Stockpiling USA Craftsman wrenches and sockets

[FordTruckWench]

Now that Craftsman is made in China, and Sears is about to vanish, I've decided to stockpile enough USA made Craftsman to last me for decades to come. Otherwise, I might find myself chasing down a tool truck when I'd rather not. My active tool set is reasonably complete and I haven't needed to materially expand or replace it in years. It is a good indicator of what I need. However, I want to prepared for needs I don't yet know about.

Combination wrenches were easy. My late 80's Craftsman starter set included a decent range of 12 point RP wrenches. They were just new enough to be flank drive. I've been able to find matching wrenches in the larger sizes. This created a retired vintage 12 point set. My active wrenches are a full set of 90's era 6 point RP's. I added matching recent production (12 point) wrenches to cover all the large sizes. And I already had a full reserve set of early 20-aught's 6 pointers and a partial selection of larger 12 point sizes. The result is two copies of all 6 point wrenches, a 12 point wrench in all sizes, and two or three wrenches of all the large sizes.

Sockets haven't been as easy. From lurking on this site, I learned that my starter kit came with Stanley made EE code sockets. As these were almost all 12 pointers, they were already retired from active use when I switched to 6 point sockets. However, it has meant I've had to buy even more sockets. Anyway, I've decided to stockpile the following:

* Two reserve 6 point shallow sets in SAE and metric in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 drive sizes. At least one set should include all sizes big and small. My active sets aren't necessarily as complete. The reason for a double reserve is that these are the most used sockets.

* One 12 point shallow set in SAE and metric in 3/8 and 1/2 drive sizes. These should include all sizes big and small. These sets are for high strength 12 point fasteners that I might encounter in the future. (My active tools already include a 12 point 12mm socket for Ford driveshafts so I don't need to raid the 12 point tools.)

* One reserve 6 point deep set in SAE and metric in 1/4 drive. The active tools have but one deep 1/4 drive socket in Ford's favorite 7/32's size. However, I decided to get the full range "just in case."

* One reserve 6 point deep set in SAE and metric in 3/8 drive. The active tools already include all these - a single duplicate should be enough.

* One reserve 6 point deep set in SAE in 1/2 drive. The active tools have just four sockets that pick up where the 3/8's leave off, but I decided to stockpile a full set.

* No 12 point 1/4 drive sockets. Craftsman made this choice easy by only offering SAE sizes. Anyway, I haven't and don't expect to need tiny 12 pointers, especially as the 3/8 set goes down to 1/4".

* No 12 point deep sockets. I want 12 point tools to handle high strength 12 point fasteners. High strength seems at odds with situations that require deep sockets.

* No metric deep sockets in 1/2 drive. I simply haven't needed any yet. My old iron needs 1/2 drive SAE, but new iron will be smaller and metric so 3/8 drive should be enough.

At this point, the stockpile is almost done. The 3/8 drive sockets ended up almost entirely '90's vintage. The other drive sizes have one '90's set and one newer G2 code set. I have just a few laser marked (aka dual marked) sockets - all extending sets to larger sizes. However, the way deals came together, I've nearly ended up with third sets in both 6 and 12 point SAE 1/2 drive. And really, I have five sets of 12 pt SAE 1/2 if I count a vintage non-flank drive set and the EE (also non flank) sockets!

BTW, the EE sockets will continue their existing role as the 12 pointers which ride along to the junk yard but stay locked in the truck.

Q Is there some glaring omission in this plan?

Q Should I get 3/8 drive deep 15/16 and 1" sockets? My active tools include the shallow version. The rational there was to be able to quickly pull some must have prize in a junk yard when the 1/2 drive tools are locked in my truck a half mile away. Should I also get the deeps? These are really large sockets that dwarf all the other 3/8 sockets.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

JUST FYI....12pt sockets were not intended/designed for high strength 12pt hardware..aka ARP headbolts and those some times PITA ford driveshafts. They were designed for ease of access back in the day.

That being said, people use them everyday for this stuff. I'm not bustin balls, just passing on info I learned on here. I now use Snap on Spline sockets for high strength 12pt stuff. It IS designed for high torque.

Supposedly a regular 12pt is only made to take the torque seen on average fasteners. I've broke a couple, but wtf, figured it's part of working on stuff.

 

[logical]

I guess if you are really stuck on the Craftsman brand then it makes some sense... otherwise, it's an incredibly expensive way to deal with a future need that may never come.

There are options besides Sears and the tool trucks.

 

[wild cowboy]

why go to all of this trouble, when Craftsman USA will be on ebay pretty much forever?

and not only just Craftsman USA, but vintage Craftsman USA such as -v- and =v= which were both superior to what you are stockpiling and likely similarly priced.

