Craftsman quality control?

[MemphisR32]

So yesterday I went to pickup a few tools for a kit to keep in my car to repair bikes and cars at a homeless outreach I serve with. Since there is not really many places to get tools in the area other than craftsman or HF I decided to get a China made 12 piece metric wrench set, 1/4" ratchet set and some hex keys at Sears while the Club days are going on.

I get the wrench set home and open it to find the 8mm wrench bent. Mind you it never had a chance to even touch a bolt. This is out of the package. Also the selector on the ratchet was sticking so I opened it up and there was no lube at all inside (but somehow the China ratchets now have a metal selector lever).

In the past month I have had 4 dead on arrival Craftsman tools. One T15 screwdriver with a missing tooth, a rebuild kit with a dead QR button stuck down, a 5mm hex socket which I couldn't get on 5mm bolt because it measured out at 5.16mm on one side only with calipers and a now this 8mm wrench.

I gotta find a Snap On rep in my area that will deal with a hobbiest because I'm wasting more time doing warranty exchanges on brand new stuff than it's worth. I get 30 year old Snap on stuff off eBay that's better than this.

I feel cheated that the brand is holding its reputation on years past.

New out of package

Next to the 7 and 9mm's

5.16mm for a 5mm hex?

 

[FOCUS.FREAK]

I have lost hope for sears. I'll admit the only thing I liked is the max axess wrench set I bought. Everything else has gone to ****.

-Jordan

 

[Stooge]

 

[Herod]

I've been telling people for years that sears craftsman has been sucking for years.

 

[MemphisR32]

Its not like its a cheap tool and it still works. These don't even work as a tool and they sure are not pretty enough to be art.

I guess I just have to get into my mind (deprogram) if I need a cheap tool to go to HF instead.

 

[EOC_Jason]

China... when close is "good enough"...

 

[ganymede]

Craftsman... when $150 for a 250 pc tool set is "good enough"...

Fixed.

 

[SquareLJ]

I had a Craftsman swivel adapter fall apart in my socket drawer just from opening and closing the drawer. That was the last straw for me. The swivel was a month old and I hadnt even used it.

 

[neophyte]

So yesterday I went to pickup a few tools for a kit to keep in my car to repair bikes and cars at a homeless outreach I serve with. Since there is not really many places to get tools in the area other than craftsman or HF I decided to get a China made 12 piece metric wrench set, 1/4" ratchet set and some hex keys at Sears while the Club days are going on.

I get the wrench set home and open it to find the 8mm wrench bent. Mind you it never had a chance to even touch a bolt. This is out of the package. Also the selector on the ratchet was sticking so I opened it up and there was no lube at all inside (but somehow the China ratchets now have a metal selector lever).

In the past month I have had 4 dead on arrival Craftsman tools. One T15 screwdriver with a missing tooth, a rebuild kit with a dead QR button stuck down, a 5mm hex socket which I couldn't get on 5mm bolt because it measured out at 5.16mm on one side only with calipers and a now this 8mm wrench.

I gotta find a Snap On rep in my area that will deal with a hobbiest because I'm wasting more time doing warranty exchanges on brand new stuff than it's worth. I get 30 year old Snap on stuff off eBay that's better than this.

I feel cheated that the brand is holding its reputation on years past.


5.16mm for a 5mm hex?

Are you sure they din't just think that that was what a 5/16th inch hex was, and machine it really accurately?

 

[wild cowboy]

5.16mm = 13/64" exactly

MemphisR32 - how many of the failed Craftsman tools you have run into were from China and how many from USA?

 

[MemphisR32]

There was machining marks on it that were rough but the other two sides measured out at 4.99mm exactly.

Side 1


Side 2

 

[MemphisR32]

5.16mm = 13/64" exactly

MemphisR32 - how many of the failed Craftsman tools you have run into were from China and how many from USA?

At this time 3 were USA made bought in the last 2 months (torx driver, ratchet rebuild kit, hex socket)

The wrench/ratchet kit was the first China Craftsman I have bought yesterday for beater tools.

