Who is Bahco
WELCOME TO BAHCO
Bahco has invented some of the most essential tools in the world, such as the adjustable pipe wrench, the adjustable wrench, multi-component handles and Sandflex® saws, accumulating more than 400 registered patents and multiple awards.
With an extensive catalogue of more than 24,000 products, Bahco tools offer a unique combination of state-of-the-art technology, user-centred tool design and over a century of experience.
BAHCO'S HISTORY
Our iconic brand was born in 1886 and is still a symbol of quality today.
Discover our history and every Bahco product we have made.
1886
Johan Petter Johansson launches his first business venture, Enköpings Mekaniska Verkstad, the seed that will eventually grow into the brand we know today: Bahco.
1888
Johan Petter Johansson patents the Pipe Wrench, coined the “Iron hand”.
1889
Berndt August Hjort founds the company AB BA Hjort & Co.
1890
Berndt August Hjort buys the exclusive right to sell J. P. Johansson’s Pipe Wrench.
1892
Johan Petter Johansson patents the Adjustable Wrench, which becomes a worldwide success.
1892
Berndt August Hjort registers the trademark Bahco after his initials, BAH, adding Co., for company.
1954
The company changes its name to AB Bahco.
1969
The Bi-metal Hacksaw Blade Sandflex® is created, ushering in a new era for the cutting industry.
1982
Bahco presents ERGO™, the scientific process of making tools by professionals, for professionals.
1991
AB Sandvik acquires AB Bahco and renames it AB Sandvik Bahco. A few years later, Bahco will integrate the Fish & Hook symbol into its logo, originally created by AB Sandvik, as a reference to the high quality of the steel used to make Swedish fishing hooks in the nineteenth century.
1999
Bahco is incorporated into Snap-on Inc.
2005
Snap-on Inc. merges the brands Bahco, Lindström and Eurotools to form SNA Europe.
2018
Bahco’s “Fish & Hook” logo is modernised and minimalised, creating a simpler and smoother image, but still equally recognisable.
2021
Acquisition of Secateurs Pradines.
1850
Öberg, the first file factory, is founded in Eskilstuna, Sweden.
1862
Göran Fredrik Göransson lays the groundwork for the invention of the first saw blade.
1886
The first Bahco saw blades are produced using high-quality steel.
1892
Johan Petter Johansson creates the adjustable spanner, a precursor to the adjustable wrench.
1916
Berndt August Hjorth buys Enköpings Mekaniska Verkstad and shortens its name to Bahco.
1969
The bi-metal hacksaw blade Sandflex® is created, ushering in a new era for the industry.
1982
Bahco presents ERGO™: by professionals, for professionals.
2002
The ERGO™ Ratchet wins the Red Dot Design Award.
2013
Innovation award for Bahco’s Tool Management System Configurator.
2017
The Bahco Storage Hub is created, a new range of tool trolleys that meets European standards.
2022
The BCL23 Electric Secateurs win the Red Dot and iF Design Awards.
THE FISH AND THE HOOK
Bahco’s story began in 1886, when Johan Petter Johansson founded a small smithy in Enköping, Sweden. From the start, innovative design and high-quality steel were central to his work, values that would come to define Bahco and its tools.
In the late nineteenth century, Swedish steel was renowned for its strength and quality. It was so trusted that it was commonly used to make fishing hooks, a product that demanded the highest quality material. After AB Sandvik acquired AB Bahco in 1991, the company’s Fish & Hook logo was integrated into the Bahco logo as a reference to the superior reputation of Swedish steel, the same material used to make Bahco tools.
This is how Bahco’s iconic logo was born. Simple and universal, the Fish & Hook became a symbol that could be understood and recognised around the world. In 2018, the logo was modernised and refined, creating a cleaner and more contemporary expression while retaining Bahco’s heritage.
To this day, the Fish & Hook remains a powerful symbol of quality, innovation and heritage.
1886
1916
1995
2018
SNA EUROPE,
THE GROUP BEHIND BAHCO
Based in Spain, the SNA Europe Group was created in 2005 by merging Bahco and Eurotools.
1,800
employees
27
countries