Craftsman Industrial 202 Piece Socket Set

[tubamonster]

I just bought a Craftsman Industrial 202 Piece Socket (USA made) set for about $450. The quality is poor. The nickel (not chrome) is flaky on a few sockets. Many of the sockets have a residue on the inside of them. They were loosely packaged and have a lot of dings and scratches, not that this really matters. A few sockets already have tiny rust spots.

I wasn't expecting them to be great, but these are poor. I'm sure they'll fit the bolts well, but I really don't think that I should spend this much money on such poor finish quality.

I refuse to buy imported sockets even if they are better than the Craftsman Industrial sockets, but these are making me reconsider. As a college student these seemed like a great deal. I think I'm going to return them and save my money for better sockets as I don't need them right away.

If I do decide to return them, I'm considering SK sockets. They may cost me 4x as much in the end though. The SK deep sockets are made a little differently than others, does anyone have experience with them?

I'll try to post some pictures later when I get home.

 

[nine4gmc]

There are complaints about some new SK tools coming rusted and chrome problems as well, then there are complaints about Snap On and Mac and HF and "name your brand"....

I got the standard Craftsman 331pc(I believe) mechanic set for under $200 and have been COMPLETELY satisfied, made in USA too.

 

[Askme42]

You paid wha?!?!?!?

 

[PelicanPines]

I have to say... I love SK wrenches... If I had to buy all new tools today, I would get gearwrench sockets.

I do own a full set of craftsman 99.9% USA made.

Also own mid length gearwrench sockets... these are why I would go with them from now on.

 

[LB-1911]

You paid wha?!?!?!?

I just bought a Craftsman Industrial 202 Piece Socket (USA made) set for about $450.

$450.97 @
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/shc-929791

 

[nine4gmc]

I have to say... I love SK wrenches... If I had to buy all new tools today, I would get gearwrench sockets.

I do own a full set of craftsman 99.9% USA made.

Also own mid length gearwrench sockets... these are why I would go with them from now on.

I got a set of SK Metric wrenches at a garage sale and they are nice but shorter than standard raised panel Craftsman wrenches of the same fastener size. The finish is about the same on the SK as my Craftsman Industrial ratcheting wrenches but the Craftsman is more of a copper color chrome where the SK is a brighter blue chrome look. The bright color is visually less appealing to me, looks more like Chinese chrome but it's hard to tell unless you have them side by side. I tried to capture the color in a picture but there is too much reflection so I'll just post the pic of the length difference.

Craftsman Raise Panel in front of SK SuperKrome, size for size Craftsman are longer starting at the 9mm.

 

[tubamonster]

I've got a set of raised panel Craftsman Industrial combination wrenches. I've only had them a year and a half, but I have no complaints about them. There not as comfortable as the Proto tools at work, but that's not a big concern to me. The Craftsman Industrial are a little thick, but I have yet to run into a space tight enough for that to be an issue.

I was hoping the socket set would be the same quality as the combination wrenches.

 

[oldldh]

If you can get over your "I won't buy anything foreign" mindset...

These Taiwanese tools are worth a look...

The GearWrench "Master" Socket Sets will float your boat...

And...

Save you a pile of money...

1/4" Drive 47 pc 6pt SAE/Metric Master Socket Set......GW#80314D............$ 38.59

3/8" Drive 63 pc 6pt SAE/Metric Master Socket Set......GW#80718..............$ 72.60

1/2" Drive 27 pc 6pt SAE Master Socket Set................GW#80729.............$ 90.56

1/2" Drive 37 pc Metric 12pt Master Socket Set...........GW#80730.............$ 88.53

All prices are from www.tooldiscounter.com ...

All sets come in heavy duty blow molded plastic cases...

Here are mine...

And, to drive all the sockets, the 4pc 120Tooth FlexHead Ratchet Set........GW#81230P........$ 94.97

I wouldn't recommend any tools that I don't own and use...

These are the best ratchets and sockets I've ever had...

174 first class sockets and 4 amazing flex head ratchets for $385.25...

You can't beat that with a big stick!!!

