atikovi
Well-known member
They look the same to me just different part numbers.
$30:
$260:
$30:
$260:
What's the difference between these two Craftsman wrenches that one is listed for nearly ten times as much as the other?
- Thread starter atikovi
- Start date
4xdog
Well-known member
Two different sellers with vastly different expectations. Nothing unusual there.
Beerhippie
Well-known member
Highly optimistic seller.
Wamsutta
Well-known member
You're paying extra for the word "Rare."
alinc100
Well-known member
Well actually the one labelled Craftsman industrial is "rare" It was the last gasp of Sears/Craftsman USA made products before Sears' demise. The other factor in that equation is the seller is an obnoxious a$$ who has a knack for finding some really great condition items and then reaming out his customers on Ebay. He is so obnoxious he will not sell within a group on Facebook, Craftsman Tool Collectors, but will bash and berate anyone who sells /lists an item at a similar price to his as 'gouging'
dnschmidt
Well-known member
For the last 25 years I've never even gotten a mild "stiffy" from anything labeled Craftsman. I guess I'm just not into nostalgia. Now, it’s well known that I hate Snap-On, except for my SNA dividend checks, but at least their overpriced tools are objectively good tools. Other than Craftsman's short lived Facom clones (V series) when was the last time anybody said that about Craftsman?
alinc100
Well-known member
I think nostalgia plays a huge factor. Sears was accessible to the common folks just about everywhere in the USA. Sam Kinison did a skit on a different subject matter but the analogy remains the same, I didn't even want it, until you told me I couldn't have it. It's pretty crazy that one of Craftsman's modern 84 tooth ratchets, used , will sell for more than some Snap On ratchets new. It's a nice ratchet, but now mine are tucked away and wrapped in microfiber cloths ,because the thought of selling them at a greatly inflated price is more alluring than using them, since I don't turn a wrench very often at all.
As others have said the Craftsman name was simply about something good enough that was acceptable and accessible for most.
I do have some nostalgia as I would buy my first tools myself from sears back in the day and still have my first set of electricians tools my parents bought me when I was like 15. I always thought their common ratchets sucked.
My first Knipex pliers and Vessel screwdrivers I ever bought were actually from sears and labeled Craftsman.
MushCreek
Well-known member
I guess I better pack my Craftsman Industrial combination wrenches away so I can retire on them some day.
rust in the eye
Well-known member
It doesn't matter as the guy who coughs up $260 for it will never use it anyway, it has ceased to be a tool.
Collectors getting fleeced and fleecing each other is nothing new.
alinc100
Well-known member
I sold 28 Craftsman industrial wrenches 12 SAE,16 metric for $500 to a buyer in a Facebook Group in 2024
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so much of this conversation is stupid. many craftsman tools were very good, especially for the price' the craftsman professional lines as said earlier and the rebranded import stuff gave us a taste of vessel and knipex.
were the last usa sockets and raised panel wrenches great? no but the off corner engagement on sockets and wrenches and the milled side wrenches were excellent value at pennies per piece. don't forget the western forge pliers and adjustables, again great value for not much money. punches and chislels were also good value
yes, raised panel ratchets were not very good and the stinky drivers were questionable. so were the many holiday specials. robo grips and laminated plier come back as very forgettable.
a savvy tool buyer could glean the wheat from the chaff.
harbor freight seems to have really taken over with their good better best, a page also right of the cman playbook. i have piles of craftsman tools that i picked from the chaff and are used on a regular basis. they get used right next to my bonney, snap-on, matco and sk tools along with about 20 other brands including icon and us general.
were the last usa sockets and raised panel wrenches great? no but the off corner engagement on sockets and wrenches and the milled side wrenches were excellent value at pennies per piece. don't forget the western forge pliers and adjustables, again great value for not much money. punches and chislels were also good value
yes, raised panel ratchets were not very good and the stinky drivers were questionable. so were the many holiday specials. robo grips and laminated plier come back as very forgettable.
a savvy tool buyer could glean the wheat from the chaff.
harbor freight seems to have really taken over with their good better best, a page also right of the cman playbook. i have piles of craftsman tools that i picked from the chaff and are used on a regular basis. they get used right next to my bonney, snap-on, matco and sk tools along with about 20 other brands including icon and us general.
