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Is $1600 for a USA Craftsman 900 piece set a good deal?

Is 900 pieces of USA Craftsman for $1600 a good deal?

  • Good deal!

    Votes: 26 24.8%

  • Not at all!

    Votes: 61 58.1%

  • I wouldn't take them if they were free!

    Votes: 10 9.5%

  • Snap-on or nothing for me!

    Votes: 8 7.6%
  • Total voters
    105
  • Poll closed .
S

ssdave

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We got mired down in a thread the other day about whether 900 pieces of Craftsman sockets and tools was a good deal. A lot of the posters thought it would be, if it was USA made.

I decided to test the theory. I've put 900 pieces of Craftsman USa made up for sale in the Classifieds; for $1600 including shipping.

So, is 900 pieces of Craftsman USA for $1600 including shipping a good deal?
 
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jd_1138

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It's a good deal for someone who lacks the time, willingness, or knowledge to piece together better brands and sets.

I think of tool costs in terms of what it will save me or earn me. A person with that set can replace his own fuel pump and thus save themselves 600, then repair a few cars for friends and relatives, then presto the 1,600 is recovered. Then everything else is gravy on future repairs.
 
M

Mr_B

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chinese scrap about 15yen a kilo so that kit probably 12 to 15bucks as chinesium scrap :)
 
Y

Yarpo

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ssdave said:
I tried to cover the range of choices that the opinions in the other thread covered. What would you suggest?
Click to expand...

You missed the "Its not a terrible price, but there's some not needed tools and overall the price isn't that exciting. I would piece together my own set" option, in my opinion.
 
L

lafester

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Certainly not worth it for your ad. For a complete, matching mint set of us craftsman with pictures and a detailed list of everything that is included? maybe. Do you take syw points?
 
S

sberry

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It's not robbery. It would be a good way to get a fast start especially for someone working on equipment with all the long dbe. It's got a lot of socket sets, ratchet wrenches, all that stuff takes a long time to collect and if there are a few pieces a guy doesnt use all the better he didn't pay a lot for them then. Most of it is part of a complete set,, it's why it's there. Sears does a pretty good job with that.
If I had to start right over that could get me going.
 
S

Super Sport

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Well, is it 900 Craftsman hex keys or 900 Craftsman Premium ratchets? Are they new or rusted to hell? Way too many variables here.

Edit: Your listing of "mostly" complete, somewhere in the neighborhood of 900 but I'm too lazy to actually count before listing, used tools are not the same as a brand new set.
 
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K

KMdef9

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Yarpo said:
You missed the "Its not a terrible price, but there's some not needed tools and overall the price isn't that exciting. I would piece together my own set" option, in my opinion.
Click to expand...

X2.

Way too much for used middle of the road tools. I could get a lot of SK, Williams, etc tools for that much money.
 
OP
S

ssdave

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Yarpo said:
You missed the "Its not a terrible price, but there's some not needed tools and overall the price isn't that exciting. I would piece together my own set" option, in my opinion.
Click to expand...

You're right, "I would put together my own set from better brands" would have been a great option to put on the poll. I don't think I can edit it, now.
 
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65k10

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I've looked at it several times and it's just hard to get excited at spending that kind of money on a set that consists of primarily of wrenches and sockets and not much else. I suppose if someone was starting out maybe it would be a good place to start, but even then, I think the $1,600 would be better spent with a less comprehensive set of sockets and wrenches to allow for other needed tools.

That said, each time I've put together a set, I bought it gradually and never really added up the total cost. Perhaps $1,600 for those sockets and wrenches is a better value than I think.
 
M

Musicinabottle

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I'm stunned that 5 people wouldn't take them at all, for free? Surely they hit the wrong button? Stroke victims? Stupid peoples?
 
A

American Locomotive

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It might be worth that if you actually had an itemized list of everything you had, and complete sets instead of pictures of a huge pile of tools scattered around in plastic bags and sitting in toolboxes.

$1600 for 900 USA Craftsman sockets, wrenches, ratchets, drivers, etc... all in complete, neat sets on rails might be worth it.

