eyeboltman
Well-known member
Thanks for the update Off to sears
Monday morning
Monday morning
Craftsman Professional Wrenches
- Thread starter solitaire
- Start date
You can still find the sk/craftsman stubby wrenches in the bargin bin. There in a gray or black pouch. I just bought a set a couple of months ago. Just make sure you find USA and k stamp on the wrench. I haven't seen SK/Craftsman standard wrenches in a looooong time. I also have a coulpe of sets of the Danaher/Craftsman USA Pro wrenches that are pretty nice.
Don 18
Well-known member
You guys are killing me ... just picked up a set of the USA Craftsman Pro's. Very happy with my purchase. FYI they are on sale for $85, and I also used a $5 coupon code. Picked them up in the store and told them I didn't want the Chinese ones 
Looking at the open stock catalog
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/74535326#/74535326/5
I don't see the 20 mm, 26, mm 27mm, 28mm, 29mm sizes listed.
Looking at the open stock catalog
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/74535326#/74535326/5
I don't see the 20 mm, 26, mm 27mm, 28mm, 29mm sizes listed.
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If your going to buy china made tools NAPA is selling Danaher/Gearwrench under there NAPA Pro line of tools now for a lot cheaper than Craftsman. $39 bucks will get you a set of stubby and standard wrenches. The same as Craftsman. Gearwrench would be nice if they had a decent warranty on ther tools.
Toolhorder
Well-known member
Okay I'm jumping into this thread.
Usually I'm SO bias but back in the mid 90's starting out I needed a 1/2 wrench for whatever I was working on one day and the local Sears had the raised panel and the "professional" series wrenches loose. I grabbed the 1/2 wrench that was "pro" grade because I figured it would hold up over my career better, felt better and looked better. It was like double the price though. Years have passed on and I regret not buying the whole set in both Metric and SAE. I just pulled out the wrench to check it out. I don't see a "K" code or whatever you guys call it but it's marked USA.
Usually I'm SO bias but back in the mid 90's starting out I needed a 1/2 wrench for whatever I was working on one day and the local Sears had the raised panel and the "professional" series wrenches loose. I grabbed the 1/2 wrench that was "pro" grade because I figured it would hold up over my career better, felt better and looked better. It was like double the price though. Years have passed on and I regret not buying the whole set in both Metric and SAE. I just pulled out the wrench to check it out. I don't see a "K" code or whatever you guys call it but it's marked USA.
ibedayank
Well-known member
Okay I'm jumping into this thread.
Usually I'm SO bias but back in the mid 90's starting out I needed a 1/2 wrench for whatever I was working on one day and the local Sears had the raised panel and the "professional" series wrenches loose. I grabbed the 1/2 wrench that was "pro" grade because I figured it would hold up over my career better, felt better and looked better. It was like double the price though. Years have passed on and I regret not buying the whole set in both Metric and SAE. I just pulled out the wrench to check it out. I don't see a "K" code or whatever you guys call it but it's marked USA.
look by where it says professional on the back side of the wrench...seems to me i see a small K
Don 18
Well-known member
Thats an SK made wrench, the thickness on the box end is a giveaway.
SMKS
Well-known member
+1
That should be the marking.
Also, as Don said, that is clearly an SK made wrench.
Toolhorder
Well-known member
I was at the local Sears tonight, couldn't find loose ones but found those add on sets locked up. Not sure if they are the USA ones.
I found a 15 or 16mm pro wrench at the flea and he wanted $5 eff. Is that too much then for these USA made ones? I kinda thought $5 used was.
I found a 15 or 16mm pro wrench at the flea and he wanted $5 eff. Is that too much then for these USA made ones? I kinda thought $5 used was.
Toolhorder
Well-known member
Is the K upside down or sideways. Doesn't look like a K I guess to me.
tonydanzah
Well-known member
who made the USA full polish napa wrenches?
ibedayank
Well-known member
ibedayank
Well-known member
The decent ones? I believe it was Danaher IIRC.
Scratch that, I lied. It's Armstrong.
Being that danaher and cooper tools joined to make APEX TOOL GROUP
that owns Armstrong....
Toolhorder
Well-known member
Thanks, lol I figured it's just stamped sideways and full of grease so it's hard to make out.
It sounded funny to me when I posted it, so I took a minute and looked it up. Changed it a few minutes ago.
It's Monday, alright? I get to make a few mistakes.
Well I couldn't help myself I bought those two modules tonight with the midnight madness sale Sears is having. Up to 24mm and 1-1/16 for $200 or so. Not sure if that is a good deal or not as it is almost exactly double the $$ per wrench that I paid for my raised panels. Also a complete waste of $$ as I already have the full set of RP's Sears offers (up to 32mm and 1-5/8). So we will see when I pick them up tomorrow if they are USA made or not. If not they are going right back. If USA made I will keep them and ebay my RP's off since they are almost retail prices. I probably should've just bought the metric 13 piece set that goes up to 19mm as I really don't need SAE or anything bigger but oh well.
