Craftsman Premium Ratchets Review

[Stuey]

Pros:

fine-tooth gear
sealed head
extended length handle
EXCELLENT handle ergonomics
metal direction selection lever

Cons:

limited in-store availability
premium but not unreasonable price

I can't say enough how comfortable these ratchet handles are. They feel like super beefed-up crossforce handles.

The only downsides to these ratchets are that many stores (at least those near me) don't carry these yet.



Full review with pics via ToolGuyd's review section if you're interested. I can't post direct links anymore, but you can find it via the review link in my sig if you'd like.

Danaher provided the review samples unconditionally.

Edit: It's not that I can't post direct links, I've been asked not to.

 

[Bull]

Why can't you post direct links?

 

[KEH]

Two cities about 30 miles apart near me. The sears in one city has the ratchets, the other one dosen't. I'm wondering if Sears is having production/distribution issues with the new ratchets. Yeah, I like the handle too. Don't like the no push button release, but that's just my opinion.

KEH

 

[trout]

Craftsman cheapened themselves to the point where it's hard to take these seriously. Plus I already have enough standard handle ratchets that I'm happy with. They're gonna have to do a whole lot more than make 3 nice ratchets before I'll respect the Craftsman name again.

 

[steven083008]

No release for the ball detent? If I'm paying $60 for a ratchet I sure as hell better not have to work to get the sockets off when my hands are slick. It looked like a great design till I saw that.

 

[Bull]

Craftsman cheapened themselves to the point where it's hard to take these seriously.

But this is one step they are taking away from cheapness; every hands-on review I have read so far praises these things. And they're USA-made. So, it seems like a good thing.

No release for the ball detent? If I'm paying $60 for a ratchet I sure as hell better not have to work to get the sockets off when my hands are slick. It looked like a great design till I saw that.

Well, people pay what, $120 for an S80 with no ball detent, don't they?

 

[Buckgnarly]

Ball detent is not always good for getting into tight spots. I have all three, and usually go for them before the SO 80's.

 

[mrholeshot]

No release for the ball detent? If I'm paying $60 for a ratchet I sure as hell better not have to work to get the sockets off when my hands are slick. It looked like a great design till I saw that.

Most pro techs prefer no button release ratchets.

 

[Damian]

Craftsman cheapened themselves to the point where it's hard to take these seriously. Plus I already have enough standard handle ratchets that I'm happy with. They're gonna have to do a whole lot more than make 3 nice ratchets before I'll respect the Craftsman name again.

Agreed.

I'll still buy some Craftsman stuff from time to time but they haven't designed a ratchet in quite a while that I like.

 

[drummingpariah]

Most pro techs prefer no button release ratchets.

I always thought I was the only person who didn't like the buttons (but I'm far from a pro tech). Right now my favorite ratchet is a cheap Autozone one, this looks like it could be a great upgrade from that.

 

[supertooljunkie]

I need to go look to the Sears around me & see if they have those yet. I like the looks of them. I really don't care one way or the other for quick release. None of my Snap on ratchets have it. If I need to get a socket off of a ratchet without quick release, and my hands are slick, I just bump the ratchet handle against something, and the socket pops off. Viola! Inertia works!!!!

 

[mrholeshot]

I always thought I was the only person who didn't like the buttons (but I'm far from a pro tech). Right now my favorite ratchet is a cheap Autozone one, this looks like it could be a great upgrade from that.

One of the things I dislike the button release is if you touch the back of the ratchet on something the socket/extension can take a dive into the abyss of fenderwell hell and cost you 30 dollars. The bad thing about situations is you can spend an hour trying to rescue the tools and loose them and the money you could be making. Having to grip a little to remove a socket doesn't seem so bad abfter a few of those mishaps

 

[rsanter]

I just saw those at sears last weekend
I was actually a bit impressed
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 rew teeth after a bunch of use and took it back and the only exchange was a standard raised panel

bob

 

[Sterff]

every hands-on review I have read so far praises these things.

