Codejack
Banned
Well, my OCD kicked and I went and looked it up; all of my old Hondas had 14mm slide caliper bolts and 17mm bracket bolts, so he was spot on.
I think it was a bracket bolt, though, so it was probably a 17mm that I kept breaking.
Have Craftsman tools become the lowest quality tools?
- Thread starter deberly12
- Start date
Well, my OCD kicked and I went and looked it up; all of my old Hondas had 14mm slide caliper bolts and 17mm bracket bolts, so he was spot on.
I think it was a bracket bolt, though, so it was probably a 17mm that I kept breaking.
c39er
Well-known member
Sorry.....I was referring to bolt head hex size.
c39er
Well-known member
To be fair, this was 20 years ago, on a 10-year-old Honda at the time; I may have mis-remembered, or maybe they used a different size 30 years ago
What's the cheapest stuff you would buy? Just curious.
I am retiring and still have tons of tools.
Thank goodness I don't have any need to buy new tools.
I really do not know what I would but if the need came up.
.... I'd search ebay to replace damaged tools i think..trying to find nice clean snap-on or old craftsman (70's back) tools.
Codejack
Banned
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=365989
I'm buying used Snap On ratchets off of ebay and new thin wall cro-moly impact sockets from Gearwrench and Pittsburgh Pro (the better line of Harbor Freight stuff).
~$300 for a basically complete 3/8" and 1/2" set.
Rumor has it some Japanese manufacturers are switching to ISO from JIS which is too bad. JIS is the easiest to work on since it requires the fewest tools and is generally easy to eyeball the size.
Codejack
Banned
As long as they stick to one standard on the vehicle. Working on a GM truck with the Duramax you are dealing with both standards. By the time you are done any significant repair about the only sizes left in the tool box are 11 an 16mm, all the others are out on your tool cart.
driz
Well-known member
Boy oh boy you are just so disgustingly right. What wn unnecessarily useless mixed up mess. I want so far is the fill-in the lettering on the stamping some my metrics so at least I can sort the metrics out from the US and it still ***** ***[emoji1361]
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Al Borland
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2016
- Messages
- 1,599
Not just the Duramax. My 2006 1500 with 4.3 (SBC with 2 cylinders M.I.A.) has a lovely mix of fasteners.
driz
Well-known member
I wiped my end wrenches with lacquer thinner them painted the depressed areas , all of it with red enamel . Then lightly wiped it to leave the paint in the useless ******** lettering on them. It really helps and has stayed on very well a couple years now.
Now of course of the manufactures would leave off all that useless ******** they put in those wrenches and just make the numbers very large so that people could actually see them. The world would be a better place but I'm not holding my breath.
From a quarter inch sockets are use those cobalts from Lowe's and they have blue and red to differentiate them which really comes in handy. I even like those small plastic sticks that they come on. 5 years later and they haven't broken. Best of all their six-point sockets.
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I have always lusted for Snap-On Ratchets, as my CM are about as sensitive as a brick. But other then the slight surface rust, they have treated me well. Granted, I am only a shade tree diy mechanic, so I can understand how others could demand more from their tools.
Codejack
Banned
Try the pittsburgh pro ratchets from harbor freight.
I have a snap on 3/8" dual 80, a 1/4" HF flex head and a 1/2" HF extendable, both 72-tooth. HF is 90% as good for 15% the price.
Today was the first time I stressed my 1/4" flex head; setting spark time and some of the distributor bolts were overtorqued, so I started to go inside for the 3/8" set when I thought, "Wait a minute, why not try it? It's got a lifetime warranty."
I probably put 40 ft-lb on it, and it held like a champ.
"I would buy again."
Too me, Craftsman is still a good brand. However I have more options to buy other brands, but if Sears is having a sale you can guarantee I will be there, still some good deals.
When the Sears in the mall closed I went every other day to buy their tools.
When the Sears in the mall closed I went every other day to buy their tools.
I'm still a fan.
I must have 10K or more in Craftsman tools from over the years, and anytime I see a sears still open I stop in and check them out. Last time I picked up some mini utility knife blades, and got a great snap ring plier for those stupid Kia external snap rings. I've been looking at one on the matco truck for $36, and got it at sears for 8.99 Not bad, and looks to be good quality.
Much like Radio Shack, everyone likes to bag on them, but when the last sears shuts we will all be whining about it.
I must have 10K or more in Craftsman tools from over the years, and anytime I see a sears still open I stop in and check them out. Last time I picked up some mini utility knife blades, and got a great snap ring plier for those stupid Kia external snap rings. I've been looking at one on the matco truck for $36, and got it at sears for 8.99 Not bad, and looks to be good quality.
