BDT/NWMN
Well-known member
poncho loves crapsman +++
How may Cman ratchets been warrantied?
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dodge610
Well-known member
Yes sir there is a lot of us die hard craftsman guys out here. And not ashamed to be either.
Toolhorder
Well-known member
I have them and they don't get used much. I remember going to a bunch of different stores to get a US made replacement for the one in my avatar photo when my original snapped. I finally found one and got the replacement that was US made.
I remember I bought a 1/4" fine tooth used and I went to every store in Nor Cal to get a rebuild kit. Finally found one after looking forever. It's the one with the release button in the middle. Love that ratchet.
I have a **** ton of truck brand rats at work. A whole drawer. So many in fact I have a hard time opening/closing the drawer sometimes.
I remember I bought a 1/4" fine tooth used and I went to every store in Nor Cal to get a rebuild kit. Finally found one after looking forever. It's the one with the release button in the middle. Love that ratchet.
I have a **** ton of truck brand rats at work. A whole drawer. So many in fact I have a hard time opening/closing the drawer sometimes.
I have a 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 Craftsman raised panel ratchets. I think I got them around 2007. I hate the handles but I'd like to know how to break one. I've beat my 1/2 with a 3 pound hammer I don't know how many times. I've used it for a hammer as well. I remember shearing bumper bolts with the thing too, but I don't think I've ever had a pipe over the handle. Meanwhile my napa 1/2 got knocked off of a lift, fell a few feet, and broke the internals. It's safe to say my craftsman have been throw a few times when I get mad. If I were to break one I wouldn't try to warranty it. I'm sure they'd take it back but I've abused them. If you have the money to buy better stuff than go for it but they aren't bad.
I remember breaking a fine tooth ratchet not long after getting it. You could feel the teeth getting sheared off as I tried to loosen something.
I believe a warrantied another but I don't recall why it failed.
I believe a warrantied another but I don't recall why it failed.
I've used and own a lot of different ratchets and all of the ratchets I've used that actually had a name on them on them Craftsman were the worst by a long shot. I could live with them being clunky and rough if they were at least tough, but they aren't. Even those $15 PowerFist round head ratchets from Princess Auto are finer and take a lot more abuse.I warrantied some at work a couple of years ago because the quick release was pretty sloppy and they no longer held sockets, a week later the new ones were doing the same thing. For the price point they ****.
Got a bunch of them sitting in my box for years. A couple of them are older with the metal selector switch. Hardly ever use them. So none have broken. A few of them were from a yard sale. They were in a box marked "free" - they didn't work. I took them thinking I may warranty them. But when I opened them up they were just gummed up with the factory "grease". After cleaning they work fine. But I have better ratchets that I grab and use instead of them.
And no I'm not sending them to anyone for postage or a dollar.
And no I'm not sending them to anyone for postage or a dollar.
Wakefield
Well-known member
More failures of them than any other brand?
But there are more of them out there than of any other brand?
The only one some do it yourselfers have ever handled
But there are more of them out there than of any other brand?
The only one some do it yourselfers have ever handled
When I read these Craftsman bash/rant/complaint threads, I always tell myself, "just stay out of it" but for some reason I get sucked in anyway. I'm still a Craftsman fan, although I absolutely refuse to buy any Cman tools made in Asia. I honestly do think those bearing the =V= and -V- manufacturer's marks are of pretty good quality, particularly in the DIYer arena.
I generally believe most Craftsman branded tools have though out the years, been marketed and manufactured for the non-professional. They were relatively affordable, easy to acquire, and pretty easy to replace if necessary. There has to be a delicate balance between quality and affordability that appeals to the masses. For those reasons, I'd have to guess that even the most die-hard Craftsman detractors would have to concede the fact that there are literally MILLIONS of Cman branded RP ratchets out there in service. It makes sense (to me anyway) that with so many Cman ratchets out there, the likelihood of failure for whatever reason, is going to be expected. I would imagine that Sears factored that into the price of their ratchets to begin with. I'd also speculate that the failure rate, when compared to the total sales, isn't as big as one may believe it is.
