Craftsman USA Sockets

[Clasik]

I'm a huge fan of the =v= Craftsman sockets and other hand tools, and was just wondering what series others found was their favorite. Whether it be how strong a series was, felt, looked or just overall personal experiences.
=v= -v- -vv- -EE- -G- -G1- -G2-
Let me know! Would like to know what everyone thinks or get some stories.

 

[Al Borland]

1/2" drive "Circle H", industrial finish. Had them about 40 years. Found them in the trunk of a junk car. Use them constantly. At least 80 years old and still going.

 

[Clasik]

1/2" drive "Circle H", industrial finish. Had them about 40 years. Found them in the trunk of a junk car. Use them constantly. At ;east 80 years old and still going.

Oh man, I forgot all about the BE and Circle H series'. I really like the knurling on the early sockets.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

All of the USA stuff in my opinion was decent. The best and most known I’d say definitely is the V series. EE was partly Taiwan I’ve got mostly the USA series of those and they are noticeably thicker and taller than the rest. I’m a collector of all the USA stuff I primarily collect the V series and the older stuff like BE or Circle H and then the rest of the stuff like EE or G I use. I could sit here and nerd out about Craftsman and my collection all day lol.

 

[Kscardsfan]

I’ve got some G and G2 series that I use all the time with no issues. Until you got way late into the made in USA era/the start of the Chinese production anything after the original V series was pretty much comparable between codes I thought. But I’m not a professional level user eother.

 

[d.mcfarland]

We can all agree that the worst are anything with the strange double detent that lets you put the drive anvil partially into the socket before you realize you need to rotate it slightly and try again.

 

[Tools4Me]

I like any USA Craftsman sockets that are new enough to have off-corner engagement. I only buy tools to use them, and older sockets without off-corner engagement are somewhat obsolete and riskier to use in my opinion, so I don't own any. My Craftsman USA sockets are a mix of G, G1, and G2. They are great sockets for the money and I like how they are easy to replace if I need to modify one for a particular job or if one becomes lost somehow.

I think all my chrome 12pt, most my chrome 6pt shallow, and about half my chrome 6pt deep sockets are Craftsman USA. I have various Snap-on ratchets, wrench sets, and specialty sockets, but I never felt the need to buy Snap-on for my primary use sockets. My Craftsman chrome sockets along with my impact sockets (mostly Taiwan made brands) perform all the tasks I need them to do just fine.

 

[BMoscato]

I'm sorry to hijack your thread, but does anyone know the different series manufactured in the USA that are associated with 3/8 drive metric deep well 6 point sockets and possibly the date range for each?

So far I've located:

EE
V
G
G (inverted)
G1
G2
Laser engraved (appear to be G2)

-Bryan

 

[merkyworks]

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/craftsman-hand-tool-manufacturers-date-ranges.84807/

 

[BMoscato]

Thank you for this! This is amazing!

 

[four.cycle]

BMoscato, welcome to the site!

Please check out the "sticky" on vintage tools HERE: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...ads-faq-helpful-hints-and-handy-links.434502/

If you can't find it there, just ask. Somebody here knows the answer.

 

[ike]

I have a pretty complete set of Craftsman USA sockets. I don't have any 1/2" deep because that's what my only impact sockets are. Mine are G, G2, and G2D, a couple of Armstong sockets, and one Craftsman X (the spark plug socket on the end) that I've never seen another one like it. I bought most of them around 2003-2007 and filled in a few from ebay over the years. They are on Craftsman rails, to further bother those who hate my clean sockets and any mention of Craftsman.

 

[FordTruckWench]

I like any USA Craftsman sockets that are new enough to have off-corner engagement. I only buy tools to use them, and older sockets without off-corner engagement are somewhat obsolete and riskier to use in my opinion, so I don't own any. My Craftsman USA sockets are a mix of G, G1, and G2.

Ditto. I feel that the sockets without off-corner engagement (typically V series) are for collecting, not use. Most of my Crafty sockets are G series.

Note that there have been two styles of off-corner engagement: An older one (often G series) with convex sides - though if you look close each side is made of three surfaces. And a newer one (often G2 series) where the sides are simply flat but the points (corners) are drilled out. I like the older style. However, the drilled corners style probably engages closer to the corners which reduces the need for tensile strength in the sockets.* I suspect that in the drilled corners style they went with lousier metallurgy instead of letting us customers benefit from a stronger socket.

* Stretch a cable across a canyon. You need infinite tension to keep it from sagging. Similarly, to engage a bolt head in the center of each of it's flats requires an infinite strength socket.

 

[Clasik]

I have a pretty complete set of Craftsman USA sockets. I don't have any 1/2" deep because that's what my only impact sockets are. Mine are G, G2, and G2D, a couple of Armstong sockets, and one Craftsman X (the spark plug socket on the end) that I've never seen another one like it. I bought most of them around 2003-2007 and filled in a few from ebay over the years. They are on Craftsman rails, to further bother those who hate my clean sockets and any mention of Craftsman.

