Craftsman wrenches

[blue dog]

I have been interested in picking up some of the flex head reversible ratcheting wrenches sets in metric and fractional. I picked up the 2010 - 2011 catalog and notice that all adds that display a photograph of the wrenches, the wrenches are displayed so as not to see forged in USA.
The other day i went to sears for something else and walked into the tool section, for the first time i have seen with my own eyes all of the china wrenches. I did notice that the china wrench sets have different packaging then the USA wrench sets.
I will get to my point, I was going to order them from the catalog due to the sets offered are more complete and are cheaper then the store, but i was wondering how to insure that i get USA forged sets as opposed to ones made in china.
Lastly, what is the general consensus of the cross force wrenches?
Please , lets not turn this into a craftsman trash talk fest. Just asking questions.

 

[gc11090]

Just remember, if one breaks, it will be replaced with a china one....

 

[jeffk14]

blue dog, I've looked at the cross force wrenches myself. I don't think much of them They seem like a solution looking for a problem to me. I just don't see the need.

 

[Skin]

i know they offshored their combination ratcheting box wrench, thought the locking flex were still safe, havent seen a chinese package myself. Personally i'd chance it and then just chew them out if they dont say USA. Dont forget the online sets are open stock bagged and tagged without any packaging so i think you'd be safe. You'll know the COO immediatly because it will either have a big ol USA on it or not.

re:cross force/xbeam/maxx beam etc... i think they're great. Dont get the skepticism here one bit. The idea is so simple and so effective its brilliant. Unless your combo wrenches only come out when you have an inch of space to work in or less they're far superior to the regular wrench. Also great for areas where its tough to fit in a ratchet head and socket. They've easily earned their place and arent nearly as novelty other specialty wrench designs which i'm sure many here own.

For the record i dont own the cross force specifically but rather X-Beams which i've had for around a year. From using them i've become a complete convert. I'll get the CMans eventually just waiting for a good sale.

 

[a.pengue]

Im not talking all the time here, but sometimes, made in the USA is a little too hyped up. Depending on the tool you go for, its okay to go for china ones, especially wrenches. theyre metal like anything else and have a lifetime warranty anyway. Lots of things are made in china, even the oh so loved ingersoll rands, except for the MAX series.

 

[Fedwrench]

There's no way to definitely only get a US made set from the catalog or online. The set numbers are the same and whatever the dude filling your order grabs off the shelf is your destiny. Do you feel lucky?

As for the Crossforce/armstrong maxx wrench design, I like it. Now it may not be everything to everyone but, if you've ever felt the sting of of a narrow beam wrench in the palm of your hand as to pull with your body weight, you'll like the crossforce. The bottom line is that it's thick where you wrap your hand around it making it comfortable as you exert torque. people claim the design means it won't fit in crowded engine compartments. I think it fits in 95% of the places. There's always a fastner that's a pain to get to. Anyway, pick a set up on sale and give them a try. I have the fixed and reversible ratcheting sets and like them. They are perfect for any application where you might tap on the wrench with the heel of your hand to give it a little persuasion.
Now the downside, while at Sears the other day snooping for Christmas tools, I noticed that the Crossforce sets are now made in the PRC. If you won't buy imported tools, you can probably pick up an Armstrong branded Maxx set on ebay for cheap.

 

[Old Donn]

Picked up the GearWrench version of Crossforce, (X-Beam), on a half price sale at Sears a few years back. Ran into the clearance issue mentioned above the one time I tried using them, they've sat in the tool chest ever since. I agree pulling on a standard combo can be uncomfortable, especially my C-man Pros or Bonneys, but that's why they make Mechanix gloves.

 

[HandyManny]

Thanks for sharing. Either way none of it matters to me anymore. The bit of Craftsman hand tools I own are mostly older ones and seem to be of much better quality than a lot of the newer USA stuff that Craftsman if offering today. Until recently I would occasionally buy Craftsman sockets as a quick replacement to the occasional Proto or S-K ones that I either lost or damaged, because it was quick and easy to replace them with Cmans rather than pay shipping for warranty exchange on one or two sockets. Sometimes if I needed a certain tool real quick and didn't want to spend a fortune I'd go to Sears. No longer!! Anymore I think it's terribly embarrassing to see the USA lable stamped on the newer much lower quality Craftsman tools that are being sold today.

For sockets, ratchets, and extentions I had never taken the Duralast brand at Autozone very seriously at all, wrote it off as cheap Taiwanese junk. In fact I rarely bought much more than shop towels, or ice scrapers from Autozone. But I will say that from buying and using a few Duralast sockets, extentions, and a ratchet recently I can honestly say that I am over the top impressed with the fit, finish, function, and quality of these Duralast tools, the price isn't bad either. I don't care if they are made in Taiwan. Duralast is 100% better quality than any socket, extention, or ratchet that Craftsman is offering today. I'd rather that Craftsman just remove the USA stamp off of the junk they're selling today. It really is embarrassing. None of it even comes close to comparing to the older quality stuff they used to offer years ago. The new Cman sockets and ratchets even feel like total junk compared to the Duralast stuff. It's also nice to see knurling on an extention like those on the Duralast, that's something you used to only find on the truck brands. Cman has gone to ****, maybe their Chinese made stuff will rescue their reputation. Just my opinion.

 

[Boost Creep]

perhaps try calling in your order and specifically ask for a usa made set and tell them if they don't have any available you're not interested. or write that into the order notes if you buy online