Craftsman V Series...

[Fedwrench]

Normally Farm & Fleet has them too (they were one of the few places besides Ace and Orchard Hardware when Sears first started licensing them) but I had to buy the overdrives from their website (free shipping to home fortunately).

Farm & Fleet, Orchard Hardware? sounds like stores that are scared of the desert I don't think Menards goes anywhere that's hot either

 

[finn]

Farm & Fleet, Orchard Hardware? sounds like stores that are scared of the desert I don't think Menards goes anywhere that's hot either

The world revolves around the sun, not the desert.

 

[Fedwrench]

The world revolves around the sun, not the desert.

From my sandbox days playing Army, "the desert shall inherit the earth"

 

[haneyrm]

Just back from Lowes and picked up another 1/2” V series ratchet for $18.

Same process with every ratchet I buy. Quick lube and run it on the drill for a minute or two in each direction and these ratchets are excellent.

I cannot find a better ratchet for $18.

 

[Andres26tnt]

How do you know that? They have one HELL of an investment into the name, I don't think they have made that profitable yet.

I know from their quarter earnings and massive sales via online retailers like Amazon. You know Lowes it's the only retailers they are using to sell right? Craftsman is more popular online, I see more sales online vs retail.

 

[Farmall450]

Farm & Fleet, Orchard Hardware? sounds like stores that are scared of the desert I don't think Menards goes anywhere that's hot either

I think Orchard was west coast? F&F and Menards are based in WI.

 

[Andres26tnt]

I've used several of their tools. Ratchets, sockets, and swing arc mainly, was not very impressed. There is no argument that the Craftsman name holds value, why else would SBD spend millions purchasing it. But to purchase an iconic brand just to cheapen it out and ruin the name is very concerning. I know this isn't the only brand to suffer a similar fate, as global companies mere and things get realigned. It's just upsetting to watch.

Have you been asleep for the last 30 years? Stanley didn't cheapened the brand, sears did a long time ago. They started with lobster claw wrenches and Plastic selector switch ratchets. Also what did Stanley B&D buy, seems to me people forget. They bought a name only, no factories, no stock.

 

[allinon72]

Just back from Lowes and picked up another 1/2” V series ratchet for $18.

Same process with every ratchet I buy. Quick lube and run it on the drill for a minute or two in each direction and these ratchets are excellent.

I cannot find a better ratchet for $18.

I need to try the drill trick…what’s your method on getting the lube into the sealed head?

 

[Farmall450]

I need to try the drill trick…what’s your method on getting the lube into the sealed head?

Or...use it

 

[allinon72]

Or...use it

Blasphemy

 

[finn]

Blasphemy

Might scratch the pretty chrome?

Ace is still showing listings / Inventory for V series. I think Amazon has some, too.

Too bad they’re not at the price points Lowes was selling at.

 

[Andres26tnt]

I need to try the drill trick…what’s your method on getting the lube into the sealed head?

You could either submerge it in low viscosity lube for a few days while running it through a few times. Or you could get a watch Syringe to force the lube down the switch lever. The only place that has no o ring.

I recommend the syringe because it has a super tiny flexible tube. It work great.

 

[finn]

From my sandbox days playing Army, "the desert shall inherit the earth"

Sounds like an attempt at brainwashing.

 

[Toold_up]

Have you been asleep for the last 30 years? Stanley didn't cheapened the brand, sears did a long time ago. They started with lobster claw wrenches and Plastic selector switch ratchets. Also what did Stanley B&D buy, seems to me people forget. They bought a name only, no factories, no stock.

Quarterly earnings does not reflect product sales. You are looking at company wide numbers.

What is the net income from the Craftsman brand? I doubt they are turning a profit on that line of business... Unless they play games with depreciation and claim massive loss as a tax hedge.

 

[terrific]

I do like the reverse fork design on the flex heads but, that tiny comfort handle on the 1/4 drive flex head is laughable.

I know I'm not bringing anything new to the conversation, but why do companies do that!? Am I supposed to hold out my pinky while using a 1/4" ratchet? You can scale the rest of the design between drive sizes, but leave the handle alone!

 

[Ohio Andy]

I know I'm not bringing anything new to the conversation, but why do companies do that!? Am I supposed to hold out my pinky while using a 1/4" ratchet? You can scale the rest of the design between drive sizes, but leave the handle alone!

You know I'm going to do that next time. I use a quarter inch ratchet right

 

[IRQVET]

Also what did Stanley B&D buy, seems to me people forget. They bought a name only, no factories, no stock.

Are you trying to make my point for me? Don't forget, prior to 2008 . . .