Also the way I explain it to my wife, yes I spent another $$ couple bucks, but these will be around forever hopefully another 50+ years while her shoes and clothes will be out of style in 6 months, and that cell phone depreciates faster than a Kia driven off the lot.
Also the way I explain it to my wife, yes I spent another $$ couple bucks, but these will be around forever hopefully another 50+ years while her shoes and clothes will be out of style in 6 months, and that cell phone depreciates faster than a Kia driven off the lot.
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Toolhorder
Well-known member
I'm thinking about getting those if they are going away. I don't want to spend years going to the swaps looking for every wrench
Tonight is either 10% or 15% off thru 5 AM CST (yikes, I need to go to bed), plus if you order in separate sets use code Sears2011 to get another $5 off each order. I did in store pickup to save on shipping.
There was at one time a Craftsman Pro wrench size that was maybe two inches shorter than the long pattern Pro set. I have a set of SK/Craftsman standard wrenches. I think they are the same size as the Craftsman raise panel wrenches.
Well I bought the last of the USA made polished wrenches and to be honest, I'm not sure I am going to keep them. They are definitely nicer than my regular raised panels, but for $200? I do not think they are worth that.
In addition, and this is the kicker, the raised panels are actually machined to tighter tolerances than the Pros, by between .1-.15 mm depending on the wrench. Doesn't sound like a lot but enough to make it wiggle quite a bit more.
They are definitely nicer on the hands but nothing a small towel wrapped around the end of the raised panels won't fix.
In addition, and this is the kicker, the raised panels are actually machined to tighter tolerances than the Pros, by between .1-.15 mm depending on the wrench. Doesn't sound like a lot but enough to make it wiggle quite a bit more.
They are definitely nicer on the hands but nothing a small towel wrapped around the end of the raised panels won't fix.
When I was (spending too much time) evaluating wrenches, I found that the tolerances on almost all the wrenches I compared were very close to each other. My measurements were taken using a HF digital caliper. Yes, I could have used a more precise instrument to check absolute measurement, but that wasn't my intention. I wanted to know how the wrenches compared, wrench to wrench and brand to brand, and that device suits that purpose well, as it is very consistent.
The Cman raised panels and Cman Pros (and the HF Pitt Pro V-grooves) were almost identical. On the open ends, the metrics measured ~.2mm over and the standards measured ~.01 to ~.012 inches over. The Gearwrench flexibles were slightly tighter, but not significantly.
I also checked box end side-to-side wrench play while on fasteners and found no difference between Cman raised panels and Cman Pros. Side to side play was measured while on a fastener, at a distance the length of the raised panel (the Pros are longer, so measuring at their far end would result in longer travel).
I did not do any hardness, deflection, or wear tests, so I can't say whether one or another is stronger or will wear any better over time if used frequently.
As has been repeated many times in this forum, the Craftsman raised panels are great combination wrenches, and have always been a fantastic value. In the opinion of many, however, the better feel, better finish, and better leverage (longer length) of the US-made Cman Pros is worth the extra cost.
I still have my 20 year old Cman raised panels, as they seemed worth more to me than I could get selling them. However, the first time I used both the raised panels and the Cman Pros side by side was the last time I used a raised panel. Now they're my backup and loaner set.
The Cman raised panels and Cman Pros (and the HF Pitt Pro V-grooves) were almost identical. On the open ends, the metrics measured ~.2mm over and the standards measured ~.01 to ~.012 inches over. The Gearwrench flexibles were slightly tighter, but not significantly.
I also checked box end side-to-side wrench play while on fasteners and found no difference between Cman raised panels and Cman Pros. Side to side play was measured while on a fastener, at a distance the length of the raised panel (the Pros are longer, so measuring at their far end would result in longer travel).
I did not do any hardness, deflection, or wear tests, so I can't say whether one or another is stronger or will wear any better over time if used frequently.
As has been repeated many times in this forum, the Craftsman raised panels are great combination wrenches, and have always been a fantastic value. In the opinion of many, however, the better feel, better finish, and better leverage (longer length) of the US-made Cman Pros is worth the extra cost.
I still have my 20 year old Cman raised panels, as they seemed worth more to me than I could get selling them. However, the first time I used both the raised panels and the Cman Pros side by side was the last time I used a raised panel. Now they're my backup and loaner set.
chevy_cowboy
Well-known member
I just bought the "Serious Professional Pro Set" #35106 from the sears website last week, it arrived yesterday and all the full polish wrenches in it are stamped USA. Just FIY for anyone looking for the last of them.
Not true. I will try to get a picture of this... The loose cm pro wrenches at the store are still professional USA, where the ones in the sets are from CHINA. They are NOT functionally equivalent because the Chinese wrenches have a MUCH larger head with smaller opening making it harder to get on bolts in tight places. If you don't believe me, go to a store and look for yourself.
