Craftsman Premium Ratchets Review

[dirtrider]

Sears does 10% off tools practically every week. There are also 2 $5 off coupon codes that can be stacked any day of the week. so 60-10=50-5=$45. So you're paying $35 or about 80% more for a dual 80. And comfort zones for prices vary with people. What you see as "only $20 more" or "only $35 more" may very well mean the difference between purchasing and not purchasing to someone else.

I think this is a cop out retail price is retail price. If I find a $20 dollar bill on the ground next to the Snapon truck I can get an F80 for the same price of the Craftsman. Time is money and when I need a ratchet I buy it, I don't spend all day stacking coupons and waiting for the 1 week out of the year to buy the ratchet when it's 10% off. The price of the ratchet is what it is retail ,if everyone who bought the ratchet used coupons and waited for a sale or discount Sears would raise the price of the ratchet to keep there margins and that would effectively make it around the same price as the Snapon or with a discount it would be the same price as it is now.

I could really care less what SO's website says. Such a cop-out and its subject to change at any time. I like my COO marked on the tool in question. I'm positive you'd prefer it that way too if given the option.

SO is also outsourcing more and more tools every day . Nobody can definitively state where production will be for anything 10 years from now.

You might not really care what Snapons website says but I'm sure the Bureau of Consumer Protection and FTC do, I doubt Snapon would deliberately make them selves liable if the Ratchets were not made in the USA.

Totally in agreement with you on this. Thats why i'll stick with a company that proudly marks its tools made here "USA". And when Sears/Danaher no longer marks said tools with a COO, well you know what that means....they must of launched some website where the COO is listed instead!

You would rather stick to a brand that is made by a manufacturer known for outsourcing tools? Craftsman it self has been fighting legal battles over falsely stating country of origin since 2004 when they got sued, show me where Snapon has ever been sued over this issue or has ever falsely stated COO .(http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/sears_craftsman.html) And you would still trust Craftsman more than Snapon a company that actually manufactures there own tools lol. Snapon has a specific line of tools that are mostly outsourced (blue-point) and almost all of Snapon's hard line is still made here in the USA unlike Craftsman. When Snapon starts making there top of the line main Metric and SAE wrenches in China like Craftsman did with there Pro series wrenches then you will have an argument against Snapon for outsourcing like Craftsman does.

 

[Kirbot]

I think this is a cop out retail price is retail price. If I find a $20 dollar bill on the ground next to the Snapon truck I can get an F80 for the same price of the Craftsman. Time is money and when I need a ratchet I buy it, I don't spend all day stacking coupons and waiting for the 1 week out of the year to buy the ratchet when it's 10% off.

Exactly
I'f I'm going to wait around for a sale, I might as well wait until I see another brand new F80 on the classifieds or ebay for 2/3 of retail.
There are loads of them out there from reputable sellers for a huge discount.

 

[ngk22r]

I went to sears back in January and finally saw the new ratchets. They do have a nice turning action, and they do look good in my opinion. But the price is what made me not get one.

Reason being, I already have the Snap-on dual 80 ratchets, let alone a big collection of the 800 series 30 tooth Snap-on ratchets. The price being too close to that of Snap-on wasnt worth it to me. If I'm going to pay tool truck price, I will buy it from my dependable Snap-on dealer.

And dont go saying or thinking that I think that if it is not made by Snap-on that the tool is junk. I have tools from different companies, though 90% is good ol' Snap-on.

I just recently bought an Ideal v-notch wire stripper for about $5 from lowes and it was one of the best bangs for the buck, bought a Channel lock crimper for $20, again great bang for the buck. Both quality tools. And the new craftsman ratchet looks and feels like a quality tool, but when I go to sears, I want to save money. Period.

Now just going off of the 1/4 ratchet, I would pay $30 for it. The old raised panels go for about $10, then the full polished version goes for $22.99, then the thin profile goes for $24.99.... And THEN the pro fine tooth goes for $49.99...

