To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Sears Pass/Fail Permathread!

To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

cheechi

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
4,384
Location
Triad, NC
Now that is an interesting pair of strippers I wasn't aware of. Does anyone know who makes this one for Craftsman? US made? - Paul
USA made yes. Not sure the manufacturer but they're awful close to the Kliens.
I have the Craftsman USA Open/Box end wrenches and they have been great. Huge Pass
...
I have the Craftsman USA Flare Nut wrenches and they are OK....Barely Pass
Which? Are they both the RP =v= or some other? I have some 6 pt RP's like that I like the fit but some of them look like they are chipping on the box end after use. Especially the smaller sizes, I probably use 10mm 3x more than any of the rest but it shows on my 14mm and 3/8 too.
 

Lhorn

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 17, 2008
Messages
1,487
I got a good Sears FAIL: Wolverine boots. I had a pair of steel toe Wolverine boots a few years back from Sears with the cushion sole they have been putting on shoes and boots. Well, they sat about two years till I started to really need them, then when I used them, they failed within one week. The cushion sole on them started splitting like a pothole when I was walking through a wet field in them. After a 1/2 mile through that and back, there was literally no sole left, it was in 50 small chunks. I'll no longer buy any Wolverine product and no "cushion sole" type shoe made in China either. A waste of money. - Paul



Someone's got an axe to grind. How about leaving this tread about items that are exclusive to Sears, otherwise I'll start reviewing Dewalt drills and Gladiator shelving units. Let's keep this useful, not just some BS hatchet job. You can get Wolverine boots on Amazon, Famousfootwear.....you can get them at Nordstrom's.


Oh btw, this thread's already been done, this dead horse has already been beaten.
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78451&highlight=craftsman+pass+fail

Try doing a search next time.

It'd have been better to tag onto an already established thread where there are some legit reviews already compiled.
 
Last edited:

Lhorn

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 17, 2008
Messages
1,487
Vegaman Dan made a good point in the HF thread when people starting bashing some of the **** HF sells:

"This topic is about PASS/FAIL about specific Harbor Freight products. Please keep your attitude and comments to yourself unless you want people to start doing PASS/FAIL reviews of your comments themselves."

Good advice there and good advice here.
 
Last edited:

beaconterraone

Active member
Joined
Feb 14, 2014
Messages
33
Location
North Coast, California
Chinese cardboard doesn't hold up.

A lot of Chinese boxes are more like quickly pressed paper than cardboard.

That mess our fellow forum member got is an example of why Sears won't last this decade. Their "customer service" is an utter joke. They should have slobbered an apology while offering him a $50 gift card for that epic fail of a delivery. But no, "it's your problem."
 

wvrailroader

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2014
Messages
951
Location
West Virginia
The Craftsman lighted linesman pliers - EPIC FAIL. I got a set and didn't look at the COO
(China). Got them home and the jaws were misaligned and the wirecutters didn't even meet. The light was bright enough but the pliers were worthless. I took them back and they gave me another set. I opened them in the store and they were even worse than the first. The clerk said almost everyone who buys them brings them back.
 

71goldss

Well-known member
Joined
May 23, 2012
Messages
1,513
Location
Northern Calif
Craftsman Industrial full polished combination wrenches-HUGE PASS!

Made in the USA and nearly Snap On quality at far less the price. I also like how they are long pattern. Not sold in Sears stores, but some individual sizes can be found on their website under "Professional Use". I love mine!
 
Last edited:
OP
P

pauls_workshop

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
2,788
Location
Indiana, USA - Underappreciated Place to Live!
Someone's got an axe to grind. How about leaving this tread about items that are exclusive to Sears, otherwise I'll start reviewing Dewalt drills and Gladiator shelving units. Let's keep this useful, not just some BS hatchet job. You can get Wolverine boots on Amazon, Famousfootwear.....you can get them at Nordstrom's.


Oh btw, this thread's already been done, this dead horse has already been beaten.
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78451&highlight=craftsman+pass+fail

Try doing a search next time.

It'd have been better to tag onto an already established thread where there are some legit reviews already compiled.

Lhorn, with all due respect it sounds an aweful lot to me like YOU are the one with an axe to grind here and are sharpening it nicely. I started this new thread, so if you don't like it, please just leave. I was not aware of the older thread though and we could have just kept going from there. But many products and suppliers at Sears have changed the last couple years and it's a different product playing field today. So I think a new thread is fine. Good that you linked to the old also.