 

[winlinmac]

I'd have to agree, the COO doesn't really become a factor anymore these days. Perhaps in the 90's it did, but not now. Unfortunately, it is what it is, however, thanks to reviews and other feedback, we all can make purchases accordingly.

If you can get over your "I won't buy anything foreign" mindset...

These Taiwanese tools are worth a look...

The GearWrench "Master" Socket Sets will float your boat...

And...

Save you a pile of money...

1/4" Drive 47 pc 6pt SAE/Metric Master Socket Set......GW#80314D............$ 38.59

3/8" Drive 63 pc 6pt SAE/Metric Master Socket Set......GW#80718..............$ 72.60

1/2" Drive 27 pc 6pt SAE Master Socket Set................GW#80729.............$ 90.56

1/2" Drive 37 pc Metric 12pt Master Socket Set...........GW#80730.............$ 88.53

All prices are from www.tooldiscounter.com ...

All sets come in heavy duty blow molded plastic cases...

Here are mine...

And, to drive all the sockets, the 4pc 120Tooth FlexHead Ratchet Set........GW#81230P........$ 94.97

I wouldn't recommend any tools that I don't own and use...

These are the best ratchets and sockets I've ever had...

174 first class sockets and 4 amazing flex head ratchets for $385.25...

You can't beat that with a big stick!!!

 

[BDT/NWMN]

YYYes return them,

 

[JimbosGarage]

I have a full set of craftsman sockets and all accessories that I have had for about 20 years now, and they are all perfect still. No problems!. Maybe the quality has dropped off a little over the years.

 

[franzdom]

As a college student these seemed like a great deal.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I have a full set of craftsman sockets and all accessories that I have had for about 20 years now, and they are all perfect still. No problems!. Maybe the quality has dropped off a little over the years.

Yes, the Olden Days; when Craftsman tools were "affordable" basic homeowner tools that were not an embarrassment to own or use..

 

[hancock1701]

I don't have Gearwrench sockets, but have recently bought a few Gearwrench wrench sets, including long pattern, xl gearbox, and combination ratcheting. I have to say that the fit and finish are very high quality. You can tell the stuff came from a good manufacturing process. And more importantly, it's very affordable for people looking for higher quality than the usual cheaper tools. This thread is making me want to switch from my CM Easy Read sets to Gearwrench sets.

 

[1950mercury]

At about 2 bucks a socket that's not a bad deal. I call and warranty anything with flaking chrome. I'm sure they will last. Once you start using them they won't look like jewelry anyway

 

[Mechanical Noise]

Alot of Craftsman Industrial has been showing up at the Sears outlet stores in the last few years. It's usually priced cheap, same sort of prices as the outlet store Craftsman.

I've bought some of the Craftsman Industrial tools. As far as I can tell, almost all of it is the same as the last generation of US Craftsman. The plating is probably chrome but the good looking chrome plate process released carcinogenic fumes. The equipment to properly control these fumes is expensive and we now end up with alot of greyish looking chrome from a different process. SK has a new factory and I believe they have up to date chroming facilities.

Aside from the full polish wrenches, I haven't seen anything particularly nice in the Craftsman Industrial line. Right now, the best bang for your buck seems to becoming from the Taiwanese manufacturers.

 

[tubamonster]

The Gearwrench do appear to be much better quality than the Craftsman Industrial I bought. I'm 90% sure I'm going to return them now.

That said, I'm not going to get Gearwrench because it isn't USA made. If there is a reasonably priced quality USA made product available, that's what I'll get. The SK sockets are reasonable, although they come close the limit of reasonable in my opinion.

I know people will think I'm crazy because I'm willing to pay more just to get a USA made product. That's fine. I know myself alone buying US made products won't make a significant difference, but I'll have a peace of mind knowing that I'm at least trying to support US manufacturing. US manufacturing is extremely important to our economy, and I'll do my reasonable best to support it.

Edit: I know I kind of got off topic. Maybe I'll wright a blog or at least a forum post about my thoughts on US manufacturing when I get time.