To answer the OP's question, in the early 1980s, my dad bought me a 112 piece set of Craftsman tools that included one 1/2", one 3/8" and one 1/4" drive standard RP ratchet. Since that time, I only had to get a rebuild kit once for the 1/2" drive. In the last 30 or so years, those three ratchets have been, and still are, my primary go to ratchets. I've restored a few old cars using them, tinkered with more car repairs than I can remember, tore down and fully re-assembled several old woodworking machines, made lawn mower repairs, etc., etc. I can't even count how many DIYer projects I've used them for around my house. I'm also very careful about using the right tool for the job, and I'm not too lazy to crawl out from under a car to get a breaker bar. Actually, the one time I did break my 1/2" ratchet, I was being lazy.... I learned my lesson.
Prior to kicking off yet another Cman bash thread, it might help to first consider Sears' target audience, and then evaluate the affordability/quality issues in producing a general consumer (non-professional) grade tool. I'm not so sure about the current Cman branded tools, but back in the day, I think Craftsman tools provided a lot of bang for the buck.
Jim C.
I generally believe most Craftsman branded tools have though out the years, been marketed and manufactured for the non-professional. They were relatively affordable, easy to acquire, and pretty easy to replace if necessary. There has to be a delicate balance between quality and affordability that appeals to the masses. For those reasons, I'd have to guess that even the most die-hard Craftsman detractors would have to concede the fact that there are literally MILLIONS of Cman branded RP ratchets out there in service. It makes sense (to me anyway) that with so many Cman ratchets out there, the likelihood of failure for whatever reason, is going to be expected. I would imagine that Sears factored that into the price of their ratchets to begin with. I'd also speculate that the failure rate, when compared to the total sales, isn't as big as one may believe it is.
To answer the OP's question, in the early 1980s, my dad bought me a 112 piece set of Craftsman tools that included one 1/2", one 3/8" and one 1/4" drive standard RP ratchet. Since that time, I only had to get a rebuild kit once for the 1/2" drive. In the last 30 or so years, those three ratchets have been, and still are, my primary go to ratchets. I've restored a few old cars using them, tinkered with more car repairs than I can remember, tore down and fully re-assembled several old woodworking machines, made lawn mower repairs, etc., etc. I can't even count how many DIYer projects I've used them for around my house. I'm also very careful about using the right tool for the job, and I'm not too lazy to crawl out from under a car to get a breaker bar. Actually, the one time I did break my 1/2" ratchet, I was being lazy.... I learned my lesson.
Prior to kicking off yet another Cman bash thread, it might help to first consider Sears' target audience, and then evaluate the affordability/quality issues in producing a general consumer (non-professional) grade tool. I'm not so sure about the current Cman branded tools, but back in the day, I think Craftsman tools provided a lot of bang for the buck.
Jim C.
Damn straight, son I like Craftsman. So when are you ponying up those "crappy" Craftsman tools? Put your money where your mouth is like another poster was kind enough to do.
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Very well said, Jim.
If you make a statement that they are "junk" back it up. Sears selling literally millions and millions of them tells us something. The fact that the original inventor of the QR fought Sears in court for 20 years tells us that they were worth something.
You must have a backwoods Post Office there. I can tell you that every PO has flat rate boxes, and if not, the PO mails mine to me for free. I do it all the time. You do also realize that they will pick it up for free at your house, right? I"m sure that technology has come to the great state of TN, it sure has here in NYC....
The point here isn't to collect free tools from ya'all. It's to say if they were that bad, you've give them up. If it's USA made Craftsman, I use it and use it well.
Others do the same. Trust me, Sears made money on each and every one of us over the course of time, if you ever bought a Craftsman tool and I'm sure virtually every one of us here has done so.
d.mcfarland
Well-known member
Please stop. They sold so many because of availability, and quite frankly because at one point the consumer really didn't have another choice at that price. Craftsman was the low price leader for tools. Oh, and to the inventor you speak of, he just wants his money, plain and simple.
ganymede
Well-known member
No choices? What country did you live in back then? LOL. Plenty of choices for the consumer. There were cheaper tools other than Craftsman, yet CM won out.
Well, Sears fought his claim as well and appealed it up to the higher courts. If it wasn't worth all that much, why did Sears fight it? Because they knew it was a valuable product and generated them a ton of money.
DSLTRK
Well-known member
True, False and False...
