A look at my new Craftsman RP combo wrenches -PICS-

Another member posted a thread with pics of his Craftsman RP wrench sets showing all the flaws on them. I bought a Craftsman wrench set this week, and mine seemed to have fewer issues than his, so I decided to show some pics.

I’ve been wanting an additional metric wrench set. I wanted something moderately priced and USA made. I decided to try the regular Craftsman RP combos, as I haven’t owned any for several years. I inspected them all very closely and here’s what I found.


Background on the purchase
I ordered these wrenches online and picked them up in store. They were on sale for $45+tax, so I paid $50.10 after tax.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...rioptype=SRS&sid=IExTransSearsStoreReady&eml=

There were none on the shelf. All of them were in the stockroom. This is the set they gave me when I picked them up.

This wrench set is 100% how I received it. I didn’t look through the wrench sets and pick out the best one. I didn’t swap wrenches between the sets or warranty any wrenches. I went to the pickup location, they brought this wrench set out of the stock room and gave it to me.


The wrenches
This wrench set is in the new packaging design, so it isn’t old stock. I actually think they may be very recent production, because they were out of wrenches on the floor and there was a tag saying they were out of stock. I knew the website said they did have some in stock, and it turned out they were in the stockroom.




These are your basic Craftsman RP wrenches that we’re all familiar with.




Box ends
The box ends have off-corner engagement. None of the teeth in the box ends have any damage or forging problems that I can find. None seem to be broached off center by any significant amount.




Two of the boxes (13mm and 15mm) are ugly on one side. For some reason these weren’t broached cleanly. It appears to be a cosmetic issue.


The two that have ugly broaching are only ugly on one side. Here are pics of both sides of the 15mm.




Open ends
The open ends all appear properly polished with no obvious problems in the chrome that I can see.


Most of the open ends are relatively smooth on the inside. Here are a handful showing the full range of appearance. The ugliest one I could find is the 20mm, which is in the middle.


The 10mm has a misshapen lip on the open end.


The largest wrenches (19mm - 22mm) have very slight ridges on the sides of the open end. It’s hard to see, but you can feel it if you run your finger along the edge. I had never noticed this on a wrench before. I checked my other wrenches and found some other brands with similar ridges. I found the same sort of thing on a Proto anti-slip, a couple Blackhawk and some KD wrenches.




Production differences
It seems the larger and smaller wrenches are made using a slightly different process. The 16mm and smaller wrenches have beams that appear to be milled or finely ground on the sides. The 17mm and larger wrenches have a more coarse grinding on the edges.

To show the differences and the size cutoff, here are the 14mm - 19mm wrenches.



Here’s a closer look at the 16mm and 17mm wrenches.




My take
These aren’t the prettiest wrenches in the world, but overall mine show few issues. The issues appear to be cosmetic. These may not be the same quality wrenches that Sears sold 10 years ago, but mine seem pretty decent when you consider the price I paid ($45 + tax). Three of the wrenches have what I would consider issues worthy of warranty (10mm, 13mm, 15mm). As far as I can tell, none of the issues will affect how the wrenches operate. I may get them replaced at my local Sears on my next trip.

stephen9666 said:

Two of the boxes (13mm and 15mm) are ugly on one side. For some reason these weren’t broached cleanly. It appears to be a cosmetic issue.

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The guy who narrates the Cornwell video says that if the wrench is too hot when the broach press comes down, you'll end up with the issue you're showing there.

Wow, fantastic pics.... nice one.

That seems like a.... no frills, get the job done, last for years, good price set of spanners to
me. A massive improvement over the other chaps set. I'd be happy with that lot.

I've never seen wrenches as bad as what was posted in that other thread. Since then I've looked a some sets at sears and couldn't find anything no where as bad. I really think the QC inspector that day was missing.

Dollar for dollar crafty rp wrenches can't be beat. I've been turning crafty wrenches longer than most of the folks who constantly call them **** have been alive. I wouldn't hesitate to buy more if needed, but will take a closer look before I buy.