Its too bad the majority of sears stores don't have any in stock. Kind of hard to review something you can't see . The employees from the two local stores look at me like a ***** when I ask them about the ratchets. They have never heard of them.

 

[Stuey]

It could be that ratchets were only shipped to certain stores that had strong ratchet sales in the past year in order to stock as many as possible at the online distribution warehouse.

Sometimes I miss having a quick release button on certain ratchets, other times I'm glad it's gone. This issue isn't unique to the Craftsman ratchets.

 

[Skin]

No release for the ball detent? If I'm paying $60 for a ratchet I sure as hell better not have to work to get the sockets off when my hands are slick. It looked like a great design till I saw that.

most ratchets dont have a quick release, especially truck brands. Plus as the Premium grade are "sealed" so that comes into consideration. Its nice to have but really what i'd rather have is everyone start putting some nice knurling on their sockets so there is something to grip.

Koken leaves a satin finish at their drive end and the big german tool makers have satin finishes with knurling. Not sure why nobody in the US wants to use it beyond some tiny knurling to distinguish metrics from SAE.

 

[zer0cell]

most ratchets dont have a quick release, especially truck brands. Plus as the Premium grade are "sealed" so that comes into consideration. Its nice to have but really what i'd rather have is everyone start putting some nice knurling on their sockets so there is something to grip.

Koken leaves a satin finish at their drive end and the big german tool makers have satin finishes with knurling. Not sure why nobody in the US wants to use it beyond some tiny knurling to distinguish metrics from SAE.

Because flashy "bling" sells here in the USA

 

[route246]

Me too, but them I'm a purist and certainly no pro.

I always thought I was the only person who didn't like the buttons (but I'm far from a pro tech). Right now my favorite ratchet is a cheap Autozone one, this looks like it could be a great upgrade from that.

 

[trainwreck]

Not sure why nobody in the US wants to use it beyond some tiny knurling to distinguish metrics from SAE.

I imagine it has less to do with intentionally not liking knurling as it does with saving costs. I imagine that knurling every single socket is definitely going to add some skilled labor and associated cost increases.

And it wasn't until this past weekend that I noticed that my Craftsman metric sockets had a tiny ring of knurling to distinguish them from SAE. Not sure how that escaped my notice for so long.

 

[Stuey]

Which sockets do you have? I have Craftsman sockets with laser etching and the metric do NOT have any knurling.

 

[W650Mike]

So Craftsman tries to do something innovative, tries to introduce something new; they take some cues from the top $$ brands (no button), seal them like the pro brands, polish them ‘til they shine, manufacture them in the USA, warrantee them for life, offer them (through convenient retail and on-line shopping) to Joe public (who doesn’t have a truck pull up to his garage once a week), market them at a competitive price; they try to take a step in the right direction…

…but let’s not “take them seriously”

I applaud Sears for at least trying.

 

[Major Ramifications]

They look nice, but how do they compare to the Craftsman thin profile rachets dimensionally? Particularly the head thickness and weight? I'm thinking that the new 1/2" drive is lighter than the thin profile 1/2" drive, it could hardly be any heavier.
Even though these seem crazy expensive, I will stop by Sears next time I am out that way just to feel them.

 

[woody 73]

I am waiting for them to sell in some kind of three pack scenario like 1/4,3/8, & 1/2".

 

[amolaver]

sears: please, please offer a bundle of all 3 ratchets for a SLIGHTLY discounted price! please!

ahm

 

[48548]

sears: please, please offer a bundle of all 3 ratchets for a SLIGHTLY discounted price! please!

ahm

I don't need any more ratchets, but would try them if there was a discount to get all 3....

 

[archirelic]

Came across these about a week ago at my local Sears. I really enjoyed how they felt in my hand and the action seemed very smooth. I'd definitely be up for getting them if they're ever offered all bundled together.