 

[morgaj1]

If you are patient and willing to search a bit, you can find some excellent deals on USA made sets from Armstrong/KD/Allen/NAPA/Kobalt on Cripe. Here are a couple of examples:

Kobalt 1/2 set

Allen 3/8 set

 

[Mechanical Noise]

One difference between SK sockets and Craftsman sockets is the depth of the broaching. Modern SK, like a lot of modern sockets, are shallowly broached. Nearly all Craftsman is broached more deeply. Alot of people prefer the shallow broaching but I like the deep broaching.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

I think there's an economic difference between buying imported productive items and imported consumables. Consumables -- you buy them, consume them and then they're trash. Productive items are a little different. You buy them and use them to create wealth. A few hundred dollars worth of tools can help you do thousands of dollars worth of work for the people you know. Is it any benefit if you can't do the job because you can't afford American made tools?

One alternative is to buy some inexpensive, decent quality, imported tools. Use them until you can afford something else, then give them to a friend or relative who's in the same situation you are in now.

 

[winlinmac]

TBH, I would invest in all the Pittsburgh Pro Sockets at Harbor Freight; they're quite decent for the typical DIY & Homeowner. Craftsman's been a hit or miss lately, if you really want quality, you'd have to go to your nearest flea market to pick up a vintage set.

 

[tubamonster]

I'm going to return the set. Not only is the quality less than I would like, it has a lot of sockets I probably won't use as much but lacks sockets I would use alot.

As for buying an import set, I don't desperately need a socket set right now. I don't like buying cheaper tools only to upgrade them later. Ultimately I'll end up paying more if I do that. I wasn't planning on buying this set so soon, but I noticed that other websites no longer stocked them. I also saw that the Craftsman Industrial catalog online was from 2013. It appeared to be the end of the Craftsman Industrial brand, so I decided to go ahead and buy them.

I appreciate the advice. I think I'm going to go back to what I should be doing: buying tools whenever I can get them on sale, on eBay, Craigslist, garage sales, and such.

Whoever posted the link to Cripe Distributing, Thank You! They have excellent deals and appear to be a great way to get the tools I need.

 

[Askme42]

The Gearwrench do appear to be much better quality than the Craftsman Industrial I bought. I'm 90% sure I'm going to return them now.

That said, I'm not going to get Gearwrench because it isn't USA made. If there is a reasonably priced quality USA made product available, that's what I'll get. The SK sockets are reasonable, although they come close the limit of reasonable in my opinion.

I know people will think I'm crazy because I'm willing to pay more just to get a USA made product. That's fine. I know myself alone buying US made products won't make a significant difference, but I'll have a peace of mind knowing that I'm at least trying to support US manufacturing. US manufacturing is extremely important to our economy, and I'll do my reasonable best to support it.

Edit: I know I kind of got off topic. Maybe I'll wright a blog or at least a forum post about my thoughts on US manufacturing when I get time.

Masterforce from menards is the same as the last USA craftsman best I can tell.

 

[Denwad]

I've got Pittsburgh pro from HF and they are great for the diyer

 

[Ponchoguy]

Yes, the Olden Days; when Craftsman tools were "affordable" basic homeowner tools that were not an embarrassment to own or use..

And when you weren't hoodwinked into buying "Industrial" which is nothing more than the "old regular" line we all know and love, now "reboxed" as Industrial and at 2x the price of the originals we again all know and love.

 

[mjoekingz28]

What to lookfor in tools?

Hmm.... Let us see


In no particular order, we first need them not to be toxic to us, the people mining, refining and casting the metals etc, etc

We want them to be strong so as not to round off fasteners or bend nor fracture

Also, enough metal to last, but not too much to intervene in low clearance situations.

And then we have other criteria such as CoO, how far they must travel to get to your toolbox, cost, pleasure to own and use, and they must be pretty too!

All of this for about two bucks a piece? Craftsman needs to pay for ore, transportation, keeping the lights on, paying workers and metallurgists. Then Summit probably would like a commission.

