C-man pro wrenches?

[astrodoggie3000]

Are C-man pro wrenches as good as Snap-on wrenches... or should i just save up for the Snap-on ones? I want something that will last a long time, but the Snap-on ones seem like alot of money.

 

[PT Doc]

I would say that the full polish chrome that are Made in the USA will be great. And a bunch cheaper.

 

[muddyjoe15]

C-Man Pros are a very good wrench, they will hold up just as good as snap-ons. Unfortunaly the newst wrenches are made in china, so look around for a little older made in U.S.A set.

 

[gatewaysysop]

C-Man Pros are a very good wrench, they will hold up just as good as snap-ons. Unfortunaly the newst wrenches are made in china, so look around for a little older made in U.S.A set.

Agreed. I don't like the look of the China ones and, depending on where you look, some stores still have some stock of the US versions.

 

[briggsguy17]

Agreed. I don't like the look of the China ones and, depending on where you look, some stores still have some stock of the US versions.

Only problem is that if you buy a USA set now and need to warranty one later you will get China made. That will probably be the case with all manufacturers soon though.

 

[Fedwrench]

Only problem is that if you buy a USA set now and need to warranty one later you will get China made. That will probably be the case with all manufacturers soon though.

How likely is it that you would break a Craftsman pro series wrench through normal use? At less than $100 for a 13 piece set not on sale, it's a solid bargain.

 

[sselander]

Cripe has fractional pro sets
in the pic it says usa


Craftsman 13 Piece Professional Full Polish Set 45963 $70

http://www.cripedistributing.com/craftsman-piece-professional-full-polish-45963-p-7522.html?osCsid=1acd656cdcc78424e3a32a8f12d6f67c

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

Am I out of the loop here? I have never seen a CMan Pro wrench that was made in China. I was just at Sears about an hour ago looking at the Pro drivers and wrenches. All USA. Maybe they just haven't run out at my store yet?

 

[Fedwrench]

Am I out of the loop here? I have never seen a CMan Pro wrench that was made in China. I was just at Sears about an hour ago looking at the Pro drivers and wrenches. All USA. Maybe they just haven't run out at my store yet?

Yes. All of the Craftsman polished wrenches are now made in the PRC. The part numbers remain the same as the older sets labeled professional. The new PRC made sets have fat open ends that don't look normal, and the word professional has been replaced with polished.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

Yes. All of the Craftsman polished wrenches are now made in the PRC. The part numbers remain the same as the older sets labeled professional. The new PRC made sets have fat open ends that don't look normal, and the word professional has been replaced with polished.

I've seen the ones you're talking about, but I didn't see anything that said they were professional.

Are they the same price as the older Pro wrench sets? Effin China ****.

 

[ImportTuner]

Cripe has fractional pro sets
in the pic it says usa


Craftsman 13 Piece Professional Full Polish Set 45963 $70

http://www.cripedistributing.com/craftsman-piece-professional-full-polish-45963-p-7522.html?osCsid=1acd656cdcc78424e3a32a8f12d6f67c

Has any body here bought anything from Cripe Distributors before? First time I've heard of them .. They have Craftsman, Huskt, Stanley, and more .. ??

 

[ngk22r]

If your comparing the regular snap-on wrench to the c-man pro they are about the same, and I use that loosely. But compared to the flank drive plus, the c-man pro is far below. IMO


It all depends on your budget really. If you want to buy a set of wrenches that will do pretty much everything you need without slipping when used correctly, I would go with the flank drive plus. Just be patient and keep an on on here if someone is selling a set or when snap-on has them on sale. I bought the regular flank drive wrenches at first thinking they would be ok, but after doing alignments and dealing with stuck lock nuts and dealing with slipping (which any regular open end will do), I used one flank drive plus and traded in the wrenches for the full set of flank drive plus (almost every metric except for 4, and the basic set of standard).

But it comes down to what you plan on using them for and your budget and how it feels to you.

 

[sselander]

i have bought many things from them,as have others on gj

no complaints

they buy closeout stuff, all new

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

But it comes down to what you plan on using them for and your budget and how it feels to you.

Gotta agree here for sure. I have Craftsman wrenches that are probably older than most of the members here, and have no issues with them. They aren't the nicest thing money can buy, but are fine for my truck box. They would probably serve me just fine if I used them every day too, but I can afford better, so I bought better.

 

[gatewaysysop]

How likely is it that you would break a Craftsman pro series wrench through normal use? At less than $100 for a 13 piece set not on sale, it's a solid bargain.

This is my feeling as well. I've never broken one through normal use, nor do I anticipate it happening. Besides, if I'm that bummed about a single wrench down the road I'll go with another brand or hit the secondary market for a US-made Craftsman replacement. Pretty sure it won't break the bank either way.