 

[Stuey]

They look nice, but how do they compare to the Craftsman thin profile rachets dimensionally? Particularly the head thickness and weight? I'm thinking that the new 1/2" drive is lighter than the thin profile 1/2" drive, it could hardly be any heavier.
Even though these seem crazy expensive, I will stop by Sears next time I am out that way just to feel them.

They're as thin, maybe a hair thinner. I'm too tired to whip out the calipers again.

Weight-wise, they're hefty. The 1/2" is longer than the thin-profile one, and weights nearly the same. I'll try to find a scale.

 

[trainwreck]

Which sockets do you have? I have Craftsman sockets with laser etching and the metric do NOT have any knurling.

Alright, you caught me. I guess I was being too generous in calling it knurling per se. But if you take a look at the metric (the red box, sorry it's so thin), you can see a small pattern of vertical lines that the SAE (green box) is lacking. These are just the standard Craftsman 6pt 3/8" drive sockets. No laser etching or dual marking.

 

[trout]

So Craftsman tries to do something innovative, tries to introduce something new; they take some cues from the top $$ brands (no button), seal them like the pro brands, polish them ‘til they shine, manufacture them in the USA, warrantee them for life, offer them (through convenient retail and on-line shopping) to Joe public (who doesn’t have a truck pull up to his garage once a week), market them at a competitive price; they try to take a step in the right direction…

…but let’s not “take them seriously”

I applaud Sears for at least trying.

Yes, it's hard to take them seriously when it seems to be a direct contradiction of their other actions (moving stuff overseas and declining/inconsistent customer service.)

I agree with Bull it's a step in the right direction, but as the saying goes, it takes years to build a good reputation, but only seconds to destroy it. Now they have to start over.

 

[Stuey]

Alright, you caught me. I guess I was being too generous in calling it knurling per se. But if you take a look at the metric (the red box, sorry it's so thin), you can see a small pattern of vertical lines that the SAE (green box) is lacking. These are just the standard Craftsman 6pt 3/8" drive sockets. No laser etching or dual marking.

After I asked, I checked out Sears.com. So are those the old style engraved sockets that came before the laser-etched, or a new design that came out since the laser-etched ones?


The 1/4" ratchet just saved my ****! I was installing a small woodworking vise using 5/16" lag bolts. I don't have a nut driver that fits, and at a certain point there wasn't enough clearance for my 1/2" x 3/8" drive socket. Wrenches wouldn't fit easily, and crowsfoot didn't fit either.

BUT, a 1/2" x 1/4" drive socket had a thin enough wall to fit. I couldn't find a 1/4" to 3/8" adapter, so I used the 1/4" ratchet. Its fine tooth swing and longer handle came in handy.

 

[trainwreck]

After I asked, I checked out Sears.com. So are those the old style engraved sockets that came before the laser-etched, or a new design that came out since the laser-etched ones?

They are the old style engraved (well, I suppose stamped) sockets. I bought that particular metric socket fairly recently, but they seemed awfully similar to the ancient ones that I've got out in the garage. I'll check once I dig my way through the snow. I'm pretty sure that this socket design predates the laser etched ones.

 

[KEH]

Re: stuey's questions about metric socket markings. Around 1970 i bought a set of 1/2 drive metric Cman sockets. I think they had the v manufacturer's code with single line around the bottom. They looked just like the SAE sockets except they were marked with the metric size , a slash mark. and MM. Shortly afterwards they marked metric sockets with long fine vertical grooves at the top of the socket. This style didn't last long and for years they marked metric sockets with short vertical lines around the bottom of the socket and the size plus MM. For a short time they used the laser etching for SAE and metric after 2000 as i recall and changed when they found that the lazer etching quickly wore off. Presently the do the laser etching plus engraving as before.

Older sockets, up to about 1965, were made with the "V" code plus double horizontal lines around the bottom. These are considered desirable because they are thinner than later sockets and were nicely finished. I didn't know until recently that Cman made double line V sockets but recently I found a 3/8 drive set of metric sockets that are double line V.

KEH

 

[Stuey]

I think that the laser etchings spanned until 2008 or so. Unfortunately that's when I purchase all of my sockets. Except for my deep 3/8" sockets, but those are blue titanium-coated. Go figure.