I called sears customer service about this issue because I bought the full polish wrenches on good faith that they would be the same as the professional, but intact they are not. (I was so happy with my cman pro metric wrenches from a few years ago that I didn't inspect or even really look at the SAE full polish in the store) Upon closer inspection at home i discovered the issue with the heads and ****** laser etching. I promptly returned the product to the store where all the people in the tool department and managers were horrified at the inferior Chinese product.
Compounding the problem is that the same SKU in store is listed as cm pro online! Sears has sent me a $25 gift card because of my bad experience!
I don't have a huge problem buying Chinese products as long as they are:
1 less expensive
2 equal or greater quality compared to similar priced USA product
3 branded as a lesser product ie craftsman evolve or companion
These new Cman full polish wrenches are none of the above. Stay away.
bagsanthony
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2010
- Messages
- 366
The new chinese wrenches are the biggest, clunkiest pieces of shits i have ever seen... Here's my take, i don't care if the chinese wanna make tools.... but lets not surrender our good brands to their shittyness!
guitardedhero
Member
I've been piecing together a set from open stock so I could get the usa's, got 1/4"-7/8" - expensive this way, but I really wanted the USA pros and this looked like the only way I was gonna get a new set. Bought these over 3 weeks or so so cost hasn't been too painful but it's still at $120 at least at this point. I'm an appliance technician so I don't have to have all kinds of big sizes or even metric wrenches so it made the most sense to me in going with USA pros. I don't ever damage or break combo wrenches in my work so as long as I don't lose them they oughta last me forever.
I called customer service about these and they said they are made by APEX ie Danaher in Mass. Cman pro wrenches are made by someone else in Arizona, and of course the full polish are made in china. I Wish I could just buy cman products without worrying how the quality will be and where it was made!
I will order the above sets, good find^^^
Stuey
Well-known member
Why didn't you just buy a set and then exchange them one at a time (or all at once) individually for open-stock USA-wrenches?
SMKS
Well-known member
I'm sure if you asked they'd give you a full set of open stock wrenches for the same price as a packaged set costs. You wouldn't even have to buy a set and then try to exchange them.
guitardedhero
Member
I asked and they said no. It wasn't that big of a deal as the cost was spread out. I've upgraded my entire tool bag over the last couple months, so it was easier not dropping $100 one time on a set of tools I really don't even use that much. Obviously I would've bought a set had there been a USA set available. Maybe I shouldn't have been chuckling when I asked about a USA set instead of china lol. Still worth the $$ IMO as it seems the cman rp will be the best cman combo wrench very shortly. I've just been in the tool loop very very recently but this seems to be the impression I'm getting from sears. That explains while I kinda just splurged on these open stock pieces.
This is exactly the info i was hoping would be in this thread
slipjointed
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 31, 2011
- Messages
- 665
I absolutely hate them. They are the ****-ugliest wrenches I have ever seen. The only descriptive word that really works for the lobster-claw open end is "dorky". I wouldn't be caught dead with one of those sticking out of my tool bag.
That, and the box end looks like it was broached with a cutting torch. Yuck.
jim2664258
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2011
- Messages
- 411
That's what I did. Bought the 2 sets online, switched one of them right at the pickup store because they had the US-made metric set in stock on their rack. Then I swapped the standard set out at a different area store for the US-made versions. No hassles, and all it took was going to the Sears near my work for the second exchange.
jim2664258
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- Aug 3, 2011
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Very surprised to hear that. No idea why they would care.
BTW I have noticed the open stock section at the Sears nearest to me is WAY smaller than it used to be. It's a pretty-well stocked store, but that section is really small now. No ratcheting open stock wrenches at all. I wonder what they are doing for exchanges.
guitardedhero
Member
Very nice wrenches, grab them while they're still available.
guitardedhero
Member
I really didn't push the issue at all and they prolly would've obliged had I been more insistent. The open stock is definitely thinning out and that is why I jumped on the open stock like I did. I've got $120 invested in 1/4"-7/8" and am satisfied with the quality/cost. If you can buy a china 1/4"-1" set for $100 and swap it for open stock usa's that's even better. Just don't make than your demolition wrenches as soon the china fp will be the only replacement.
No offense intended, but this information is incorrect. Read my post above. I took measurements of entire sets of USA-made Cman Pro wrenches, as well as my older and newer Cman raised panels, and some of the open stock wrenches in the store, and found no difference. On the open ends, the metrics all measure ~.2mm over and the standards measure ~.01 to ~.012 inches over.
On the box ends, there are multiple comparison posts in the sticky section, including this one:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57071&showall=1
that clearly show the older Cman raised panels as more likely to round fasteners (contact directly on corners), and the newer Cman raised panels almost identical to the Cman Pros.
It's not incorrect, that is what I got. The wrenches were visibly larger when placed on several different sized bolts and wiggled more. That is why I returned them.
The pros were bought in May 2011 the RPs were bought in Feb 2011.
Also. They weighed the same but the Pros were longer, and RPs were thicker, but shorter. There was no additional steel in the Pros.
YMMV
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