New Craftsman sets are always leaving out a size

[ohmfab]

Every time I'm in the tool section at Sears I am noticing more and more sets that are leaving out a size.

I bought a 7 piece metric stubby wratcheting wrench set months ago and thought it was odd that it did not come with a 14mm. The set contains only 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17 and 18 mm. I use a 14 mm size as much as I use a 10mm working on most things. They should have made this a 9 piece and included a 14mm and a 19mm.

Here's a link to the set: Model Number: 44142

Upon further investigation they don't even make a 14mm in this style. They do make a 9/16" which is close but of course not exact.

The other day I noticed a pretty useful set of new set of spline drive sockets that they came out with. You can use these for 6pt, 12pt, external torx, etc. These are 3/8" and fairly cheap too at only $15 for the set. Looking at the set revealed that it doesn't come with a 12mm socket! The set comes with 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18 mm. 12mm is another very common size, why on earth would they leave that out of a set? I don't think the socket is available separately either.

Here's a link to the set: Model Number: 2496


I find this sort of stuff really annoying. Has anyone else noticed this type of thing and with other brands perhaps. What gives?

Omer

 

[Pro-Painter]

I see this alot with all tool brands. 10mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm & 15mm are my most common used sizes, yet almost every set will skip at least one of them.

I hate it when they do this ****. I guess they assume that the SAE sizes will be "close enough".

You can tell that the designers have never had a busted knuckle from using the wrong size wrench !

 

[jjjrmx5]

I hate it when they do this ****. I guess they assume that the SAE sizes will be "close enough".

I have a set of the C'man combos ratcheting with the flip direction levers and there are 3 or 4 IIRC that they left out. This was several years ago, but I just bought the fill ins over time.

I think it's a combo of trying to keep price points down on sets so they will sell and then having to pay full price for the non-included pieces at full price to cover costs.

Irritating? yes. But still far cheaper than the truck sets (but inferior), which the weekend warriors and especially their wives would shut that $$$ payout &^%$ down in a heartbeat if things got close to truck pricing.

The chasm between full-on every-size truck sets and piecemeal big-box-store sets is ever widening. I'm more irritated that the fill in size wrenches just plain are not available/not made vs having them included in any set. Not making a tool doesn't mean the need for it does not exist.

Tools not making tools. LOL.

 

[mrbreezeet1]

Don't like when they skip 11,16,&18 either,
Thanks,
Tony

 

[wheats71]

i refuse to buy sets anymore without all sizes working on any chev without an 18mm
is impossible
i have never understood why they do this

 

[mrbreezeet1]

i refuse to buy sets anymore without all sizes working on any chev without an 18mm
is impossible
i have never understood why they do this

Yeah ford uses a lot of 18MM too, I don't know why they do it?
Thanks,
Tony

 

[Jeeper]

I so understand the argument that you can keep the price of a set down by skipping sizes, but it would be nice if sears (or gearwrench) would offer a set to fill in the gaps. I know I would buy them. ...kind of like topper sets for wrenches.

 

[ohmfab]

I thought that they might do it so they have a better pricepoint/lower price but seriously most of the sets I'm seeing it wouldn't make a big change to just add one or two sockets to.

The wrench set was around $140 I think, so adding two more wrenches, namely the 14 and 19mm would make it a complete set and would probably add $40 to the price as each of these stubby wrenches are $22 each.

Guess we'll never know. I asked the guy at the tool counter how many people ask him why craftsman skips sizes in their sets and he just chuckled and said, "I get asked that every day". He said that all of the gear wrench sets have sizes missing as well.

Back in the days of working in a shop and having a few tool trucks come by (Snap-On, Matco, and Cornwell occasionally) I noticed that most of their sets were usually complete and if they were not you could usually buy the missing tool separately.

Oh well, thanks for letting me gripe about it.

Omer

 

[matthew]

It sometimes seems like they do that to keep the metric and SAE sets with the same number of pieces and same price. I just don't understand why they feel the need to do that. Why can't you sell a 12 piece metric set have 7 pieces in the comparable SAE set? Why can't you sell the two for a bit different price? Why can't you sell a metric set from 8-19mm that is complete?

 

[HSURDDY]

Resistance is futile....join the dark side...

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...1&group_ID=137&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

 

[ekeller]

Just like the craftsman professional wrench set. Starts at 5 or 6 and goes to 30, but you can't get a 20, 26, 27, 28, or 29.

 

[Displaced Hokie]

My guess is it's all price point. The set looks more impressive if it appears to go "small to large"...but you don't notice that mid size missing.

It could also be as suggested that it's to keep the SAE and Metric sets the same price.

 

[bmxr4life87]

Nobody mentioned 16? Grey Pneumatic offers complete sets well well below truck price even better priced than craftsman. Gearwrench socket sets and wrench sets are complete but those half sets are a sears exclusive kinda like cap stop wrenches not worth a damn in my opinion

 

[LawnDart79]

Years ago, when I was in high school, I received a Craftsman raised panel wrench set as a gift. It was a 1/4" - 1" set. Only problem was that it skipped 15/16". WTF!!!

I was a little ticked off by this so I bought a Thorsen raised panel 15/16" wrench as opposed to the Craftsman version just out of spite.

This is still my main SAE wrench set to this day and I still have the Thorsen 15/16" wrench in the mix.

 

[hofferwood]

$16.78 9-24mm missing the 23?

Chuck