 

[dmftoy1]

How often do you break stuff? I wear out ratchets more often than I break sockets and I think I've broken exactly 1 wrench. That being said I had a new grandson born last fall and I have been buying up some craftsman USA tools to furnish a little husky 3 drawer box for him when he gets old enough to hang out with grandpa in the shop,

 

[JDon99]

I almost went crazy stockpiling CM stuff a few years ago until I seen the light lol. There are still plenty of great USA made options that aren't tool truck prices. Wright, USA Williams, SK, Proto, etc. I haven't had too many of my CM tools break, even when abused.

 

[FordTruckWench]

those some times PITA ford driveshafts

When I first discovered this use, the only 12pt 12mm tool we had with us was a short little wrench. Busting those bolts free wasn't fun.

Supposedly a regular 12pt is only made to take the torque seen on average fasteners. I've broke a couple, but wtf, figured it's part of working on stuff.

Comparing older Craftsman flank drive sockets, the 6pt is shaped like a 12pt with every other point filled in. So if one is weak, the other would be too. Are the Snap-on splined sockets similar to the, ughh, Craftsman Universal sockets?

The non-Ford 12pt fastener application I've run into a bit is purely cosmetic.

The ARP bolts - in applications where they replace OEM hex bolts, wouldn't the torque remain the same as the OEM fasteners?

I guess if you are really stuck on the Craftsman brand then it makes some sense... otherwise, it's an incredibly expensive way to deal with a future need that may never come.

It hasn't really been that expensive. It seems eBay bidders stay away the slightly older stuff 'cause it's not "new, new, new!"

There are options besides Sears and the tool trucks.

Stanley, Husky, Cobalt, Pittsburgh - a down grade or at best a side grade from Craftsman.

Danaher brands like Allen - a sideways move - if I can even find it anymore.

SK, Proto, Wright, Williams - a definitive step up, but I like full sets and I like things to match. I'd be buying a lot.

Stahlwille and other rare favorites - see previous. Plus, when they stop being a favorite flavor, it may be hard to get more.

 

[FordTruckWench]

why go to all of this trouble, when Craftsman USA will be on ebay pretty much forever?

In my opinion, eBay as we know it and Sears are in a race to see who augers in first. Crafty will be available pretty much forever, but not necessarily in nearly new sets. Part of my plan is that I _could_ reach into the reserve set and then wait months for a matching replacement to show up.

and not only just Craftsman USA, but vintage Craftsman USA such as -v- and =v= which were both superior to what you are stockpiling and likely similarly priced.

-V-, -VV- and =V= sockets aren't flank drive. They seem like nice solid tools - but obsolete. Flank drive seems to have shown up late in the rightside-up -G- era right when they went to the yellowish chrome.

How often do you break stuff? I wear out ratchets more often than I break sockets and I think I've broken exactly 1 wrench.

Since 1989, I've broken two 1/2 drive sockets (manufacturing defect), one adapter (user error), one 1/4 wrench (manufacturing defect compounded by user error), lost one wrench, and I've worn out four ratchets. My concern is less about breakage and more about lost or stolen tools.

 

[montanafordman]

FWIW when I discovered Craftsman was changing everything to Chinese I went and bought a bunch of USA craftsman stuff on impulse that was still on the shelf, some duplicates of what I had and now I regret it. Its still NOS but I'll never get my money back reselling it, but I probably will resell it at a loss. I've moved on from my craftsman sockets and ratchets, mainly because I have some Snap-on and SK ratchets that I like MUCH better and I hate the double detents on the craftsman sockets that make it much harder to pull the socket off a non-quick release ratchet with greasy hands. All my primary 1/4 and 3/8 drive sockets are now SK and I plan to save my first craftsman set to take on the road or to friends houses etc. Live and learn.

 

[woody 73]

2000 years ago or so it seemed, I started to stockpile craftsman tools and every time I would go to a garage or flea type place I would pick up a few item here and there. Then maybe around the mid to late 90's sears started to sell those black plastic box shells that hold 4 levels of 1/4, 3/8 & 1/2 tools; and I started to fill them up. Funny because I still look for those suckers but I never see them sold any more.

I completed three boxes one for each of my boys and one set for my use; op you got the right idea just keep looking and keep buying them up when you find them.

 

[n8n]

I guess I'm not sure I understand your motivation to stockpile Cman...

I do admit to buying some Cman USA stuff when I saw it on clearance or priced well, but I definitely haven't gone out of my way to pay a premium other than to pick up a few USA open stock items to fill out partial sets (and most of those I bought used not new; only resorted to store open stock when I couldn't find what I needed.)