The key here is Craftsman CONTINUED to sell. The tools had THE BEST warranty and were THE BEST bang for your buck. Craftsman tools were hardly a "low-price Leader" and consumers did have another choice: Pennys, Kmart, Easco, KD, Bonney, Wizard, SK need I list more for you???
Hmmm. Wondering if I should dump these Craftsman pear heads.
I've got the two Snappys in back and they're better anyway.
One of the Craftsmans even been rebuilt already .
Decisions decisions...
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I have some Craftsmans like that, they are very nice ratchets. Non-QR models.
True, False and False...
The key here is Craftsman CONTINUED to sell. The tools had THE BEST warranty and were THE BEST bang for your buck. Craftsman tools were hardly a "low-price Leader" and consumers did have another choice: Pennys, Kmart, Easco, KD, Bonney, Wizard, SK need I list more for you???
You could throw in Trucraft who was part of the Easco group at one time, also a maker of Sears tools (EE marked).
Loscaldazar
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You know I would, but I've already gotten rid of almost all of my craftsman. Never had to use to RP ratchets. Had a few that I spun around in the hand from various kits back when I used to buy craftsman.
By the way, does anyone notice that the RP ratchets are always smoother in one direction than the other? Only ratchet I have ever used that felt different going one way, and then when switched had a different smoothness and backdrag.
The biggest issue with the RP ratchets isn't that they aren't the best, it's that there are so many better option out there for the money (Kobalt, Pittsburgh Pro, Husky, gearwrench 60T ratchets, Titan, Klutch, Northern Industrial, Tekton, Nieko Tools USA, EZ Red, mountain, Toptul, and many others).
I also got rid of my Craftsman sockets. I can't tell you how many of them straight up rusted through the chrome after a year. The cheap China husky tool set that I started life out with didn't even do that after 3 years in the same conditions.
And by the way, selling a lot of something doesn't make it the best. Otherwise McDonald's would be the best restaurant in the world (and it's far from that). Harbor Freight would be one of the best tool companies out there.
Let's not even get into the acetate craftsman screwdrivers made over the last 20 years or so.
Still do have my craftsman RP wrenches. No issue, other than being a bit short, with them yet.
dodge610
Well-known member
Hmmm. Wondering if I should dump these Craftsman pear heads.
I've got the two Snappys in back and they're better anyway.
One of the Craftsmans even been rebuilt already .
Decisions decisions...
Sure send them my way or poncho guys way either one got room in my box. Your tools your choice.
d.mcfarland
Well-known member
I agree with the "best bang for your buck". I'm beginning to think this is a generational thing also. Older generations value warranty very highly and Sears offered the best. Now everyone is almost force to offer that warranty whether they like it or not.
I've got no fewer than 5 rollaway combinations, a whole wall of 'em in my garage. Plenty of room here.
Ask anyone on the street, "What product names do you think of when you think of Sears"?
You'll get: Kenmore, Diehard and Craftsman. Probably CM first.
dodge610
Well-known member
Part of it might have been generation thing. Growing up thats all dad would buy so when I started wrenching on cars guess what i bought. Mom could do most of her shopping at sears for me dad my brother and just about every guy in the family. Mom knew tools better than the kids that sold them. All my craftsman ratchets are at least 30+ years old. All original and never broke even one And yes they were beat on. Just withstood the test of time.
Never had the chrome issue you spoke about, and I have a lot of CM sockets. Selling a lot of them tells us something. I'm sure most tool companies would love to have those numbers in sales. At one point, almost 3/4 of the yard equipment in the US was a Sears Craftsman.
I have had no problems with the Cman screwdrivers over the years. I like the rubber black Pro units the best, but the regular ones work fine.
I had a friend that gave me all his Cman tools, he just stopped doing things around the house. They were the round head style non-QR ratchets which a lot of people do not like. He said, "Ah, they never worked right and got rusty". I cleaned them with WD40 and in five minutes time, they were good to go.
He was missing the 1/4" unit and I got it off Ebay and had to rebuild it. NO problems with that set so far...1995 vintage.
I remember when my dad was alive, my mother said, "hey hon, they have suits and such on sale at Sears".
My father said, "No way, those are frumpy. I won't be caught dead in those". This had to be around 1977. LOL.
