SK 10mm vs Craftsman 10mm

[kippieland]

I went to a local SK dealer and couldn't help but pick up a 10mm socket to see what the difference is between my new 10mm Craftsman socket. I paid 5.83 for the SK...about double the Craftsman. I thought I would share some of my observational point to each socket. Had I not just purchase a 170 piece Craftsman socket set (93 cents per socket), I would definetly purchased an SK set.

 

[Jawn]

Thanks for the comparo.

It does cost more, but I don't regret any of the SK stuff I've been loading up on lately. I do wish I knew where to find a local dealer for the stuff.

 

[pipsters]

My Craftsmans are pretty tight, no issues there. Also I prefer laser etched. Not sure how the SK being bigger is better. I do have an SK set on the way I will do a pretty good comparison writeup on the way.

When comparing you must keep it in perspective that an SK set is often 200%-300% more than Craftsman.

 

[Jawn]

Not sure how the SK being bigger is better.

I didn't take it as such. It's give/take as far as I can guess. Bigger, possibly stronger, but doesn't fit in as many tight places.

Also in the "new SK bling" arena, I just received a 1312 set (1/4" drive metric deep sockets). That rounds out my 1/4" stuff (built piecemeal rather than a full set since I'd bought a ratchet and shallow metric sockets on a whim some time ago).

 

[Notwerk]

When comparing you must keep it in perspective that an SK set is often 200%-300% more than Craftsman.

Yeah, he covered that in his post. I guess the question is whether the quality warrants the price. That'll depend on a lot of factors, including the intended use, relative quality, etc.

But I think the bottom line for many is that, while Craftsman keeps going abroad and declining in quality, SK seems to be heading in the opposite direction: Staying in the U.S. and emerging from the spotty quality of their bankruptcy period.

Lots of issues to consider. Looking forward to more reviews.

 

[zer01]

You do your write up! Its obviously to me that you think you are the expert on this and are trying to prove some preconceived notion. Good luck with that!

Every topic needs its share of drama and a ******* match. This just eggs it on. People have different opinions and preferences I wish everyone could realize and respect that fact. But instead someone always gets offended by an opinion that differs from theirs.

 

[kippieland]

Every topic needs its share of drama and a ******* match. This just eggs it on. People have different opinions and preferences I wish everyone could realize and respect that fact. But instead someone always gets offended by an opinion that differs from theirs.

Good point! My response to that message was beneath me...that is why I removed it!

 

[Davefr]

I've also observed that Danaher tools seem to have a poor chrome plating these days. Its like they're having problems or cheapened their plating process to where it doesn't even look like chrome.

 

[Rico.]

I've also observed that Danaher tools seem to have a poor chrome plating these days. Its like they're having problems or cheapened their plating process to where it doesn't even look like chrome.

I believe that it's because it's not chrome, it's only nickel plating on the
Craftsman sockets. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[buening]

I believe that it's because it's not chrome, it's only nickel plating on the
Craftsman sockets.

+1 Only nickel plating

 

[Boiler]

If my days of specifying chrome plating are still fresh enough in mind, nickel is a stage that makes them mirror like, and chrome is like the clearcoat on top.

 

[camarotoolman]

One thing to think about is the warrenty. Right now getting an Sk replaced is about impossible over the counter. I don't know about on line or by phone. There there is a Sears in most bigger towns and 2 or more in cities. On the othe hand Sk shouldn't break as much. It would be cool to take the same tool from each makers and put them in a press and test them. See who is the strongest.

 

[plinker]

FWIW, If your buying open stock Craftsman, the S-K is does not really cost much more.


I paid 4.79 for a 3/8 drive 10mm a month ago so I'd have a spare. If you buy a set from Craftsman, you almost always get a better price.

I assume the sockets in the pic are 3/8 drive?

 

[alan camby]

If I was to start over on my socket collection, I would have tried to avoid Craftsman deep well sockets. I hate how a Nut can fall all the way to the bottom of their socket.
I know Snap on is made in a way that prevents this. Are SK deeps made this way? I Know this might be off subject, sorry, but does anyone know of a list of manufactures that produce sockets that prevent nuts and bolts from inserting all the way to the square drive.

