Craftsman ratchet wrenches any good?

[383]

https://goo.io/nJwYmJ

Got a sale flyer today, Sears is having a sale Friday and Saturday (10-14, 10-15). Craftsman ratchet wrenches are 50% off, $40 a set. I'd like a set for home use, don't use them every day. Does any one have these, what do you think of them?

 

[powertrip]

If they are made in china they are about the same quality as gearwrench brand wrenches. They should be fine for home use. If they are the now discontinued USA made ones they are far better in quality. If you do buy some look for the usa made ones. There may be some still in the stores. Just look on the back of the package for made in USA.

 

[Shipfittin]

I have a set at work I use all the time, never have had a problem with them.

 

[tpolley]

If they are the now discontinued USA made ones they are far better in quality. If you do buy some look for the usa made ones. There may be some still in the stores. Just look on the back of the package for made in USA.

the usa ones are discontinued? i have a whole set of them, i'd hate to warranty one and have it replaced with a chinese wrench

 

[LWaite]

I have a set at work I use all the time, never have had a problem with them.

yep I had a set for 3 years and they were solid

 

[Josh662234]

i have 2 sets of the GearWrench, and i've yet to have an issue

 

[383]

I just looked at the website, these have a lifetime warranty. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...=11&blockNo=11&blockType=G11&isABTestAvl=true Don't know if they are made in the USA. Craftsman has another set of ratcheting wrenches for $59.99, but doesn't mention a lifetime warranty.http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...dNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2&isABTestAvl=true

 

[TWX]

I like the SAE reversible 5° angled set from Sears/Craftsman, and the SI reversible 5° angled set from Gearwrench.

The Gearwrench has a lip that keeps it on the bolt head better, but because of that lip one can't use it upside-down on a fastener relative to its intended usage. The Craftsman one can slip off of a bolt head, but can be inverted to work in a tight space.

I would not buy a non-reversible type. If you back the tool and fastener into something accidently, good luck going the other direction with it...

 

[kythri]

If they are made in china they are about the same quality as gearwrench brand wrenches. They should be fine for home use.

So, at risk of starting yet another debate/argument, I feel compelled to point out that there's absolutely NOTHING wrong with the quality of GearWrench - in fact, I'd point out that USA-made ratcheting wrenches are nothing more than a knock-off of GearWrench, regardless of brand.

The COO on these pertains not one iota towards their quality. The Craftsman ratcheting wrenches are great quality, the GearWrench branded ones are equally-great quality - and usually cheaper.

Quite honestly, they're probably easier to warranty as well, given that you can warranty them at Sears, NAPA, anywhere that carries GearWrench, really.

Craftsman ratcheting wrenches and GearWrench ratcheting wrenches are fine for home use or "professional" use.

Either one will do you perfectly well for any application. Expect to see another GearWrench 50% off sale between now and the end of the year (if the current one has ended already).

 

[Shipfittin]

I totally agree with you there kythri, that's exactly how I feel about them.

I'm sure Snap On, MAC and Matco make outstanding ratcheting wrenches but you've got to ask yourself if it's worth their price to you.

I have a set of Husky at home that have been outstanding for working on my trucks. Never have had a problem and they are actually my go to wrenches for a lot of things.

 

[vw_tdi]

I have them. The ones i have are branded USA and work great. I paid $59 (on sale from $119, i think), so $40 is a steal...assuming they're the US ones. I know they also make a chinesium version as well.

matt

 

[osborn.ozzy]

I have the metric gearwrench set and use them daily for almost 2 years now.... not a problem yet.

 

[shanker]

if you want high quality USA made ones...get some Armstrongs or Cornwell's unless you're willing to pony up snap on pricing

 

[CHRIS LUCKYMAN]

I have a few Gearwrench flex ratcheting wrenches, a few USA Craftsman flex ratcheting wrenches, and a set of newer non-USA Craftsman flex ratcheting wrenches. I was using the few US Craftsman flex ratcheting wrenches for a few years, and decided to get a full set. When I went in, no more US ratcheting wrenches. I bought them anyway. Besides a more meaty open end, they are almost identical. I know I'm not supposed to, but I use them to break free stuck bolts/nuts, and havent broken one yet, US or otherwise. Also have a set of Snap On offset ratcheting wrenches, same thing, haven't broken one yet... but the reverse lever is getting sloppy on them.

 

[Skin]

Craftsman chinese ratcheting wrenches only go on sale occasionally and are essentially the same as GW except 2-4x the price. Very rarely do they get down to GW sale price ranges. Stupid marketing on Sears' part.

As far as USA versions. I have both and can honestly say if i closed my eyes i could not tell one difference as far as the ratcheting action of the box end. I've used the hell out of my GW, great product for anyone, home or pro.

 

[powertrip]

So, at risk of starting yet another debate/argument, I feel compelled to point out that there's absolutely NOTHING wrong with the quality of GearWrench - in fact, I'd point out that USA-made ratcheting wrenches are nothing more than a knock-off of GearWrench, regardless of brand.

