Should I get the Craftsman 309 pc Set?

[sberry]

i'd say you might even go back farther for CM to be "the good stuff"... at least with RP ratchets

i've got a set knocking around here from the late 90s... the sockets are all great but the ratchets are the sloppy junk we all know RP ratchets to be... hell the 1/4" auto reverses just by looking at it

out of the RP ratchets i've had the only one to not be sloppy and feel cheap as hell is an older -V- marked ratchet

My only beef with those CM assortments is the high number of duplicates you end up with. I don't need a 10MM socket in 3 different drive sizes, 2 lengths AND both 6 and 12 point sockets......but those assortments are still cheaper than just buying exactly what you will use...you just end up with a drawer full of never used sockets.....

I need 10 in every shape what I don't need is 11 in every set. I can get by with a simple 12 or 2, 13 needs it all and duplicates.

 

[BenG76]

Well after looking at my toolboxes in my building I may hold off just a bit. I need to pull everything out and see what holes may be in my tool arsenal. Looks like I have a 3/8 Kobalt set and 2 different 1/2 inch sets Craftsman and a Popular Mechanics made in Taiwan set. I also have a few extra ratchets so I may just buy some socket sets. I need to look through my wrenches as they are mostly loose in the toolbox drawer. I am thinking I have a set or two in those but I will have to double check. I think I will get everything together and make a list of what I may need over the 4th holiday as I'll have 5 days off.

I will say I am looking at some of the Tekton sets if I go this route. They seem affordable and I'm hearing good stuff about them. I'm glad I didn't jump the gun and buy a big set now as may not need as much as I thought. I may make a thread for outfitting my workshop as I go along. Thanks everyone for the input.

 

[Andres26tnt]

i own lots of USA and Chinese craftsman, what's the difference between them? none they are the same. My craftsman USA raised panel ratchets are horrible, i preferred the smooth ones. Honestly you can get great deals with sears right now, they practically giving tools away.

 

[JazzBlueRT]

I'm not sure what you mean. I have 12pt sockets but they are speciality sockets just like Torx, XZN, MorTorq, etc. I use them on 12pt fasteners. I have never with a 72, 80 or 84 tooth ratchet wished for a 12pt because I couldn't get the angle right to mate the socket to the fastener.

When someone asks about a big starter set I always recommend all 6pts then buying 12pts as needed just like with all of the other speciality sockets. That's my personal preference. There are plenty of people using 12pt sockets on 6pt fasteners and impact sockets on hand ratchets, etc. That is their choice.

12 pt sockets are not "specialty" sockets, your statements are silly.

A 12 pt socket will locate a bolt quicker than a 6pt and when working in blind spots or tight spaces it makes the job much easier.

I really wonder if some of the people on here have ever actually used the tools they buy.

 

[JazzBlueRT]

Well after looking at my toolboxes in my building I may hold off just a bit. I need to pull everything out and see what holes may be in my tool arsenal. Looks like I have a 3/8 Kobalt set and 2 different 1/2 inch sets Craftsman and a Popular Mechanics made in Taiwan set. I also have a few extra ratchets so I may just buy some socket sets. I need to look through my wrenches as they are mostly loose in the toolbox drawer. I am thinking I have a set or two in those but I will have to double check. I think I will get everything together and make a list of what I may need over the 4th holiday as I'll have 5 days off.

I will say I am looking at some of the Tekton sets if I go this route. They seem affordable and I'm hearing good stuff about them. I'm glad I didn't jump the gun and buy a big set now as may not need as much as I thought. I may make a thread for outfitting my workshop as I go along. Thanks everyone for the input.

In the long run, the big sets will save you money. Your cost per tool is lower and you have less missing sizes.

Tekton is a tool importer, you will have no idea where the tools are sourced from and can probably buy the same tools from a hundred other different tool importers for varying prices. Tekton also has a shady history of importing worse **** than HF. For now they are trying to improve their reputation, but they have no control over the production and ultimately will be worth nothing if you ever decided to sell and upgrade.

 

[ssdave]

12 pt sockets are not "specialty" sockets, your statements are silly.

A 12 pt socket will locate a bolt quicker than a 6pt and when working in blind spots or tight spaces it makes the job much easier.

I really wonder if some of the people on here have ever actually used the tools they buy.

I have come to the conclusion from reading on here, that a lot of people use their tools differently than I do. And, the varying quality levels they use color their experiences and recommendations. I use tools fairly abusively; I don't baby them and I expect them to hold up. I almost exclusively use 12 point sockets, and see no problems with them; likewise I see little or no advantage to using a 6 point, even on rusty stuff. In really small stuff, the 6 point seems to work better, but the broaching gets pretty small on 3/16" sockets in 12 point, so i can see why. In 1 1/8", or even 3/4", I don't think I've ever rounded a nut off with a quality 12 point socket.

 

[Tonyuk]

If its just for the sockets your really want then go for it, 12 point sockets are fine, good 12 point design contacts the fastener in the same place as a 6 point.

Stuff like the ratchet spanners and hex sockets will come in handy very often.

 

[sherrillkelby]

I have the exact set linked in the OP. Bought it from Sears on sale around 2010. Mine has everything made in USA except for the wrenches. I consider myself a typical DIY beginner, and my cars don't really have rusty fasteners or anything.

-I rounded one bolt off with a wrench once. Haven't broken anything in the set yet.

-Yeah, it has some redundancy like the same thing in 6 pt and 12 pt. I don't really mind as it helps if you misplace a socket. I just sorted and bagged the extras so I can find them if I need to. I occasionally pull out SAE stuff for appliances. I figure the set is cheap enough that using it once or twice pays for itself vs. a mechanic, so I don't stress about paying for sockets I won't use.

-The upside of having a big set is on the rare occasion I need a deep or a shallow to fit a certain space I don't need to go out and buy a single. I've pretty much only bought an axle nut socket and offset wrenches to supplement. Not counting stuff like extensions, breaker bars, screwdrivers, etc The set also comes with stuff people generally don't care for like ignition wrenches, but I've used them a couple of times in really tight spaces and to hold shock shafts.

-I don't like that the ratcheting end of the wrenches doesn't reverse. You could run into a situation where you back a bolt off in a tight space and get stuck. The wrench heads also don't have much of an angle with the handle. I think it only goes to 18 mm for metric wrenches, and bigger sizes are probably what I'd want to add next.

Hope this helps.

 

[sberry]

I like some good points, I agree, don't have to use them much to pay as cheap as they are. A guy should have a set of ignition wrenches.

 

[redmondjp]

I like some good points, I agree, don't have to use them much to pay as cheap as they are. A guy should have a set of ignition wrenches.

I have had a set of Craftsman ignition wrenches since the 1980s, still in their original plastic pouch. I may have used that set three times since then.

Bang-for-the-buck wise, I don't know that you can go too wrong with any of the tool sets available these days - it all comes down to what you are working on and what specific tools you'll need. You probably won't use about 75% of the individual items are in any set that you buy.

 

[JazzBlueRT]

I have had a set of Craftsman ignition wrenches since the 1980s, still in their original plastic pouch. I may have used that set three times since then.

Bang-for-the-buck wise, I don't know that you can go too wrong with any of the tool sets available these days - it all comes down to what you are working on and what specific tools you'll need. You probably won't use about 75% of the individual items are in any set that you buy.

You never know which of those 75% of tools you won't need.

 

[sberry]

You never know which of those 75% of tools you won't need.

I agree,,, no point in paying more than a guy needs to for those. This kind of set allows a guy to get his feet wet at the right price. It's really a starter set. Make do, upgrade and add as needed.