 

[Jawn]

If I was to start over on my socket collection, I would have tried to avoid Craftsman deep well sockets. I hate how a Nut can fall all the way to the bottom of their socket.
I know Snap on is made in a way that prevents this. Are SK deeps made this way? I Know this might be off subject, sorry, but does anyone know of a list of manufactures that produce sockets that prevent nuts and bolts from inserting all the way to the square drive.

Yes, the hex portion of SK deep sockets is only a little deeper than a typical nut. The rest of the socket up to the square drive is round inside for the bolt/stud to protrude into.

 

[kythri]

+1 Only nickel plating

This is completely inaccurate, and Danaher themselves have been on the forum here in the past to refute claims of this nature.

 

[alan camby]

Yes, the hex portion of SK deep sockets is only a little deeper than a typical nut. The rest of the socket up to the square drive is round inside for the bolt/stud to protrude into.

Thanks for the reply. I feel I am going off subject by asking for a list. so i started a new thread. http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=129245 I would like to know all my options before I pick a brand.

 

[Danglerb]

Size cuts both ways, stronger, may have clearance issues.

I have both, use my SK mostly, or Snapon, but have no problems with the Craftsman.

Snapon has a very short small socket I like when its a tight fit.
I don't like the curved entry to the Craftsman socket, with a short nut you only have teeth on the top half.

I like the satin type finish some tools have. My Craftsman set has maybe more than 10% that on first look I wanted to return for warranty due to incomplete chrome.

 

[kippieland]

FWIW, If your buying open stock Craftsman, the S-K is does not really cost much more.


I paid 4.79 for a 3/8 drive 10mm a month ago so I'd have a spare. If you buy a set from Craftsman, you almost always get a better price.

I assume the sockets in the pic are 3/8 drive?

Agreed. But if you buy a Craftsman set, they are way below SK. I paid .93 cents per socket when I ordered my socket set this fall. Amazon wanted $8.00 for the same SK 10mm socket...Correct on the 3/8 drive

 

[kippieland]

One thing to think about is the warrenty. Right now getting an Sk replaced is about impossible over the counter. I don't know about on line or by phone. There there is a Sears in most bigger towns and 2 or more in cities. On the othe hand Sk shouldn't break as much. It would be cool to take the same tool from each makers and put them in a press and test them. See who is the strongest.

When I asked the Rep. about warrenty, he showed me a flip-book of what they WON'T cover (basic tool abuse.) On the socket he said that they wouldn't cover impact driver use on chrome sockets. Other then that, he said just bring it back and they will get a new one. I think you are right about the not braking as much..but they are not as easy as Sears.

Any ideas on how I can do a pressure test?

 

[kippieland]

Please don't think I am Craftsman hating. My intent was to show a difference between two USA made sockets that are not that far off of each other price wise. I have a TON of Craftsman tools, but I am disappointed in their move to China. I just wanted to see what other tools I could afford since the truck brands are out of my reach and SK is one.

 

[blarf]

Agreed. But if you buy a Craftsman set, they are way below SK. I paid .93 cents per socket when I ordered my socket set this fall. Amazon wanted $8.00 for the same SK 10mm socket...Correct on the 3/8 drive

That's apples to oranges right there.

Craftsman #45852 has a list price of $3.79.
SK #310 is $6.79 at mytoolstore.com ($3.98 at tooltopia).

SK #13 works out to about $4.92 per socket. So, no, it's not ninety-three cents worth of socket... but it's a lot closer than you'd have people believe.

 

[IBJanky]

I think I'll stick with the Craftsman. I've never had one fail on me.

myke

 

[spity]

My army issue tool box was filled with SK(Old SK) wrenches and sockets. We beat the **** out of them day in and day out, we didnt use tools we abused them. I noticed the typical chrome wear/chipping/cracking and breaking you would see with tools worked hard and put away dirty. Nowadays I use a mix of Craftsman/Proto/Gearwrench stuff. Im a couple years older and I really take care of my stuff now that I have to pay for it. I notice the same wear on the tools I baby.

