USA Craftsman... Fail

[soj]

I have had this set of metric line wrenches for several years, but have hardly ever used them, most line work I have done has been fractional inch sizes.

A couple of days ago tried opening a brake bleeder screw on my truck. Just pulling with one hand, not very hard... this was almost as easy as snapping a pretzel.(first pic)


Look close and you can see a small dark spot on the left side of the break. I suppose an impurity in the forging. But the rest of the broken metal looks solid, but it sure was easy to break.(second pic)


After it broke I got a 6 point, 1/4" drive socket, on a regular length ratchet and the bleeder screw broke loose very easy.

Not sure what to make of it. I understand the bad spot in the metal creating a weakness, but there was still a wide span of good metal that should have held. I was amazed at how easy it was to break.

Now I have to deal with a Sears employee and their interpretation of "Lifetime Warranty". Only ones they show on the website now are polished, made in China. Who knows, they could be better.

 

[MrSmiley]

Why'd you not use a socket in the first place? No need to use a line wrench if you don't have too

 

[Jason280]

Wow, never seen one fail like that!

 

[soj]

Why'd you not use a socket in the first place? No need to use a line wrench if you don't have too

'Cause I had a hose on the bleeder to catch the fluid. I know I could have broke it loose with the socket first, then used the line wrench with the hose. But that wrench broke so easy, it would have broken anyway when I tightened the bleeder.

 

[drink]

Ouchee-whaa-whaa!

 

[Sanny81]

That's a pretty old wrench judging by the date code.

 

[drink]

Wow, never seen one fail like that!

Who is the girl in your avatar?

 

[soj]

That's a pretty old wrench judging by the date code.

What date code? That "v". I thought that was a mfg. code.

But the age shouldn't matter.

 

[rsanter]

How many times have you used it before?
Might have stressed it the last times you used it.
On the other hand, I have broken many many craftsman wrenches.
All the way up to a 1" that the box end shattered

Bob

 

[soj]

How many times have you used it before?
Might have stressed it the last times you used it.
On the other hand, I have broken many many craftsman wrenches.
All the way up to a 1" that the box end shattered

Bob

I don't remember that I have ever used it. I may have, but as I said, most line wrenches I have used are fractional.

I have used Craftsman wrenches all my life (67 now) and have never broken one, other than striping teeth on a ratchet. Only other warranty replacements I have done were for peeling chrome on pliers. I was just surprised it was a USA one instead of China.

 

[Wakefield]

Those wrenches have the sharp angled corners like most of my Craftsman tools.
Disappointing in that the older tools are supposed to have been better than the new ones.
I suppose that particular wrench was defective-I wonder if the ones that were sold in sets on sale at ridiculous low prices were manufactured on different days than the ones that were sold as singles

 

[pauls_workshop]

Looking at the failure, no signs of fatigue of any sort, meaning sudden ductile failure, not from repeated heavy use. The OP is right about the impurity or inclusion leading to the failure. Not usual at all for the V grade tools, but this was a defect from the beginning, which can happen to anybody. - Paul, ME on the side

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Had a similar experience with a 1/2"X9/16" on a mild pull... warranty was no problem at Sears.
But,, I then upgraded that set to SnapOn..

 

[methomas70]

Only ones they show on the website now are polished, made in China. Who knows, they could be better.

Well it can't be any worse.

 

[four.cycle]

Wow, never seen one fail like that!

I have. Many times.
Handing all of the warranty returns for a warehouse supplying multiple retail outlets, I've seen all kinds of tools break like that.
There's no way they can "stress test" every single wrench that comes off the assembly line - that simply isn't practical.
Sounds like the OP never used that wrench. Or if he had, maybe he never applied much torque to it.
Every now and then you'll see a socket/wrench/pliers what will just pop apart first time any force is applied. Bad forging/casting/whatever.
It happens.

If you cannot find a US-made replacement at Sears, you might try Ebay.... one might pop up there sooner or later.

 

[DSLTRK]

I don't remember that I have ever used it. I may have, but as I said, most line wrenches I have used are fractional.

I have used Craftsman wrenches all my life (67 now) and have never broken one, other than striping teeth on a ratchet. Only other warranty replacements I have done were for peeling chrome on pliers. I was just surprised it was a USA one instead of China.