A few minor problems but you cant really complain for the price you are paying for them. The aren't a high polished wrench so can you really fault a few cosmetic mistakes.

this is exactly what my set looks like, i got it just about a week ago, and it came in the same newer blow molded case. had one minor cosmetic issue with one wrench, i think it was the 16mm, i swapped in before buying the set. compared to the old -V- set i have, they are of about the same "finish" quality, although you can tell a different manufacture style or equipment. one difference is that the old -V- set doesnt have the smaller wrenches so well finished like they newer sets. the -V- small sizes are actually a little rougher than the larger of the same set, but only cosmetically.

the 17mm and up in the newer sets, you can tell when they ground the excess material from the sides of the wrenches after forging, they are using a coarser belt, which is leaving a little rougher surface pre-plating which you can see in the above pictures. the older -V- are a much finer finish in that regard, with what appears to be a different technique.

after using them, the newer style box end is a much better fit, and off corner engagement which is obviously an improvement. the open ends all measure within spec in my set.

i still believe they are a absolutely great value at the prices they can be had. they work well, although not pretty(i dont mind them), will last many years. the only RP wrenches i have ever warrantied were older -V- double boxed that bent. never a problem with the newer.

i did notice something in your set SK, you might want to warranty that 17mm... it appears the =CRAFTSMAN= on the raised panel is slightly off center towards the bottom... cant have that... might as well take the whole set back.

OEXL16B said:

The guy who narrates the Cornwell video says that if the wrench is too hot when the broach press comes down, you'll end up with the issue you're showing there.

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That's interesting.

I suppose that would make sense. If the metal is too hot, it would deform more during the broaching process, instead of being cut away as it should.

I sold the double box wrench sets on here just today dropped them in the mail but I still own the 43 pc RP master combo set (up to 1-5/16 and 32mm), the MM and SAE 6 point combo sets, and the flare nut crows foot RP sets. All are excellent barring the one or or two that is easily swapped out. After that you have an excellent, high strength, no frills USA made wrench that gets the job done for not much more than an import. Overall I am very satisfied with my RP wrenches.

The smaller wrenches are using a better process but the bigger wrenches apparently use the process they used to use on all their wrenches, so not really a step back in quality more like "status quo".

Looks like your wrench set was a little better than mine. I am still unhappy with my sets and will be returning them. I just feel like I can afford to pay more for a really nice set if I save up some. I plan on wrights but will settle for a good deal on other brands. Now if I was dirt poor I might pick up a set.

Honestly, I think the offshore made ACE hardware pro wrenches I bought around 2005 are a better quality than the new rp cmans I just bought. Great length, nice chrome, tight fit, and a resonable price. Hate to say it but I think I'm done with craftsman tools except for the occasional steal of a deal.

how much was the ACE pro set? i have a couple odd ball ACE pro combos, and they seem to be of pretty good quality, but i dont know what they cost. mine are stamped taiwan COO. i would imagine with ACE hardware prices on most anything they sell, they probably arent cheap. i think all ACE wrenches and such are chinese nowadays, FWIW.

there are lots of wrench sets that are better than the RPs, but at 45 bucks, they are a "steal of a deal" in my book, as long as they dont look like your set did. my RPs are my first grab wrenches, they just work well, and im comfortable with them.

I actually prefer the feel of the RP wrenches. High polished are kinda slippery when you have greasy hands. Im thinking of getting the 43pc set for the larger sizes the put up the stuff under 1" and 19mm on ebay. I could then have 20mm-30mm and 32mm the 1-1/16"-1-5/16" for $100 or less

You are correct, I don't remember them being very cheap. As a broke college kid I was pissed I had to buy them to fix my car but ace was the only place walking distance haha. I believe a 7 or 8 piece set was around $20-25, but this was also a mom and pop's hardware store. They are full polish and came in a black plastic type hanger. They are super comfortable to use and I have abused them thuroughly with hammers and doubling up.