If SK was as easy to buy and warranty as my Craftsman or my limited amount of Snap-on stuff. I would use SK as exclusively as possible. I love them.

 

[GoBlue]

I like SK and and am very upset about moving of Craftsman goods to china...i will say however that i find Craftsman chrome sockets to be great. They are American made, cheep, and stand up to hard use and are backed by the best warranty in the buis. What more do you need?

 

[Jawn]

Agreed. But if you buy a Craftsman set, they are way below SK. I paid .93 cents per socket when I ordered my socket set this fall. Amazon wanted $8.00 for the same SK 10mm socket...Correct on the 3/8 drive

As a comparison, I coupon'd up and paid $122 delivered for a 49 piece SK 3/8" set (44 sockets, one conventional ratchet, one thumb ratchet, two extensions, one universal).

Please don't think I am Craftsman hating. My intent was to show a difference between two USA made sockets that are not that far off of each other price wise. I have a TON of Craftsman tools, but I am disappointed in their move to China. I just wanted to see what other tools I could afford since the truck brands are out of my reach and SK is one.

Indeed. I made similar comparisons on my own when considering upgrades from the old taiwanese stuff I've been using. Originally I planned to get Craftsman stuff. But after reading about the changes going on, I chose to look at other options. I hadn't ever heard of SK at the time, but it looked like a promising option. I picked up a few pieces to "test the waters", and I've been going wide open since.

That said, I have snagged a little bit of Craftsman stuff... oddball things SK doesn't make, like 8-point sockets (needed some for my compressor... drain plug, handle set screw, and pulley set screw are square).

 

[kippieland]

I like SK and and am very upset about moving of Craftsman goods to china...i will say however that i find Craftsman chrome sockets to be great. They are American made, cheep, and stand up to hard use and are backed by the best warranty in the buis. What more do you need?

Great point!

 

[pipsters]

Good point! My response to that message was beneath me...that is why I removed it!

You took that the wrong way, that was my fault making it a short curt post. I was on my phone and had to write quickly as I had to go.

I'm just merely interested and was looking forward in evaluating the entire set.

 

[Coach James]

Does the Craftsman socket have more relief at the corners? If it does, could that account for the more loose feeling?

Coach

 

[pipsters]

OK here is my take on the SK 94959 3/8" set.

I'm basically comparing my new Craftsman vs. the new SK.

Broaching wise, the Craftsman and SK are neck and neck on the surface. However, the SK's have a "lip" right around the top of the socket and that makes it seem smaller than they actually are. On the larger size I could measure past that lip and on the actual place where the nut would sit. However, that being said, the two are still very close.

Finish wise, the SK wins hands down on appearance. The triple chrome looks great. However, the Craftsman laser etched sockets are much better at being identified with the laser etching. There are a handful (out of the 44 or so I would guess a half dozen or more) of SK sockets that aren't deeply enough roll pressed with their size, and since that is the only way of identifying them, well, it's kind of inexcusable in my book.

Folks complain about the lack of quality control with Craftsman. I have the same complaints with SK. A few of my sockets were rusting inside. Quite a few were painted inside not chromed (not a big deal, I could care less) however the paint is either on the bottom or top lip of the socket. Two have chrome flaking off.

The ball detents in the SK sockets are also lacking. Bad depth control, in addition to some having almost no detent what so ever, also is a factor.

Overall, I like the SK socket set HOWEVER I am still disappointed in it. I expected/wanted perfection on these sockets out of the box. However, when you look at what you get - 44 sockets, a 3/8" ratchet, a universal, two extensions, and a thumb ratchet the value is still excellent, even rivaling Craftsman due to the inclusion of some of the pieces. Craftsman, to my knowledge, does not offer a comparable set so it's tough to compare pricing on just their socket sets.

 

[Jawn]

I suspect that's not paint inside, but matte chrome instead of the high polish stuff. That one doesn't look so nice. Mine were all fine inside, but I had one with rust in the grooves outside. SK had a replacement in my hands in a few days.