There are Craftsman tools that I worry about having actually breaking and having to warranty someday in exchange for Chinese-made replacements, but the pro wrenches are not on that list.

 

[gatewaysysop]

I've seen the ones you're talking about, but I didn't see anything that said they were professional.

Are they the same price as the older Pro wrench sets? Effin China ****.

Correct. They no longer say "professional". And yes, they still cost the same, as does (from my experience) everything else they moved to China. That would include the stubby wrenches, crows feet, flare nut, deep offset box end, etc. Sad.

 

[wxm]

I have a set for many years, never broke one but did lose three. Just recently bought three new individuals filling in the missing slots. They newer version (still stamped "professional" and was made in USA for what matters) seem to have slightly thinker box ends. Despite the nice, shining look, I still prefer the older set...

Here are the two pictures, not sure you can tell the difference from the snapshots. But here they are. The 15mm is a new one that I bought weeks ago.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

Correct. They no longer say "professional". And yes, they still cost the same, as does (from my experience) everything else they moved to China. That would include the stubby wrenches, crows feet, flare nut, deep offset box end, etc. Sad.

Sad to see. Maybe I should go buy another set of the USA ones and store them in case I lose one of mine.

 

[wxm]

The point I was trying to make (I am sure I will be flamed by saying so) is if the quality can't hold who cares it was stamped "Professional" or "USA".

 

[jcfields]

I have a set for many years, never broke one but did lose three. Just recently bought three new individuals filling in the missing slots. They newer version (still stamped "professional" and was made in USA for what matters) seem to have slightly thinker box ends. Despite the nice, shining look, I still prefer the older set...

I think your set was made by SK (going by the way "U.S.A." and the sizes are printed; and SK wrenches have that thicker box end). The newer ones are made by Danaher.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

The point I was trying to make (I am sure I will be flamed by saying so) is if the quality can't hold who cares it was stamped "Professional" or "USA".

Well, I wouldn't want something that was ****, but to me it makes a big difference if it's made here in the good ole US of A, or over there in China.

 

[Skin]

Only problem is that if you buy a USA set now and need to warranty one later you will get China made. That will probably be the case with all manufacturers soon though.

Open stock is probably the slowest moving so honestly i dont think you'd have a problem finding a replacement. If we're talking years and years here then, exactly as you stated, nothing is for sure no matter the brand.



Just a heads up the smaller 9pc sets and 18pc as well as the 26pc sets do not appear affected yet. All the 13pc sets at my store are china but the others are not. I just purchased a couple 18pc sets myself. If you need the additional sizes just purchase open stock. Works out to about the same money wise.

http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_00947239000P?keyword=long+wrench&prdNo=1&mv=s2f

http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_00947238000P?keyword=47238&sLevel=0&prop17=47238

http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_00934273000P

http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_00934951000P?sid=CommCraftsmanProductPage

I know some sets dont say "Professional" in the title but they are.

 

[mrholeshot]

I'll say it, I think the USA built Craftsman Pro wrenches are just as good as the Snap-On. I several sets of each. I've never had an issue with either brand. I have a set of 12 year old (well almost 13) Stanley Pro that are equal to both of them. $40 dollars, 100 dollars, 400 dollars. They all get the job done just as well. If I had to choose one set to buy again it would be the Craftsman Pro. The ONLY reason I would choose the over the Stanleys is they were made in the USA.

 

[crewchief888]

in the 25+ years of wrenching on heavy eq, ive never broken a wrench, SO, or otherwise, in "normal" use.
abnormal use, sledgehammers, cheater pipes, ect, ive broken 4 or 5 wrenches.

ive lost some SO wrenches, and have been replacing them with CM pro. one 3/4" comb wrench is showing more finish wear in a couple years than my 25 year old SO.

 

[Tom2]

I can't beleive the pro wrenches are made in China now?? That's ridiculous. I wish there was a U.S. brand tool I could buy that didn't require me to take out a 2nd mortgage..

I want to buy a full tool set sometime fairly soon..but with Craftsman slowly sending everything overseas..I really don't want to go that route. The only other brand I know of is Snap-On...And the prices there are just plain stupid high.

 

[griff99]

This has been hashed over and over again on here... here are a couple of threads for reference...

