Bad day with Craftsman

[Fedwrench]

I would stay away from the Husky micro head ratchet. The same Taiwan ratchet is sold by Stanley, Mac, and Proto. It isn't very durable despite having the name micro tough from one of it's brand names. The Kobalt ratchets are made by Danaher too and may display some of the problems you experienced with Craftsman. Proto has come out with new 45 tooth ratchets. I haven't tried them yet. I don't think they're making the Big Dawgs anymore. Cornwell ratchets are stout and well machined but, only have 30 teeth and their handles are slick when oily. Good luck in your ratchet quest.

 

[Chris Adams]

You'll have to go to an industrial supply store for the higher quality tools such as Armstrong and PROTO. If I knew which town you lived in, perhaps I could point you in the general direction.

About 15 miles out into the desert from Victorville.

Unlike Clovis we don't have a farm or industrial base.
The High Desert is actually a bedroom community for the LA basin. Lots of folks commute 50-125 miles every day into the city.

We have no industrial supply places worth mentioning. If we did, the prices would be retail plus 10-20%.
We are in a Notch area.
About a million people, but no industry worth mentioning.
And it is a step child to the rest of California.
For example, it takes UPS longer to deliver here than any other places in the Continental US with the exception of the Snake River Canyon in Idaho...
It's on their time ship map.
You can ship from Clovis to New York in four days. Add one or two to my house a few hundred miles from you.
FedEx isn’t as bad, but you get your stuff from a guy with a beat up pickup rather than a nifty FedEx truck if they ship using the saver plan.
Worse traffic in California too.

 

[Merkava_4]

We have no industrial supply places worth mentioning. If we did, the prices would be retail plus 10-20%.

I should consider myself lucky then. I get pretty good deals at Gordon's Industrial or Johnston's Industrial. When I say good deals, I mean about the same price as a home improvement store price, but with a much higher quality tool; and in my mind, a better value.

This is what I would do in your situation:

You said that you took the new Craftsman ratchet back and got a refund; you also said you traded an older ratchet in for a replacement and kept it.

I would try to return the other new ratchet you have too; even though you probably don't have a receipt for it. I would then combine the refunds of both ratchets and buy me a real nice high quality ratchet with the money from both of those ratchets being returned.

 

[Chris Adams]

I should consider myself lucky then. I get pretty good deals at Gordon's Industrial or Johnston's Industrial. When I say good deals, I mean about the same price as a home improvement store price, but with a much higher quality tool; and in my mind, a better value.

This is what I would do in your situation:

You said that you took the new Craftsman ratchet back and got a refund; you also said you traded an older ratchet in for a replacement and kept it.

I would try to return the other new ratchet you have too; even though you probably don't have a receipt for it. I would then combine the refunds of both ratchets and buy me a real nice high quality ratchet with the money from both of those ratchets being returned.

Well, returning that ratchet would be just a shade beyond my willingness to stretch honesty.
Mind you, it's not way over the top, just wouldn't feel good about it.
I am anoyed about the junk they gave me for a decent ratchet.


I will be buying a more expensive ratchet, but sometimes it's hard to justiy.

Not pinching pennies, but my toy tool budget is pretty torn up from the last three or four months of getting bright shiny things.

 

[Merkava_4]

This justifies. . .

I am anoyed about the junk they gave me for a decent ratchet.

Overcoming this feeling here:

Well, returning that ratchet would be just a shade beyond my willingness to stretch honesty.

 

[Chris Adams]

Heck with it. I just ordered two long ratchets. Big Dawg Proto, classics.
50 bucks plus shipping, 3/8 and 1/2, new in black finish.
Now I just need one more 3/8 regular and I think I will try to get Sears to trade me up from the new 3/8 to something a better.
Thanks for all the suggestions, comments, etc.
They helped.

 

[Merkava_4]

Where did you order them from?

 

[Chris Adams]

Where did you order them from?

A place in Chico. Ebay vendor. Hope to have them in a week to ten days.

 

[wilbilt]

A place in Chico. Ebay vendor. Hope to have them in a week to ten days.

If you think Victorville is bad, try living between Sac and Redding...near Chico...

I would think you would have lots of industrial options down there, being so close to Palmdale and all the aerospace stuff.

 

[Chris Adams]

If you think Victorville is bad, try living between Sac and Redding...near Chico...

I would think you would have lots of industrial options down there, being so close to Palmdale and all the aerospace stuff.