 

[Toyota mechanic]

I can tell by the pics, those are China versions, the wrenches don't have the nice CNC edges like the USA Danaher ones.... QC has gone down, but......... If you think Snap-on is void of this type of thing? They are not.. not as much of it, but I have had plenty of Snap-on pathetic duds as much as anything else.. Finish and machining tolerances was off.... It all comes around. Return the off ones, and get another, and use them.... Not bad for the price. Mileage and luck of quality may vary unfortunately. Proto, GearWrench have been the best at the least duds for me.....

 

[dlcwent]

+1 Not crapsman

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Cheap, Craftsman, China, ****, Cruddy, Crude,

Why we are buying this ****?? Dreams turned to night-mares too often...

maybe a Lottery ticket?? Somebody will win...

 

[MemphisR32]

I can tell by the pics, those are China versions, the wrenches don't have the nice CNC edges like the USA Danaher ones.... QC has gone down, but......... If you think Snap-on is void of this type of thing? They are not.. not as much of it, but I have had plenty of Snap-on pathetic duds as much as anything else.. Finish and machining tolerances was off.... It all comes around. Return the off ones, and get another, and use them.... Not bad for the price. Mileage and luck of quality may vary unfortunately. Proto, GearWrench have been the best at the least duds for me.....

I think for me the duds have been on about all the tools I purchased in the past few months. Kinda knocks the wind out of my sail with Craftsman. But I still get excitement when I get a quality tool (no idea why but im guessing if your on this forum you can relate)

I went to exchange the wrench today and they are all like that from China. The guy at the counter just gave it back to me and said sorry. I know it's usable but I was expecting something more I guess. My old USA set was not like this for the same size.

Even though Proto has excellent quality, I'm currently concerned with getting any more, because I had a hex socket snap and I'm now at 11+ weeks to get it warrantied

 

[thesilverone]

don't buy chinese craftsman....simple as that

 

[stratman977]

Those wrenches are supposed to be bent. Thats how they get the 15deg offset on craftsman wrenches.

The better brands have a straight handle and forge the 15deg offset into them, the craftsman just bends the handle. Always been that way, just the bends between the few wrenches you show arent uniform. Still a defect but its more the way they are designed.

 

[Ign]

The mere thread title made me chuckle.

 

[Manny2_0]

Craftsman is not the old Craftsman

They don't want you as a customer, they have moved on to a different target....

I was just at sears today, and was looking around,
The wrench sets are priced accordingly now, however they use the usa price craftsman to make it sound like a deal saying 60% or 70% off

Decent prices I saw today
12pc rp wrench set $20
9pc polished wrench set $20 looked nice
14pc reversible ratcheting wrench $50 great price

Now tell any mechanic those prices and he will know that they are not for his use, you don't have to mention the brand

I thought of buying some, for Christmas presents,
but the people I would have given them to, know I don't buy China
So I cant go give them china, even thou I am 95% certain they wouldn't notice.

These tools are for the regular guy, someone who decides he is going to tackle a big project
Change his alternator !!!!

What do you expect from a $20 wrench set
If your lucky twenty bucks gets you a lap dance from a hottie and a beer

 

[cmcnei]

I doubt I'll be buying any more craftsman after my recently purchased 250pc usa made set came with numerous sockets with burned semi rusty interiors. Also, quite a few had little to no chrome on the interior. Posted some pics on another thread. The replacements they sent me were not a whole lot better. Still waiting for a missing socket to come after a month and a half and a dozen calls to apex. I am liking the taiwan HF pittsburg pro ratchets and may also purchase some of their sockets. A least the chrome finish is a lot better. My recent taiwan Gearwrench stuff is pretty nice too.

 

[panknuckshovel]

Those wrenches are supposed to be bent. Thats how they get the 15deg offset on craftsman wrenches.

The better brands have a straight handle and forge the 15deg offset into them, the craftsman just bends the handle. Always been that way, just the bends between the few wrenches you show arent uniform. Still a defect but its more the way they are designed.

Snap-On just bends them as well.