Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

Howdy,

For the last year, I've been plugging along on YouTube with what I have called:
The Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project.

My objective was to try to collate, add to, and solidify information on the United States sourced Craftsman branded ratchets. While I am certainly not the first person to work on the Craftsman brand, at least for this subject, I am one of a few individuals that is trying to bring everything under one roof.

With that said, this fun endeavor was just as much created by you as it was me, whether it was by sharing information, donating, or offering their ratchets via "inter-toolbox loan". To those who helped significantly, I hope you are enjoying the gifts I sent!

While I did have an outline, each video is ad hoc, and I am already aware I have misspoken a thing or two. I would encourage anyone to check the video description, where misnomers, small error corrections, or clarifications can be found. If anything, you can use the description as a "Cliff's Notes" to the video.


I figured I would offer up quick links for the videos that come in two flavors:

History
These can be very long depending on the number of ratchets involved and the information therein. The notes in the description do not necessarily contain the exact same content as the video; however, they can be used as a quick reference. The videos are formatted the same way and contain basic biographic information, materials composition, lawsuits involved with the design (if applicable), interesting features, patent numbers, etc.

Tear Down
These videos comparatively are much shorter and give the viewer a strategy on how to take each ratchet family apart. If a ratchet family has significant variations, there are individual sections of the corresponding video that demonstrate the tear down for each ratchet of a particular design. Fundamentally, the goal is to give the viewer a chance to see the mechanisms of a ratchet that they may already own or those too scarce/expensive to acquire easily.


Appearance of USA Craftsman ratchets from end to beginning:

Premium Grade Ratchets [Final USA made Craftsman Ratchets]
History:

Tear Down:



Thumb Wheel Ratchets
History:

Tear Down:



Wrench Socket Series
History:

Tear Down:
Not Sensible - Unique



The Next Generation Thin Profile Ratchets
History:

Tear Down:



Tear Drop Professional Full Polish Ratchets
History:

Tear Down:



Round Head Ratchets
History:

Tear Down:



Tear Drop Ratchets (4th Gen. Raised Panel)
History:

Tear Down:



Stainless Steel / Lifetime Ratchets
History:

Tear Down:



Wrist Ratchet
History:

Tear Down:



Round Head Fine Tooth (RHFT) Ratchets
History:

Tear Down:



Quick Release Ratchets (3rd Gen. Raised Panel)
History:

Tear Down:
TBA



Intermediate Ratchets (2nd & 3rd Gen. Raised Panel Hybrid)
History:

Tear Down:
TBA



Long Lever & Butterfly Ratchets (2nd Gen. Raised Panel)
History:

Tear Down:
TBA



1/2” Breaker Bar Ratchet Adapter
History:

Tear Down:



Boxhead Ratchet Wrenches (1st Gen. Raised Panel)
History:

Tear Down:



Circle U Ratchets
History:

Tear Down:

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

BM / Circle K Ratchets
History:

Tear Down:



BE & Circle H Ratchets (Multiple varieties)
History:

Tear Down:



BT Ratchet
History:

Tear Down:



Craftsman Vanadium Ratchets
History:
TBA

Tear Down:
TBA



C-** Ratchets [1st USA made Craftsman Ratchets]
History:

Tear Down:
TBA



**Special Cases**
History:
TBA

Tear Down:
TBA

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

Hey Dr D,

What a great resource! Well done!

Edit: I had a chance to watch a little of the 2nd and 3rd generation videos. Besides the obvious hard work and time that went into producing them, I'm absolutely AMAZED, and I mean AMAZED, at how many top quality, relatively scarce ratchets you received as "donations." Are you serious? I didn't get the impression that the tools were on loan to you. People just packed them up and sent them to you to keep. Is that right? If so, again, the only thing I can say is "amazing." I have a few of those that you pointed out as donations, but somehow I ended up duking it out on eBay and paying full market price for every last one of them. (Dr. D., you may recall one in particular, an eBay auction between two bidders for a nice 1/2" drive example.) As impressed as I am with with the videos I've watched so far, I'm at least equally impressed by the people who donated some rare and valuable tools to your collection. Many congratulations to all those who made donations!