As for my axe, I stated in the first posts on this thread as OP that ANY product SEARS sells is open to pass/fails here. That means anything. It is no different this way than the popular HF Pass/Fail thread, where I also post occasionally by the way. Yes, I buy some stuff there and like the Pitt Pro in general as good values there. I like to buy US or high quality whenever I can. US is not exclusive to high quality and high value, but for tools, US made tend to be among the best I think and have been for decades, they are just getting much harder to find.

The boots I bought fell apart. Plain and simple. I've learned that the older non cushion soles not from China don't fall apart. I have some shoes that are 25 years old without sole issues. These fall apart in a few years whether you use them or not, just sitting on the shelf. GOOGLE on this topic if you like and you will see many with similar complaints. Not just Wolverine, many brands. Look up "sole rot". The guy in Sears shoes told me that the higher priced Diehard ones with the non cushion soles were good and didn't do this. He said all the cushion ones were poor. I think this kind of info is what we should all hear and be aware of. If you don't like the truth, go somewhere else please. OR, contribute here, in your own way. It is up to you. Please DO review any product Sears sells though, as that helps us see what is good and bad out there. And feel free to add whether US or other COO now too as some designs are good but current supplier is bad, whereas some designs are bad, whoever made them. As for my choice not to buy Wolverine again, that is my choice. Once burned, twice learned. I'll buy products that don't fall apart on me going forward from someone else. Boots are not cheap. I'm not giving them another chance with my money. They need to demonstrate improvement before I may give them another chance some other time. - Paul
 
Last edited:

Lhorn

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 17, 2008
Messages
1,487
I stated in the first posts on this thread that ANY product SEARS sells is open to pass/fails here. That means anything. The boots I bought fell apart./QUOTE]

If we are reviewing ANY PRODUCT Sears sells, then why is this in the tool forum? If we are reviewing products manufactured by other manufacturers and sold at many other retailers, what does this have to so with Sears? In the HF thread you seem to delight in encouraging other to come over here for "some fun" and brag that the Sears reviews are worse than HF reviews. No agenda?

I'll play.
Levi's jeans and Sony blank DVDs - Sears gets a big pass on this one. Jeans last way better than Wrangler. Thanks Sears.
 
Last edited:

dankicksass

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2010
Messages
1,820
Location
New Jersey
Sears doesn't have jack squat to do with Wolverine boots. Craftsman and Die Hard branded boots, sure. Kill em on those if you hate em. I hear they're great though. Not a personal endorsement, I hate steel toed boots, but one of my buddies swears up and down I'd change my tune if I put on whatever boots from Sears he wears.

I bought a set of Weber flavor bars for my gas grill at Sears. They were in stock and I used SYWR points to get them free. They're adequate. PASS. - That review has no place being in this thread as far as most people would be concerned.

I bought a Snap-On logo floor mat at Sears. It has given me years of good use at the door to my garage. I really enjoy it, even though I know it's not made by Snap-On. PASS. - That review has no place being in this thread as far as most people would be concerned.

Same should go for Gearwrench, DeWalt and other non-Sears-exclusive brands. Yes, Craftsman is available outside Sears, but it's a Sears brand and exclusively distributed by SHC.
 
Last edited:
OP
P

pauls_workshop

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
2,788
Location
Indiana, USA - Underappreciated Place to Live!
I stated in the first posts on this thread that ANY product SEARS sells is open to pass/fails here. That means anything. The boots I bought fell apart./QUOTE]

If we are reviewing ANY PRODUCT Sears sells, then why is this in the tool forum? If we are reviewing products manufactured by other manufacturers and sold at many other retailers, what does this have to so with Sears? In the HF thread you seem to delight in encouraging other to come over here for "some fun" and brag that the Sears reviews are worse than HF reviews. No agenda?

I'll play.
Levi's jeans and Sony blank DVDs - Sears gets a big pass on this one. Jeans last way better than Wrangler. Thanks Sears.

Lhorn, thanks for your contribution! That is fine. Obviously, most things here will be about tools, and that is why it is here. But other reviews are fine too. We don't limit the HF thread to just tools, anything in the store is fair game. Same goes here.

I do not have any agenda. I often cross link threads also from one place to the next if similar or maybe of interest to people. This is what I meant by fun. Others do this too sometimes and link to another relevent thread. In fact, you just did this above by linking to the old Sears Pass/Fail thread. That is good and will be fun to go read those as well.