True to his word, I don't think I ever saw my dad in a Sears suit. He had the tools and we had the appliances, but no clothes, not even Toughskins as a kid.
I'm up for that style, but whatever would be fair to Dodge Dave too.
Mechanical Noise
Well-known member
Hmmm. Wondering if I should dump these Craftsman pear heads.
I've got the two Snappys in back and they're better anyway.
One of the Craftsmans even been rebuilt already .
Decisions decisions...
If you exchange them at Sears, please share the amount of improvement the Craftsman pear head ratchet has made in the last 60 years.
dodge610
Well-known member
Either way ponch you got room I got room so send away guys. Born and raised on craftsman not ashamed of it. Oh and do not get me wrong I have Mac,Snap on matco and about every other brand too. Just like my craftsman the best.
I really don't see why you keep posting the same thing over and over here. I doubt a single person is being swayed by it. The fact that people aren't going out of their way to send you ratchets means nothing as far as supporting your argument.
I've got a pile of POS hex keys that came with various products I've purchased over the years. I have always grabbed one of my USA craftsman hex keys instead of using the little short ones that you normally get but they normally end up in the crappy hex pile. Does the fact that I haven't tossed them say anything about the quality? Of course not. How many hundreds of millions of those crappy hex keys have been package with different products over the years? Does that number say anything about their quality. No, it doesn't.
What does mean something is how many old Craftsman raised panel ratchets actually get used by the owners when they have a choice to use something nicer.
There was a time when those ratchets were a decent value at the Sears price. Everybody had a Sears close by and there was a substantial increase in cost for something better. Today, there are $10 ratchets from China that are just as strong, with a higher tooth count and a nicer chrome finish that's easier to wipe down. Or you can choose 50 different models with different features at different price points.
Chris
BDT/NWMN
Well-known member
I have used some for over 50 years, along with some that were bought in the 70's thru 2012.. Some are my pets, and still get used on a daily basis... Don't hold your breath while waiting for these... Included are a few raised panel ratchets!!!!!!!!!!
Then there is the **** department that has tools from SnapOn, ProTo, HF, Craftsman, Dasco, and a few others.. Slip-joint pliers that won't hold, ratchets that skip or self-reverse, and extensions that will not hold a socket, and wrenches that spread, and soft punches and scrapers fill this department of lessons learned.... 11 of my 15 Craftsman ratchet have earned their place in this department.... I also regret purchasing those goofy double detent sockets that came with those USA made ratchets. Considering what I paid for the late USA production Craftsman tools; I wasn't expecting high quality, and certainly did not get it.. Will I be sending them YOUR direction??? NO,,, I have mentioned this before; the plan is to weld all the **** tools into a humanoid figure, mount it on a tree stump, and name it "Old Ratchet-***"
"Old Ratchet-***" = first place winner
Poncho = last place
dodge610
Well-known member
Not arguing any point Chris I just like craftsman. Just like everyone else you get a favorite of anything and you stick with it. Just like yourself you have favorites and you stick with them. Just seems that some guys wanna bash others for there favorites. I am in no way pointing the finger. Judge not lest you be judged. To each his own.
Those ratchets are still a good value, even if they aren't made here now. Not for me, but for others. Add in that you can get some sockets thrown in sometimes for $10 on sale and you've got a good deal.
Those ratchets always had competition and everyone chose Craftsman for the most part. It was a good value for the money and for those of us with the older USA stuff, it still is a good value (because we've still got 'em).
I don't hate the other brands, but nor do you see me bashing their quality. They are good for what they are. Are the truck brands a waste? For some, yes. For others, they work for you, good for you. But to sit here and say "You've got CMan RP tools, you've got inferior tools", that's hogwash. That's like saying, "You bought X brand off the tool truck, you got snookered. Could have bought Y brand which makes it for them and it's the same thing at 1/2 the price".
I don't get the whole bash this, bash that game about whatever the brand is, Craftsman included. They work for me. I've done every repair under the sun with my Cman tools as I'm sure many have with theirs.
Some of the best wrenchers out there have and use Cman tools. I'm not trying to sway anyone here, as everyone has their opinion and I'm not likely to change that.