 

[pipsters]

It's definitely paint because there is paint on the lips of the sockets. Matte chrome looks different, it looks like chrome. There is a definite texture to the paint. You can also see on some sockets it's obvious they were painted inside vs. chromed. I'm sure just older stock. Not the end of the world, I'm fine with it. What I'm NOT fine with is the lack of roll stamping on about half a dozen sockets making them hard to read. If the roll stamping was perfect on them all I would be keeping the set, but honestly, combined with everything else, I just don't see the value in these over my Craftsman laser etched sockets.

I'm going to call SK tomorrow and see if they will send new ones, if not I will return the set.

 

[lowbucktruck]

Interesting... thank you for taking the time doing the comparison between Craftsman sockets and SK sockets. Sounds like there are still a few quality control issues with the new SK, or they still have some old stock mfg'd during their transition/evolution under Ideal.

I've been hopeful and waiting patiently for the new SK. I have a few sets of the old, vintage SK sockets (some SK Wayne, some older than that) which I still use and enjoy. Haven't pulled the trigger and purchased any new SK tools yet. I also still have and use my Craftsman sockets, although I prefer to use my SK ratchets instead of the newer Craftsman rats with them!

 

[Davefr]

Thanks for the images.

I prefer SK's real chrome over this "dumbed down" process Danaher is now using.

 

[pipsters]

Thanks for the images.

I prefer SK's real chrome over this "dumbed down" process Danaher is now using.

As do I. Functionally the SK's are great but you can say the same thing about Craftsman, just less cost. The problem is the quality control and finishing. Just kinda disappointed to be honest.

Keep in mind nickel plating is still an effective plating process. Many products past and present use nickel plating to protect them against the elements and wear. Nickel is a very hard element.

 

[HandyManny]

This is completely inaccurate, and Danaher themselves have been on the forum here in the past to refute claims of this nature.

I wish Danaher would start listening a lot closer to the genuine complaints many of their customers have regarding their increasing lack of plating quality and overall loss of quality in general with their USA production.

 

[HandyManny]

Thanks for the images.

I prefer SK's real chrome over this "dumbed down" process Danaher is now using.

As do I. Functionally the SK's are great but you can say the same thing about Craftsman, just less cost. The problem is the quality control and finishing. Just kinda disappointed to be honest.

Keep in mind nickel plating is still an effective plating process. Many products past and present use nickel plating to protect them against the elements and wear. Nickel is a very hard element.

I think more tool mskers should use the Cobalt plating process instead of chrome. It's way more durable and supposedly produces less waste product when processing. It results in a finish not as white as chrome, but still bright and more durable. Just look at the current Adjustable Wrenches from Wright, SK, Craftsman, and Ridgid. They all have this Cobalt plating done at Western Forge (the maker of those wrenches).

 

[pipsters]

Apparently you can even do shiny cobalt chrome, and it's more durable than the 3 step triple chrome process.

http://www.tommackieracing.com/review/products/cobalt-plating/

 

[lowbucktruck]

Its real hard not to like SK's SuperKrome! So shiny...
My old SK ratchets SuperKrome finish has held up quite well. Can't really compare the finish on my older Craftsman ratchets, due to the hard use they have seen.

 

[buening]

This is completely inaccurate, and Danaher themselves have been on the forum here in the past to refute claims of this nature.

Well if the Craftsman's sockets are what Danaher calls "chrome plating" then they need to get their eyes checked or switch platers because they are getting screwed if they think it is chrome plating. Allen brand sockets are also made by Danaher yet they have actual chrome plating on them, unlike whatever **** they are putting on the craftsmans that they think passes as "chrome" (according to your account by Danaher). Compare the Craftsman polished ratchets which are actually chrome plated to their standard sockets which are obviously not and you will see the difference. I think the Danaher representatives that have been on here are misinformed or passing along bad information. Its been awhile since I've saw it, but some descriptions of sockets on the Sears website call it "nickel chrome", which involves the same processes as chrome plating but skips the last chrome step. I do believe their "easy to read" sockets are chrome plated though, but the rest appear to be only nickel plated. The chrome plating provides a coating that increases sheen and prevents tarnishing. Owners of the nickel sockets will notice after a few years that the plating will tarnish and get much darker. This has been my experience anyways.

One of many discussions here