Jim C.

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

Outstanding; can we make this a stickey? You didn't forget these lil gems did ya?

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

softailgarage said:

Outstanding; can we make this a stickey? You didn't forget these lil gems did ya?

Click to expand...

You bet! See the 2nd Gen Raised Panel video. I got lucky and found one that is virtually in mint condition. The spinner ratchet was a neat piece.

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

Doctor,

I have watched most if not all of your Craftsman videos over the last month. Great job! Thank you for the time and effort you have put into this project. It would be great if someone put together a document showing the time-line of Craftsman USA ratchets from beginning to end with a few photos and basic information (years sold, who made them, cost etc.). Or even a poster...

Thanks again!

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

Johnnyo, I haven't quite completed the series yet. In the conclusion video I will have to show everyone together. You have a good idea there!

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

Hey Doc,
I've watched a couple of your videos, and you did a great job! At the time, I concentrated on the Stainless, and Lifetime ratchets because I wanted to find out if and why they are popular. It seems some people will pay quite a bit more for them. I'll never sell mine because they were my father's.

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

Zeeman said:

Hey Doc,
I've watched a couple of your videos, and you did a great job! At the time, I concentrated on the Stainless, and Lifetime ratchets because I wanted to find out if and why they are popular. It seems some people will pay quite a bit more for them. I'll never sell mine because they were my father's.

Click to expand...

Yeah, there were in a realm all of their own. As I mentioned in the video, some people swore by them, while others thought they were unreliable. For their time, the SS or Lifetime ratchet's individual cost was analogous for their time to the Craftsman "Premium" ratchets (made circa 2010 through 2012), which were the most expensive USA made Craftsman branded ratchets.

The 1980s were an interesting time, and the Stainless Steel / Lifetime Ratchets, with their quirkiness, seemed to fit right in. They represented an amalgamation of ideas that, if they would have been executed differently, may have really taken off; however, things didn't pan out.

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

Jim C. said:

Hey Dr D,

What a great resource! Well done!

Edit: I had a chance to watch a little of the 2nd and 3rd generation videos. Besides the obvious hard work and time that went into producing them, I'm absolutely AMAZED, and I mean AMAZED, at how many top quality, relatively scarce ratchets you received as "donations." Are you serious? I didn't get the impression that the tools were on loan to you. People just packed them up and sent them to you to keep. Is that right? If so, again, the only thing I can say is "amazing." I have a few of those that you pointed out as donations, but somehow I ended up duking it out on eBay and paying full market price for every last one of them. (Dr. D., you may recall one in particular, an eBay auction between two bidders for a nice 1/2" drive example.) As impressed as I am with with the videos I've watched so far, I'm at least equally impressed by the people who donated some rare and valuable tools to your collection. Many congratulations to all those who made donations!

Jim C.

Click to expand...

I was making some edits to the list, and I noticed I never replied to this comment.

As my "ratchet wrangling", most of the ratchets were purchased, about 30% were donated, and a very small fraction were loaned. The ratchets that were loaned were later purchased via scouring forums, local Craigslist ads, or eBay.

Everyone that donated received some degree of gift:

• Craftsman Tie Pins/Hat Tacks
• Craftsman Belt Buckle
• Craftsman Stickers
• Craftsman T-Shirt
• Craftsman Hat
• Craftsman Ratchet - various vintages and conditions (cleaned, lubricated, & working)
• Signed "Thank You" Letter

Those that went above and beyond received everything listed.

All of the gifts were either contemporary or vintage USA made Craftsman tools paraphernalia.

Any ratchets that were donated that didn't make the cut were given to various forum members at no cost or, if in worse for wear shape, parted out to those who needed internal components to repair/restore their ratchet.


I'm still searching for the few ratchets I still need. If time permits, I may do another shoot of particular videos to correct errors, update information, display ratchets not shown, improve video quality, or to make the video more concise.

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

this is great job Dr.Doom ,i have seen your youtube about CM ratchet and i realy love it .keep it up

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

Dr. Doom said:

I was making some edits to the list, and I noticed I never replied to this comment.

