keep your eyes open, mates. Grab these orange drivers if you see 'em!
OK, enough preaching. let's show the tools!
Here's my HD tool box and an inside shot packed with tools.