Sorry to get off topic. I think what I don't like the most about the new craftsman rp wrenches are those sharp and burred edges. Seriously, how much money did they save by not deburing the tool? That is metalworking 101 type stuff and IMO should be the very last thing to skimp on. Just look at the edges on the large wrenches. They look like they were Just wiped on the 40 grit sander and then tossed into the chrome bath. I don't care if they were only $45, sears shouls have done the job right and then priced them accordingly IMO. I would gladly pay the little extra to make the larger wrenches look and feel like the smaller ones.

Kyle86 said:

Sorry to get off topic. I think what I don't like the most about the new craftsman rp wrenches are those sharp and burred edges. Seriously, how much money did they save by not deburing the tool? That is metalworking 101 type stuff and IMO should be the very last thing to skimp on. Just look at the edges on the large wrenches. They look like they were Just wiped on the 40 grit sander and then tossed into the chrome bath. I don't care if they were only $45, sears shouls have done the job right and then priced them accordingly IMO. I would gladly pay the little extra to make the larger wrenches look and feel like the smaller ones.

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the funny thing about that is, the old -V- wrenches, that everyone claims were such better tools, are of the same style as the larger wrenches in the new sets. the smaller, well rounded sizes are a new design or variant, and not the "norm"

i think you just got a bad set. the set i have from last week is just fine, same as SKs set. not overly sharp, thats for sure. they are the same old wrenches they have always been, with small cosmetic variances. the smaller sizes being "nicer" than previous generations of RP wrenches. they definitely wont cut you

unless of course you have soft paws...:supergay:

id rather have a very functional, USA made wrench, more than likely made of superior quality steel compared to the chinese cosmetically nicer wrenches of similar price. fully polished means nothing to me, just slipperier when oily like mentioned above. USA doesnt mean the best, but id still prefer them if they are highly functional and of superb value money wise. i bought those RPs last week knowing that its highly probable that they may not be able to be warrantied in the near future for a USA replacement... and i felt at $45 bucks, they were still worth it. i have been using them for years, and havent had to warranty one yet. i know ill get $45 worth of use out of them, and much much more.

to each their own. there is nothing wrong with preferring something different.

when i get a decent camera, i will post some JH Williams combos that are very roughly made. they didnt even grind the excess material from forging around the wrench. but the broaching is of some of the tightest i own wrench wise. they spent many years in the old Bethlehem Steel Corp. here in indiana, can still read the "Prop of Beth Steel" markings... very rough, but very highly functional.

TwoInch said:

the funny thing about that is, the old -V- wrenches, that everyone claims were such better tools, are of the same style as the larger wrenches in the new sets. the smaller, well rounded sizes are a new design or variant, and not the "norm"

i think you just got a bad set. the set i have from last week is just fine, same as SKs set. not overly sharp, thats for sure. they are the same old wrenches they have always been, with small cosmetic variances. the smaller sizes being "nicer" than previous generations of RP wrenches. they definitely wont cut you

unless of course you have soft paws...:supergay:

id rather have a very functional, USA made wrench, more than likely made of superior quality steel compared to the chinese cosmetically nicer wrenches of similar price. fully polished means nothing to me, just slipperier when oily like mentioned above. USA doesnt mean the best, but id still prefer them if they are highly functional and of superb value money wise. i bought those RPs last week knowing that its highly probable that they may not be able to be warrantied in the near future for a USA replacement... and i felt at $45 bucks, they were still worth it. i have been using them for years, and havent had to warranty one yet. i know ill get $45 worth of use out of them, and much much more.

to each their own. there is nothing wrong with preferring something different.

when i get a decent camera, i will post some JH Williams combos that are very roughly made. they didnt even grind the excess material from forging around the wrench. but the broaching is of some of the tightest i own wrench wise. they spent many years in the old Bethlehem Steel Corp. here in indiana, can still read the "Prop of Beth Steel" markings... very rough, but very highly functional.

