Is Craftsman still worth it?

[RuknRole]

I went to Sears yesterday to buy a 17-pc screwdriver set and a 4-pc pliers set, both made in the USA.

While I was there I looked around a bit. I noticed some wrench sets on sale where the finish didn't look all that good. Upon closer inspection, they were made in China. So out of curiosity I checked all sets in the store and to my surprise all were made in China. Same with sockets. I could not find one made in the USA.

This made me question if buying Craftsman is still worth it. With Husky and Kobalt being cheaper than most Craftsman sets when on sale, why not go with those manufacturers since they also offer lifetime warranty?

When I got home I noticed one of the screwdrivers was missing the head. Bummer! I now need to go back and exchange it.

Just such a disappointment!

 

[AceofSpad3s]

I don't think so for the most part, the screwdrivers are pretty crappy even when USA made. I have a pair of slip joint usa pliers with the flush rivet and those are nice and I like the USA rebranded vaughn hammers. But besides that there are not many things worth buying. Harbor freight has really turned out some great stuff now with their pro ratchets and I heard their pro sockets are good too, plus they have the warranty, that what I would do if I really needed a socket set.

 

[sberry]

Sears missed the boat when Walmart came along, then Target and the rest of the big box. They wanted to be cheap vs standing their own ground so to speak and they are cheap, too cheap for them to do it all well, too cheap and too small.
You can find lower prices but at that level its rather moot in regards to tools. Lunch money vs new car payment, Sears aint getting rich robbing anyone.

 

[sberry]

I agree it is disappointing but on a larger scale if a guy needs to tool up some stuff fast and cheap their super sale kits are a steal. Half the tools in a 309 are 10$ as singles and another 25% are 5.
People buy those and break them out for an afternoon at a flea mkt. I seen them broke up in smaller sets.

Its like 200$ on super sale and 4 grand if you were a power shopper on a top truck.

 

[1950mercury]

WHAT craftsman tools are made in china?! Since when, i must live under a rock. I wonder if they are any good. They must have just switched to china prodution. Otherwise im sure questions like the op would have been asked a trillion times.

 

[66354dream]

WHAT craftsman tools are made in china?! Since when, i must live under a rock. I wonder if they are any good. They must have just switched to china prodution. Otherwise im sure questions like the op would have been asked a trillion times.

OP only has 10 posts, give him a break.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Is Craftsman still worth it?

For many consumers; Craftsman tools fill their needs for a low price.. "Well it IS CRAFTSMAN, and it was on sale.. How could anyone go wrong?"


For those who choose better tools; the w.w.w. has an endless selection to drool over. Wright, ProTo, SK and other quality brands may cost a bit more, but this is the choice each of us have to make for ourselves.

 

[Sanny81]

Craftsman is worth it if you make it worth it to you and make the tools work for you.

 

[ibedayank]

last #2 screwdrive I bought from sears lasted less then 4 screws before it stripped... Now I have SK screwdrivers and have yet to have a problem after a couple hundred screws

 

[malykaii]

WHAT craftsman tools are made in china?! Since when, i must live under a rock. I wonder if they are any good. They must have just switched to china prodution. Otherwise im sure questions like the op would have been asked a trillion times.

 

[UserNameAttempt3]

Craftsman stuff is about on par with Husky stuff. Most of which come with lifetime warranties so they are easily replaced. And now that a lot of Ace Hardware's carry C-man, it's a little easier to get a hold of them. I just keep on my van what ever works and is easiest to replace/repair.

 

[dmw16]

I find myself buying from Craftsman less and less and looking at Kobalt more and more when it comes to sourcing things locally. The quality of a lot of the Kobalt stuff is better. And the lifetime warranty that Craftsman has been known for has become less valuable to me since they've discontinued their professional line (made in USA) tools so when I do need a replacement they can't really help me.

The problem Craftsman is really going to have is that their quality has declined while their prices haven't. And the stuff from Harbor Freight is getting better and their prices blow Craftsman out of the water most of the time.

It's too bad since Craftsman is one of the few things keeping Sears going, but I think their days are numbered.

 

[nickleone]

I tried to return a Craftsman ratchet I bought at ACE at Sears.
Guess what? It is only sold at ACE. I returned it here.

Nick

 

[ibedayank]

How ironic...

isn't it... cost more then crapman ... yes last longer of course

 

[CJM8515]

Yea it is not all that great and hasnt been in eons. I much prefer even husky stuff (apex stuff now) sold at home depot.

