Craftsman Tools Today

Funny you mention splitting Craftsman sockets. Honestly I don't ever recall breaking a Craftsman socket, and the only sockets that I ever split
BROCKWOOD said:
Old Bonneys are nice. As are Thorsen. Been splitting Craftsman sockets since 1980, but loved their wrenches, ratchets et al. I always picked carefully between Matco, Mac, Cornwell & Proto for many of my tools. The benefit of Craftsman back in the day was getting a replacement tool same day. Waiting for a tool truck to come back around next week just was not the best option. I hope Stanley does leave Proto in peace. Unfortunately, Stanley has been in the business of ruining brand reputation for a hundred years. I check pawn shops for quality tools anymore. Price is Right.
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Funny you mention splitting Craftsman sockets. Honestly I don't ever recall breaking a Craftsman socket, and the only sockets that I ever split (a few) were all Thorson.
 
Most cheap sockets are hardened in gas ovens on conveyor belts. The majority of the sockets get hardened to the proper level but some come out too soft and others come out too brittle because a conveyor belt with a flame underneath it is not a precision operation. High end sockets (Proto, especially the larger sockets) are individually induction hardened with an induction heater. Induction heating heats the steel by putting the steel in a magnetic field at a high frequency (10khz - 40khz) and the rapid change in magnetic poles excite the atoms in the steel heating them up. The amount of electrical power going into an induction heating coil can be precisely measured and hence a precise amount of heating can be carefully controlled.... hence the hardness can be carefully controlled resulting in a very consistently hardened socket that does not vary much from piece to piece.

The higher the frequency of an induction heater the less penetration there is on the metal making up the socket socket resulting in the socket itself being heated unevenly. This allows high end sockets to have the outer surface hardened to a quite hard (to combat wear) while the inner metal in the socket is softer but stronger.

There are several other manufacturing processes that also determine the strength of a socket. For example cold forging a socket generally gives a denser stronger metal than a hot forged socket. Of course cold forging requires a much bigger press making them more expensive to produce.

When you pay 4x the amount for a Proto, Mac or Snapon socket this is what you are paying for... a consistently strong, hardened surface and reliable socket vs. a socket whose metallurgical property are different depending on where it lands on the conveyor.
 
For a lot of years Forged in USA ,Craftsman wrenches were made by a firm KD had bought , ETF ?? My old memory slips. I've never liked raised panel wrenches, but they were my first good set. If you find an ugly old KD , they are the same wrench. BTW The Craftsman were clunkier but stronger than my later Protos. I had a set of metric Thorens/Acton but replaced them with Craftsman. when they wore out. They didn't last that long. The wrenches in that set were stamped with either name. When I spread a 9/16s and a 5/8 , Sears replaced with them ones that were likely made in Taiwan. Well finished but even a touch clunkier !

The Taiwanese Gearwrench are showing up, they have a good rep internationally. Those new Snap-on ratcheting box ends are made by them.
 
My father worked for Proto / Stanley / NHT for 30+ years. I have a garage full of Proto tools... I am probably a little biased. :)
 
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Home Depot wrenches are lobster claw. Bought one never used it and returned it, too ackward.
 
Bob Korves said:
The question these days becomes "who's lifetime?"
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This is a good question since the Craftsman brand has been sold. Will older tools sold by Sears be warrantied by
Stanley, or only tools produced on their watch?

Besides, some companies just run a bait and switch: they warranty something for "life", and then 10 or 20 years down the road when
warranty costs go up, they simply change the policy.
 
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My dad bought, repaired, and then sold used vacuum cleaners in his later years as a hobby business to keep him busy. He told his customers "This vacuum comes with a lifetime warranty, but please keep in mind that I am 86 years old... :)" That is where I caught on to "Who's lifetime?"
 
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Order came the other day.

Wrenches are A-okay.

Will see how they hold up using them.

For the boxed end they sent polished and my 80's vintage ones are sand cast finish.

Open end wrench is good. Matches up with what's left of our 80's set.

Was concerned these Sears Craftsman were like picture of Kmart open end wrench set.

K mart wrench set looks like they shrunk it in between wrench heads to same material.

Would give those a pass until they fix that.
 
Sears was a love Hate relationship ... At one time it was my go to store...
even if there was one still around I would avoid it today. I never thought
I would see that day.... I still use and love the older tools and tractors.
 
We've had this conversation before on this forum, but I'll chime in again that I have a considerable amount of Craftsman tools from my Dad who was a gear head in his younger days. I'm 57 now, and the stuff they make these days is so damn disappointing when I compare them to my Dad's tools. Their ratchets in particular are just plain bad. I'll buy Harbor Freight first (and have) I have to say, I really like their sockets so far, and even took a chance on a extendable 1/2" ratchet that was on sale. I haven't been able to break it yet, and its' ratchet works better than a junk-era Craftsman wrench that I have.
 
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