I think that now is the “some day”. The people buying the products of their youth are old people.
Sears was not much of a thing for young people. They sure as hell weren’t hiding in the Sears tool department while their wives were shopping in the mall.
I think now is the time to sell. There is a sunset on this nostalgia.
We have reached a point in time where about 40% of people have probably not made a single purchase in a Sears.
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I agree. While Craftsman wasn't/isn't the best tool around, they were around for many decades and got the job done for millions of folks. Certain of their tools I'd grab just because they served a specific use, were reasonably priced, and were easy to get and warranty.
These days I keep an eye out for Craftsman sockets simply because those are wearable items and aren't going to get any cheaper. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Just found some NOS sockets the other day for $1 a socket. Can't complain about that.
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alinc100
Well-known member
Absolutely. And in my realm, that set you just bought for $10 , I'd have it listed for $45 by the end of the day, and if they are 6 point, have them sold before the weekend, most likely. While I'm out looking for a similar set.
rust in the eye
Well-known member
Yesiree.
And most of their offerings were better than given credit for. This coming from a guy that would dance on the grave of Sears
see, the thing is always hated them, the low tooth count ratchets, clunky feeling in the hand, thick as heck tools. before 1990 or so id agree for the money cman was hard to beat b/c of the price and ease of availibility, but once brands like apex took over and made gear wrench and husky easy to get for the consumer cman ceased to be worth it.
but we can discuss this all day long lol
i aint paying 260 bucks for that ratchet is all im saying
but we can discuss this all day long lol
i aint paying 260 bucks for that ratchet is all im saying
Retired dozer fixer
Well-known member
Over the years Craftsman tools made my living just fine. Sure there are better tools out there but you have to start somewhere. Not sure why some people think that they aren’t good enough for them? There is always room for improvement sure but older USA made stuff was very usable
paulsomlo
Well-known member
One being offered by a seller grounded in reality, the other being offered by a seller who thinks that "rare" and "valuable" are the same thing.
IMO it would have to be nostalgia.
While doing Ft. end alignments professionally, I broke the drive on a 1/2” version of that ratchet three times in just over a year before I gave it away.
However, on the subject of some Craftsman tools being “good enough”.
I used a Craftsman RHFT version of that ratchet the same way, in the same shop, for another 5 years with zero problems and still use it 20 years later when needed.
It is an excellent tool
rhft is the exception, very good for the coin
like i said. cman offerd many tools that were excellent bang for the buck. not all of them but a good chunk if you knew what to look for.
anyone who says all cman was junk and had nothing to offer. well let's just say their judgement may be off base, but what the hell do i know........
GrayFlattop
Well-known member
$230
kmacht
Well-known member
Look up how money laundering works. It will explain some of the crazy prices you see people paying for things like that. It’s not about the item. It’s about the papertail fro the money.
The ebay price is silly, but an 88-tooth ratchet made in USA back in 2014. Not bad Craftsman... I'm seeing one report that they sold a set of all three drive sizes for $80? I couldn't afford tools back then so I didn't even know what I missed out on.
Ten years later and we're paying four or five times that for a set of 90-tooth ratchets from the industrial brands (if you want USA, Europe, or Japan), or time and a half for a Taiwanese set.
Ten years later and we're paying four or five times that for a set of 90-tooth ratchets from the industrial brands (if you want USA, Europe, or Japan), or time and a half for a Taiwanese set.
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Whoops, different handle and some lazy googling! My point stands, but is completely unrelated to this thread. Carry on.
82355
Well-known member
I've never used a Craftsmen ratchet that was even close to decent. The world would be a better place if they were all melted down.