I love seeing a clean and organized socket collection haha. I'm currently missing 3 sockets from the =v= era (could possibly not even exist, or I could be 100% wrong) I only collect the 1/4 3/8 and 1/2, as I find the 3/4" drive sockets not worth collecting, especially for the price people want online.

 

[drtyler]

Hard to tell from the pics what the drive sizes are, but it looks like there are some 1/2 drive sockets in 6 point. I don't ever remember seeing those at Sears, only 12 point.

 

[ike]

Hard to tell from the pics what the drive sizes are, but it looks like there are some 1/2 drive sockets in 6 point. I don't ever remember seeing those at Sears, only 12 point.

They are 1/2" six point for the SAE. The larger metric 1/2" sockets, I never saw those in 6 point.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I love seeing a clean and organized socket collection haha. I'm currently missing 3 sockets from the =v= era (could possibly not even exist, or I could be 100% wrong) I only collect the 1/4 3/8 and 1/2, as I find the 3/4" drive sockets not worth collecting, especially for the price people want online.

What sizes are you missing?

 

[Clasik]

What sizes are you missing?

For the =v= shallow 6 point 1/2" drives,
1/2
19/32
15/16
I have a crude picture showing what I have and what I feel like was never made during =v= if you'd like to see that abomination.

 

[Clasik]

I'm also not too worried about the Metric =v= sockets, as those are going to be a long term scavenger hunt for me. Like garage sales and such. More fun that way in my opinion.

 

[Fedwrench]

I'm torn when it comes to Craftsman chrome USA sockets. I like the older ones without the double detent **** on the square drive ends but, they had small and shallow size markings that seemed to wear with age and use. I liked the later dual marked versions because they had a laser etched high vis size marking along the the stamped size marking on each socket but, they had the double detent **** on the square drive end. I think as long as you didn't use them on an impact or cordless tool, the chrome sockets were pretty durable, no frills sockets that got the job done. Around the holidays, you could grab a rack of 3/8 drive sockets for less than 10 bucks

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

For the =v= shallow 6 point 1/2" drives,
1/2
19/32
15/16
I have a crude picture showing what I have and what I feel like was never made during =v= if you'd like to see that abomination.

I think I’ve got a 1/2 6 point =V= series but I can’t remember I’ve got over 1,000 sockets so keeping inventory is hard lol . I know I have 12 point versions of all three but yeah I’m not sure on the 6 point if they were made or not. And you know we gotta have pictures man .

 

[Clasik]

I think I’ve got a 1/2 6 point =V= series but I can’t remember I’ve got over 1,000 sockets so keeping inventory is hard lol . I know I have 12 point versions of all three but yeah I’m not sure on the 6 point if they were made or not. And you know we gotta have pictures man .

Haha, not a thread without pictures.
I'll see if I can remember to take a new picture when I get home from work here. I seem to not have that photo I mentioned on my phone now. No idea where it went.

 

[Clasik]

I think I’ve got a 1/2 6 point =V= series but I can’t remember I’ve got over 1,000 sockets so keeping inventory is hard lol . I know I have 12 point versions of all three but yeah I’m not sure on the 6 point if they were made or not. And you know we gotta have pictures man .

Have some bad angle photos of my =v=
Will have to add better, nicer photos to my gallery soon.

I don't collect Deep sockets or the 3/4" Drives.

>Red: Have but not pictured
>Yellow: Need if they were manufactured
>Black: Assumed to not exist unless someone has proof
And those neat =v= 1/2" drive impacts.

 

[RTM]

We can all agree that the worst are anything with the strange double detent that lets you put the drive anvil partially into the socket before you realize you need to rotate it slightly and try again.

is this what you are referring to.? Found this in my box of random sockets, marked S-AE. Took a moment of looking thru the maker list to realize I was an idiot.

 

[Ricky Joe]

No mention or love for the circle U sockets? In my opinion the best Craftsman ever made.

 

[FordTruckWench]

Have some bad angle photos of my =v=
Will have to add better, nicer photos to my gallery soon.

>Black: Assumed to not exist unless someone has proof

It looks like you have some newer generation sockets on those trays. It isn't clear if you are looking for any USA Craftsman or just =v=. Anyway, here are the part/SKU numbers for your black dots:

1/4dr 9/16 6pt: 43480*/34599
1/4dr 9/16 12pt: 43610*/45810

3/8dr 1/4 6pt: 42999*/45821
3/8dr 1/4 12pt:44351*/34631
3/8dr 5/16 6pt: 43000*/45822
3/8dr 5/16 12pt:44329*/45901
3/8dr 7/8 6pt: 43013*/45832
3/8dr 7/8 12pt: 44339/45903
3/8dr 15/16 6pt: 43020*/45833
3/8dr 15/16 12pt: 44352*/50650
3/8dr 1 6pt: 43021*/45834
3/8dr 1 12pt: 44353*/50651

1/2dr 3/8 6pt: 44053*/45883
1/2dr 3/8 12pt: 47500*/34039
1/2dr 21/32 6pt: not available
1/2dr 21/32 12pt: 47506/50746
1/2dr 25/32 6pt: not available
1/2dr 25/32 12pt: 47509/50747
1/2dr 1 3/16 6pt: 44052*/50735
1/2dr 1 3/16 12pt: 47510*/50748
1/2dr 1 1/2 6pt: not available
1/2dr 1 1/2 12pt: 47518*/50749

The first number is for a classic (stamped size marking) socket, the second for a laser etched and/or dual marked socket. The * after the classic numbers means the number seems out of sequence among the other sizes - thus these are sizes that likely didn't originally exist.