I do want Sears to improve though and get back to what it once was or closer to it, if it is possible, where it was more consistently great value with generally good products. I think many on GJ might echo those thoughts. I like American companies and products made in US. That isn't an agenda. I am old enough to have been there back when it was different than it is now, like the 70's. I also buy other stuff when it is good value non US at other places like HF. I love the Pitt Pro HF screwdriver set for instance. That is a great value for the quality level. Not all sets there by any means and many are junk. But just that one, for $7.99 often on sale. Let's ID the good products and the bad ones here, with Pass/Fail, plain and simple. - Paul
 
Last edited:

ScottsGT

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
4,883
Location
Lake Wateree, SC
Don't have item numbers, but all of the Made in the USA screwdrivers with the clear handle with red and blue paint on them, the typical Craftsman screwdrivers..I give them a FAIL after years of ownership due to the plastic the handles are made of breaking down and literally smelling like ***.
No problems with the tips, just the stank my screwdriver drawer now has. I've actually started just throwing them away when the funk arrives.
 
OP
P

pauls_workshop

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
2,788
Location
Indiana, USA - Underappreciated Place to Live!
Don't have item numbers, but all of the Made in the USA screwdrivers with the clear handle with red and blue paint on them, the typical Craftsman screwdrivers..I give them a FAIL after years of ownership due to the plastic the handles are made of breaking down and literally smelling like ***.
No problems with the tips, just the stank my screwdriver drawer now has. I've actually started just throwing them away when the funk arrives.

Those would be the Western Forge supplier Craftsman drivers. I can tell you the much older ones, from the 70's and 80's era did not do that and were very good in that era. I had one of the set in that time cam out that Sears glady replaced for me this year. That is the only one that went bad on me in that time. Never had any handle problems with the old ones. Over in the HotDeals section, there is a screwdriver thread running where a shootout was recently posted on many brands. Check it out if interested. - paul
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

BDT/NWMN

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 22, 2012
Messages
3,762
Location
Erskine, Mn
Sorry to hear that. I've not had any troubles with mine over 2 years but I also haven't had it cold like that. Odd that the switch would be sensitive to that - don't understand that one and first I've heard of problems with these. - Paul




Good light; sure do like mine... Bought that one to keep in vehicle... Only one little problem: In our icebox Minnesota climate, that light has to hibernate through the winter months because of the cold stiffened switch.:(

But it works great in heated shop, so that is where it stays.:).
 
OP
P

pauls_workshop

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
2,788
Location
Indiana, USA - Underappreciated Place to Live!
Good light; sure do like mine... Bought that one to keep in vehicle... Only one little problem: In our icebox Minnesota climate, that light has to hibernate through the winter months because of the cold stiffened switch.:(

But it works great in heated shop, so that is where it stays.:).

Yes, the feedback on this one suprised me that cold climate is very bad for them. That is the reason this thread is good. I would not have known that otherwise. I do like mine also and find it bright enough for the cost of it. Certainly, can do brighter. I like to use mine with a few supplemental HF or Sears 23 LED lights under the hood. The Sears is about the same as the HF one for that product and look to be the same supplier/design. These are the HF ones recently given away free. They are nice too but need about 3 or 4 of them to be the brightness of the Craftsman one we are talking about. I like the magnets on both of them to stick wherever you want as needed. - Paul
 

Lhorn

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 17, 2008
Messages
1,487
Craftsman website has a pic of that vice but says "this item is no longer available." If one can find that vice, what would be a good price for it?
 

carterbeauford

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 2, 2011
Messages
1,550
Location
NW PA
59355 deluxe mechanic's cart: FAIL. powdercoated by a 5 year old Chinese boy. had to return 2 of them to get one that didn't have damaged powdercoat right out of the box. 3rd one looked OK but the powdercoat is peeling off after sitting in my garage for 2 years and hardly even being moved.
 

-Brent-

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 23, 2009
Messages
4,709
Location
Utah
Cobra pliers (Knipex made) - Pass

Prybars (Mayhew) - Pass

Vintage V ratchet that was handed down to me - Pass (although it's now a nostalgic showpiece in the drawer rather than being used)

Ratchet wrenches (GearWrench I assume) - Pass (Used these in a professional environment, working on commercial laundry, tons of use - they did well)

My vintage Cman boxes, PASS. They're great, I love them. Just need longer drawers, but for the amount I have invested, I couldn't ever get into that much storage space in any other brand.

Box grinders - PASS

My Cman/Atlas drill press from the 40s - PASS

There's more but I think you all get my point, it's either made by someone else or really vintage...




