I have a link somewhere that talks about who makes what. for instance Proto is same manufacturer as stanley, just a higher grade steel and heat treat due to the industry they are targeted at. Snap-on makes their own hand tools, and just cause I know how stubborn people can be, I just called them on the phone and confirmed. they use a different steel recipe and heat treat than crafstman, thus the thinner profile for same strength (that's from me, not the guy on the phone at snapon).
by the way, I ran the sanded down craftsman reject past the guy, yeah, he was laughing. I probably made his day. :D
I am guessing cornwell, who has been around for a long time, doesn't have much presence in my area, I have never seen a truck here, only north on the I5 corridor somewhere. but they are great people. I bought a complete 3/8" drive set off of ebay, missing the 10mm socket (replaced with taiwanese crap) I tried to get ahold of local distributor and couldn't. I called the company and explained, they sent me one in the mail no charge.
Craftsman are fine for home mechanics, I have a bunch. I think as a professional you really do need to be able to have them replaced without leaving work.
Red