If buying new, why not S-K, Wright, Williams etc.? At least if you break something from one of those brands you can warranty it, yes you'll probably have to mail it back as there are no local dealers, but at least you'll get a USA amde replacement.

Also, just about anyone's ratchets are better than Cman RP's, warranty issues aside. Even SK ratchets which have a rep for being coarse tooth and indestructible, are still smoother with less backdrag than a Cman.

 

[SMKS]

and not only just Craftsman USA, but vintage Craftsman USA such as -v- and =v= which were both superior to what you are stockpiling and likely similarly priced.

The older Craftsman tools did not have off-corner engagement in the wrenches and sockets, so they're more likely to round-off fasteners.

When looking at them from a perspective of usefulness, the older Craftsman tools (as well as most any vintage sockets/wrenches) are not superior to me.

 

[Fedwrench]

You can be a Craftsman Prepper if you want but, why?

There's plenty of it available on ebay and at flea markets across the country.

If you break a lot of Craftsman stuff perhaps you should upgrade to SK or Proto.

I understand Craftsman built epic sales on pennies on the piece pricing and a virtual no questions asked warranty but, when you remove those two features, the tools themselves are kind of mediocre.

I know most of you will want to burn me at the stake but, there are better options out there than Craftsman like Carlyle, Gearwrench, Genius, and others from Taiwan. However if you like Craftsman then by all means buy it. I have several racks of sockets and older Christmas specials from years gone by sitting new in a wallocker in my garage. It was hard to pass up those $9.99 specials at the time.

 

[Jim C.]

Well I guess you're ready for the tool apocalypse. I'm a serious DIYer and have been using Craftsman tools since high school. They've been great for my purposes, and I still use them almost exclusively because that's mostly what I have. I like them and I've been very satisfied with them. When Craftsman tools started being manufactured overseas, I thought about buying more USA made stuff before Sears ran out. Then I got to thinking..... Over the years, I broke one socket and one ratchet (which I got a repair kit for). Did I really need to stockpile tools that I'd probably never use and didn't really have room for? I decided against it. There's still a ton of good USA made Craftsman tools on the used tool market and other affordable USA made brands for sale as well. If I really needed something, I figured that I could track it down without too much trouble. I just didn't see stockpiling as a necessity. Maybe I'll be kicking myself down the road for not buying them when I had the chance. I guess time will tell. That being said, over the last few years, I've been buying old Craftsman =V= tools, partly as a collection, and also to use on various select projects.

Jim C.

 

[nieuport17]

Yea, i personally would also switch brand if coo usa is your thing. Sk, jh, snap on ... all good usa.
Its too much trouble to maintain a brand with a specific coo.
Unless u enjoy it as a hobby : )

 

[mtwaterguy]

I've got Craftsman sockets and wrenches that I've had since the late '60s that I still use today. I guess my question would be.... How long are you planning on living?

 

[logical]

I'll stick to stockpiling guns, ammo and booze.

 

[AmericanMechanic]

FWIW when I discovered Craftsman was changing everything to Chinese I went and bought a bunch of USA craftsman stuff on impulse that was still on the shelf, some duplicates of what I had and now I regret it. Its still NOS but I'll never get my money back reselling it, but I probably will resell it at a loss.

If you don't want the USA stuff but need something else from sears (appliances, etc.) You might ask if they'll give you a gift card for the full return value of the tools. They took back some wrenches when I saw that they were labeled China. The tool manager didn't even act oddly about it. He agreed that craftsman should still be USA.

Sears would also benefit by still having your original purchase price but having some more USA tools for folks who don't want imports.

Just go in, be friendly, and ask

 

[Jacobson]

Craftsman Prepper !! tool apocalypse.!!

OP is better off just buying new tools when he needs them.
In the meantime, just invest your money in the stock market.

 

[quattroJoe]

If you are happy with Cman USA, may I suggest Armstrong? They're also made by Apex and are all US made. Their sockets are visually identical to Cman save for the logo, likely the exact same sockets as the last bit of Cman that was made here. Plus if you break them you'll get USA replacements. They're a bit more expensive, but you won't have to stockpile replacements in case they break which should offset the cost. Not sure how close their wrenches are to Cman, but they're also US made.

 

[davewo]

Contrary to popular belief, in my opinion, you cannot go wrong buying Craftsman tools when they are closed-out for about $.25 each piece. I have a few new mechanics sets sitting on shelf, out of the way.

