Broke my first socket!

[tjmonsen5]

I finally broke a socket, by hand!! My roomates tire went flat, so we were trying to pull his lug nuts off. The lug wrench that came with the car was only about 9 inches long, so no leverage. I pulled out the breaker bar, pulled really hard and just hear crack! Figured the lug came loose, but nope, the socket broke!! Cool! He just bought the car last month and this is the first time attempting to remove the wheels. Too bad we are down at college and my air tools are at home.

 

[moronmountain]

What recipe is that? ;-)

 

[JASTECH]

It looks like Husky or Crapsman?

Thanks, JASTECH

 

[Seanbev24]

Before I pretty much gave up on craftsman, I did that to several of their sockets. Even though the warranty is good, I never thought "cool!". I thought "wow these sockets are pieces of ****"

The one time I did think "cool!" was when I was too lazy to go grab an impact socket to remove an axle nut. I put a 32mm craftsman chrome socket on my 1/2" gun and watched it blow apart into 10 pieces. Thankfully nobody got hurt. It was so stupid I had to laugh.

 

[tjmonsen5]

lol the recipe was for some crab cakes i made for dinner.

Craftsman, gonna return it for a new one tomorrow. Hopefully the new one doesnt break!
That socket has probably changed over 500 lug nuts. Both of my cars have 17mm lugs, as well as most of my friends. I think it has done its job.
I wish i could keep it though! Im just too cheap to buy a new socket.

 

[spv]

Where is that one made? I can't quite make it out.. I assume China?

 

[Simplespeed]

lol the recipe was for some crab cakes i made for dinner.

Craftsman, gonna return it for a new one tomorrow. Hopefully the new one doesnt break!
That socket has probably changed over 500 lug nuts. Both of my cars have 17mm lugs, as well as most of my friends. I think it has done its job.
I wish i could keep it though! Im just too cheap to buy a new socket.

European tuner guys?

 

[lipadj46]

Where is that one made? I can't quite make it out.. I assume China?

USA

Go buy some impact sockets from HF. This set is great and has held up to much impact abuse.

http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-t...er-etched-metric-impact-socket-set-94221.html

 

[Wakefield]

Is that a Snapon handle? 1/2 inch drive? I broke a Craftsman 15 mm 3/8's drive socket(chrome) a while back. They did give me another and it's opening is better centered than the old one's was. I think better to get Craftsman Impact sockets than their chromes, if I want a chrome one (like for wheel lugs) I'll spring for a Snapon or some other fancy one. As far as I know(I'm not a pro)the impact ones are perfectly OK for hand use as long as they fit.They are fatter than the chrome ones.

 

[tjmonsen5]

That is my 1/2inch Ace Hardware breaker bar. I bought it long before i was educated on tools, but it has always worked for me to break loose pretty much anything! This time it broke the socket, haha.

My friends and I for the most part drive old BMWs, pretty much all of them have 17mm lugs.
I have Craftsman impact sockets, but they are at home with my air tools. I only brought a bare minimum set of tools with me to school, so that I can work on my car in case something breaks.

It is a USA socket.

 

[beelsr]

you'll like the new one. it will be dual-marked so when the laser etching wears off, you can still tell what size it is...

i'm surprised the etching was still visible on yours.

 

[tjmonsen5]

the etching has held up really well on all of my sockets. Im kind of bummed that my new 17 is a different style. Its just a little different, but at least it has some "knurling" in it, if you can even call it that.

 

[FoMoCoPower]

I had a 2-ton floor jack on an S-K 1/2" breaker bar with a Williams 21mm socket trying to break loose a bolt last night. Everything except for the bolt held up fine.

 

[Hiball]

I had a 2-ton floor jack on an S-K 1/2" breaker bar with a Williams 21mm socket trying to break loose a bolt last night. Everything except for the bolt held up fine.

LOL... I would suspect Lug nuts have to be the #1 over-torqued bolt in the industry, I would guess Oil Drain plugs are a Close second. I always rotate my own tires and always torque to spec, I dont want to be MaGyvering it on the side of the road in the middle of the Nite.

 

[strnjss]

Craftsman is complete garbage. I just saw one in the store today with a hairline fracture down it's side. After all the **** I saw in the store today, I don't think I'll ever buy another Craftsman tool. Even their screwdrivers are so soft they bend just turning a really tight screw.

 

[supertooljunkie]

I have broken several chrome sockets, usually using them on an impact wrench. I normally find I break them by hand when using them on a universal at an acute angle. I have broken C-man, Mac, SK, and more no name, no brand, Chiwanese than I can remember. It happens, **** breaks!