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83171

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82326

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=75814

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80397

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74290

Pretty much everything except for the ratchets, the raised panel wrenches, screwdrivers, pliars (regular not locking) has been outsourced to China. As for the ratcheting wrenches, I have seen that the flat ratcheting (non-reversible) and the elbow ratcheting are PRC, but I haven't seen PRC versions of the crossforce ones nor on the locking flex ones. Pretty much all of the full polish wrenches are PRC now, the long patterns, the crossforce ones, and the offset box ends are all in my local stores. They still had a few of the USA ones, and so I have stocked up. I am a weekend warrior so I highly doubt I will break any of them. So now I have metric and SAE sets of the pro wrenches and I have filled some of the gaps with open stock that were also open stock, and I have also purchased the 2 sets of offset box end wrenches that were USA, both SAE and metric. I should have bought the crossforce ones when they were on sale in the Craftsman club last month, but I have been waiting for the ratcheting ones to go on sale.

 

[cruiser808]

I have a set for many years, never broke one but did lose three. Just recently bought three new individuals filling in the missing slots. They newer version (still stamped "professional" and was made in USA for what matters) seem to have slightly thinker box ends. Despite the nice, shining look, I still prefer the older set...

Here are the two pictures, not sure you can tell the difference from the snapshots. But here they are. The 15mm is a new one that I bought weeks ago.

Th 13mm, 14mm, and 17mm were manufactured by SK for Sears back in the mid-90's. I too prefer the older "pro" sets.

 

[griff99]

I can't beleive the pro wrenches are made in China now?? That's ridiculous. I wish there was a U.S. brand tool I could buy that didn't require me to take out a 2nd mortgage..

I want to buy a full tool set sometime fairly soon..but with Craftsman slowly sending everything overseas..I really don't want to go that route. The only other brand I know of is Snap-On...And the prices there are just plain stupid high.

Everything is going global, Snap-On has apparently removed the USA label from a bunch of their tools too. I don't have any direct experience with anything Snap-On that doesn't say USA so I am not sure if it is outsourced or not, but there has been a lot of speculation on here about Snap-On outsourcing too.

 

[Wesley B]

Just got the last set of metric pro wrenches in my area, today for Christmas. All they have now are the single U.S.A. wrenches. I'm happy

 

[Kirbot]

Atleast the standard raised panel wrenches are still made here (as far as I know )

Personally, there some of my favorite wrenches anyway.

 

[blue dog]

This may be a stupid question but i am going to ask anyway. Are the guts in the ratcheting wrenches pro style wrenches from craftsman the same as the guts in the armstrong ratcheting wrenches?

 

[supertooljunkie]

I have three sets of the C-man Pro combo wrenches. Two in MM and one in SAE. I have a set of MM combo wrenches from Snap on and prefer the C-man pro for the way they feel in my hand. The beams are a little thicker in the C-man. I have yet to break any of my combo wrenches, Snap on, or C-man. For the $$, the US C-man wrenches are hard to beat.

 

[SMKS]

This may be a stupid question but i am going to ask anyway. Are the guts in the ratcheting wrenches pro style wrenches from craftsman the same as the guts in the armstrong ratcheting wrenches?

I'm going to guess...

I would guess the internals of the USA-made ratcheting wrenches are the same as the Armstrong wrenches. They appear to be very similar.

However, the new made in China ratcheting wrenches are probably a whole different story. The China wrenches have a fat open end that I haven't seen anywhere else. I have no idea who the manufacturer is and I haven't read any posts that ID them.

 

[Wesley B]

Atleast the standard raised panel wrenches are still made here (as far as I know )

Personally, there some of my favorite wrenches anyway.

It looks like they are still made in the usa, but still they are still pretty ****** as I can bend the open end on my 10, 12, and 14mm raised panel wrenches with ease.

 

[blue dog]

I'm going to guess...

I would guess the internals of the USA-made ratcheting wrenches are the same as the Armstrong wrenches. They appear to be very similar.

However, the new made in China ratcheting wrenches are probably a whole different story. The China wrenches have a fat open end that I haven't seen anywhere else. I have no idea who the manufacturer is and I haven't read any posts that ID them.

Thank you, and i was referring to the USA wrenches. I have both sets, the cman usa and the armstrong and they feel exactly the same as far as the action of the ratcheting system goes.
I just wish the cman flex head ratcheting wrenches were reversible.
I will say that i have complete sets of raised panel wrenches that i have had for over 20 years, never broke one and like them just fine, my 27 has grown feet and walked away, thats all.
I grew up with cman tools, it is sad to me see them going over seas and not producing pro wrenches here any longer, but then they go and make the premium ratchet. None of it makes any since.

 

[Kirbot]

It looks like they are still made in the usa, but still they are still pretty ****** as I can bend the open end on my 10, 12, and 14mm raised panel wrenches with ease.

Most of mine are older.
It's ashame if the have really gotten that bad.

I think the older one's are some of the most comfortable wrenches around.
The newer ones seem to have slightly sharper edges, but still not too bad.

 

[glenmore]

I just have this one Craftsman Pro wrench. It is very nice quality and feels great in the hand. It must be an older vintage.