$1600 for a big collection of random unorganized junk isn't.
 
S

sberry

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That set has a lot of good wrenches. It's a good start, a guy piecing it together may be tempted to skip some of the sets, same with the sockets. The set kind of gets that out of the way. If a guy finds out he doesn't need them then there is a big difference between 1600 and 16,000 which is what it would cost from the truck.
A lot of it a guy finds out he needs 1 or 2 from a set,this cheap **** doesn't eat so much if it's NOT used.
If a guy finds he needs something better he is not out much and really might need to upgrade only specific or extra pieces.
 
F

Fedwrench

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No.

Even when Sears sold new US made tool sets, the price per piece was usually less than a dollar a piece. Yes, that's because there were things like Allen wrenches and screwdriver bits but, that was the price point people got kind of used to. :dunno:

In my area, used craftsman wrenches go for a buck or two each, sockets run 50 cents to maybe two bucks for larger 1/2 drive versions, and ratchets usually run three to seven bucks depending on drive size.
 
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CR888

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$1600 could get a starting out tech a decent Taiwan produced toolbox and 300ish pieces of different tools. All new, under warranty in a kit selection that makes sense to his application. Or it would go a long way buying wrench and socket sets used on eBay or something.
 
E

Empty Pockets

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Personally, I'd have no interest in a 900 piece CM set. I've been using toola and working with my hands in some capacity since the mid 1970s.

When I was first starting out, it might have been a good deal, but at this point in life, I'd have no interest, regardless of price.
 
Y

Yarpo

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CR888 said:
$1600 could get a starting out tech a decent Taiwan produced toolbox and 300ish pieces of different tools. All new, under warranty in a kit selection that makes sense to his application. Or it would go a long way buying wrench and socket sets used on eBay or something.
Click to expand...

Yah I built a pretty comprehensive list here, for less money. These big sets seem unappealing and not that exciting price wise, personally.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7052328&postcount=35
 
M

Mr_B

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^ +1 , I could hand pick a few US made items, german items and better taiwan stuff branded or unbranded and few things on a deal and have way better designed/made tools custom to needs for same or less cost . I can get way better taiwan made sockets in rail sets for 2bucks a piece, half decent wrenches tend eat bit of cash but few options exist and if build kit yourself you can balance the quality in areas it needed rather than having it all low quality .
 
S

scottybk

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892 different flat-head screwdriver bits, 7 allen keys, and one 19/32 wrench, all proudly made in China of broken Harbor Freight warranty returns that've been melted down and recast.

That's all Sears has left for their 900 pc. sets now that Eddie Lampert has raped, pillaged and plundered the company. The few stores left are shambles that resembles a rust-belt area garage sale, the website is stuck in 1999, and even Bob Vila's last paycheck bounced.
 
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Mr_B

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^lol , sad but true, had potential to be household name and be present in every toolkit at some level but all ruined ad shamed, perfect example why thinking only profit and cheap production don't work and effects the USA negatively .
unfortunately greed is a slow learner !
 
X

X1 Mike

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The main problem is if you ever have to replace any of those tools they will not be USA so the value of a warranty is lessened.

If I was trying to sell that many tools like you are I'd go buy a HF 44" roll around and organize and put on socket rails etc. Then sell locally in Craigslist and shoot for $1500. Presentation is everything and tools in baggies isn't going to knock anyone's socks off. Some father looking for tools to help his son out may just jump on that.
 
X

xflffpm

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Jan 7, 2018
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Here's another way to look at it. My son was wanting his own tools as a high school kid a few years back. He saved up some money and asked my opinion on a 3-400 piece craftsman set that was on sale. I said "go for it".

Sure, there was some fluff in there, but the pride of ownership was worth more to him.

Fast forward a few years, his Harbor Fright tool box is full of gently used SO and Mac, augmented by his CM tools...

To dissuade or discourage someone that otherwise wouldn't have tools is dumb. Gotta start somewhere.
 
G

gtlaw

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Dec 19, 2011
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$1600 can buy a bunch of new made in the USA industrial tools. Craftsman's warranty is worthless now as you'll get Chinese junk as replacements.
 
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