Martin
Martin
Probably true. People seem to forget that collectables need a market to maintain value. I doubt this Craftsman tool collection will be very long lived as those who grew up with Craftsman and are nostalgic for it along with free cash age out of that kind of collecting. The whole thing of collecting fairly ordinary tools like they are jewellery is a little weird to me to begin with. Tools are meant to be used and are not typically something that retains value well beyond the function performed. Craftsman tools also had a large distribution, so other than odd cases they are not very rare in a collector sense.
Craftsman had a lot of lines. Their 90s Pro lines were the same as Matco and quite good. Yes, the classic raised panel ratchets were clunky, but serviceable for light work -- especially before car engine compartments became extremely packed. The main issues with the low end raised panel line were: bulky, low tooth count, and high back drag. But they were serviceable and strong enough if not abused.
I think those involved in large scale fraud associated with money laundering have better ways to do that than over priced ratchets posing as selling to collectors.
There’s no room for logic here.
My guess is they listed at the high price, if somebody buys it awesome. if not, leave it set it’s most likely a free listing
Aaron_W
Well-known member
I don't think Craftsman is quite the old man nostalgia some say it is.
That is certainly one piece of the collectors market, but there also seems to be a large group of younger people who associate Craftsman with high quality because the older people in their lives (parents, grandparents) used it.
The under 50 collectors don't generally understand that Craftsman was an easily available, good enough rather than a great product. What I find particularly amusing is that Craftsman branded items will often sell for significantly more than identical items branded by the actual manufacturer of the item.
I'm kind of on the border age wise. Growing up everything came from Sears, appliances, tools, clothing, toys, tires etc. I also only had a few years as an adult before Sears started circling the drain, so the bubble that Sears brands were mystical products was burst 20 years ago.
Do I have some Craftsman stuff in my shop? Of course, it is still prolific and good enough, but I won't pay collector prices for it, or even specifically seek it out. Now old Delta stuff, that is my weakness.
That is certainly one piece of the collectors market, but there also seems to be a large group of younger people who associate Craftsman with high quality because the older people in their lives (parents, grandparents) used it.
The under 50 collectors don't generally understand that Craftsman was an easily available, good enough rather than a great product. What I find particularly amusing is that Craftsman branded items will often sell for significantly more than identical items branded by the actual manufacturer of the item.
I'm kind of on the border age wise. Growing up everything came from Sears, appliances, tools, clothing, toys, tires etc. I also only had a few years as an adult before Sears started circling the drain, so the bubble that Sears brands were mystical products was burst 20 years ago.
Do I have some Craftsman stuff in my shop? Of course, it is still prolific and good enough, but I won't pay collector prices for it, or even specifically seek it out. Now old Delta stuff, that is my weakness.
kmacht
Well-known member
It’s almost never a large purchase that’s used but lots of small “purchases” with a price high enough that it keeps other people from bidding or buying it. It is rampant on eBay and other similar sites. Go look it up. There are tons of articles and videos on it.
I have the first one posted in another listing for over a week and only have 3 views and no watchers. $10 more but no personal markings. I stopped using it years ago since getting a Gearwrench. GW has a LOCKING flex head and there is no going back after using that function. The only negative with the GW is no push button socket retention/release and head is a bit wider.
Craftsman may not be the best but back in the day they were the most convenient. All my chrome sockets are Craftsman as well as flare wrench sets, crows foot set, adjustable wrenches up to the 2' long big daddy wrench, combination wrench sets, etc. Had a Sears at the mall 2 miles from home and they always replaced a broken tool no questions asked. You can still get them replaced at Lowes but you get a lower quality made in China equivalent. Better than nothing.
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Beerhippie
Well-known member
Multiply a small amount of money by a few hundred.
Yep. Same thing goes on in the Coleman lantern collecting world. You'll see a common one in average condition posted for ten times its value, and it sells a few days later--even 'though there are better examples in better condition listed for much less.