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Even the best steel is **** if it's not heat treated properly, doesn't matter if it's USA made or not. For $45 a set and all the other flaws on the RPs I seriously doubt that you are getting a tool made of steel that's been heat treated to the best of that steels abilities. I've had both Craftsman RPs and Danaher made Kobalt wrenches that flexed and bent as I broke a bolt loose. Have also used longer pattern Taiwanese made wrenches on similarly tight fasteners of the same size that did not bend or flex. So don't try to say that Asian made steel is inferior, there is simply no truth nor proof to that. It's all in how much time and effort the maker is willing to invest in heat treat and gardes of steel. Economy grade is economy grade. As you said before, pay the money for better USA wrenches and you will get quality. I agree. But I'll buy higher quality Taiwanese made wrenches in the mid price range over a mid range USA tool like the Cman RPs.

Those defects at the boxed ends from the broaching will be stress risers and you will likely develop a crack at those chips if you push them too hard. Also, the shape of broaching on the wrenches are all over the place. Some are completely rounded, some go to a point, and some have a flat spot. The first pic of the box end is spot on, anything less than that should be returned IMO.

Kyle86 said:

I think what I don't like the most about the new craftsman rp wrenches are those sharp and burred edges. Seriously, how much money did they save by not deburing the tool?

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Mine only had ridges on the open ends, that I could find. And they were only on the open end of the 19mm - 22mm.

As I said in the original post, I found similar ridges on the open end of some other wrenches I have from Proto, Blackhawk and KD. The Craftsman wrenches were the first wrenches I've owned where I've ever noticed it, so it made my go back and look at my other wrenches.

buening said:

Those defects at the boxed ends from the broaching will be stress risers and you will likely develop a crack at those chips if you push them too hard. Also, the shape of broaching on the wrenches are all over the place. Some are completely rounded, some go to a point, and some have a flat spot. The first pic of the box end is spot on, anything less than that should be returned IMO.

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If you look closely you'll see the ugliness on the 15mm and 13mm is extra material that seems to have folded over instead of being cut away on the side that the broach was exiting. It doesn't seem like the type of thing that would be likely to cause a crack, but perhaps it could.

I didn't notice the box ends being "all over the place." The design may vary slightly depending on the size of the wrench, but I'll take another look when I get home.

I had a look at my set of VΛ (both big Vs from an older 33pc combo wrench set in the cardboard box; can't find the part # right now) but they do have some finish differences compared to the OPs.

Metric is 8mm-20mm, SAE 3/8"- 15/16".

On the metric set, the divide for the shape of the box end is 15+ (squared) & 14 (rounded). Both ends are polished. The cast clean up grinding is done perpendicular to the body and ends and correspond to the 15&14 wrenches.

On the SAE set the divide is 11/16"+ (squared) and 5/8" (rounded). Both ends polished. The cast clean up grinding is done perpendicular to the body and ends on the larger but the smaller ones are tough to tell, some are both.

The broaching on both sets boxed ends are good with no visible offcentered-ness. HOWEVER the individual 5/16 & 1/4" VΛ new wrenches I bought from ebay are the worst offenders for offcenter broaching on the box end. These two wrenches look like they were clean up ground on the shank with a coarser grit as you can see the marks.


I've got pics but the lighting is bad. I'll redo them this afternoon after I get errands done. There is definitely a difference in quality between the later or earlier productions in the same code stamp, in this case the VΛ. I do have a 22mm V wrench that is close to these aside from the font stamping.


Some differences in my wrenches are likely accounted for by the technique of the person on the machine. But some differences I suspect are certainly the factory the wrenches came out of.

GirlnAgarage said:

Some differences in my wrenches are likely accounted for by the technique of the person on the machine. But some differences I suspect are certainly the factory the wrenches came out of.

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What's that say about so-called skilled labor workers here in the USA these days?

I hold our own to a much higher standard.

HandyManny said:

What's that say about so-called skilled labor workers here in the USA these days?

I hold our own to a much higher standard.

