Craftsman Tools Today

racecar builder

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We are getting ready to replace some open end and boxed end wrenches.

The gist of it is there was a comment in Sears reviews that the open end wrenches he bought were a little strange.

It is probably the Kmart open end set.

He said they looked lobster claw like. Meaning the ends had too much material around the opening and the handle was too short.

Individual open end wrenches look okay so we're going in!:)

Happy Holidays!
 
Ied check out other brands with lifetime warrantys first.
 
Sears tools today are not worth consideration. I was once a huge Craftsman fan, but no longer. Depending on what you are looking for and if it is home or at work makes a difference. A lifetime warranty means little if the tools are cheap crap to begin with. Who wants a tool that fails every other time you use it resulting in a trip to get it replaced? Not me. Without sounding too harsh I would not make the core of my mechanics hand tool set Harbor Freight.

A good brand to look for as a solid user, but not priced as high as professional brands like Snap-on would be SK, or Proto. Craftsman tools are now primarily products from China meaning they are no better than Harbor Freight in my opinion.
 
Proto is now owned by Stanley. They aren't what they used to be.
 
I agree that the Craftsman name has seen better days.

The last set I got wasn't NEARLY the quality of Craftsman tools from 30 or 40 years ago. It appears to me they went to cheaper alloys and made up for the loss in strength by using larger castings (or forgings as the case may be) and they certainly cut corners on the finishing. The end result is a tool that's larger, more crudely made, harder to get into small spaces, doesn't feel like quality in the hand.

I've been getting my hand tools from Home Depot, their Husky brand. Still not what Craftsman used to be, but better than what they are now.

Add to that the fact that Sears as a company is circling the drain anyway. They'll likely sell the Craftsman name (if they haven't already) and it'll just get cheaper and more difficult to get the warranty (if any) honored.
 
Yes Stanley Black and Decker now own the Craftsman brand name.

David
 
Some of the old stuff yes, but even trying to get things replaced that break is a pain. I use to have all PROTO, Craftsman and Snapon in my boxes. Most of tools got stolen then went and replaced with a full set of Craftsman, Was I in for a shock ratchets break and I smashed knuckles Sockets split down the sides. Then take them back and get harassed saying I had to be abusing them when the only thing I worked on was my own stuff.
Have not seen the inside of a Sears other than to try and get replacements. Son in law has been purchasing MAtco, and several others that still do tool trucks that come to the shops and do the replacements
 
Well Stanley bought the craftsman brand. Time will tell what they do with the hand tools.
 
Sears is gone in Canada. So I'm pretty sure the lifetime guarantee on my Craftsman tools won't do me any good.

I have some of their tools and a set of taps and dies from the 70's and that stuff was great.
 
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