Here's my input on the Craftsman rachet issue:

I have ONE 3/8" Craftsman rachet. I also HAD a 1/4 and 1/2 drive rachet until one fine winter day when they got stolen, along with the rest of my tool box contents.

Anyway, I never had a problem with Craftsman rachets or sockets. Their screwdrivers are a bit weak, though.

I have gone through 4 (count-em) 1/4 drive Husky rachets due to broken gear teeth, or broken springs. Same for the 3/8 Husky. I do have a problem with the Husky warranty though. I bring in a broken tool to Home Depot, and leave with nothing. 2 weeks later, a box comes in the mail that says "Stanley Tool Company" on it, and inside is a new Husky tool.

I have never had a problem with Husky sockets or wrenches (the "Made in the USA" ones anyway) but their rachets just plain suck. Their screwdrivers are also weak.

Anytime I break a tool, I get another one from a different brand, and get the original replaced under warranty, so I am "slowly" building my second (backup) set.

I'll relay a little story: I was sent out to a dump truck to see why the trailer brakes weren't releasing, so I brought a bunch of tools. When I got to the truck, I quickly find the slack adjuster is siezed, so I get my Husky 1/4 drive with a 5/16 square socket, and start "un-siezing" the slack adjuster. Well, lucky for me, the gear teeth broke again, but broke in such a way that I call it my 1/4" drive "breaker bar". I still have to get that one replaced. I knew I should have brought my snap on, or at least a 3/8 drive, but slack adjusters usually don't need that kind of force, and in the unlikely event that I forgot a tool at the jobsite, I didn't want to lose a Snap on rachet.

 

I always buy Klein screwdrivers. also lifetime warranty and waaaaay better than Craftsman.

 

My wife wanted a Rodeo back in '93, so we bought one that was sold back to the dealership she worked at with 8k miles on it...what a POS!!! (But that's another story). My uncle retired from GM and is HUGE on BUY AMERICAN!!! (So am I for that fact). But he saw the Rodeo and started bad-mouthin' it as "just another Japanese product invadin' the country." He had to eat his words when I popped the hood release and he stared at all the GM stuff under there and the tag that said "Built in Indiana". We just got a lemon. I've never heard anyone else complain about the Rodeo's quality...

Back on subject - the last Craftsman 1/4" ratchet I got (a replacement for one that quit ratcheting) is the clunkiest, roughest ratcheting ratchet I've ever used. I believe I'm gonna start going with Kobalt or Snap-ON or maybe even try those new Stanley "Professional Grade" tools. Anyone used them yet???

Scott

 

I have a set of the stanley Pro grade tools and a set of their standard grade. I abuse the heck out of my tools (3 foot pipe on a 1/2 inch or 3/8 inch drive is common for me) on the farm and to date I have never had one of the stanleys fail. Pretty good tool for a good price.

It is my personal opinion that they are a step above craftsman, and Western (sold at grainger stores). They seem to be pretty equal to my allens and S&K's as well as far as duribility. I would recomend them for a good quality tool at a fair price.

 

Yeah the Craftsman ratchets aren't that great, but I sure use them. At work I tend to get about 3-4 months use out of a ratchet. Basically they just get worn out. The Cornwell guy started giving me a run around after he rebuilt/replaced the same ratchet 4 times. I paid $75 for a flex handle 3/8" drive ratchet from the Snap-On man. It lasted a week before someone liked it more than me. I bought a good sized 1/2 drive ratchet from the MAC man. Never got to use it the first time before some guy borrowed it and I never saw it again.
I currently have about 6 1/4" ratchets, I seem to go through them the fastest. 4 3/8" ratchets, 2 1/2"s, a long flex-head 1/2", and a 1/2"breaker bar.
The last 5 months I have been using a flex-head extendable handle Stanley 3/8" ratchet bought on a whim from WalMart. I've been quite impressed with how long it's lasted considering it was only about $17. I recently checked at WalMart for another and sure enough they've quit selling that model. Figures.
My wife is now my tool man. She spots Craftsman ratchets at yard sales and flea markets for cheap and picks them up for me. When they wear out or break,hey, she's going to go to the mall anyway...and Sears never has given us the slightest problem with exchanging them. I like buying tools, just not the same ones over and over. In my case since all I have to do is say "hey honey, since you're going shopping, would you run these by Sears?" I'm pretty much sticking with Craftsman. Funny nobody seems to want to steal them.

On another subject, the last 97 or so Isuzu Rodeo/Honda Passports I looked at had "Made in Taiwan (Republic of China)" on the warranty/VIN sticker of the door frame. I thought rather less of Honda for that. Not only are the things not really Hondas, they're not even Japanese! Other years may have been U.S. made, I've not actually paid any attention. These particular stickers just happened to catch my eye on a couple of them when car shopping with a friend. You just about have to be detective these days to figure out if a new car is "foreign" or not.

