I use to swear by their tools, but lately 45% of it is Made In China and breakage rates are WAY UP....................quality is down HARD...........

Other players (Sunex, Snap-On) are much better...........

 

That story started a long time ago. Craftsman tools used to be the go-to brand for non professional wrench turners for years. Then along came Home Depot and Lowes. They had more stores, more conveniently located and sold tools that were almost as good but cheaper. What could Sears do? Make 'em in China, make 'em cheaper and make more money selling them. Then they dropped the lifetime warranty on their power tools. More profit. Then they came out with the Companion tool line. Cheaper still and of even lower quality. But hey, they were still coasting along on their reputation and outselling the big box stores. Then they weren't. People caught on. It seems pretty soon Sears will be no more, and from my perspective, they won't be missed. Sears stopped being synonymous with quality a long time ago and I'm not just talking about their tools.

I have plenty of their tools but they are from 20+ years ago. They have served me well but I wouldn't even waste my time looking in Sears today (if you can find one still open) if I need something. Sure Snap-On makes great tools but they're simply not price justified for someone who doesn't make his living wrenching, and they're not very convenient. For things like sockets, screw drivers and wrenches Lowes Kobalt brand is at least equivalent to the Craftsman of 20+ years ago. Pliers and some of their other tools not so much. But then there's always the internet.

Everyone loves to rant about how stuff made in China is crap. Quite a bit of it is. But it doesn't have to be. Companies can contract with Chinese manufacturers and enforce quality standards as part of their product contracts. Ever look at the back of your iPad or $1,000+ iPhone? "Designed by Apple in California, assembled in China." Apple has their own quality control inspectors in the factories in China. It can be done. It just can't be done for super cheap prices.

Greed works for a while but eventually most people wake up and decide that they'd rather have quality products that last and they're willing to pay for that quality. I certainly am. When I shop whether it's for a torque wrench a flashlight or a toaster oven the first thing I look for on the package is where it's made and if I have a choice I'll purchase the non-Chinese product. Sadly, many times I don't have a choice. Our quest for cheap, disposable products of marginal quality has driven a lot of manufacturing off shore and it likely will never return. Sad.

 

 

 

If you want quality tools at a fair price, GOOGLE SK and buy online.

 

Gearwrench is my go to for sockets, ratchets, and wrenches.

 

 

The ratchets from HF are better than Craftsman, they are made in Taiwan instead of China, the HF ratchet internals are identical to the Kobalt ones, the parts will interchange between the two.

 

harbor freight tools are better than snap-on these days. i have never broke a HF impact socket.
snap-on makes garbage any more. they are no where near as good as used to be, cost ten times more, and are damn near impossible to warranty.
HF on the other hand has stores everywhere, and all you have to do is bring the very rarely to happen broken tool to the register and they tell you to go grab another one off the shelf.

 

That's a pretty big statement to be putting out there... just say'n

 

It was just announced that our local Sears will be closing at the end of March. Really sad. It used to be such a great store. For those of us old enough to remember, it used to be a great day when the Sears catalog would come in the mail....especially the Christmas one.


I have some hand me down Craftsman tools that my father purchased in the '60's. Still used all the time and they never skip a beat. Even the stuff that I purchased in the '80's is still going strong. My purchases lately have all been Snap-on or Matco. Better than the others, but even the new Snap-on stuff isn't as good as some of their stuff that I've had for 20+ years.

I actually made my first purchase at Harbor Freight last fall. Needed a single 21mm impact socket to keep in the RV. I wouldn't compare it to any of the quality tool brands, but not as bad as I expected it to be. Perfect for a one time use or occasional use tool.

 

Two other tool brands not mentioned, SK Tools & Wright Tools, both still made in the USA although some of SK Tools is imported, have to watch what you're buying.

Wright Tools are mostly produced in Barberton OH and are not necessarily directed towards the automotive market as is Snap On, Matco, Mac etc. High quality, lifetime warranty--can't beat 'em IMHO. I have quite a few of their impact sockets and love how clearly they're marked---deep stamping of the size, part number etc. Ratchets are very stout but Wright doesn't seem to offer the 80+ tooth versions which isn't a huge issue for me.

Best thing about both brands is they're discounted by sellers online if you don't mind buying great tools through the mail.

 

Sears is no loss except to the extremely old and what they REALLY miss isn't Sears but their forever dead youth. Sears management deliberately wrecked the company to sell the land. It deserved to die long ago.Stanley now own Craftsman and may choose to fix it, but I'm not a stockholder so IDGAF.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/busines...815-story.html

 

You mean 95% is Chinese right? All sockets, hand tools and screw drivers have been of Chinese or Taiwanese origin for a while almost 6 years. There has been a lot of old back stock on the WF pliers and screwdrivers but those are all gone now.

 

[QUOTE=monckywrench;18404574]Sears is no loss except to the extremely old and what they REALLY miss isn't Sears but their forever dead youth. Sears management deliberately wrecked the company to sell the land. It deserved to die long ago.Stanley now own Craftsman and may choose to fix it, but I'm not a stockholder so IDGAF.
/QUOTE]

Good gravy is this wasn't so stupid it'd be hilarious! So now we're onto bashing old folks (of which I'm probably one of 'em) who supposedly miss our "forever dead youth"? OMG that's just knee-slapping S-T-U-P-I-D sounding no matter how often I re-read it.

What's missed most about Sears and by extension Craftsman tools is the forever lost customer service and high quality of USA made tools. They were both top quality "back in the day" but like so much these days the selfish, short-sighted "younger generation" has pillaged a once great organization for nothing more than a few dollars supposedly saved in hopes of increasing shareholder value. Forget running and nurturing a business that's highly respected and operated ethically--make that money, money. money RIGHT NOW and F the future---as you say you're not a stockholder so why GAF about Sears demise?

I guess being "extremely old..missing my dead youth..." does have its downsides but NOT part of that is the ability to see a bigger picture and have enough experience to recall when pride in products was the norm and not the exception.