What did you do with your craftsman tools after upgrading?

[JJ99SS]

Replaced the raised panel ratchets with Tekton, kept all the rest.

That's exactly what I did. The Tekton are pretty nice. I have 3 of the 72 tooth low profile in 3/8" I just ordered a 1/2" 90T as they just released them before I could get the 1/2" and 1/4" 72T ratchets. Luckily they are pretty cheap at under $20...

I have 6 of the C Man ratchets, mine and my dad's. Those will go to the Boy...or Girl...or both as I have two sets.

I'm starting to upgrade Screwdrivers to Wera. As well as my pliers. I only had a few but they were ridden hard. Knipex is now starting to fill the drawers...

 

[Bryanthegreat]

Mine are in a box in the garage attic.

 

[taumac]

I still have all my Craftsman stuff from when I was 16 and still buying Craftsman today. All have served me well to this day. Only time I really brought different brands is when getting stuff at yard sale or swap meet with prices to good to let it sit on the table.

 

[sberry]

I still use it, bought a couple big sets and extras on sale at times.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Most of my tools are USA manufactured Craftsman. I’ll also use them until I die. Nothing against other brands, but what’s the point of replacing them if they do their job fine?

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Some question why others upgrade tools that are still usable. Often; part of My plan is to do the upgrade with the intention of giving some existing tools away.. More than once; I have given the new, better tools away instead, and kept the old ones. You could call it a rather back door approach to justify buying more tools.

It works for Me.

 

[Gurp]

Some question why others upgrade tools that are still usable. Often; part of My plan is to do the upgrade with the intention of giving some existing tools away.. More than once; I have given the new, better tools away instead, and kept the old ones. You could call it a rather back door approach to justify buying more tools.

It works for Me.

The important part is you get to buy more tools.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Still have my first 3/8 & 1/4 set of sockets (and my first Metric tools) in the blow molded case. Filled out some of the 1/4" sockets that weren't included, and replaced the ratchets with a Cornwell 3/8" & SK 1/4". Usually lives in the pickup with an old SAE RP combo wrench set in a roll.

Sold off most everything else I wasn't using a couple years ago when prices were high (especially on the CM Pro stuff) when I moved into a service truck and had my work tools home every day.

 

[Granite80]

They are in my truck in my emergency tools bag


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[428PI]

I think a lot of mechanics spend way too much on tools and wonder why they don't have any money. I still used mine daily when I bought a master set of CM in the late 70's until a year and a half ago when I got a job that supplied their own tools. I took mine home finally where they belong and use them on the weekend.

 

[Jtels85]

I’ve never upgraded. 95% of my tools are Craftsman, the majority of which are USA made. They have served me well as a serious DIY’er, working on everything from cars, trucks, RV’s, lawn equipment and around the house type stuff.

The clear handle screwdrivers are my favorite. The tips wear over time, so that’s why I bought extra sets to hang on to. I predicted Sears demise long ago. (You should see my Craftsman USA Made 10mm socket hoard)..

There are many better brands out there, but I don’t need em and I’m not paying for em. Craftsman gets the job done every time.

 

[Gmonkee]

As there are a lot of CM loyalists here can you say whom you attribute this loyalty?

Yourself, just the right tools for your needs
Patriotism
Stanley/SBD
Sears
A particular supplier like WF or SK
Other?

 

[Semi-hole mechanic]

I use CM as a serious DIYer who grew up on a farm with an old (Dad was 40 when iwas born) who used mostly CM tools. I also have other tools but the majority of my box is filled with USA made CM. When Dad died I got all of his hand tools including his first 1/2 drive socket set still in the original box, original NB made breaker bar, speeder, and one or two sockets. I still use the breaker bar regularly even though its over 70 years old. (Its a 47 model set that he got for HS graduation in 48). Dad always used CM because if he broke something he could get it replaced at Sears and get back to repairing farm equipment without having to chase down a tool truck.

 

[Hammer1963]

I gave them to others that were just starting out using tools. I have a few left, but not many

 

[PFSard]

Keep them for a rainy day if they are not taking up valuable space. Probably not worth selling unless you really need the money.

Enjoy your upgraded tools.

 

[Arkansas COB]

Was thinking about this thread last night and was talking to momma COB about it. I have shown her pics from time to time of the different shops and garages that get posted on this site. She came to the reasoning that when you have a pristine shop that you have to wipe your feet or remove your shoes just to enter then it only makes sense that you have to have the newest brightest and most expensive tools to hang on the wall or put in the drawer of the tool chest.

Got a chuckle out of me because I have made comments about a shop being to pretty to work in. Kinda like that special room in the house that no one is allowed to go in.