 

[stihlntime]

As a farm kid I grew up on Craftsman USA made tools. I snapped the shank off a 3/8 drive flex head ratchet I've had for 30 years going in they want to hand me a China made replacement absolute BS. After finding GJ most purchases have been German tools, knipex,Wiha,Wera,Felo, looking at purchasing a set of Stahlwihle wrenches. You get what you pay for depending on how hard you use them. I've bought quality tools for almost forty year and have broke less than five.If your a casual user DIY user read the deals that come up here. There are too many other good options available other than today's Crapsman. If you like the brand buy nos USA made off ebay.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Their new diamond extreme grip whatever ratchets really are nice in the hand at least. Their durability I don't know. New stuff is best bought after research. It's 2015, check online first.

 

[scw1991]

I'm still patiently waiting for members here on this forum to post all of their broken Craftsman "Made in China" tools since they are so inferior to all "Made in USA" tools. Where are all the pics of broken (non-Made in USA Craftsman, Kobalt, Stanley Black & Decker) wrenches, sockets, ratchets, pliers, screwdrivers....etc?

Perhaps these members can also post results of all extensive testing they've personally conducted or results from an independent accredited testing agency showing the vast difference in strength and durability in "Made in USA" vs. a "Made in China" vs. a "Made in Taiwan" vs. "Made in Europe" tools.

Where is all the raw material sourced from when making these "Made in USA" tools? Do you get a CMTR report?

 

[stage20]

last #2 screwdrive I bought from sears lasted less then 4 screws before it stripped... Now I have SK screwdrivers and have yet to have a problem after a couple hundred screws

depending on what craftsman screwdriver you were using, there is a 99% chance the sk is the same tip with a different handle. they are made by the same manufacturer

 

[malykaii]

 

[MrGiggles]

Their student discount is pretty lame too.

When you sign up they send you 3 or 4 coupons, 50% off mechanics tool sets, 50% off Craftsman tool boxes, 20% off all tools, and 10% off work wear. Sounds pretty great right?

What they don't tell you until you apply the coupon, is that the discount only applies to the list price, which is almost always 30-50% higher than what the items "sale price" is. In some instances it's actually cheaper to buy at the sale price. Take for example a tool set with a 149.99 list price, that's on sale for 49.99. Your price with the discount is going to be 75 bucks, give or take. If you attempt to use a coupon on these items, Sears won't charge you more for them, they'll throw out the coupon code and charge the sale price, so the discount isn't even applicable on some items.

So the 50% off ends up being closer to 10 or 20% at best, if any at all. I'm more than happy to take what I can get, but even that price is too high for Chinese stuff.

 

[ibedayank]

depending on what craftsman screwdriver you were using, there is a 99% chance the sk is the same tip with a different handle. they are made by the same manufacturer

so Facom made tools for craftsman... ********

 

[BoonDockSaint]

i was bummed when their professional line disappeared. I'm still sourcing the pro screwdrivers online, those are grrrrrreat! For the home owner and weekend mechanic, Craftsman is still worth it. I for one am not going to wal-freight and buying sockets or wrenches or anything I'm going to keep for a long time. Part of me also doesn't want to see sears go under after like a century in business.

 

[jcfields]

.

 

[kythri]

Who's making SK's screwdrivers now? Western Forge or Pratt-Read?

 

[defektes]

so Facom made tools for craftsman... ********

Depending on how old your SK's are, western forge now produces the screwdrivers for SK, WF is also owned by Ideal.

So no, Facom did not make them, but WF did. They are clones of the old Cman Pro screwdrivers, a big step above the normal Cman stuff.

OP is banned, probably that one guy that liked to stir up ****.

 

[ryanm]

use their red/black soft handled screwdrivers and pry bars at work...would buy them again without a second thought.

bought a set of craftsman reversible ratcheting wrenches, it was a standard and metric set, something like 14pc total. opened the box in the store to inspect each before purchase...the store lady looked at me a bit weird. told her "just checking the mechanics and finish". they seem to be working fine, however, i have nothing else to compare them too.

my point being, craftsman is not dead to me. it seems to be for some other people though. however, i have no problem shopping at harbor freight for some things also.

 

[LB-1911]

Who's making SK's screwdrivers now? Western Forge or Pratt-Read?

Western Forge

 

[d.mcfarland]

OP is banned, probably that one guy that liked to stir up ****.

Didn't even last a month.