They were made at whim of HUMAN employees. Defects are bound to occur, and based on the crystallization of the metal structure, looks to be improper tempering, rendering the wrench too brittle.

With that being said, I personally have never damaged a line wrench, either by the jaws spreading or a failure such as yours. Used the cheap RP craftsman, SK variants (favorites) and Snappys. It is the banjo bolt or bleeder that usually fails if it won't budge.

 

[CNGsaves]

Why'd you not use a socket in the first place? No need to use a line wrench if you don't have too

^ ^ ^ ^ This. Or at least a box end wrench which would have been stronger than a line wrench.

. . . . . . . Note to Self . . . use the right tool for the job !!

 

[1950mercury]

^ ^ ^ ^ This. Or at least a box end wrench which would have been stronger than a line wrench.

. . . . . . . Note to Self . . . use the right tool for the job !!

I line wrench should be fine for a bleeder screw....note to self....everyone has an opinion

 

[Cato]

. . . . . . . Note to Self . . . use the right tool for the job !!

Yup, that's the first rule of mechanics.

 

[organ]

Heat treat fail... grain structure is HUGE/super ugly...

 

[mjoekingz28]

Well it can't be any worse.

It can always be worse.

What if it rounded the fastener?

 

[Mechanical Noise]

Not sure what to make of it. I understand the bad spot in the metal creating a weakness, but there was still a wide span of good metal that should have held. I was amazed at how easy it was to break.

Now I have to deal with a Sears employee and their interpretation of "Lifetime Warranty". Only ones they show on the website now are polished, made in China. Who knows, they could be better.

This wrench was doomed to instant failure. How could the made in China wrench be worse?

 

[SMKS]

Yup, looks like some kind of flaw. That happens.

None of my Craftsman wrenches have ever done that. It *****, but move on with life. My local stores still have USA-made individual line wrenches, so maybe you can get a USA-made replacement.

As noted, those are pretty old. Not just the manufacturer code, but look closely at the ends. They only grab four corners. The ones they've used for years reach farther around and grab all six corners.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

It can always be worse.

What if it rounded the fastener?

Put the wrench back on the flare nut and use a Vise Grip to squeeze down the end HARD.

 

[soj]

Why'd you not use a socket in the first place? No need to use a line wrench if you don't have too

^ ^ ^ ^ This. Or at least a box end wrench which would have been stronger than a line wrench.

. . . . . . . Note to Self . . . use the right tool for the job !!

I line wrench should be fine for a bleeder screw....note to self....everyone has an opinion

Yup, that's the first rule of mechanics.

OUCH! OK, I see your point, and thanks to 1950mercury, for taking up for me.

I agree with the principle of the right tool for the job. And I have loosened enough bleeder screws to know NOT to even try with an OE wrench. And I chose a line wrench over a box end because all my box ends are 12 point. But the main thing is, if I had to pull on that line wrench beyond a certain torque value, I would have changed tools. I don't know what that value is numerically, it is not in my head, it is built into my elbow. Anyone who has been wrenching for a few years develops a torque wrench in their elbow. But I broke this one with only a slight pull, it felt like mush when it broke. And the 1/4" drive ratchet was not over-stressed when it got the job done. If the screw had been really stuck, I would have went to a 3/8" or 1/2" ratchet.

Note to self... everyone has a philosophy on tools. Years ago, when I was starting out, one of my co-workers was an older mechanic. He would use what ever he had, in what ever way he could think of to get the job done. Such as hitting wrenches with a hammer, using cheater pipes, etc. If anybody cautioned him he was going to break or damage the tool, his reply was "If it won't do what I want it to, It ain't worth a damn anyway".

Later I worked with two other older mechanics. One would always tell me "If it don't fit, don't force it". The other would say, "If it don't fit, get a bigger hammer". I knew they both couldn't be right. Years later, I realized they both were right. The trick is, knowing when is the right situation to "not force it" and when you should "get a bigger hammer"

 

[ChrisPace]

Yep, no big deal, easiest company in the world to deal with warranty replacements.

 

[Davefr]

Metallurgical defects happen. (ex United Airlines Flight 232)

 

[stage20]

It can always be worse.