I'll have to check in-store to see if the new sockets sport the metric groove/knurl pattern.

 

[Skin]

I imagine it has less to do with intentionally not liking knurling as it does with saving costs. I imagine that knurling every single socket is definitely going to add some skilled labor and associated cost increases.

I really doubt that. Putting the knurling on a socket is automated and is as simple as running the socket through a roll stamp. Like i said they already do a tiny ring on metrics, it wouldnt kill them to make it larger or stack a few of the tiny rings. Especially with a company like SO where you're already paying $200-$300 for a basic set of 10 chrome sockets, it wouldnt hurt their bottom line one bit. If anything its simply the fact that nobody complains. Get enough people to ask for it and you'd see it.

It was done years ago. For example an old SK socket

Not a large ring but far more aggressive than the knurling ID on the metrics. Point is you can feel it and grip it with slippery hands. Knurling use to be extremely common across all the major tool manufacturers going all the way back even to SO's early years. Its just one of those things that up and vanished.

 

[cglasgow]

So Craftsman tries to do something innovative, tries to introduce something new; they take some cues from the top $$ brands (no button), seal them like the pro brands, polish them ‘til they shine, manufacture them in the USA, warrantee them for life, offer them (through convenient retail and on-line shopping) to Joe public (who doesn’t have a truck pull up to his garage once a week), market them at a competitive price; they try to take a step in the right direction…

…but let’s not “take them seriously”

I applaud Sears for at least trying.

I'd argue with the bit I put in red -- try finding them in a store around here! Not only are they not in our 3 (or is it 4?) local Sears locations, I can't even check store inventory on the Sears website anymore. The nearby stores don't show up in the results at all -- as if they didn't exist. Whilst they may be trying, they're failing miserably in marketing them, IMO....

 

[Davefr]

I'd argue with the bit I put in red -- try finding them in a store around here! Not only are they not in our 3 (or is it 4?) local Sears locations, I can't even check store inventory on the Sears website anymore. The nearby stores don't show up in the results at all -- as if they didn't exist. Whilst they may be trying, they're failing miserably in marketing them, IMO....

Exactly!! I predict they'll be discontinued soon.

Some merchandise manager in Chicago will look at his spreadsheet showing sales velocity and make the decision to eliminate the SKU. (or make it special order only)

Sears had an uphill battle with this lineup due to price but they didn't even try.

Spotty store inventory, no promotions, no prominent displays/signage, almost impossible to find on their website and no staff training at the stores.

 

[griff99]

To everyone who wants a discount on these, just wait for a midnight madness sale, a friends and family sale, a mid-day sale, these are all very frequent and 99% of the time include 10% off tools. Then swing by couponcabin click their "exclusive" Sears coupon for $5 off $50 and then stack on the SEARS5OFF50 code. Now I realize that this wouldn't work for all the Premium ratchet offerings the 1/4" is less than $50 to begin with, but if you get creative by adding a feeler guage or some other small item you can maximize your discount.

This would theoretically bring the 1/2" ratchet down from $79.99 to $ 62.99, and the 3/8" one down to $44.99, if my math is right, I think they apply the coupons before they apply the 10% off so you get 10% off the lowest price.

 

[Stuey]

Sears' marketing dept. could have done a better job on these ratchets, but they were just released last fall, and there will be plenty of time for Sears to get the word out on them.

Maybe they'll be in the next Craftsman Club flyer that hardly any of us receive anymore.

 

[Theloniousmonk]

What is this "Craftsman Club" you speak of? - j/k

 

[mrholeshot]

What is this "Craftsman Club" you speak of? - j/k

It's a flyer that you may or may not get to see tools your store may or may not have and in those flyers they have tools advertized that are normally "innovative and useless but they are counting on your membership into the ficticious farce called the Craftsman Club to sucker you into the nearest Sears in order to give you a Sears card or add to the burden of the one you have now.