COB

 

[larry_g]

I found this road side memorial yesterday. Good use of old tools.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[ARFLY]

I haven't upgraded. Most of the tools I own are Craftsman. I'm not a professional and don't really need to upgrade. Actually I am still buying Craftsman tools. I have some Milwaukee cordless tools, but I never had any Craftsman cordless tools so I didn't really upgrade there.

As for the question about what Craftsman loyalty is attributed to, it would be my dad. When I was a little kid I didn't know we were actually poor. On Fridays Mom would take Dad to work and keep the car all day. We would go pick him up from work, go to the bank, and then go to Sears. When I was a little older I asked Dad why all of his tools were Craftsman. He said Craftsman meant quality tools at a fair price that you could count on to get the job done and with a lifetime warranty. He also said Sears had a lay-a-way program that allowed him to get the tools he needed by paying a little each week until the tools were paid for and he could take them home. That is why we went to Sears every Friday after Dad got off work and the real reason he had Craftsman tools. Dad died in 1991 when I was 15. As time goes on, I seem to have forgotten so much of him. Having a shop full of Craftsman stuff helps me to still feel a connection to him.

 

[Semi-hole mechanic]

Arfly, I feel the same way when i have to use my Dads old CM breaker bar or his old 1/4 drive butterfly ratchet. My GF thinks Ive lost it sometimes when she catchea me staring at the old beat to hell tin box that holds the 1/2 drive set while Im deep in thought remembering something I helped Dad work on when I was a kid. Dad taught me about fractions digging through his old CM box looking for the right wrench. He used an old CM hand box that Mom and I got him for in the early 70s. Most of the tools are now in my chest but my son uses that old beat up box as his main box that holds most of his tools.

 

[Mr Ratchet]

As for the question about what Craftsman loyalty is attributed to, it would be my dad. When I was a little kid I didn't know we were actually poor. On Fridays Mom would take Dad to work and keep the car all day. We would go pick him up from work, go to the bank, and then go to Sears. When I was a little older I asked Dad why all of his tools were Craftsman. He said Craftsman meant quality tools at a fair price that you could count on to get the job done and with a lifetime warranty. He also said Sears had a lay-a-way program that allowed him to get the tools he needed by paying a little each week until the tools were paid for and he could take them home. That is why we went to Sears every Friday after Dad got off work and the real reason he had Craftsman tools. Dad died in 1991 when I was 15. As time goes on, I seem to have forgotten so much of him. Having a shop full of Craftsman stuff helps me to still feel a connection to him.

Nice story!

 

[watchdawg]

I'm still slowly upgrading when I find deals on better tools but I'll never let go of my USA-made Craftsman tools, they've done right by me for 30+ years. In fact, I still buy used USA-made Craftsman tools if I find a decent deal.

 

[Gmonkee]

Funny. Cursed with CM tools.

I kept maybe five odd bits and a vintage 1937 socket set.
Sold all the rest. I

 

[shocker998md]

I will be keeping mine for my boy as he gets older. I remember growing up working in my buddies garage we had the gen pop tool box with cheaper stuff. Then there was his dad's box and we didnt touch that unless he was there and really needed something.

 

[impactsocket]

Even if Sears goes under, Craftsman will still be sold at Lowes and ACE. Do you think your other favorite tool brands will last as long as CM in this age of companies going bankrupt?

 

[mfewtrail]

You could always keep the common used stuff for junkyard runs, or as road trip tools. If you have a garage and shop, now you have more tools you don't have to transport from one to the other.

 

[Here2Learn]

Even if Sears goes under, Craftsman will still be sold at Lowes and ACE. Do you think your other favorite tool brands will last as long as CM in this age of companies going bankrupt?

For me and a few others on here, SBD Craftsman and Sears Craftsman are not the same thing. The "feel good" feeling we associate with the tools is a "shopping at Sears" deal. Shoppng at Lowe's does not give me a nostalgia feeling.

As to the original post, I am a weekend tool user. I still have all my Craftsman stuff and add to it at times, such as buying Armstrong off eBay to fill in "skips" for socket sizes that Craftsman did not sell. (16 mm impact or larger than 22 mm 1/2" drive 6-point sockets for example)

 

[brownbagg]

i still use my korea craftman, without even thinking about it

 

[406Rich]

All my CM bought in late 60`s and early 70`s, I still use today, I've broke two sockets during this time using a four foot cheater...they still perform for my use.

 

[hangfirew8]

Maybe 1/2 of my hand tools are still Craftsman, I only upgrade when buying a set makes more sense then buying many singles on ebay. Craftsman USA sets on ebay are usually not a bargain anymore.