 

[expatriated]

I don't think it's just a coincidence that everyone knows the Craftsman warranty by heart. I would venture a guess that it is one of the most used warranties in the States.

Instead of just bragging about their warranty, don't you think some executive somewhere would start to wonder "Why does so much stuff come back?" Doesn't make Sears blink an eye though. As long as they have the little chinese kids stamping their little hearts out.

(Not fair, I know--the sockets are still US-made. Don't worry, though, they'll get around to remedying that COO problem soon enough)

 

[Hiball]

I don't think it's just a coincidence that everyone knows the Craftsman warranty by heart. I would venture a guess that it is one of the most used warranties in the States.

Instead of just bragging about their warranty, don't you think some executive somewhere would start to wonder "Why does so much stuff come back?" Doesn't make Sears blink an eye though. As long as they have the little chinese kids stamping their little hearts out.

(Not fair, I know--the sockets are still US-made. Don't worry, though, they'll get around to remedying that COO problem soon enough)

Im not sure about the "Most used warranties" claim but i can chime in a bit on "Why". Its fairly simple mathematics and ill relate it to something i know and thats "Railroad Time slips/Penalty claims" I work under a Contract that My union and employer agreed upon, There are times when the company will Tell us to violate the Schedule/Contract to get the job done, It printed in black and white that if they do this we are entitled to a "8 Hour time slip" It happens quite often and im here to tell you that 95% of the claims are Denied within 4 hours of submission. You know why they do this? Its simple.. They know that if 100 employee's submit the same claim and deny 100 of them that probably only 40 will follow thru and submit it to there local chairman for further review. Hell... from a money standpoint they way ahead of the game. I believe Sears uses the same mentality along with HF and many other Retailers. You have to ask yourself is the average homeowner gonna remember to Grab that socket next time they head to sears? Are they gonna push the envelope when the Clerk tells them its a Abused tools? Or are they gonna just purchase a New set Or in HF's Case are they just gonna chalk it up to getting there use out of a $7 dollar tool? You have to remember guys, Not everyone has the same Tool knowledge as the ones who frequent GJ. Alot of Americans have grown up during a age where its just "Easier" to purchase a New Item when the Previous one has become unusable. After reading the OP's Post, It sounds like the Craftsman 17MM socket did its job, He claims he used that socket 500x's for Lug Nuts alone. When you factor in thats its a chrome socket, It was used with a 1/2" breaker bar to Torque and Untorque Lug nuts during its life... Thats a Accomplished tool in my book.

 

[otis66]

Im not sure about the "Most used warranties" claim but i can chime in a bit on "Why". Its fairly simple mathematics and ill relate it to something i know and thats "Railroad Time slips/Penalty claims" I work under a Contract that My union and employer agreed upon, There are times when the company will Tell us to violate the Schedule/Contract to get the job done, It printed in black and white that if they do this we are entitled to a "8 Hour time slip" It happens quite often and im here to tell you that 95% of the claims are Denied within 4 hours of submission. You know why they do this? Its simple.. They know that if 100 employee's submit the same claim and deny 100 of them that probably only 40 will follow thru and submit it to there local chairman for further review. Hell... from a money standpoint they way ahead of the game. I believe Sears uses the same mentality along with HF and many other Retailers. You have to ask yourself is the average homeowner gonna remember to Grab that socket next time they head to sears? Are they gonna push the envelope when the Clerk tells them its a Abused tools? Or are they gonna just purchase a New set Or in HF's Case are they just gonna chalk it up to getting there use out of a $7 dollar tool? You have to remember guys, Not everyone has the same Tool knowledge as the ones who frequent GJ. Alot of Americans have grown up during a age where its just "Easier" to purchase a New Item when the Previous one has become unusable. After reading the OP's Post, It sounds like the Craftsman 17MM socket did its job, He claims he used that socket 500x's for Lug Nuts alone. When you factor in thats its a chrome socket, It was used with a 1/2" breaker bar to Torque and Untorque Lug nuts during its life... Thats a Accomplished tool in my book.

The Craftsman warranty does not say anything about abused tools.

 

[strnjss]

The one big gripe I have with them is that they charge outrageous prices, and they don't try and make their quality match up to those prices. If they were cheaper, than ok, it makes sense, but they only make their cost cheaper.

 

[otis66]

If any Craftsman Tool ever fails to give complete satisfaction RETURN it to the the NEAREST SEARS STORE and Sears will replace it. If I broke that socket I would not be satisfied and I would just take it back to the nearest Sears and have it replaced.....Free of charge.