But here's the same fact: You've got Craftsman, I've got Craftsman and so does everyone else on this forum. And I doubt I'll be seeing any of it in the garbage can anytime soon. If you do, you're being foolish.
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I have used some for over 50 years, along with some that were bought in the 70's thru 2012.. Some are my pets, and still get used on a daily basis... Don't hold your breath while waiting for these... Included are a few raised panel ratchets!!!!!!!!!!
Then there is the **** department that has tools from SnapOn, ProTo, HF, Craftsman, Dasco, and a few others.. Slip-joint pliers that won't hold, ratchets that skip or self-reverse, and extensions that will not hold a socket, and wrenches that spread, and soft punches and scrapers fill this department of lessons learned.... 11 of my 15 Craftsman ratchet have earned their place in this department.... I also regret purchasing those goofy double detent sockets that came with those USA made ratchets. Considering what I paid for the late USA production Craftsman tools; I wasn't expecting high quality, and certainly did not get it.. Will I be sending them YOUR direction??? NO,,, I have mentioned this before; the plan is to weld all the **** tools into a humanoid figure, mount it on a tree stump, and name it "Old Ratchet-***"
"Old Ratchet-***" = first place winner
Poncho = last place
You do what you want with your tools, they're yours. I've probably got a lot more than most, I have a full wall of rollaways in my garage, end to end on one side.
I'll keep using mine and getting things done with them. I bought Cman tools and I haven't been disappointed. I bought mine smarter than you did perhaps, on sale, used, given to me, but hey that's the way it rolls sometimes.
Or just clean those units and use 'em for another 50+ years.
Mechanical Noise
Well-known member
Those ratchets look pristine. They have to be even cleaner to give good service?
Wakefield
Well-known member
I think one way to put it is that Craftsman was good enough for someone who made enough money using it to start buying Snap On.
And a kid too young for a car could walk to Sears,get a tool or two at a time to work on his bicycle (or work on his Dad's car)
now that Sears is gone,none nearby,the kid (or grandkid) would probably order something from Amazon.com (everyone is on the Internet these days) or if he's lucky there might be a hardware store that carries S*K in walking distance
And a kid too young for a car could walk to Sears,get a tool or two at a time to work on his bicycle (or work on his Dad's car)
now that Sears is gone,none nearby,the kid (or grandkid) would probably order something from Amazon.com (everyone is on the Internet these days) or if he's lucky there might be a hardware store that carries S*K in walking distance
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I was very much talking to Ponchoguy with that post. I'm not seeing much bashing of Craftsman in general within this thread and I haven't seen anything at all bashing an individual for what they like.
I'm pretty satisfied with my USA Craftsman sockets. Got a ton of them and no plan to replace with anything else. I've also got duplicate full sets of RP wrenches in metric and SAE. They have worked fine for me for a long time now.
I'm working on a nice collection of ratcheting wrenches to be my go to set. But I will keep a full set of RP metric and standard in my box for times when I need two of the same size or can't get the larger ratcheting end on something.
I've got a nice set of Wera screwdrivers but below is what you see when entering my garage from the house. All these Craftsman screwdrivers are actually strategically placed so my wife can easily find them if she needs one for something. That way I don't have to worry about her using my laser tip Wera as a pry bar or something.
dodge610
Well-known member
I was very much talking to Ponchoguy with that post. I'm not seeing much bashing of Craftsman in general within this thread and I haven't seen anything at all bashing an individual for what they like.
I'm pretty satisfied with my USA Craftsman sockets. Got a ton of them and no plan to replace with anything else. I've also got duplicate full sets of RP wrenches in metric and SAE. They have worked fine for me for a long time now.
I'm working on a nice collection of ratcheting wrenches to be my go to set. But I will keep a full set of RP metric and standard in my box for times when I need two of the same size or can't get the larger ratcheting end on something.
I've got a nice set of Wera screwdrivers but below is what you see when entering my garage from the house. All these Craftsman screwdrivers are actually strategically placed so my wife can easily find them if she needs one for something. That way I don't have to worry about her using my laser tip Wera as a pry bar or something.
Well just learned something there came home from work a while back. guess who was using my good screwdrivers as a scraper on a little job she was doing. You guessed it my better half guess i need to get a strategy board going in my garage.
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