Craftsman is branding, not a tool manufacturer- never were. But the Craftsman name has been held to high standard as the companies they use to manufacturer said tools, under their branding, historically- were held to VERY high standards. . . not so much anymore. Which is very evident with this new V-Series line, and the clearance sections across the country are now trying to carry that branding to their unfortunate finish line.

 

[dchawk81]

Are you trying to make my point for me? Don't forget, prior to 2008 . . .

Craftsman is branding, not a tool manufacturer- never were. But the Craftsman name has been held to high standard as the companies they use to manufacturer said tools, under their branding, historically- were held to VERY high standards. . . not so much anymore. Which is very evident with this new V-Series line, and the clearance sections across the country are now trying to carry that branding to their unfortunate finish line.

I don't remember Craftsman ever being particularly high standard. It was just Sears' house brand and easy to acquire since almost every town had a Sears.

I asked my dad what he used when he had his garage in the 70s and 80s and he said mostly Craftsman. I asked if that's what he preferred. He said no it was just what he could afford.

 

[Ohio Andy]

I don't remember Craftsman ever being particularly high standard. It was just Sears' house brand and easy to acquire since almost every town had a Sears.

I asked my dad what he used when he had his garage in the 70s and 80s and he said mostly Craftsman. I asked if that's what he preferred. He said no it was just what he could afford.

When I knew nothing about tools and the junk ratchet I had been given failed on first use and I smacked at my hand and hurt myself, I went to Sears and I felt like I was spending a lot of money buying my first ratchet set. Actually it had a bunch of tools in it. That was early 90's.

They were so much better than what I had used before.

 

[dchawk81]

When I knew nothing about tools and the junk ratchet I had been given failed on first use and I smacked at my hand and hurt myself, I went to Sears and I felt like I was spending a lot of money buying my first ratchet set. Actually it had a bunch of tools in it. That was early 90's.

They were so much better than what I had used before.

I never said they were the bottom or that worse doesn't/didn't exist.

 

[haneyrm]

I need to try the drill trick…what’s your method on getting the lube into the sealed head?

I use a light oil with a needle point spout to direct lube into the area around the direction switch. Works great and really loosens up these ratchets. Run the drill slow. Too fast and they will heat up and you might damage the O-ring or the seal collar.

These may not be SO, Matco, etc. ratchets but they seem quite a bit better than the $18 price tag would typically indicate.

I know this is probably an unpopular opinion among the professionals around here but I do wish these ratchets had a quick release button. The spring ball detents are very stiff and removing sockets with greasy hands can sometimes be tricky. I don’t typically wear gloves so that’s probably just a me problem.

 

[Hakeem]

I'm digging the overdrive long panel wrenches similar to FD+ or Icon. Need some crusty brass or aluminum fittings to really test the open ends tho. However, the Torque Test Channel testing showed the overdrive wrenches are super legit (and nicely finished). Way better than a PT-esque wrench set, or any auto part store's (other than Carlyle).

Yes! I grabbed those in SAE a while back and plan on getting them in metric at some point. The 6-pt box end with “teeth” is something you can’t easily find on other wrenches. Haven’t had to use them yet but they sure pass the “eye test”


Stuff like this, their Xtract hex bit sockets — these are genuinely innovative, useful tools sold for reasonable prices. Hope to see more from them.

 

[Ohio Andy]

I never said they were the bottom or that worse doesn't/didn't exist.

Didn't think you did.... I did not even know better tools existed though.

 

[Andres26tnt]

Quarterly earnings does not reflect product sales. You are looking at company wide numbers.

What is the net income from the Craftsman brand? I doubt they are turning a profit on that line of business... Unless they play games with depreciation and claim massive loss as a tax hedge.

Sales data from different retailers is tho . They definitely making money, how much not sure . Like a someone said here, y'all really think the biggest tool conglomerate is dumb? Come on guys y'all know better. The V line, is such a small part of craftsman anyway. You know they got more stuff.

 

[Andres26tnt]

Are you trying to make my point for me? Don't forget, prior to 2008 . . .

Craftsman is branding, not a tool manufacturer- never were. But the Craftsman name has been held to high standard as the companies they use to manufacturer said tools, under their branding, historically- were held to VERY high standards. . . not so much anymore. Which is very evident with this new V-Series line, and the clearance sections across the country are now trying to carry that branding to their unfortunate finish line.

Brother the V line is such a small tool line, they have other tools. What point? you are wrong, because the decline didn't start with Stanley . Stanley only bought a name, the brand was already cheapened for years. Technically sears Craftsman is still around. Not sure what you guys are remembering because craftsman wasn't highly regarded, or had high standards. They switched supplier so many times that quality dropped. It was regarded as a great cheap USA tool like with and Innovative lifetime warranty. It never competed with snap-on or any of the highly regarded tool brands.