A typical person who goes to sears will have no problem dropping $10 for the raised panel, good ratchet for the price. But how do they expect to sell the "pro" ratchet for $50, and to have it sell in great numbers. Lets not fool ourselves thinking that the average DIY'r is going to drop $50 for a craftsman ratchet.

Its almost like paying $40k for a Honda Civic SI (not that they go that high, and the car is a good car with the k24), when you could just drop the money on a Corvette at that price.

 

[Skin]

I think this is a cop out retail price is retail price. If I find a $20 dollar bill on the ground next to the Snapon truck I can get an F80 for the same price of the Craftsman. Time is money and when I need a ratchet I buy it, I don't spend all day stacking coupons and waiting for the 1 week out of the year to buy the ratchet when it's 10% off. The price of the ratchet is what it is retail ,if everyone who bought the ratchet used coupons and waited for a sale or discount Sears would raise the price of the ratchet to keep there margins and that would effectively make it around the same price as the Snapon or with a discount it would be the same price as it is now.

You can word smith and spin your tales anyway you like. If it takes you "all day" to click a single link and enter a coupon code you have a serious issue. 1 week out of the year? Its practically EVERY WEEK out of the year. I dont know if you're purposely acting obtuse or if thats a medical condition you have but you clearly did not read a word i wrote.

$10 off, any moment of any day. 10% off, just about every week. End of that discussion. I'm not going to waste another moment of my time with anyone who thinks it takes all day to enter a coupon code or that sears has 1 sale a year.

As far as your knowledge of retail and how prices are set. Lets just say its lacking. Companies take into consideration sales and coupons when they set retail prices.

You might not really care what Snapons website says but I'm sure the Bureau of Consumer Protection and FTC do, I doubt Snapon would deliberately make them selves liable if the Ratchets were not made in the USA.

Again you dont seem to be reading a word i wrote. I do not care what SO's website says. I want the COO physically imprinted on the tool. A product without its COO is ashamed of it. This is why you wont find many import tools that say "CHINA" and "TAIWAN" on them. Oh and of course SO tools. If they're too ashamed to stamp that its made in the states, or canada, i dont want it.

You would rather stick to a brand that is made by a manufacturer known for outsourcing tools?

Ideally i'd like to stick with a brand thats not going to bankrupt me, makes a quality product, and is proud of where its product is made. But until that company comes along, Craftsmans line of American made tools is as close as i'm going to get.

I dont really care about the lawsuit. Has to do with marketing.

If you think "most" of Craftsmans hand tools are outsourced you dont buy or use Cman tools.

 

[MrMark]

Skin, can you post those two coupon codes you say you can stack? I am aware of SEARS5OFF50, I think I have that right.

 

[Kirbot]

Skin, can you post those two coupon codes you say you can stack? I am aware of SEARS5OFF50, I think I have that right.

I'd like to see them too.
Not that I don't believe they exist, but I know I've never heard of them.

 

[Shrewd1]

Try "SDEALS817" as it should let you stack them!

 

[pipsters]

Sears2011 is another $5 off

I just bought the thin profile set for $70.99 yesterday, the premium were way outside any reasonable purchase $$ wise, I really had no way to justify it.

 

[Skin]

Skin, can you post those two coupon codes you say you can stack? I am aware of SEARS5OFF50, I think I have that right.

sears5off50 is one,
http://www.couponcabin.com/s/coupons/sears/

click the top link for coupon cabins 5off50 as well. It will automatically apply in your cart. They'll stack. Low and behold theres one of those "rare" 10% off tool sales going on right now. The only ratchet this obviously doesnt work so well with is the 1/4" since its priced below $50. You can add something small like a spark plug gap gauige [P/N 40816] to get it to work though.

 

[MrMark]

Pretty cool, thanks Skin!