Note that the 12pt 21/32 and 25/32 sizes most certainly should exist in the =v= era!

Adding your yellow dots:

1/2dr 1/2 6pt: 44055/45885
1/2dr 19/32 6pt: not available
1/2dr 15/16 6pt: 44065/45892

 

[d.mcfarland]

is this what you are referring to.? Found this in my box of random sockets, marked S-AE. Took a moment of looking thru the maker list to realize I was an idiot.

Yep. The ratchet drive will go into the detents instead of the actual space it should go.

 

[BMoscato]

is this what you are referring to.? Found this in my box of random sockets, marked S-AE. Took a moment of looking thru the maker list to realize I was an idiot.

I believe that they started the double detent on the G2 series. I have an entire box (Craftsman 33182 182 piece mechanics tool set) that I bought back in 2013 that every socket has the double detent.

 

[ike]

I believe all of my G2 and G2D sockets are double detent. I have H extensions that some are and some are not double detent. I personally have no problems with the double detent.

 

[Clasik]

Note that the 12pt 21/32 and 25/32 sizes most certainly should exist in the =v= era!

Adding your yellow dots:

1/2dr 1/2 6pt: 44055/45885
1/2dr 19/32 6pt: not available
1/2dr 15/16 6pt: 44065/45892

Nice! I'll have to keep an eye out for them then.
But yes, all the sockets in those trays are in fact =v=, no -v- -vv- or anything else.
I only aim to collect the =v= series.
A shame there is no 1/2"dr 19/32 6pt

 

[FordTruckWench]

But yes, all the sockets in those trays are in fact =v=, no -v- -vv- or anything else.
I only aim to collect the =v= series.

The 1/2" drive 6pt 11/16 looks like it is a newer style off-corner engagement socket. And the 3/4 above it looks like the older style off-corner engagement.

A shame there is no 1/2"dr 19/32 6pt

The odd 32's era and the large 6 point socket era probably never overlapped.

I believe that they started the double detent on the G2 series. I have an entire box (Craftsman 33182 182 piece mechanics tool set) that I bought back in 2013 that every socket has the double detent.

Like everything Craftsman, this is not consistent. My inventory spreadsheet says I have numerous G2 sockets with the old style single detent. And a few G and G1 with the double detent.

 

[BMoscato]

Like everything Craftsman, this is not consistent. My inventory spreadsheet says I have numerous G2 sockets with the old style single detent. And a few G and G1 with the double detent.

Very interesting, thanks for the information. Now I'm going to have to go out to the garage and check what I may have missed. lol

 

[Al Borland]

I guess I'm the only one who isn't bothered by the Dopey-Double-Detent...
Common on Husky and some other sockets.
Never had any trouble putting sockets on or getting them back off. They stay on and turn the bolts.

 

[ike]

I checked and all my G sockets are single detent. I found some were GK, and those were double. While we are talking Craftsman sockets, anyone ever had one marked with an X before? It's a 9/16" 30610 is the number on it.

 

[Clasik]

The 1/2" drive 6pt 11/16 looks like it is a newer style off-corner engagement socket. And the 3/4 above it looks like the older style off-corner engagement.


The odd 32's era and the large 6 point socket era probably never

Oh weird! Thanks for the info on that.
I'll take a closer look instead of looking at the photos when I get home from work.

I knew that there were different types of =v= stuff like the ring above the logo going all the way around some of the sockets, but didn't know about the off-corner engagement sockets.

Hmm... I mean, it doesn't hurt my collection at all, but it is nice to know all of the different variations made during the =v= era.

 

[Clasik]

I checked and all my G sockets are single detent. I found some were GK, and those were double. While we are talking Craftsman sockets, anyone ever had one marked with an X before? It's a 9/16" 30610 is the number on it.

Is that just an X on its own or is there another Manufacturer mark on it too?

 

[ike]

The X is the only mark. On the other side of it, it has the size and Made in USA starts directly under the C in Craftsman.

 

[Clasik]

Only thing I can find on just an X manufacturer code is:
"X = Mayhew, ca. 2010 - ?"
Never seen an X code before, so that's kinda neat

 

[Clasik]

I'll drop this here, as I keep opening new tabs whenever I need it haha.
Scroll down a bit to find the codes:

Old Craftsman -VV- dates?

I was just wondering if anyone knew the approximate manufacturing dates of the old Craftsman tools with the -VV- and -V- markings. Thanks, Steve

www.garagejournal.com

 

[FordTruckWench]

I knew that there were different types of =v= stuff like the ring above the logo going all the way around some of the sockets, but didn't know about the off-corner engagement sockets.

The =v= would not have off-corner engagement. That's why I thought you had newer sockets in those trays. Could just be dirt and grease that makes them look that way in the picture.