 

[ChrisPace]

I look on Clist for Craftsman from time to time. I often see new in the box socket sets USA versions, that are super cheap. I also think they would be good purchases as I have 3 daughters growing up and they will need some tools. They are in my tools often.

 

[n8n]

Contrary to popular belief, in my opinion, you cannot go wrong buying Craftsman tools when they are closed-out for about $.25 each piece. I have a few new mechanics sets sitting on shelf, out of the way.

Agreed, I'll take all I can at that price, I just don't see the point of paying retail for USA C'man and overlooking the other excellent USA tool brands that would likely serve you better long term. But plenty of people have got years of service out of USA C'man wrenches and sockets, I just gave some combo wrenches to help a young guy get started and didn't feel badly about it at all (but if I'd paid full price for them, I would have as IMHO there are better options.)

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

This is probably the most ridiculous thread I have ever read. There are at least 10 Taiwanese tool companies that produce far better stuff than Craftsman at a lower price, and at least that many American companies that produce far better products for a slight premium. The only Craftsman tools worth buying in the last 5 years are tools that are rebranded. As others have said, if you insist on Craftsman, you will always be able to find it. Buying a whole second set of tools "just in case" is stupid. If you are so worried, just buy better tools.

 

[rednotch]

why go to all of this trouble, when Craftsman USA will be on ebay pretty much forever?

and not only just Craftsman USA, but vintage Craftsman USA such as -v- and =v= which were both superior to what you are stockpiling and likely similarly priced.

I don't understand the -v- and =v= being superior. they seem to be the sockets that crack on me. its the old broaching design also so more chance of rounding a bolt head. I do agree the ratchets where nicer back then but the sockets its more of a collector thing I think. I have a mix match full set from -v- to GK in sockets. I don't use them with breaker bars or impacts but I've cracked plenty of the old -v- sockets since I started using craftsman in in the 80's as a kid. I had a newer G up set that lived in a shop for a few years until I could afford better tools but only ever wore out the cheap ratchets using them daily. The sockets where fine though.


I wouldn't worry about stocking up. open stock is still usa for the most part. GK seems to be on the shelf in my local stores. Not to mention any flea market seems to have someone selling them for a buck a pop. I would grab the not so common large sizes now if you are worried about it and pick the rest up later.

 

[FordTruckWench]

I guess I'm not sure I understand your motivation to stockpile Cman...

Most of the "stockpile" will probably become the "home" set, with the current "active" set becoming the "mobile" set. So I'm not really accumulating a massive inventory that will remain unused.

Also, just about anyone's ratchets are better than Cman RP's, warranty issues aside. Even SK ratchets which have a rep for being coarse tooth and indestructible, are still smoother with less backdrag than a Cman.

Ratchets are one item where I'm ready to move on from Craftsman, although I haven't had RP ratchets. I started with the Stanley made EE code ratchets. When those wore out, I got a set of the fully polished Craftsman ratchets. (Yes, I know these have the exact same internals as the RP ratchets.)

I've actually been happy with the fully polished ratchets. My reason for moving on has to do with the rebuild kits, or rather, their unavailability. I don't want to have to go to the right store on a day when the correct employee is working. I'd be willing to buy them outright, but I'd rather not have to search eBay for a Sears employee who's making money on the side selling the kits.

So - there's probably a set of Snap-on ratchets in my future. Yes, I've read about the double detent issue vs non QR ratchets. However, my current active tool set only has four of that type of socket. Even the future home set has few double detent sockets.

 

[carterbeauford]

sometimes you need to learn to let go. the Craftsman brand was once such a fixture in my life I occasionally wander into a Sears thinking it's still 2004 and I can buy quality tools there.

I wouldn't spend money on anything without warranty support.

 

[pauls_workshop]

OP, I can relate and sympathize to your thoughts on the old US Craftsman stuff. This thread is getting interesting because there are many viewpoints here, all of them valid. While I have a lot of old -V- and VV Craftsman, which I love dearly and have used for many years, there are much better brands out there and were even back then. Proto, SK, Wright can all be had new and made in the USA today, all of better more modern designs than the older sockets had. OR you can easily get old stock in those brands too, the old stock also being better than the older Craftsman ever was and for only a bit more than the old stock Craftsman would cost! OR, there are many other good US brands from back in the day to consider too, like Bonney for wrenches, New Britain, Indestro, US Husky (made by New Britain), US Blackhawk (sister to New Britain), Klein, Channellock, Wilde, Armstrong, Williams (US), Kobalt (made by Williams US), Vice Grips (Petersen made), etc. I like to pick up older US made tools in the above or other brands, and still like old V or VV Craftsman when cheap too, but focusing on just one brand may be unnecessary as you can get better US made new today as far as design and equal in quality to the V as well in SK, Proto, Wright, etc. SK is making a strong comeback and I just love it. To me as good as Snap On! But much much cheaper. Many options. You can easily find a 3/8 Sk old used rachet for about $10-12 on ebay, much better than any normal Craftsman ever was! (pro line craftsman excluded from that). I love my SK rachets! Yes there are more teeth today, but they are magic to use, and I just smile whenever I do.