As my "ratchet wrangling", most of the ratchets were purchased, about 30% were donated, and a very small fraction were loaned. The ratchets that were loaned were later purchased via scouring forums, local Craigslist ads, or eBay.

Everyone that donated received some degree of gift:

• Craftsman Tie Pins/Hat Tacks
• Craftsman Belt Buckle
• Craftsman Stickers
• Craftsman T-Shirt
• Craftsman Hat
• Craftsman Ratchet - various vintages and conditions (cleaned, lubricated, & working)
• Signed "Thank You" Letter

Those that went above and beyond received everything listed.

All of the gifts were either contemporary or vintage USA made Craftsman tools paraphernalia.

Any ratchets that were donated that didn't make the cut were given to various forum members at no cost or, if in worse for wear shape, parted out to those who needed internal components to repair/restore their ratchet.


I'm still searching for the few ratchets I still need. If time permits, I may do another shoot of particular videos to correct errors, update information, display ratchets not shown, improve video quality, or to make the video more concise.

Click to expand...

Hey Dr.,

I wasn't knocking you or the ratchet video series. I'm sure you spent a lot of time and money tracking down the specimens in the videos. I was really congratulating those who also donated some pretty high end ratchets to you, like the 3/8" drive speeder and the 1/2" drive 15" intermediate breaker to name a couple. I'm still amazed that people donated some highly collectible tools to the cause. I can honestly say that I wouldn't have been as generous, so when I see or hear about someone going above and beyond the call of duty, I like to acknowledge their efforts, etc. It's nice that you sent them trinkets and things, but again I was really congratulating THEM for bringing some highly sought after, unusual, scarce, and somewhat valuable ratchets to light and then giving them away. You don't see that too often these days, so a big congratulations to those who donated to your cause.

Jim C.

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

Jim C. said:

Hey Dr.,

I wasn't knocking you or the ratchet video series. I'm sure you spent a lot of time and money tracking down the specimens in the videos. I was really congratulating those who also donated some pretty high end ratchets to you, like the 3/8" drive speeder and the 1/2" drive 15" intermediate breaker to name a couple. I'm still amazed that people donated some highly collectible tools to the cause. I can honestly say that I wouldn't have been as generous, so when I see or hear about someone going above and beyond the call of duty, I like to acknowledge their efforts, etc. It's nice that you sent them trinkets and things, but again I was really congratulating THEM for bringing some highly sought after, unusual, scarce, and somewhat valuable ratchets to light and then giving them away. You don't see that too often these days, so a big congratulations to those who donated to your cause.

Jim C.

Click to expand...

This post deserves a BUMP.
Dr did a remarkable job one this series. I'm proud to say 2 of the ratchets in it live with me!

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

No worries Jim. I didn't think you were giving me a hard time hahaha!

I started gaining traction before and about half way through making the videos. There was a point where I was receiving tools about every other day in the mail. Donations came via my PO box. Anything I bought or to those I had some rapport sent them direct.

Before that point, I bought a large lot of old Craftsman paraphernalia that was sitting in a warehouse for 20-30 years on eBay. My wife thought I was nuts, but I figured if I was asking people to help I should reward them.

I figured, in the interest of transparency, I should explain how things went about. Much like you said Jim, it really is a celebration of the community than anything else.

Some of the very early pieces received that were in bad shape were permanently dismantled to demonstrate how the mechanism works. Others had a one way trip in the plasma spectrometer, so I could generate the composition data.

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

This most definitely deserves to be a sticky considering Craftsman is an American Icon to many (or should I say once was before the China move) and most importantly, the quality of the videos along with the amount of time and effort that went into them.

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

Dr.,

I'm always fascinated by the "back story." I love history. There's a couple tool guys on eBay that I buy from regularly, one in particular. He goes to estate sales and makes a living buying and selling hand tools online. When ever I buy from him I always ask him where he got the tool(s), and if he knew anything about the previous owner. Sometimes there's really no story, but other times he has a few nuggets that I find interesting. So, when I'm checking out your videos, and you drop the fact that some of the tools were donated, that peaks my interest a lot more than a particular ratchet's tooth count or how much it cost in 1966.