 

I agree 100% with "72F2504BY", the newer Craftsman Professional "next generation" thin profile ratchets are the BEST bar none. With that being said, I have over 40 ratchets in my collection, with everything from Snap-on, Mac, SK you name it, that I use everyday in my automotive business. Sears first came out with only the 3/8" drive in their 2002-2003, then the following year with the 1/4" and 1/2" drive. Judging from the price, these are not in the same class as the other Craftsman ratchets, with the 3 pieces costing over $120 with tax. The finish is incredible and the ergonomics even better. The head is thin and believe me, this alone has come in handy in tight situations, but the the handle fits in your hand perfectly, it"s retangular, but also rounded at the same time and tapers in the right areas. It's almost like how a Momo steering wheel fits your hands. But that isn"t why its the BEST ratchet ever, the main things that make a great ratchet are the backlash and the backdrag. These ratchets have 60 teeth which make for small increments in movements at 6 degrees, very smooth. Unlike some 72 tooth ratchets that have only 5 degree of movements, but little or no backdrag feel, almost too smooth. These Craftsman ratchets have the perfect amount of backlash, unlike all the other Craftsman ratchets which some have a very choppy feel to them and their backdrag too heavy. Most of your negative comments on the Craftsman ratchets, I agree with if you"re talking about any of their other ratchets. If you haven"t tried the newer "next generation" thin profile ratchets, go to your nearest Sears and try it and come back here and comment on them. I am from north of the border in Ottawa, Canada and our Sears don't carry any of the made in USA ratchets. In fact, 99% of our Craftsman tools are from China and Taiwan. Lot of people here don"t realize this because it's not marked on the packaging and they just assume it"s made in the USA. But how I found out is that I got to see the master container shipping boxes and they were mostly from Asia. Also, none of our Craftsman ratchets have made in USA on them, neither does their sockets and most other tools. Luckily, I had a friend in New York pick these ratchets up for me. After trying out the 3/8" drive I was hoping Sears would come out with the 1/4" and 1/2" drives. A year later they were out and I had to have them. I have told some friends of mine in the automotive business here about them and they have all said the same, in fact one of them is a pure Snap-on guy, with a huge Snap-on box and tools and he got that same friend of mine to get him the ratchets as did the others that have tried them. My friend whose really into the Snap-on tools was talking to his rep before he retired about these ratchets and even the Snap-on rep agreed that these ratchets were better than theirs. Simply put, THEE BEST.

 

mustangmania,

you know mean like this - here is a nice pic:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=42263

 

Never used a craftsman screwdriver, but own lots of Klein screwdrivers, which aren't cheap by any means ($45 for 5 of them) I use Klein for all my electrical work, while general house wiring isn't tough on tools, the insulators on Klein drivers are far superior, and have saved my butt a couple times, once working on a fuse panel unlimited, welded the whole box to some metal clad near a door (it was an old house, new code wouldn't let that happen).

 

Amen on the electrical stuff!!! I use craftsmen for general stuff though.

 

Yes, that is exactly the one I'm talking about. Also the direction switch is metal unlike some of the other newer Craftsman ratchets which are some kind of plastic. Like I said before the fit and finish is first rate and the ratchet has the best feel when it comes to the backlash and the backdrag. Also it takes a lot of abuse, I have used the 3/8" drive daily for almost 2 years now.

 

Interesting.

I think I am going to get a Mac 3/8 ratchet this time, which is 11" long, and with flex head. I find that type most useful.

I have a cheapo Taiwan ratchet which is 7" long, like the aforementioned Craftsman ratchet, but I am not sure I like that size. I like longer ones for the extra leverage. Flex-head is an interesting feature. Although I could see how the shorter ones could also be useful. Maybe I will also get the Craftsman ratchet, but I've never made much use of that length, 7.5" to be exact.

 

ill tell you i used to swear by the craftsman tools myself but you guys hit the nail on the head when you say the craftsman rachets have gone deep into the sewer. ill prolly stick with SK ratchets but i still like the craftsman sockets etc SK moans when you bust a socket they swear youused it on an air tool which voids their warranty. thank god most of the schleps in the sears store dont even know if what youre returning is even craftsman they just exchange it no questions asked

 

I think the point is that Craftsman has several grades of tools, regular - for the people, and "pro", which is quite expensive.

 

we all know that we live in a corporate era and sears is no exception but in all fairness,i have never had any problem with their ratchets.i turned in a old (66)ratchet that was well worn.they gave me a snapon looking replacement thats ok.it has a plastic direction lever.we shall see.
if u want 2 tune up youre ratchet soak it in atf 4 a few days

 

Kikko - if they hand you a rebuilt and you are not "satisfied" then hand it right back because the text of Craftsman warranty reads "satisfaction guaranteed" . Stand your ground and they will relent eventually.