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Haven't you read the threads here?? We have many experts here that likely sat in on the contract negotiations between sears and danaher based upon their wealth of knowledge on the matter

Apparantly Sears has forced, beaten and coerced Danahar to such a low price point that Danaher can only make a profit by hiring folks with downs syndrome and bi-polar diagnosis to operate the machinery. The tax credits savings for hiring special needs people keeps the bottom line in the black

HandyManny said:

Even the best steel is **** if it's not heat treated properly, doesn't matter if it's USA made or not. For $45 a set and all the other flaws on the RPs I seriously doubt that you are getting a tool made of steel that's been heat treated to the best of that steels abilities. I've had both Craftsman RPs and Danaher made Kobalt wrenches that flexed and bent as I broke a bolt loose. Have also used longer pattern Taiwanese made wrenches on similarly tight fasteners of the same size that did not bend or flex. So don't try to say that Asian made steel is inferior, there is simply no truth nor proof to that. It's all in how much time and effort the maker is willing to invest in heat treat and gardes of steel. Economy grade is economy grade. As you said before, pay the money for better USA wrenches and you will get quality. I agree. But I'll buy higher quality Taiwanese made wrenches in the mid price range over a mid range USA tool like the Cman RPs.

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ive never had a RP wrench bend or break, including the newer versions. i have smacked them with hammers, and abused them(not excessively though)

i have not noticed the steel they are made from being inferior, and i didnt claim that all asian steel is inferior. from what i have experienced, the RP steel is fine quality, and heat treated right. i always advocate that asia can make superb quality tools, but the lower end stuff is bad, and i have spread and bent many an asian wrench. at $45 dollars for 16 combos, i cant think of an asian wrench set i would chose over them.

have a look at a chinese vise, if you would like to see inferior metal work. i know its not the chinese fault, and not applicable to forged wrenches, but damn.

i have used the RPs for years, i know they are of good quality, whether or not they have the best QC recently. when i am on a budget, i will choose them every time over asian made.

i dont expect others to do the same. this is just my way.

NC-Fordguy said:

Haven't you read the threads here?? We have many experts here that likely sat in on the contract negotiations between sears and danaher based upon their wealth of knowledge on the matter

Apparantly Sears has forced, beaten and coerced Danahar to such a low price point that Danaher can only make a profit by hiring folks with downs syndrome and bi-polar diagnosis to operate the machinery. The tax credits savings for hiring special needs people keeps the bottom line in the black

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WOW!

you made my day... that is the funniest **** I've heard in a while. Love it.

TwoInch said:

ive never had a RP wrench bend or break, including the newer versions. i have smacked them with hammers, and abused them(not excessively though)

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My 19mm is curved against the flat side (as if someone was pulling up/down while they were using it). I suspect from a PO but no real idea. It doesn't look abused on the surface, none of them do. Just think someone used it wrong for a little more fore than they should have.

Got a number of sets on craftsman days for 45 bucks. Great for the money. Less than in the 1982 catalog. Those old craftsman every moans about not having are about the same price or more in today's dollars than the craftsman industrial that every one said was too expensive. Everyone should look at the old catalogs realize it aint jewelry. Unless lost these will still be in tool boxes when I retire. At the current price something is going to give so far have not had anything to complain about the compromise, but then two days in the machines will make nice polish look like a non polished turd.

Forgot to add I'm happy with Cman RP wrenches. Always have been. I'm just chiming in with the info I have about my set. Proves that at some point in their lifetime Cman did build quality wrenches.

Pics of my metric set. The SAE was cosmetically the same so I didn't photo them.

Box end - 15+ are squared edges; 14- are round. The angles on the smaller half of the wrenches look inconsistent.


Open end


The flash highlighted something here, again 15+ and 14-


You can see the bent 19mm. Also see the beam differences at the 15/14 juncture




Overall the finish and shaping was done well.

Craftsman RP wrenches are a great value for the money. Quit looking at them through the Hubble space telescope. They are less than $2 each, put them on bolts and pull.