 

[Andres26tnt]

I use a light oil with a needle point spout to direct lube into the area around the direction switch. Works great and really loosens up these ratchets. Run the drill slow. Too fast and they will heat up and you might damage the O-ring or the seal collar.

These may not be SO, Matco, etc. ratchets but they seem quite a bit better than the $18 price tag would typically indicate.

I know this is probably an unpopular opinion among the professionals around here but I do wish these ratchets had a quick release button. The spring ball detents are very stiff and removing sockets with greasy hands can sometimes be tricky. I don’t typically wear gloves so that’s probably just a me problem.

I agree, people just want to complaint about craftsman. I also wish it had a QR, I actually like the 3/8 a lot. The grip fits my hand perfectly and after lubing it, it improves. I'm sure Stanley is taking notes, they did fix some of the chunky 72t ratchets from the normal line.

 

[Qualitytools]

I think Orchard was west coast? F&F and Menards are based in WI.

We had Orchard in California but gone now replaced by ACE

 

[milkovich]

It was a horrid experience that mimics yours. Blowes is awful. The employees are clueless and anti-helpful.

You mean you don't like being followed by a spotlight and police dogs? I haven't shoplifted since I was a little kid and I feel like a perp at HD/Lowes. I don't even look at the tool sections. I get my lumber/plumbing and I get the heck out. If I want to "browse" we're lucky enough to have Menards and "Amish" home improvement stores in the area where it doesn't feel like a prison commissary.

 

[Jtels85]

You mean you don't like being followed by a spotlight and police dogs? I haven't shoplifted since I was a little kid and I feel like a perp at HD/Lowes. I don't even look at the tool sections. I get my lumber/plumbing and I get the heck out. If I want to "browse" we're lucky enough to have Menards and "Amish" home improvement stores in the area where it doesn't feel like a prison commissary.

This is the reason why I stopped shopping at Lowe's. I began noticing the employees hovering and following me around the store while I shopped, on more than one occasion. The last time it happened, I was looking at Craftsman Overdrive sets in the tool department and an employee asked if I needed help. I politely said "No thank you, just looking", so he proceeded to 'straighten things up' along the aisle, all while staying near me and moving to another aisle if I moved there. As someone who makes it a point to be aware of my surrounding at all times, it was nerving.

 

[Dh3256]

However, it's clear nobody likes the ratchets. If SBD is smart, they'll use this market feedback to improve.

Actually, LOTs of people like the ratchets, myself included...

 

[Toold_up]

Sales data from different retailers is tho . They definitely making money, how much not sure . Like a someone said here, y'all really think the biggest tool conglomerate is dumb? Come on guys y'all know better. The V line, is such a small part of craftsman anyway. You know they got more stuff.

Who said they are dumb?

My biggest issue with SBD is that they promised to build up domestic manufacturing. They had a strong campaign and said all the things, but in the end... what can you do?

I THINK that the craftsman line of business is still afloat because SDB has other lines of business still bringing in a profit for the business. Not every line of business needs to be profitable for a business to be profitable...

 

[Odd-job]

So far they have shut down the dallas tool plant.... I'd love to see some tarrifs on foreign goods

No politics

Personally as a getting old (and cranky) GJ member I too hope to see some tariffs on some limited goods at least to the extent we can see some more USA tool offerings. I just hope there isn't the good ole boom and bust cycle that tariffs and other mechanisms tend to cause when policies inevitably change and the rug gets pulled out from under things. That Dallas plant didn't last long. It doesn't sound like the prospect of tariffs is keeping that Dewitt Nebraska facility open either.

DeWitt factory to close next year

A tool manufacturer announced plans this week to shut down a nearby manufacturing plant.

beatricedailysun.com

On the flip side does this mean we should be buying up Canadian (Gray and what else?) tools before the tariffs hit?

The second major error SBD made was with the tools themselves. They should have rebadged the entire FACOM/USAG line up.

I would beg to differ. I think it was a good hearted experiment to see if the typical American (not crazy tool addict GJ members) would appreciate some European tool diversity and sophistication. Doesn't sound like this is the case though and we will all soon to be back to buying Facom 440s and USAG off of Mister Worker and other Euro tool vendors.

However, it's clear nobody likes the ratchets.

I might have missed this, but does the Craftsman use the same 90t from the new gearwrenches?

While I am all for progression and trying to build a better mouse trap, I do wonder if we are hitting the limits of ratchet technology. Feel like the same progression or lack thereof is happening with bicycle hubs to a certain extent with diminishing marginal returns as they say.

 

[Toold_up]

No politics

Who said anything about politics? I'm talking about trade.

