Bingo. Give that man a scooby snack.

Tools are an investment, not an expense. You get out of them what you put into them, and a lifetime warranty is useless if the tool is always broken. I have Snap-On, Matco, Mac, and Cornhole (Cornwell) tools, and everyone of them has paid for itself. The Crapsman stuff gets the careless abuse.

 

I'm really surprised to hear so many bad opinions of craftsman. The only time I've broken them is when I was clearly abusing the tools, and the clerks at sears have never even asked me what I did to break them. They just happily exchange them for me.

I'll agree that harbor freight sells junk. I bought a 24" breaker bar from them and I wince every time I use it because it bows so badly. Sometimes I can't even use it when I'm underneath a car in the driveway because the bar flexes far enough to hit the driveway before the nut or bolt starts turning.

 

Husky, Kobalt, and Stanley are my tools of choice now. Especially with the walmart, home depot, and lowes 15 minutes from home. I think their quality may even be better than craftsman now. There is really nothing wrong with any of those tools.

If I need a specialty tool, I'll make the drive to harbor frieght or maybe the local parts store. I also like harbor freight's air tools..for some one who doesnt use them on a daily basis they are great.

 

Using them alot, the teeth inside the ratchets are junk, I busted tons of them before I gave up. Good story: I had an older design 1/4 ratchet that the ball detent was no good (wouldnt hold a socket) so i traded it for a new one, 1st use it broke and the teeth kept skipping, I got 5 of them like that before I demanded I get a BRAND NEW ONE out of the case, it broke too. I switched a stanley from walmart-it aint broke yet! Better yet guess what I was using it for-removing battery terminals! Maybe 25 ft-lbs????? to loosen it???

Also like I said whatever they use to label them wears off very easy, I have a few sockets I had to etch the numbers in cause I couldnt read them. I sold most of my craftsman years ago.

As for HF, hit or miss. Some stuff I got there that wasnt worth paying the tool truck prices or whatever has been fine-other stuff was junk. I like buying one time use or things I want to modify from there usually.

When I worked as a tow truck driver we had snap on cordless impacts that were very strong-but even they couldnt break lug nuts loose when the idiots with cranked up air guns got to them. I carried a stanley 20in or so 1/2 in breaker bar and a 3ft pipe and would get them off or snap them off. The bar never bent, bowed or broke and it was like 12 bucks at walmart.

Like I said I have tons of tools, and I did buy some of the best but the cheaper stuff isnt as bad as ya think sometimes. Abused or not almost everything I have has held up very well.

You want a really good starter set? Buy SK, very good sockets and ratchets and good warranty if you break them. Sure you cant visit the local sears and get a new one but they dont break! to date I have worn out sockets from air and impact and regular use (by worn I mean they slip cause the insides wear out from daily use) but I have broken very few, most often broke was craftsman. They were built better years ago, my grandfather still has alot and they are made better overall. new craftsman have PLASTIC gears/parts inside most of the ratchets-thats why they break! think about that...plastic inside something that needs precision parts...

 

Because like alot of folks who have turned wrenches for a living, I got tired of buying crap that would always break. Craftsman used to be a quality brand, but Sears started to skimp on quality over the last few years, and that is reflected in their tool quality. The idea behind a tool is for it NOT to break.

 

i went with these coz it was on sale and a good tool box













so we shall see how long they last... just wish they gave me military discount... sorry mother ****ers

 

It's sad to hear all this negative craftsman talk. Not that I don't believe you guys. Guess it's been that long since I had to buy a set of tools. Most of my craftsman tools hold up to the abuse I give them, but I did have to get all my ratchets rebuilt about two months ago. Had the 1/4 and 3/8's rebuilt right there. They didn't have a 1/2 rebuild kit, so i got a new one. Took it home and broke that new 1/2 ratchet right away. Granted I was using about a four foot breaker bar. My craftsman 5HP 22 gallon has earned my respect!! It's 15 years old and I beat the living dog ***** out of it and it still works. I got a feeling it doesn't have much time left just because its so old and dread the day I have to go get another one now that they all are made in China.

 

I use all snap on ratchets(f80s are amazing but I think they are not made in USA??) I also found out that the old kobalt stuff is made by williams which is a snap on division. I bought 2 sets of impact sockets off ebay cheap and are awesome. Craftsman sockets are okay but when its damp out in my garage the sockets get surface rust, which drives me nuts. Craftsman screwdrivers are junk(even tho I do have alot haha). I bought a set of Matcos and they turn screws 13 times better than craftsman and dont strip out as easy. I have a 40 inch roller and chest craftsman which is perdy good. It depends on the craftsman ratchets tho. I have a 3/8s and slam a hammer to it all the time and it still works great, my dad has bought them and they dont last a week

 

There are different grades of Craftsman ratchets... there is a cheap line and a more expensive line.... You MUST know difference counter people don't and will swap a good with a cheap if your not careful. Also warranty issues are a Sears problem not a Craftsman issue.

 

Not all Compressor are built in China still a few USA made setups that are reasonable also. Make sure if you do buy a new one get a 100% duty cycle unit... this is where many people get screwed!!! if it is not 100% duty cycle it will not last if you use it with air tools.

 

im glad someone else see's it from my perspective.

 

i hear that at work i have all mac and snap-on at home i have the cheaper junk but if i know im gunna get into something where i need the better tool i bring it home with me. i simply do it like this because the tools at work make me money and the tools at home just save me money.

 

I have mostly Craftsman's, S-K's, and some Snap-On's. I've used these brands for over 30 years and I have mostly replaced the Craftsman's. I keep extras of the tools that I manage to break most often. I've never had a problem with Sears honoring their warranties. I just tend to surprise the clerks when I come in with a bag full of busted tools. I usually wait until I have a bunch of tools to make my trip worthwhile.
I will not buy any Chinese made tools period. I won't risk life or limb for the sake of saving a few bucks on tools.

 

I have almost all Craftsman tools. But i will say that i have at least doubles of everything. I do not use them everyday, just when ever my junk breaks. But i have broken alot of ratchets and sockets. I have never had problems getting them replaced, but i feel you should not have to replace tools that regularly. Before i had a good collection of tools it was terriable stopping in the middle of a job because my tools are broken. I have a set of kobalt tools thats i have had great luck with, havnt broken a tool yet. The only tool i do not like is a pair of needle noose pliers. but i use them everyday cleaning my welding nozzles and the tips get bent and break off. I also have a couple s-k ratchets, and i love them. I grab them before any other ratchets i have. But it depends on what you expect them to do. If all you plan to do is change oil then cheap *** tools will be fine. the more you do the more youll dislike the ****ty tools.

 

I had a snapon 1/2 breaker bar with a 4 foot cheater pipe on it. My bad I was standing on the pipe trying to break the lug nuts loose on dads roll back bed truck. OH it broke all right the head twisted of the racket and I ate a face full of hood. Lol. Its amazing that something like that can hold 223lbs of me and a cheaper made rachet can't hold breaking loose a 3/8s bolt with out ripping its guts apart.