If we could quit buying cheap and sometimes bad/evil tools, such as those that are from the enemy and may shatter shrapnel into your eye under load and quit abusing the Craftsman "good faith" warranty.....maybe we could ALL be happy

 

[gooseadrian]

Sk does make nice stuff but I do agree with an earlier post for the gear wrench sets. If I needed them I would get them but 90% of my sockets are proto and love them.

 

[erty67]

Cripe is awesome. I've filled a lot of gaps in my set with their tools. And those Gearwrench sets aren't "cheap". They're pretty solid. I have some gearwrench stuff and its very nice.

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk

 

[winlinmac]

Cripe Distributing is awesome, but what do they about their shipping costs? I've been able to get free shipping on smaller items (i.e. adapters, sockets) via eBay.

Cripe is awesome. I've filled a lot of gaps in my set with their tools. And those Gearwrench sets aren't "cheap". They're pretty solid. I have some gearwrench stuff and its very nice.

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk

 

[BK13]

If it's gotta be US, I would be all over Wright if I could swing the price.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BDT/NWMN]

And when you weren't hoodwinked into buying "Industrial" which is nothing more than the "old regular" line we all know and love, now "reboxed" as Industrial and at 2x the price of the originals we again all know and love.

How True that is.....

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Cripe Distributing is awesome, but what do they about their shipping costs? I've been able to get free shipping on smaller items (i.e. adapters, sockets) via eBay.

put everything in your shopping cart and then hit the button that says "request total from seller"

I placed an order with them a half hour ago on eBay... Total for sockets and extensions was $119.50 + $80some dollars shipping before hitting that button, which reduced that shipping charge to $16.50..

Sure do like that button

 

[mikebaker1129]

The Gearwrench do appear to be much better quality than the Craftsman Industrial I bought. I'm 90% sure I'm going to return them now.

That said, I'm not going to get Gearwrench because it isn't USA made. If there is a reasonably priced quality USA made product available, that's what I'll get. The SK sockets are reasonable, although they come close the limit of reasonable in my opinion.

I know people will think I'm crazy because I'm willing to pay more just to get a USA made product. That's fine. I know myself alone buying US made products won't make a significant difference, but I'll have a peace of mind knowing that I'm at least trying to support US manufacturing. US manufacturing is extremely important to our economy, and I'll do my
Edit: I know I kind of got off topic. Maybe I'll wright a blog or at least a forum post about my thoughts on US manufacturing when I get time.

I agree with this^, but I have started buying some German made tools like Knipex Cobra pliers,Wera ratching screwdriver,a wiha screwdriver set,wiha hex sockets,sandvik. I do think the euros do somethings better.
It all started with a Wiha Phillips screwdriver that fit like a glove with no slop or cam out.
I do still try to buy American first,but a lot of what I am seeing is USA made with global parts ,which is not the same to me.

 

[Brownsfan]

I'm going to return the set. Not only is the quality less than I would like, it has a lot of sockets I probably won't use as much but lacks sockets I would use alot.

As for buying an import set, I don't desperately need a socket set right now. I don't like buying cheaper tools only to upgrade them later. Ultimately I'll end up paying more if I do that. I wasn't planning on buying this set so soon, but I noticed that other websites no longer stocked them. I also saw that the Craftsman Industrial catalog online was from 2013. It appeared to be the end of the Craftsman Industrial brand, so I decided to go ahead and buy them.

I appreciate the advice. I think I'm going to go back to what I should be doing: buying tools whenever I can get them on sale, on eBay, Craigslist, garage sales, and such.

Whoever posted the link to Cripe Distributing, Thank You! They have excellent deals and appear to be a great way to get the tools I need.

I don't think you're crazy. I do the same thing. I am always willing to pay more for if given the choice between an import or a USA made tool. ***** that these sockets have these issues because all my sockets in my shop box are USA Craftsman and have been fantastic .Some are 4 years old and some almost 20. None have the issues you describe. Sure the chrome isn't perfect but they work well and have been tough as hell. Only broken socket was one I hammered onto a rounded bolt and it got stuck and cracked. SK would be my choice today if I were starting again. Good stuff at a decent price. Sure they are more than gearwrench but gearwrench is also made in China. Get the SK you won't be disappointed despite what so.e tool polishers here say