 

[mrbreezeet1]

the one problem is that sears is inconsistent. what happens when they discontinue it for lack of sales, then when you break it they will replace it with a cheap *** version.
remember the stainless craftsman ratchets? I had one and loved it. stripped a few teeth after a bunch of use and took it back and the only exchange was a standard raised panel
bob

Yes, this was my concern as well.
Tony

Do you guys remember the raised panel ratchet, must be at least 40 years old, the lever where you changed direction was sort of like a small clam shell, or little sea shell shape.
I had one it was my grandfathers, but I think it was stolen.
Real nice ratchet it was.

Looks like the ST CLAIRSVILE, OH 43950 store has them has 1 left This was the 1/2: drive one. It's $79.99 though.
How long is it(The 1/2" drive one)
I just ordered a williams for $55.71 with shipping.
http://www.powertool-box.com/product.php?productid=18869&cat=752&page=1

 

[dirtrider]

You can word smith and spin your tales anyway you like. If it takes you "all day" to click a single link and enter a coupon code you have a serious issue. 1 week out of the year? Its practically EVERY WEEK out of the year. I dont know if you're purposely acting obtuse or if thats a medical condition you have but you clearly did not read a word i wrote.

$10 off, any moment of any day. 10% off, just about every week. End of that discussion. I'm not going to waste another moment of my time with anyone who thinks it takes all day to enter a coupon code or that sears has 1 sale a year.

I am not "word smithing" anything if the the discounted price with the coupons and sale's is not available to everyone at any time when they decide to buy then you cannot compare full retail price of a Snapon ratchet against the discounted price of the Craftsman considering only a few will receive that price, it doesn't matter how easy it is for you personally to do it. Because you can stack coupons and buy when Sears has a sale is irrelevant. As proven by the posters above not everybody has knowledge of these coupons or every sale Sears has or is willing to go through the trouble to do any of those things in the first place so they will pay full price. There are plenty of ways to receive a discount on Snapon as well, as stated above by Kirbot.Believe me if I wanted to go online to look for a coupon I could easily that's not the point.

As far as your knowledge of retail and how prices are set. Lets just say its lacking. Companies take into consideration sales and coupons when they set retail prices.

LOL you have no idea what knowledge I have or what I have experience with. Do you have a clue of what your talking about? Prices are established through microeconomics and supply and demand not retail. Coupons are a form of price discrimination or sales promotion designed only for low price buyers meaning a small portion of the market. Companies do take coupons into consideration but again only for a small portion of the market. What don't you get if everyone used coupons and received the same discount you did, they would have to either stop giving out discounts or raise prices to keep the same margins especially on a specialty product like this .

Again you dont seem to be reading a word i wrote. I do not care what SO's website says. I want the COO physically imprinted on the tool. A product without its COO is ashamed of it. This is why you wont find many import tools that say "CHINA" and "TAIWAN" on them. Oh and of course SO tools. If they're too ashamed to stamp that its made in the states, or canada, i dont want it.

Really ? You think Snapon is ashamed of there tools Made in USA then why have they been marking them that since they were founded and continue to do so today except for there ratchets. To say they are ashamed of the USA is an insult to all the employees and franchises of Snapon who proudly work right here in the USA. Yes it is not ideal for the ratchets not to be stamped but I have no reason to believe that Snapon's website and other members of this site including a few dealers are lying, unlike Craftsman who HAS lied in the past and been sued over Falsely stating COO but of course you don't care about that lol?

Ideally i'd like to stick with a brand thats not going to bankrupt me, makes a quality product, and is proud of where its product is made. But until that company comes along, Craftsmans line of American made tools is as close as i'm going to get.

I dont really care about the lawsuit. Has to do with marketing.

If you think "most" of Craftsmans hand tools are outsourced you dont buy or use Cman tools.

Your personal choice of tool is your decision and if you like Craftsman that's fine. Craftsman has been a great tool for the price for many years and I own many of them. But recently some of there products have just sucked (raised panel ratchets) and I never said "most" Craftsman products are outsourced I said compared to Snapon Craftsman has been outsourcing there hard line a lot more. So if you care about COO it seems Craftsman would actually not be the best choice because at the rate there going who knows where all of Craftsmans tools will be made in 5-10 years.