 

[Hiball]

The Craftsman warranty does not say anything about abused tools.

Again.. If you re-read my post i clearly stated that not everyone "outside" of GJ is as tool savy. Secondly there are many threads here where the customer was given the runaround on a Warranty item, Not everyone is as Gritty as GJ'ers.

 

[Ford12508]

The one big gripe I have with them is that they charge outrageous prices, and they don't try and make their quality match up to those prices. If they were cheaper, than ok, it makes sense, but they only make their cost cheaper.

Would you also like sears to buy trucks and come to your house, give you the tools, and then rotate the tires for you? I got 299 Craftsman sockets for $350. I also got 2 sets of hansen trays, one for 6 point and one for 12 point. I have filled maybe 4 of the wholes I have in the 12 trays with snap on sockets. Want to know why I only filled 4 of the holes? Because I want snap on sockets, and they cost damn near $40-50 new for some of the ones I need, and the smaller ones are still a whopping $20.

Snap on sockets(small ones) - 18 sockets for $360
Craftsman sockets(Small all the way up to 1-1/2" and 36mm) - 299 sockets for $350

I am an 18 year old kid who professionally works on spas, but I enjoy cars and trucks in my free time. I NEVER use sockets on spas, so why should I buy snap ons except for my personal pleasure. You do realize that while I don't get a truck come to my house to change my tools out, I got over a thousand dollars worth of sockets for next to nothing thanks to sears, so I don't mind driving there to warranty it

End Rant, sorry about that

 

[strnjss]

Would you also like sears to buy trucks and come to your house, give you the tools, and then rotate the tires for you? I got 299 Craftsman sockets for $350. I also got 2 sets of hansen trays, one for 6 point and one for 12 point. I have filled maybe 4 of the wholes I have in the 12 trays with snap on sockets. Want to know why I only filled 4 of the holes? Because I want snap on sockets, and they cost damn near $40-50 new for some of the ones I need, and the smaller ones are still a whopping $20.

Snap on sockets(small ones) - 18 sockets for $360
Craftsman sockets(Small all the way up to 1-1/2" and 36mm) - 299 sockets for $350

I am an 18 year old kid who professionally works on spas, but I enjoy cars and trucks in my free time. I NEVER use sockets on spas, so why should I buy snap ons except for my personal pleasure. You do realize that while I don't get a truck come to my house to change my tools out, I got over a thousand dollars worth of sockets for next to nothing thanks to sears, so I don't mind driving there to warranty it

End Rant, sorry about that

I want their quality to match their price. I have not had very good experiences with Craftsman.

I have bought a set of their screwdrivers for instance. Not their most expensive stuff, I know, but my phillips driver, stripped out after only a couple of uses. My large flat head was used to try to turn a really stuck screw, and the screwdriver itself twisted instead!! I guess I'm pretty strong.....That's just one experience, there are more, not too many good.

Not to mention others have plenty of negative experiences with them too

I bought some USA made Husky drivers, and have yet to ruin them. And it was half the price!

And I was just in Sears today, and it was insane the amount of money they wanted for certain things. Now if I knew I could count on the tools, I would be willing to spend that much.

But when I can get better quality out of a crappy HF tool than I can out of an expensive Craftsman, what reason do I have to hand over all that money?

 

[Skin]

I want their quality to match their price. I have not had very good experiences with Craftsman.

It does match the price. What did that screwdriver set cost you, $10? You want to spend $130 for an 8pc Snap-On set or what have you more power to ya. I've seen shanks snap off snap-on screwdrivers as well. Sometimes you just get a crappy batch. By the way Craftsman doesnt make screwdrivers so blaming them is kinda pointless, Western Forge and Pratt Reed make screwdrivers for craftsman. Its the same stuff you can find in many hardware/big box stores.

You just dont get it. Craftsman really isnt expensive. Start pricing out some truck brand stuff if you want expensive. I've done it. Literally you'll spend about 1/3 to 1/4 LESS at Sears purchasing domestic craftsman tools without even trying vs truck brand counterparts. You sir, do not know the meaning of expensive until you've paid $10-$15 for a single socket or $15-$25 for a single driver.

Americans have become spoiled by imports, its that simple. I'm the same as you, i would never pay full price for anything in sears. Its not because it is or is not worth the asking price, its just that i'm too damn cheap and sears is liberal with sale pricing. All the same Craftsman tools are largely the best deal around for quality domestic products.