Sadly, no. Palmdale has lots of vendors, down in the valley. And they never sell to the public. The stuff goes into land fills, very complicated law structure. I have a brother in law works in disposing the stuff. They throw away stuff that brings tears to his eyes.
I've found better deals around Sacramento. Got family in Paradise, and have bought lots of stuff in West Sac, good place for industrial stuff.

By the way, Palmdale is rather close to me, only 54 miles. It's a big desert.

 

[plinker]

Keep an eye on ebay for S-K ratchets they go pretty reasonable for used or new.
IMO, the S-K ratchets are the best round head ratchets made.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SK-TOOLS-3-8-DRIVE-RATCHET_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118QQcategoryZ43993QQihZ008QQitemZ180191351128QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SK-S-K-1-2-INCH-DRIVE-RATCHET-3-8-DR-RATCHET-SOCKETS_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ43993QQihZ008QQitemZ180190458412QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

 

[eschoendorff]

Heck with it. I just ordered two long ratchets. Big Dawg Proto, classics.
50 bucks plus shipping, 3/8 and 1/2, new in black finish.
Now I just need one more 3/8 regular and I think I will try to get Sears to trade me up from the new 3/8 to something a better.
Thanks for all the suggestions, comments, etc.
They helped.

I think you'll be happy with your choice.

If you go back to Sears, you might try the slimline 3/8 60 tooth.

 

[Chris Adams]

I think you'll be happy with your choice.

If you go back to Sears, you might try the slimline 3/8 60 tooth.

I think I will be.

 

[Chris Adams]

Just got back from the Sears Expedition.


They would not trade up, period. Firm store policy and the next store is 50 miles away.

I was returning the 3/8 I got yesterday and the parts guy went through about a dozen new ones till we found the one that sounded best. Not as good as what I returned but the 'pick of the litter'.

However they had the three piece 80 year thin profile set on sale for 59.99. Less one of the 5.00 off coupons made it a good deal.

Those ratchets are head and shoulders above the regular stuff they are selling.

So I got an unneeded 1/2 and 1/4, but what the heck.
Now just in 1/2 drive I have 3 Craftsman, 2 Snap-on, 1 Husky, two generic short, and a new long Proto on the way.

In 3/8 I have upwards of 10...
This oughta do it.

 

[eschoendorff]

Just got back from the Sears Expedition.


They would not trade up, period. Firm store policy and the next store is 50 miles away.

I was returning the 3/8 I got yesterday and the parts guy went through about a dozen new ones till we found the one that sounded best. Not as good as what I returned but the 'pick of the litter'.

However they had the three piece 80 year thin profile set on sale for 59.99. Less one of the 5.00 off coupons made it a good deal.

Those ratchets are head and shoulders above the regular stuff they are selling.

So I got an unneeded 1/2 and 1/4, but what the heck.
Now just in 1/2 drive I have 3 Craftsman, 2 Snap-on, 1 Husky, two generic short, and a new long Proto on the way.

In 3/8 I have upwards of 10...
This oughta do it.

Welcome to the insanity!

 

[GT crew]

However they had the three piece 80 year thin profile set on sale for 59.99. Less one of the 5.00 off coupons made it a good deal.

Those ratchets are head and shoulders above the regular stuff they are selling.

Yeah those are pretty sweet. I swore by the older style fine tooth round head ratchets, (catalog order only), 20 years of use and they were almost indestructible. If the new ones are anywhere near as good as those were I will be happy.

 

[Deafautotech]

i had same ratchet what you talking about it, i already broke little piece of metal of selector but i still can switch without problem... i would not bring it in sears because my sears dont have one in stock so i like to keep orignal ratchet what i bought about 4 years ago so it keep me memory... i am thinking about pull selector out of my "new" matte ratchet that i got it as extra in my drawer..

 

[jtaylor]

I purchased a 200+ piece Craftsman socket set about 6 months ago because Sears was having a pretty good sale on them. They've seen only minimal use during that time, but two sockets have already begun shedding their chrome, and a third has a manufacturing defect that prevents it from being seated on a ratchet. Needless to say, I'm not impressed.

The best bargain I've found in tools is the "Mastercraft Maximum" series sold by a retailer called Canadian Tire. I don't know who makes the tools for them, but they seem to be very well contructed, and they go on sale routinely with big discounts. I've just absolutely punished some of these tools and they've stood up well. The "Maximum" is their professional series. There is a consumer grade brand called simply "Mastercraft" that I consider to be junk.