 

[trexdoink]

Back in the 80's i fell for the craftsman "lifetime" ratchet scam. Nice ratchet, stainless steel, super thin head with a built on thumb wheel and a push button socket release. When i needed a replacement for one of them of course they didn't carry them anymore and offered a piece of scrap new ratchet. I paid double what they gave me for a replacement!

Don't fall for this Craftsman "professional" line. Wrenches may be fine but a craftsman ratchet is a waste of money, simply because you have a poor chance of it being replaced with what you purchased the first time or something better. If i break a Snappy from the 60's i get the best in new technology today as a replacement if my old one isn't rebuildable. If you take a good old craftsman ratchet from the 80's into sears and it can't be repaired you will get a hunk of ****.

 

[Skin]

I am not "word smithing" anything if the the discounted price with the coupons and sale's is not available to everyone at any time when they decide to buy then you cannot compare full retail price of a Snapon ratchet against the discounted price of the Craftsman considering only a few will receive that price, it doesn't matter how easy it is for you personally to do it. Because you can stack coupons and buy when Sears has a sale is irrelevant. As proven by the posters above not everybody has knowledge of these coupons or every sale Sears has or is willing to go through the trouble to do any of those things in the first place so they will pay full price. There are plenty of ways to receive a discount on Snapon as well, as stated above by Kirbot.Believe me if I wanted to go online to look for a coupon I could easily that's not the point.

Like i said, not going to argue with someone who interjects, ignorantly i might add, that sears coupons take "all day" to use and that they have sales "one week a year". You clearly have an agenda.

LOL you have no idea what knowledge I have or what I have experience with. Do you have a clue of what your talking about? Prices are established through microeconomics and supply and demand not retail. Coupons are a form of price discrimination or sales promotion designed only for low price buyers meaning a small portion of the market. Companies do take coupons into consideration but again only for a small portion of the market. What don't you get if everyone used coupons and received the same discount you did, they would have to either stop giving out discounts or raise prices to keep the same margins especially on a specialty product like this .

You think people who hunt for a deal are a "small portion"? You're right i have no idea what you have experience with but its a fair guess that retail is not a strong suit if you dont think companies take into consideration sales and coupons when they price an item for the shelves.

Really ? You think Snapon is ashamed of there tools Made in USA then why have they been marking them that since they were founded and continue to do so today except for there ratchets. To say they are ashamed of the USA is an insult to all the employees and franchises of Snapon who proudly work right here in the USA. Yes it is not ideal for the ratchets not to be stamped but I have no reason to believe that Snapon's website and other members of this site including a few dealers are lying, unlike Craftsman who HAS lied in the past and been sued over Falsely stating COO but of course you don't care about that lol?

Snap-On has begun removing it from quite a bit more than just ratchets and yes they're ashamed of it. They said as much when they gave their reasoning that it was removed to make the appeal of their product greater to their customer base around the globe. Basically USA COO staring someone in the face = a negative to SO.

As far as the lawsuit, it was over the craftsman marketing phrase, a blanket statement if you will, of 'American Hand Tools'. It has nothing to do with falsely stating a specific COO of any one tool such as what happened to Stanley when they had items stamped USA that were not made domestically. The COO of Cman tools has always been blatently obvious either on the packaging or on the tool. They even stick a large "Made in the USA" logo on many packages. If it aint there, its probably imported.

I never said "most" Craftsman products are outsourced I said compared to Snapon Craftsman has been outsourcing there hard line a lot more.

Actually what you said was

almost all of Snapon's hard line is still made here in the USA unlike Craftsman

implying strongly that most Cman basic hand tools today are imported. That would be false. Anyone can purchase sockets [including both swivel and impact], pliers, screwdrivers, ratchets, extensions, wrenches [including ratcheting], pry bars etc etc etc and all are made in the states and are marked as such, both on packaging and on the tool physically. What They have been doing for some time is mixing in cheaper imported options but thats certainly nothing new.

its been fun, but again, you have an agenda and i'm done fouling up this thread submitting common sense to counter said agenda. People can obviously purchase whatever they wish but as stated last page, with regards to production 5-10 yrs from now nothing is certain, not even with the almighty Snap-On.