As to your screwdriver dilemma, Craftsman Pro or Husky Pro. Both are very good quality WF drivers made in the states.

 

[beelsr]

Well, all made by WF now....

By the way Craftsman doesnt make screwdrivers so blaming them is kinda pointless, Western Forge and Pratt Reed make screwdrivers for craftsman. Its the same stuff you can find in many hardware/big box stores.

 

[TK LP]

I seem to recall from another thread, that getting that lug nut off turned into quite an ordeal. Maybe I'm thinking of something else, but I thought the other thread made mention of going to nut extractors, and still giving a struggle?

Until I came to this site, I had no idea how bad my Craftsman tools were. I guess ignorance really is bliss. I'm a plumber by trade, so the tools I use professionally aren't typically the same as the ones I use recreationally, but my old car interests, and everyday auto repair/maintenence have definately put my Craftsman tools through their paces. I've seen my share of frozen/rusty chassis/suspension bolts, and done a few engine assemblies. I've been at it for over 35 years, and have yet to break a Craftsman socket. I can't say the same for some import sockets, but they were purged from my toolboxes long ago. The only warranties I've used have been on a couple of ratchets, and several flat head screwdrivers, that honestly speaking, were not driving screws when I destroyed them. I've never had a problem in the store with the exchanges either. Overall, I don't think I've had a bad track record with them, and for the money, IMO, they still represent decent value.

 

[loj]

What's that black apparatus with the handle on it between the recipe, the potholder, the Tide bottle, and the bank statement?

 

[padronanniversary]

i'm thinking spatula since he was cooking

 

[loj]

Is it a George Foreman Grill scraper?

 

[Wakefield]

If your Craftsman sockets are a few years old they may be better than the ones that people are complaining about. I think Craftsman used to indeed represent good value for the money and could usually work most of the time even for a professional but there were definitely some better tools out there,perhaps much better. And still are. Hopefully will always be. But Sears/Craftsman needs to to be careful not to try to cut their prices/quality too much or they will lose their piece of the market that represents good value but still useful to people who know how to use tools. They may be going after the price/impulse buyer.
(Reply for TK LP)

 

[Boiler]

Is that a bill from "Spank" in your picture?

 

[tjmonsen5]

yep those are george foreman scrapers, good eye!

And yes, i had to resort to having the bolt drilled out by the auto shop at sears. Here at college, i just dont have the power tools to do it. Only cost 60 bucks for service, including a new lug nut!

My 17 did its duty, changed many lug nuts in its lifetime, as well as suspension bolts and whatever ive worked on over the years. I almost feel bad getting a new one for free, but hey, its in the warentee right!

 

[Chief]

What recipe is that? ;-)

Nice I was thinking the same thing

 

[TK LP]

If your Craftsman sockets are a few years old they may be better than the ones that people are complaining about. I think Craftsman used to indeed represent good value for the money and could usually work most of the time even for a professional but there were definitely some better tools out there,perhaps much better. And still are. Hopefully will always be. But Sears/Craftsman needs to to be careful not to try to cut their prices/quality too much or they will lose their piece of the market that represents good value but still useful to people who know how to use tools. They may be going after the price/impulse buyer.
(Reply for TK LP)

I guess I'm not gettin what you're saying. I know there are better tools out there, I own some. But theres no free lunch here, they cost more. The laws of diminishing returns definately applies, incremental increases in quality cost expotentially more. Bang for your buck is measured on a different scale. Yes, a lot of my Craftsman sockets are more than a few years old, but not all of them. The newer peices are giving me all the service I've come to expect from my older ones, and although I had no complaints with the old ones, the new ratchets are a huge improvement.

This is the thread I refered to earlier:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29576

The OP doesn't appear to be complaining, he actually seems pleased that a warranty replacement wasn't an issue. But it would have been nice if he had posted the rest of the story in this thread, it would have provided a better perspective of his experience. I wonder if any brand of socket would have faired any better?

I'm amazed how a post that basically says, Hey, I abused the **** out of my 17mm Craftsman socket, and it broke trying to loosen a near welded bolt, but they warranted it, so I'm good, evolves into Crapsman is overpriced **** not up to Harbor Freight standards, and is complete garbage. Only on the internet.

Is this the right place for a recreational wrencher, or should I just crawl back under that car I came from.

 

[beelsr]

You catch on quick....

Stick around, 90% of the people here are poseurs anyways. Just like everyplace else on the internet...

.... Only on the internet.

Is this the right place for a recreational wrencher, or should I just crawl back under that car I came from.