As said, even many of the Taiwan coo modern tools are not bad at all and better designs than the older ones, if not as good a quality level as those V or VV, probably 90% of it though. Avoid China coo though at this time as average is poor and getting good quality is a roll of the dice with China coo today. - Paul

 

[jwsia]

I am a stockpile-er too but I do it just because I have a problem.

 

[TangoFoxTrot]

Most of my stuff is USA Craftsman, but I think I'll just set aside around $40 for my "tool breakage" account and I'll probably be good for the next 10-20 years rather than trying to stock up for what might happen, assuming I want to keep the sets matching. Ebay makes that incredibly easy. I try not to have a hoarder mentality.

I think I've broken 1 wrench, 1 socket, and 1 ratchet in my entire life, but then again I'm just a civilian that usually just wrenches on project cars.

Back in the day, I thought Craftsman was a great bang for the buck when they were on sale, but truthfully, they aren't really much better than most any hardware house brand of tools like Husky or Kobalt. They just had an easier warranty and were slower to go offshore.

If I had all my tools stolen, I'd probably start over with something like Williams or GearWrench.

 

[3baygarage]

You can be a Craftsman Prepper if you want but, why?

There's plenty of it available on ebay and at flea markets across the country.

If you break a lot of Craftsman stuff perhaps you should upgrade to SK or Proto.

I understand Craftsman built epic sales on pennies on the piece pricing and a virtual no questions asked warranty but, when you remove those two features, the tools themselves are kind of mediocre.

I know most of you will want to burn me at the stake but, there are better options out there than Craftsman like Carlyle, Gearwrench, Genius, and others from Taiwan. However if you like Craftsman then by all means buy it. I have several racks of sockets and older Christmas specials from years gone by sitting new in a wallocker in my garage. It was hard to pass up those $9.99 specials at the time.

Craftsman Prepper !! tool apocalypse.!!

OP is better off just buying new tools when he needs them.
In the meantime, just invest your money in the stock market.

Craftsman Prepper! I like that! Did you just coin a new term Fedwrench?

We can call it prepping but it sounds like just be another form of tool hoarding.

 

[thewatusi]

This is ridiculous. What if you break a socket and then break the backup?

Better buy at least 4 of everything just to be safe..

 

[Limegreen70]

At my sears the sockets wrench's screwdrivers are all made in the USA but it seems the rest of the stuff is china I took some old extensions and a swivel adapter back that said USA on them and the new ones I got do not say USA on so that kinda *****

 

[davewo]

So what's the deal with half the people on here blowing through tools left and right?

 

[Jim C.]

So what's the deal with half the people on here blowing through tools left and right?

Well that was kind of my point earlier. When Cman tools started coming more and more from china, I honestly thought about buying up some of the USA made stuff before it was gone. But then I got to thinking, "Why?" I'm not a professional tool user and I've rarely ever broken a hand tool. Tool prepping just didn't make sense for my personal situation. Still, if you hang around this forum long enough, you'll read about how some guys have single handedly broken many tools over the years. Maybe tool prepping makes sense for them. I'll admit, sometimes I read various posts and I'm surprised at how many tools some claim to have broken.

Jim C.

 

[t4runner]

I also don't understand all the broken sockets worn out wrenches some people are incurring I still have the wrenches and sockets I bought in 1976 ( yes they are Snap On Im not looking to start a ******* contest ) I have only broken maybe 4 or 5 sockets and never have I worn out a wrench. And yes I was in the automotive business Im been retired now for some time and still use my tools. Why throw good money after bad if what your buying has such a failure rate buy something else.

 

[finn]

Did you guys stockpile Twinkies or incandescent light bulbs too?

How about Hudsons and Studebakers?

This is crazy, in my opinion.

 

[davewo]

Yes, I bought a few boxes of incandescent light bulbs for outside and task lighting. They work in cold weather. I'll use them until LEDs drop from $10 - 30 for a 100w equivalent.

 

[mikeburris]

I stockpiled twinkies!! I keep them in my stomach lol

 

[Shipfittin]

sometimes you need to learn to let go.

Couldn't have said it better myself.