 

[ernie2525]

Going to Sears for tools has always been like going to ToysRuS for a firearm.
Here come the "block grinder" replies.

 

[montanafordman]

Depending on how old your SK's are, western forge now produces the screwdrivers for SK, WF is also owned by Ideal.

So no, Facom did not make them, but WF did. They are clones of the old Cman Pro screwdrivers, a big step above the normal Cman stuff.

OP is banned, probably that one guy that liked to stir up ****.

haha, yep. Timmy is that you??

FWIW I have both the SK suregrip and Cman Pro drivers (probably same blade, different handle) and I like them. Its not hard to ruin a Phillips tip no matter how good it is if you use the wrong size blade for your application. i.e. use a #2 blade in a #3 screw.

 

[66354dream]

They are worth it if you're a do it yourselfer or hobbyist or an entry level tech once you start on the professional level you're better off with the high end stuff. With that said doing some research on this forum will give you many options for either "level" of quality you choose.

 

[lightning02]

simple reply.... NO!

maybe a few things that are still good, like there $20 pry bar set.

there standard screwdriver line (clear handles) are not that great anymore. good for home use. keep in the junk drawer type thing or in a little tool kit you keep in your car. other wise your better off going to HF and getting there pro-screwdriver set for $8-9 bucks.

couple years back i bought the last remaining USA 250pc set with carry case. it was horrible. chrome missing or coming off. sockets deformed. missing sizes. ratchets sucked...

my father bought the chain made 300pc set for a road set. other then ratckets bring junk the sockets where better to a point. the stamping was all fucked up (writing) and they felt alot light in weight compared to a USA one in the same size. but even so he still has yet to break on and there even used on commercial trucks to work on at times.

you better off going with good Taiwan made stuff then USA craftsman. bc of what i said above and most likely if you do break a USA made tool from CM your going to get a china made tool in return.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

I don't buy hand tools that often from Sears, but I do still prefer Craftsman power tools. Saws, grinders, etc are such that I'll go to Sears for them. The parts availability for Sears power tools is crazy good for older stuff too.

 

[defektes]

haha, yep. Timmy is that you??

FWIW I have both the SK suregrip and Cman Pro drivers (probably same blade, different handle) and I like them. Its not hard to ruin a Phillips tip no matter how good it is if you use the wrong size blade for your application. i.e. use a #2 blade in a #3 screw.

I have the CMAN Pro version and they are really good drivers, like you said use it wrong and no matter the brand it will wear.

 

[b7labelle]

Well, this thread has certainly been cleaned up

Anyhoo, I honestly have been spending a lot more time at HD and don't think their Husky brand is too shabby...for now. I'd probably skip CM and go to Husky/Kobalt at that price point.

 

[BMcC]

I really think it depends on what you are buying there. Craftsman is really just a bunch of rebadged stuff made by other manufacturers. As most tool manufacturers have gone overseas, so has Craftsman if that company made their tools. The Western Forge stuff is all still USA.

I bought a gas powered 18" chainsaw a couple of weeks ago and it was assembled in the USA of US and foreign components. Its actually a Poulan chainsaw, which is again, rebadged as a Craftsman.

The Craftsman Professional chainsaw line are rebadged Husqvarna saws and made in Sweden. Not everything is Chinese...

 

[Sanny81]

So Sears doesn't sell the black and red pro drivers anymore right? Are the current cushion grip sets comparable to those old red and black style?

 

[defektes]

So Sears doesn't sell the black and red pro drivers anymore right? Are the current cushion grip sets comparable to those old red and black style?

No,

last I saw them they were regular clear handle shanks with cushion grips.

Major rip off, go on Amazon and get the pratt read cushion grips, much better.
I own the older cushion grips, that had the klein style grip and a PR shank, and I have the other style that has a WF grip with a chromed shank w blasted tips.

New ones are junk.

 

[1950mercury]

use their red/black soft handled screwdrivers and pry bars at work...would buy them again without a second thought.

bought a set of craftsman reversible ratcheting wrenches, it was a standard and metric set, something like 14pc total. opened the box in the store to inspect each before purchase...the store lady looked at me a bit weird. told her "just checking the mechanics and finish". they seem to be working fine, however, i have nothing else to compare them too.

my point being, craftsman is not dead to me. it seems to be for some other people though. however, i have no problem shopping at harbor freight for some things also.

To bad the red/black handle professional line has been discontinued. Yes they were nice i have a set but 90% of the quality tools they made are no more