What if it rounded the fastener?

vise grips

 

[mjoekingz28]

Sure, if vice grips worked and could provide anywhere the high torque grip a good socket could then we could save BIG money!

/sarcasm off

 

[Ponchoguy]

Considering there were/are millions of those in use (I have several sets, bought new and used), it does happen. That's a V tool, so I'm going to guess it's probably from the 1970s or 1980s, since it has a model # on it.

You might be able to find a US replacement at Sears on the rack. I'd exchange it and be done.

I blasted a Snap On hex socket to pieces on a GM caliper back in 1988-1989, and yet the Craftsman I used to finish the job is still in use in my neighbor's toolbox. Go figure.....

 

[soj]

Yup, looks like some kind of flaw. That happens.

None of my Craftsman wrenches have ever done that. It *****, but move on with life. My local stores still have USA-made individual line wrenches, so maybe you can get a USA-made replacement.

As noted, those are pretty old. Not just the manufacturer code, but look closely at the ends. They only grab four corners. The ones they've used for years reach farther around and grab all six corners.

Thanks for pointing that out. I had never noticed there are two different designs. I have a FP Craftsman fractional set (I think it is marked ^v, or v^ whichever), and they are like the ones in your pic. I will look for a matching metric set and put these in the next yard sale.
jp

 

[jimmypet]

^ ^ ^ ^ This. Or at least a box end wrench which would have been stronger than a line wrench.

. . . . . . . Note to Self . . . use the right tool for the job !!

Ummmmm a line wrench "is" the right tool for the job on a brake bleeder.
Its exactly what the tool is made for.
He could not have used a more right tool for the job.

I would never put an open end wrench on a brake bleeder or a brake line.

 

[bob15]

Ummmmm a line wrench "is" the right tool for the job on a brake bleeder.
Its exactly what the tool is made for.
He could not have used a more right tool for the job.

I would never put an open end wrench on a brake bleeder or a brake line.

Wrong. A line wrench is for slipping over a line (rubber, steel, copper, etc) and going onto a nut/fitting.

This is a brake bleeder wrench (6 points), the correct tool for the job:

 

[jimmypet]

Wrong. A line wrench is for slipping over a line (rubber, steel, copper, etc) and going onto a nut/fitting.

This is a brake bleeder wrench (6 points), the correct tool for the job:

I stand corrected,,, I do not own a set of those, but I would maintain that a line wrench would still be the preferred option and engage more points on the bleeder over an open end wrench on a bleeder.

If you don't need to get over a bleed line, I personally use a small 6 point box wrench myself.

 

[Ponchoguy]

Are we also sure it was a metric bleeder and not an SAE?

 

[Ign]

This forum truly never disappoints. Those who want to argue are ignoring the OP's repeated statements about just how little force was used & yet the wrench still failed.

In this case whether it was the right tool for the job is not the point. The point is that it failed so readily.

 

[dirtydogintex]

^ +1

 

[Ponchoguy]

This forum truly never disappoints. Those who want to argue are ignoring the OP's repeated statements about just how little force was used & yet the wrench still failed.

In this case whether it was the right tool for the job is not the point. The point is that it failed so readily.

LOL. You're right about never disappointing. But it's a likely 25+ year old tool as well. It's not like it's brand new out of the box and it just happened.

I have Cman that are older than that, bought used that haven't broken. CMan USA tools will break, it does happen, as with other USA brands too.

I'd be a lot more PO'd if it wasn't the $15 Cman I owned (which I'd get replaced in a jiffy), but more likely the much more expensive SO version of it.

 

[ganymede]

This forum truly never disappoints. Those who want to argue are ignoring the OP's repeated statements about just how little force was used & yet the wrench still failed.

Yup..

I have had this set of metric line wrenches for several years, but have hardly ever used them, most line work I have done has been fractional inch sizes. ...

LOL. You're right about never disappointing. But it's a likely 25+ year old tool as well. It's not like it's brand new out of the box and it just happened.
...

 

[dwysywd]

Don't they have a lifetime warranty? So why does it matter? I'm not suggesting you shouldn't post it. Just don't understand why people get so upset