 

[dirtrider]

Like i said, not going to argue with someone who states, stupidly i might add, that sears coupons take "all day" to use and that they have sales "one week a year". You clearly have an agenda.

This is a typical straw man argument, You don't get it, whether or not you receive a discount for a Craftsman ratchet is irrelevant. Your argument was flawed from the beginning when you tried to compare the price of a Craftsman ratchet with all the discounts to a Snapon at full retail price when I said earlier that the Craftsman premium ratchets are approaching tool truck prices.

You think people who hunt for a deal are a "small portion"? As i said, no idea about retail.

Dude cmon do you even know what a coupon or discount is or does?Historically mostly price conscious buyers use coupons they are a way for companies to sell products to buyers who would otherwise shop elsewhere and they are only a portion of the market. If they were a large portion of the entire market companies would have to lower there prices all together instead of offering coupons. Most discounts are developed to increase short-term sales or to move out-of-date stock they generally do not account for the main bulk of sales companies account for.

Snap-On has begun removing it from quite a bit more than just ratchets and yes they're ashamed of it. They said as much when they gave their reasoning that it was removed to make the appeal of their product greater to their customer base around the globe. Basically USA COO staring someone in the face = a negative to SO.

Again why would you think there ashamed after the great history Snapon has had manufacturing tools in the USA. Yes it's not ideal but we live in a global economy these days and companies are naturally trying to expand there brand recognition across the globe and in the process become internationally recognized worldwide and not just for manufacturing in the US. That does not necessarily mean they are ashamed of where there tools are made it is simply a business decision.

As far as the lawsuit, it was over the craftsman marketing phrase, a blanket statement if you will, of 'American Hand Tools'. It has nothing to do with falsely stating a specific COO of any one tool such as what happened to Stanley when they had items stamped USA that were not made domestically. The COO of Cman tools has always been blatently obvious either on the packaging or on the tool. They even stick a large "Made in the USA" logo on many packages. If it aint there, its probably imported.

Yes I never stated they falsely stated COO for any for any specific tool but they used a blanket statement of Made in USA in labeling and promotions representing specific imported tools. And they also used international components in tools labeled made in USA. Again this shows you that Craftsman puts little emphasis on where they tell people there tools are made and willingly defrauded patriotic customers into buying there products.

Actually what you said was



implying strongly that most Cman basic hand tools today are imported. That would be false. Anyone can purchase sockets [including both swivel and impact], pliers, screwdrivers, ratchets, extensions, wrenches, [including ratcheting], pry bars etc etc etc and all are made in the states and are marked as such, both on packaging and on the tool physically. What They have been doing for some time is mixing in cheaper imported options but thats certainly nothing new.

I never once "Implied strongly" that most Craftsman tools are imported I just stated they import more so than Snapon so your quote would be false . Have you been to a Sears lately many of there pliers are made in China and several of there screwdrivers are as well. And it's not just cheap versions of tools, there importing all of there pro series wrenches from China now. Yeah you have there basic ratchets which are terrible and there standard raised panel stuff which is ok, but more so than Snapon they are outsourcing all the time.

its been fun, but again, you have an agenda and i'm done fouling up this thread submitting common sense to counter said agenda. People can obviously purchase whatever they wish but as stated last page, with regards to production nothing is certain, not even with the almighty Snap-On.

It has been fun but clearly you have a common sense of your own, as many of the comments on this thread agree with my opinion. I have no agenda if you have a valid argument present it but if you have to resort to insulting people personally or saying I have some agenda then it shows you have no argument. I personally own and use Craftsman tools as well as others and I think they represent a good value with some of there products. But as of lately they have been outsourcing more and more and have a much better chance of continuing to do so than Snapon.

 

[Ryan]

Arguing over tools? Tools? Tools.