If you keep breaking tools and hurting yourself, then you are doing something wrong. As Dirty Harry once said, "A man's got to know his limitations." Also, Craftsman does have a pro line for most of their hand tools, which are great tools for a good price.
First thing that crossed my mind.
I was bleeding some brakes and one of the bleeder screws was pretty damned stuck. Even so, Like I said THE POS RATCHET DID'T ENGAGE PROPERLY!
I'll add you to my contacts and you can have dibs on em when I sell the craftsman farm!
1. Who was the genius that tugged on it before seeing if it was engaged?
2. Why are you tugging on a 1/4" ratchet?
Okay now some of you guys seem to be calling me an idiot. WHat do you mean that it could be something I'm doing wrong. I mean, maybe our individual wrenching methods differ slightly but come one. YOU PUT THE SOCKET OVER THE NUT AND TURN THE RATCHET RIGHT?! Atleast thats what I do. WHats your method. Count from ten, two hail mary's and then turn the GD ratchet?
My whole point was and still is that craftsman *****, snap on is too expensive and I was wondering if any of you all regularly used sk and if it was woth a SH**!
From what I have gathered though, it seems like everyone would suggest to go with the SO being that the higher quality is worth the price.
I put the APPROPRIATE ratchet (with a fastener that stuck, this would mean 3/8"), then pull on it and gradually bring up force until it breaks loose. I most certainly wouldn't tug on it without testing it first.
My opinion, 90% of the Craftsman stuff works fine, use it. Get Snap-On ratchets. Again IMHO, sk *****. I find it no better (in several cases, worse) than Craftsman. I've used Craftsman sockets and wrenches professionally for 7.5 years. I've "broken" one wrench, and that was a 1/4", that less than 1/2 the wrench thickness was on the nut, and it deformed it a bit.
I've only broken a handful of tools in 15 years of wrenching (15 years on my own stuff, 7.5 years professionally), and at least 3/4 of them, I was pretty sure what the end result was going to be, before I even started.
Unless those wrenches just had horrible metallurgy going on (not saying it isn't possible), I would bet that 95% of the people on this board would have quit before breaking the wrench, and re-evaluated things. This isn't a put-down to you, I'm just saying with experience comes knowledge. If it's that tight, you want to:
1. Quit before you round the nut.
2. Quit before you break your tool.
3. Think what you can do to help your situation.
Things like a little heat (carefully applied if on a caliper), Kroil, light tapping with a hammer to break rust, using a 1/4" impact to slowly rattle on it, etc., will all help get it loose.
On the line, heat, Kroil, trying to tighten it slightly, a 6 point flare crowfoot and long ratchet, etc., will all help.
Of course, there's always the time you realize you're screwed 6 ways from Sunday, and break out the tubing cutter, or try to get the next line down loose, and replace both.