Much like Radio Shack, everyone likes to bag on them, but when the last sears shuts we will all be whining about it.
Well they did replace the rusty (out of the box) sockets unfortunately they gave me one 12 pt in place of the 6. I didn't see it till I got home....I was very unhappy so I went back and exchanged the 12 for a 6
Side note why so many 12 pt sockets.... I get why they exist but recently in the cheaper tools it is getting hard to find 6 pts. When you are working with rusty stuff the 6 is way better!!
Yes there are good deals there. I keep "buying" cman stuff but mostly it is free or mostly free. I get free points from the win it app and ever 2 weeks or so I will have 15-20 bucks in points. Pair that with some gimmicks and you can get really cheap stuff. Cman used to be the best value. Not the cheapest but great quality for decent money. Recently the quality is lower than HF...or very much else.
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Side note why so many 12 pt sockets.... I get why they exist but recently in the cheaper tools it is getting hard to find 6 pts. When you are working with rusty stuff the 6 is way better!!
Yes there are good deals there. I keep "buying" cman stuff but mostly it is free or mostly free. I get free points from the win it app and ever 2 weeks or so I will have 15-20 bucks in points. Pair that with some gimmicks and you can get really cheap stuff. Cman used to be the best value. Not the cheapest but great quality for decent money. Recently the quality is lower than HF...or very much else.
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buffalobill
Well-known member
What a bunch of nuts, where do you get cornwell, besides online?And if you are buying off a truck, not much price difference between cornwell and snap on.
Imo, if I was starting from scratch, I'd probably buy a nice sized box and fill it with carlyle tools, my local Napa always has decent prices and a good spread of stuff.
We have a few Cornwell trucks roaming around this area. Probably 2nd most common after Snap on
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kctyphoon
Banned
<yawn> wake me up when the sockets stop taking bolts off...
BDT/NWMN
Well-known member
Comparing the quality of low cost tools reminds Me of Women in a beauty contest....
Someone would justifiably be offended if an ugly award was given to the contestant who received the least points. That contestant is someone's Daughter, Sister, Wife, or Girlfriend.
Likewise; some are offended when their low cost tools don't receive the praise given to professional line tools.. I don't expect high quality from any of the low cost lines; but will buy sets of HF impact sockets; and love those pneumatic 3" cutoff wheels like a Daughter, and I still have some cheapo USA Craftsman screwdrivers. But, these are some exceptions. My mainstays are ProTo, SnapOn, SK, and other select primarily USA tool brands.
I have tried bargain line and store branded tools to fill in gaps and keep tool kits in all the vehicles.. Some of this stuff is ok, and some just pissed me off when using it, so much of it has been given away.
Someone would justifiably be offended if an ugly award was given to the contestant who received the least points. That contestant is someone's Daughter, Sister, Wife, or Girlfriend.
Likewise; some are offended when their low cost tools don't receive the praise given to professional line tools.. I don't expect high quality from any of the low cost lines; but will buy sets of HF impact sockets; and love those pneumatic 3" cutoff wheels like a Daughter, and I still have some cheapo USA Craftsman screwdrivers. But, these are some exceptions. My mainstays are ProTo, SnapOn, SK, and other select primarily USA tool brands.
I have tried bargain line and store branded tools to fill in gaps and keep tool kits in all the vehicles.. Some of this stuff is ok, and some just pissed me off when using it, so much of it has been given away.
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buffalobill
Well-known member
Lucky, I think we have one, but its a phantom truck, you only see it speeding in the other direction when you're busy.
Codejack
Banned
Well, to those of us who cannot afford high cost tools, the difference is important.
BDT/NWMN
Well-known member
what a coincidence: I put in a good word for HF impact socket sets, ant that is what You bought. You say You like the SnapOn ratchets - I received a new 1/4 drive SnapOn flex head in the mail last Friday.
You showed pictures of some disgusting Craftsman wrenches; I have some from back in the 70's that are still in use. None of mine have ever looked that disgusting, and some have been used extensively. But mine are twenty years older than years, so the Craftsman name may be the only thing in common. Mine were bought for small jobs at home; and My good tools stayed at work. They were ok wrenches for what I used them for; but their best point was the price.
I had Craftsman 1/2 and 1/4 drive socket sets from the 60's and 70's that are still good tools.. I have been giving much of this stuff to My kids so they wouldn't feel the need to go out and buy new stuff.
As far as hand tools go; in the last ten years; I regret buying anything that has a chrome finish and and the Craftsman name. I would still buy their USA made hammers and cheapo USA WF screwdrivers if I can find them when shopping at Sears; but I think of the place as a flea market.
Craftsman may not be the lowest quality in today's tool market; but there are often better choices to be found.