Cman Professional tools as a whole - FAIL. What am I to do when something breaks in the future?
 

bodyguy16

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 8, 2009
Messages
1,016
Location
QC, Canada
1/4" swivel sockets (made in U.S.A) definately a PASS! Comparable tovthe truck brands.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk
 
OP
P

pauls_workshop

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
2,788
Location
Indiana, USA - Underappreciated Place to Live!
I'll add a PASS but not available right now (hopefully will be again):

Limited edition Craftsman bottom black tall 6 drawer tool box/cabinet. It was $130 or so on sale in November and I got one. This is like their "heavy duty" ones but with 50 pound drawer slides instead of the 75 pound ones in the "heavy duty" line. Otherwise same metal as heavy duty though. A real good homeowner box, assembled in USA by Waterloo. Link on it from Hot Deals thread is here. Later, found out Husky sold a similar limited deal even lower price for the same basic chest and a better top chest, also made by Waterloo, with very slight differences from the Craftsman version. Those are gone now too, except might get lucky to still find one if you search hard. Sears needs to bring this deal back as it was a good one for the money. Much much better than the lighter duty ones they sell or non-ball bearing ones they sell and far more price competitive than the normal "heavy duty" pricing. Could get two full Husky HD sets for the price of one HF 26" set, for maybe 3/4 the quality level (great for homeowner, not good enough for pros of course, where the HF is the buy). - Paul

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=222082
 
Last edited:

Engine

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
646
Location
Kentucky
Craftsman 3 pc. Pry Bar Set - Item # 00943278000P Model # 43278 - PASS
Craftsman 6 in. Bench Vise - Item# 00951856000P | Model# 51856 - PASS
Craftsman 7 pc. Standard Nut Driver Set (metric and SAE) - Item # 00904196000P Model # 4196 - PASS
Custom Accessories All Season Floor Mat - Item # SPM10940775416 Model # 78611 - FAIL
Craftsman 32 oz. Ball Pein Hammer - Item # 00938467000P Model # 38467 - PASS
Craftsman Professional Wire Cutter-Stripper Pliers - Item # 00973573000P Model # 73573 - PASS
 

71goldss

Well-known member
Joined
May 23, 2012
Messages
1,513
Location
Northern Calif
Craftsman website has a pic of that vice but says "this item is no longer available." If one can find that vice, what would be a good price for it?

I bought mine a few months ago at OSH for $105 on sale. I believe Sears sells them for $135, but I've read that they go for between $90 and $100 at Sears when on sale.

I just saw another one of these vises again tonight while at one of my area Sears stores. As I stated in post #65, these now seem to be sold in-store only. I don't know why Sears discontinued them on there website, but they aren't that difficult to find in-store, at least not in my area. Though my stores were sold out during the holidays, their shelves have been restocked and if I wanted to buy another one, I have at least 7 of them to choose from right now in the Sacramento area. They don't seem discontinued to me!
 
OP
P

pauls_workshop

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
2,788
Location
Indiana, USA - Underappreciated Place to Live!
Just an idea for this thread: There are many Sears threads on the boards already, and some like to start a new thread on a given product. For those of you who have done that or want to do that, please do give a link here to the other thread too. List the item here and say, main discussion over here on this thread. That way, people can see those and go there from here as needed. Feel free to post the cross links here.

For instance, I saw recently a Sears China COO thread where some liked the new items. So link to that here and give the brief pass or fail here also.
 
OP
P

pauls_workshop

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
2,788
Location
Indiana, USA - Underappreciated Place to Live!
Just a reference post. Good discussion on the Sears Craftsman Professional series of screwdrivers here, pros and cons. I'm going to summarize this as a strong PASS for most people for this line. See this thread for the discussion on them. By linking here, this can be easily referenced by others in the future who have an interest in these. - Paul

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=239116
 

Finky198

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
2,120
Location
North East
Craftsman professional snap ring pliers MAJOR PASS

I purchased 2 of the 3 size and used them heavily in the past few weeks so much better the the old style truck brand they reverse with one click and replace close to 10 or 12 pairs of the regular pliers so less space in my box plus there made in the USA with lifetime warranty

https://m.sears.com/index-g.html#/details/guest/00947412000P?source=online
 

Farmall450

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 23, 2011
Messages
13,354
Location
Marengo, Illinois
Cman Evolv impact sockets, tiawan, 6pt deep, Pass

All hardline US sockets/wrenches/ratchets: Pass
Clear Screwdrivers: Draw
Pro Screwdrivers: Pass
Bolt Outs: Pass
US Pliers: Pass
US Hammers (Vaughan) : Pass
US Pry Bars: Pass
US Punches/Chisels: Pass
Breaker Bars: Pass

Pretty much everything I've had good luck with. I don't buy the cheap looking **** tho.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom