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New Craftsman Stubby Wrench Profile?

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Dustin Crawford

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Jun 1, 2011
Messages
152
My dad has a set of craftsman professional stubby wrenches I use a lot. I went to get some for myself and noticed the new ones have a completely new head shape that is HUGE. I absolutely refused to buy them they look rediculous.

Have any of you guys noticed that? It had to be a fairly recent change....
 
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oak_park

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Feb 22, 2010
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665
Location
Chicago
Those are the newer Made In China wrenches. Your dad most likely has the USA made versions. You might be able to find USA versions if you look at several Sears locations. I agree, the Made in China versions look terrible, huge head on them.
 
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slipjointed

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May 31, 2011
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665
Lobster claw... absolutely ridiculous looking. I wouldnt be caught dead using them.
 
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Crizzle

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Dec 2, 2009
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Location
Indianapolis
Haha. So glad I picked up the USA made CMan pro stubby sets when I found them on the clearance rack at my sears last year.
 
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Trucky

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Apr 26, 2011
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I just buy the USA made singles off the shelf as I need them.. only 2 so far. But they're nice..
 
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tdls87

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Dec 8, 2010
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126
Location
Vandalia, IL
I ordered a set online and when i opened the box i nearly started laughing, i thought it was a joke!! They got returned that instant. I'm with slipjointed. I wouldn't be caught dead using them!! What is Craftsman thinking?! offering such a product... A stubby wrench is for really tight spots... but then you got a freakishly large lobster claw on the end of it!! just comical...
 
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Old Donn

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Apr 26, 2009
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Michigan
Hey DC, unless your heart's set on Cman, have a look at GearWrench ratcheting stubbys also at Sears. I've got both the USA Cman and the GW stubbys. The GW's are a lot handier and are what I reach for pretty much every time.
 
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Sterff

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Feb 8, 2010
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Location
PA
I thing the Gearwrench stubby set would be a great buy. I have a set as well as a Matco and SK one.
 
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j.c.whitney

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Mar 26, 2011
Messages
558
Location
Omaha, Ne
I've a set of Craftsman stubby combos that are a bit older, wrench p/n 44119 for 19mm, 44117 for 17mm...Gleaming chrome finish aproaching that of SK SuperKrome. Pretty sure these are USA made, they are very nicely finished and stout. I hated the hard plastic snap-in rack they came in and tossed that pooch right quick.
 
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KU_MechE

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Dec 15, 2010
Messages
140
I have the Husky stubby combos and they're great. Cheap, decent chrome, etc. I also have the gearwrench and they're excellent as well.

Can somebody post the dimensions of the open end of, say, a 14MM Craftsman for comparison?
 
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diesel research

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Sep 12, 2010
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gulf coast, TEXAS
Grogan14 said:
No, I don't.
Click to expand...

^^^^x1,000,000

Your dollars aren't important when 50 more people are willing to replace you claiming "they are best bang for the buck" "they get the job done" "best choice for the real american man" or any of the other usual arguments.

They have done an excellent job of producing them w/o the majority of customers noticing the origin switch. Hell, bet you I can find quite a few sales associates who otherwise have an interest in tools, that don't know where they are made. Hell, there's quite a few people that think gearwrench is made in the USA just because it's sold at sears.
 
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Trucky

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diesel research said:
Hell, there's quite a few people that think gearwrench is made in the USA just because it's sold at sears.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I've caught a few people trying to say that.. they were completely oblivous. Then I point out a few China-made items, and needless to say, they're "shocked", like amazed that everything isn't made in USA there.

I'm glad to help people out (I had to show a lady what a deep well socket is...), but what's ******* me off is, no one seems to educate themselves anymore. At all. Like really, take a minute and read the packaging. Or do something. Don't just stand there and say "oh this one is shiny...." and buy it. I've seen that far too many times, and I've only been around a few years :wtf:
 
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csmitty

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Dec 17, 2010
Messages
1,542
They got me with the metric flare nut set and the ball end hex keys. Never even would have thought to check since my last sets were USA. Now i'm more leary. However the hex keys were obvious of lesser quality just by the finish vs my US set. The flares I may have never noticed.
 
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Crizzle

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Dec 2, 2009
Messages
506
Location
Indianapolis
Here is a picture I took last year when I picked up the stubby wrenches.

attachment.php
 
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4x4gearhead

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Oct 4, 2010
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Location
New Hampshire
csmitty said:
They got me with the metric flare nut set and the ball end hex keys. Never even would have thought to check since my last sets were USA. Now i'm more leary. However the hex keys were obvious of lesser quality just by the finish vs my US set. The flares I may have never noticed.
Click to expand...

My local store doesnt even stock metric flares, or any flare sets, just singles. Are these chinese ones you speak of a chrome "professional" set?
 
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Sterff

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Feb 8, 2010
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Location
PA
4x4gearhead said:
My local store doesnt even stock metric flares, or any flare sets, just singles. Are these chinese ones you speak of a chrome "professional" set?
Click to expand...

The new chinese flare wrenches look almost identical to the old SK made ones. They are the smooth chrome finish.
 
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csmitty

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Dec 17, 2010
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1,542
Yes they do look identical to what was previously sold, hince why I didn't even bother to check even though they didn't say professional on them. Only later looking at some professional ones did I notice mine didn't have USA stamped on them. Here's a pic for somewhat of an idea, theyre in the lower left corner.

web.jpg


I also noticed (now that I look) all the flare nut crows feet are China as well. Still want $80 a set too. I paid $30 I think for that set so not terrible for what they are. If you weren't aware you'd never notice.

GW Stubbies are there to. And trying out the Ernst holders.
 
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Trucky

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Apr 26, 2011
Messages
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Here ya go. Terrible and blurry, but you can see it very easily. I'm holding the "lead-free" version of the tool, in 3/4" size :)

Lobster claw indeed.
 

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Trucky

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Yeah... I never really noticed (I buy the USA ones), but when I put it up there, I just started laughing. I'm sure I got a few good looks for that, I was about 5 feet from the desk. :D
 
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WhiteTrash

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Joined
Oct 13, 2010
Messages
155
They actually aren't a lot wider than their American forefathers. They head is just deeper behind the open end giving it a more circular profile. This makes them a bit longer as well. I have the USA made metric set and the China made inch set. Ironic, I know. I will say that the finish of the China ones is better than the USA ones. It is a brighter chrome and the surface is flat. The USA ones, or at least on mine, are a darker chrome and the surface of the wrench is covered with peaks and valleys. I tried to take a picture of it to better illustrate what I am saying, but you can't see it in the pictures. I will try again later. If I could get the American wrenches with the Chinese finish, I would like it better.
 
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Trucky

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Apr 26, 2011
Messages
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The singles I found there had no defects, but that really varies from time to time. I like the USA finish better, and the Chinese ones just feel... meh. If they had USA stamped on them, I might not care, but gosh, they look so weird. I'm not one to skip a quality tool over a little looks problem, but it's like a few inches long. Can they at least get the dimensions somewhat "normal"?
 
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WhiteTrash

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Oct 13, 2010
Messages
155
When I compare my US made 22mm to my China made 7/8" The difference is only 0.56". The 22mm is the biggest metric size they make and 7/8" is a close. It looks a little misleading because they offer the inch sizes up to 1 inch. So comparing the 2 biggest wrenches is not a fair comparison.
 
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