 

[Bubba Fett]

Craftsman was NEVER a top-of-the line brand. They were the Sears STORE BRAND.

For a long time, they had good tools at good prices. After a wile, it wasn't sustainable, and Sears ended up selling what amounts to licensed Chinese knockoffs, while the competition offered similar quality tools for much lower prices. This, along with many other poor decisions from completely incompetent leadership has led to a slow-death of Sears.

SBD tried to open a new USA tool plant, but they couldn't get it to work due to labor/raw materials/machining issues (no doubt the Pandemic played a major part in this). IMO, Proto and Mac should be the USA-made options. From a profitability standpoint, Taiwan-sourced makes more sense for Craftsman. Lets be honest, a lot of the Tawian-made stuff is better than the old Craftsman, anyway, especially stuff from Sears' latter days.

I do think SBD bought the Craftsman brand mainly to keep other companies from getting it. I also think that Ideal Industries would have been a better fit, since around that time, they had Western Forge and Pratt-Read, who were major suppliers of many of the classic Craftsman tools in the first place. But they probably didn't have anywhere near enough financial resources to purchase the brand.

It was either gonna be SBD or Apex, and I doubt Apex would have even thought for a second about trying to re-shore. We would have had rebranded SATA/Duratech, and people would still be complaining. Plus Apex Tool Group is apparently for sale anyway. Like it or not, SBD was basically the only hope Craftsman had.

It's too bad the new Dallas plant didn't work out, but they tried, which is more than I can say for most other companies.

 

[lund]

Brother the V line is such a small tool line, they have other tools. What point? you are wrong, because the decline didn't start with Stanley . Stanley only bought a name, the brand was already cheapened for years. Technically sears Craftsman is still around. Not sure what you guys are remembering because craftsman wasn't highly regarded, or had high standards. They switched supplier so many times that quality dropped. It was regarded as a great cheap USA tool like with and Innovative lifetime warranty. It never competed with snap-on or any of the highly regarded tool brands.

There were many lines of Craftsman rebands. Some periods they were briefly pretty good for reasonable price. For a while, their pro mechanic tool lines were essentially the same as usa made Matco in the early 90s but were cheap and you could get warrantied or pick up replacements or set additions for any missing but needed sizes at any Sears. They were a super deal. But in Sears' death spiral, they offshored and cheapened production without dropping price to make more profit. Sales declined and so did the reputation. Why buy cheap Chinese junk at higher prices. So they lost what was special. To most growing up from 2000 onward, Craftsman was mostly ovrepriced junk living on their old value brand rep.

 

[racer1735]

I'm happy to say that the bulk of my tools are Craftsman, purchased between 1981 and 2004. Since that time, I've gone the HF route with whatever passes as their 'better' stuff ... Pittsburgh Pro and now Icon. Sprinkled in with some USAG screwdrivers (soon to arrive).

 

[finn]

I'm happy to say that the bulk of my tools are Craftsman, purchased between 1981 and 2004. Since that time, I've gone the HF route with whatever passes as their 'better' stuff ... Pittsburgh Pro and now Icon. Sprinkled in with some USAG screwdrivers (soon to arrive).

I started out with SK-Wayne in the sixties, then some Montgomery Wards Powercraft in the very late sixties, followed mostly by USA Craftsmam in the seventies and early eighties, and Wright, SnapOn, and Matco in the 90s and beyond, so I really don’t have much of the “Chinese era “ Craftsman to complain about, although I am sure there are some mixed in there somewhere.

I do have some Pittsburgh, which I absolutely abhor for the most part ( except for the little 3/8 drive composite ratchet which is great in the cold). There are also some Performance Tool and unbranded imports that are floating around in my boxes that I avoid using like the plague. They’re gradually getting shuffled to various sheds, lean tos, etc where I only occasionally need tools.

Lately I have been picking up anything from Crescent to Gearwrench, plus a few Amazon imports, none of which I have a problem with, despite hearing a lot of hate here.

The dark chrome Craftsman wrenches I picked up in the spring, and the V series I picked up around Black Friday are, in retrospect, the only Craftsman wrenches and ratchets I bought in years. They’re satisfactory so far.

 

[dchawk81]

Didn't think you did.... I did not even know better tools existed though.

Sorry I misinterpreted what you were saying.

 

[Ohio Andy]

Sorry I misinterpreted what you were saying.

Oh dude, no worries. My wife recently told me that I always assume the best in people.

And you make good points, so keep at it

 

[dchawk81]

Oh dude, no worries. My wife recently told me that I always assume the best in people.

And you make good points, so keep at it

Assuming the best in me is a really bad idea.

Edit: wait when did I ever make a good point? I need to record that.