I mentioned two ratchets (the speeder and 15" breaker) that go to exactly what I'm talking about. Just looking at those two ratchets, I have several questions. How did you meet the previous owners? How did they come to the conclusion to donate two relatively expensive, mint condition ratchets to your collection? (Again, I'm amazed that you received 30% of your collection as donations.) What did they previously use the ratchets for? You mentioned that one guy used the 15" breaker to repair church organs. What part of the country is he from? How did he learn to repair organs? Etc., etc. etc.

Then there's your stories. In order to make the videos, what adventures did you have tracking down the dozens and dozens of ratchets you needed to make the videos? Did you keep records regarding where you got the ratchets and how much you paid for them? Did you get into any eBay bidding wars? (I already know the answer to that one.) Like I said, the videos are great and I know you put some serious time, effort and resources into making them, but there's tidbits you allude to in some of the videos that make me want to know more about the back stories.

Jim C.

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

Now that the Craftsman name is being auctioned off, I wonder who will get it? Would not surprise me one bit if it were Walmart.

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

jdlong said:

Now that the Craftsman name is being auctioned off, I wonder who will get it? Would not surprise me one bit if it were Walmart.

Click to expand...

Yes, this is a good question. It is estimated that the brand has the potential to bring ~2 billion dollars to Sears, who is in even worse condition than when I started the project in early 2015. It seems more like Sears is slowly being auctioned away rather than slimming down to be a leaner more efficient company.

It is a shame to see the brand in rough shape. We will have to wait and see what happens.

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

Jim C. said:

Dr.,

I'm always fascinated by the "back story." I love history. There's a couple tool guys on eBay that I buy from regularly, one in particular. He goes to estate sales and makes a living buying and selling hand tools online. When ever I buy from him I always ask him where he got the tool(s), and if he knew anything about the previous owner. Sometimes there's really no story, but other times he has a few nuggets that I find interesting. So, when I'm checking out your videos, and you drop the fact that some of the tools were donated, that peaks my interest a lot more than a particular ratchet's tooth count or how much it cost in 1966.

I mentioned two ratchets (the speeder and 15" breaker) that go to exactly what I'm talking about. Just looking at those two ratchets, I have several questions. How did you meet the previous owners? How did they come to the conclusion to donate two relatively expensive, mint condition ratchets to your collection? (Again, I'm amazed that you received 30% of your collection as donations.) What did they previously use the ratchets for? You mentioned that one guy used the 15" breaker to repair church organs. What part of the country is he from? How did he learn to repair organs? Etc., etc. etc.

Then there's your stories. In order to make the videos, what adventures did you have tracking down the dozens and dozens of ratchets you needed to make the videos? Did you keep records regarding where you got the ratchets and how much you paid for them? Did you get into any eBay bidding wars? (I already know the answer to that one.) Like I said, the videos are great and I know you put some serious time, effort and resources into making them, but there's tidbits you allude to in some of the videos that make me want to know more about the back stories.

Jim C.

Click to expand...

You know, I never really thought anyone would want to know about my part in the story. I figured that I would follow a consistent format and make the history videos about the situation involving the tools and the Craftsman brand, versus talking about myself.

I have every address for any person that sent something in and every price I paid for each tool. As far as meeting donors, I believe there were about a dozen, all of whom were within 100 miles. The "speeder" ratchet was originated from a household 5 miles from us.

If you watch the tear down videos I comment more on my personal interactions with donors or miscellaneous experiences.

Re: Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project: History & Tear Down Videos - Quick Links-

Dr. Doom said:

Yes, this is a good question. It is estimated that the brand has the potential to bring ~2 billion dollars to Sears, who is in even worse condition than when I started the project in early 2015. It seems more like Sears is slowly being auctioned away rather than slimming down to be a leaner more efficient company.

It is a shame to see the brand in rough shape. We will have to wait and see what happens.

Click to expand...

It's an uphill battle when you're publicly held. Trying to satisfy investors with huge volume sales and profits while delivering quality at an affordable price has become a near impossible task. All suppliers hear any more is "make it cheaper, make it cheaper". For the hobby mechanic, USA Craftsman is dearly missed.