The COO on these pertains not one iota towards their quality. The Craftsman ratcheting wrenches are great quality, the GearWrench branded ones are equally-great quality - and usually cheaper.

Quite honestly, they're probably easier to warranty as well, given that you can warranty them at Sears, NAPA, anywhere that carries GearWrench, really.

Craftsman ratcheting wrenches and GearWrench ratcheting wrenches are fine for home use or "professional" use.

Either one will do you perfectly well for any application. Expect to see another GearWrench 50% off sale between now and the end of the year (if the current one has ended already).

Never said that there is anything wrong with gearwrench or the asian craftsmans. I said they should be fine for home use as that was the intended use according to the OP. I have them both.

 

[juniork5]

I have had a set of gearwrench sae and metric for over 10 years with lots of abuse with no issues at all. That was best money spent in my opinion. Mine say taiwan

 

[kythri]

Never said that there is anything wrong with gearwrench or the asian craftsmans. I said they should be fine for home use as that was the intended use according to the OP. I have them both.

If they are made in china they are about the same quality as gearwrench brand wrenches. They should be fine for home use. If they are the now discontinued USA made ones they are far better in quality.

You phrased it to insinuate that there were quality issues with the Chinese-production Craftsman ratcheting wrenches, and explicitly stated that the USA-made ones are of a higher quality.

That would seem to indicate that there was something "wrong" with the others. I'm simply stating that your statements are inaccurate.

Craftsman ratcheting wrenches, regardless of COO, are built by Danaher. Danaher/KD invented GearWrench ratcheting wrenches. They're all high-quality tools, regardless of COO. If they were all built in the USA, that'd be great, but in this particular case, COO has no bearing on the quality, and I challenge you to produce any evidence that the USA-made ones are better in any way - not even "far" better, just better.

 

[472scout]

I have the a set of the Chinese Gearwrenches and a set of the USA Craftsman's. Comparing them side by side the Craftsman's are a little nicer.

 

[RhodesSpeedShop]

I have a set and they work great. Hell of a deal too.

 

[CD360]

I use the gearwrench flex head wrenches daily and they are great. No problems with them. I bought the sets when they were 1/2 off

 

[FergusonTO35]

if you want high quality USA made ones...get some Armstrongs or Cornwell's unless you're willing to pony up snap on pricing

Never seen a USA made Cornwell gear wrench, other than the old fashioned ones made out of riveted sheetmetal. I have a Matco set of these and they work great other than being more bulky than the Gearwrench type.

 

[-Brent-]

I've got both the Cman USA made metric (nearly new condition) and SAE (used a ton) and I really like them.

 

[383]

I went to Sears today and looked at them, they are made in China. Regular price was $79.99, on sale for $39.99. They had a reversible set with the 5 deg. offset head for $114, I think they would be a lot more useful. I guess I'll wait a while and see if they go on sale.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I just looked at the website, these have a lifetime warranty. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...=11&blockNo=11&blockType=G11&isABTestAvl=true Don't know if they are made in the USA. Craftsman has another set of ratcheting wrenches for $59.99, but doesn't mention a lifetime warranty.http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...dNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2&isABTestAvl=true

The second link, it says in the description box that they are guaranteed forever.

I also noticed that you already looked at them. I have the reversible ones with the lever. I do like these better. I have a few that have to be flipped over to reverse and it can be a PITA sometimes, like underneath or behind something.

 

[powertrip]

You phrased it to insinuate that there were quality issues with the Chinese-production Craftsman ratcheting wrenches, and explicitly stated that the USA-made ones are of a higher quality.

That would seem to indicate that there was something "wrong" with the others. I'm simply stating that your statements are inaccurate.

Craftsman ratcheting wrenches, regardless of COO, are built by Danaher. Danaher/KD invented GearWrench ratcheting wrenches. They're all high-quality tools, regardless of COO. If they were all built in the USA, that'd be great, but in this particular case, COO has no bearing on the quality, and I challenge you to produce any evidence that the USA-made ones are better in any way - not even "far" better, just better.

You should do less time reading into what you think i was insinuating and more time reading what i actually wrote. Im not trying to confuse only stating the facts. Quality difference case in point, the open end of the usa made wrenches is more compact than the asian ones. Will it make much of a difference to most user, probably not, but on that occasion you need a more compact size this design quality feature is a factor. Also i personally believe usa steel is the best in the world. Will you break an asian wrench, probably not. But i would rather have US steel if there was a choice. Once again, i own both types usa and asian as well as flex gearwrenches. Im done with this subject. To the op, these wrenches will serve you fine.

 

[sjdon67]

The work great for me. Have to say USA on them though.

 

[Farmer Joe]

I also own a set of metric gearwrench, have worked great for me so far. I'd love to try the Cman ones out too. Maybe I'll look into getting a set of SAE ones from them to try them out

 

[ridestreet]

i have both a SAE and a metric set of the USA reversable ratcheting wrenches and i love them, got them for stupid cheap at the BX on base in 2005-2006 time frame, only paid $38 a set i think