I also buy Armstrong single pieces to replace cracked sockets or fill in blanks. Lowes has no open stock and the local Sears is long gone.

When I got a set of Metric SK wrenches a couple of years ago, the garage Cman went to my reloading workshop, tools there went to car bags and house box, tools from those places went to the spares drawer if good, Goodwill if not.

Just recently pulled a Monkey Wards 5/8 socket from that drawer and ground a slot in it to make a radiator drain tool. 10 years from now it may be a Craftsman.

The only sentimental Cman pieces are a DOE SAE set that was my grandfather's, and a 1/2" ratchet associated with a very funny story.

-HF

 

[pepi]

I'm not sure there is an upgrade for Craftsman tools. Are they all perfect, no same goes for every other brand.

The thread title is a snarky attempt of someone trying to brag about nothing to brag about.

Want to brag, post photos of what is actually done with the so called upgraded tool, that might be worthwhile.

 

[Arkansas COB]

So, how do you reconcile these two photo's, then? Taken a few seconds apart.

You went about it backwards. Tools first then build the shop. As long as you keep them cabinets closed up then your tools should still look like new when the shop is finished.

 

[Empty Pockets]

I still have a lot of CM stuff in the tool box in both cars. Some of the rest has gone to my kids, and more recently to grandchildren and a son-in-law. I couldn't see them not getting used, all went to a good home

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[dr_clyde]

I never understood the cult like following for sears craftsman. They made decent stuff, but nothing outstanding.

I started out in HS in a shop that did custom cars, and we bought Snap-on and Mac, and in the machine shop area we used a lot of proto, wright, and starrett. The truck either stopped by, or the tools were delivered from the industrial supply. I had a very respectable tool collection by the time I was 18. Getting craftsman meant driving to the city and dealing with the mall, traffic, and a bunch of other inconvenience. Seemed like a lot of work for tools that weren't as nice as what we all had at the shop.

I finally bought a Cman set on a whim for behind the seat of my truck, and they were ok. Nothing worth writing home about. I still have the sockets somewhere, but I tossed the ratchets and screwdrivers in the trash.

I dunno, I guess its all what you're used to. When I was a kid, my dad had mostly proto, mac, snap on and SK, so getting Cman was like going backwards.

Not hating, just my experience.

 

[Fixed]

I never understood the cult like following for sears craftsman. They made decent stuff, but nothing outstanding.

I started out in HS in a shop that did custom cars, and we bought Snap-on and Mac, and in the machine shop area we used a lot of proto, wright, and starrett. The truck either stopped by, or the tools were delivered from the industrial supply. I had a very respectable tool collection by the time I was 18. Getting craftsman meant driving to the city and dealing with the mall, traffic, and a bunch of other inconvenience. Seemed like a lot of work for tools that weren't as nice as what we all had at the shop.

I finally bought a Cman set on a whim for behind the seat of my truck, and they were ok. Nothing worth writing home about. I still have the sockets somewhere, but I tossed the ratchets and screwdrivers in the trash.

I dunno, I guess its all what you're used to. When I was a kid, my dad had mostly proto, mac, snap on and SK, so getting Cman was like going backwards.

Not hating, just my experience.

I think these days there is something of an element of nostalgia too. I can't believe the prices that I see some used USA cman stuff going for on Ebay.

Oh, and a pawn shop owner told me that (his pricing doesn't apply to) the high end stuff like snap-on, Proto and Craftsman..

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[ssdave]

I never understood the cult like following for sears craftsman. They made decent stuff, but nothing outstanding.

.

What Sears sold, as much as merchandise, was a sense of well being, belonging, and prosperity. Good, solid, middle class value. It's hard for us to understand in these days of rampant prosperity, where people are flooded with "stuff", and anything you want, you just go down to Wal-Mart and fill your cart with. Even those that are in our poverty class can easily buy more stuff than most people had 50 years ago. And, things that were coveted and saved for and cherished then, are now regarded by most impoverished citizens as necessities.

Even if you had to save for it, or pay for it on lay-away, everything that you got at Sears represented something that put you into the same class as your neighbors, gave you capabilities to do middle-class things, and generally improved your life. To be able to go down to Sears, buy a mechanics set and a 20 inch hand carry box to hold it in and then be able to fix every single item on your 57 chevy pickup gave the owners an unbelievable feeling of freedom and wealth and self-reliance. By investing once in the tools, they were free of the threat of a high unexpected repair bill, and gave them a solid savings in maintenance costs every time they changed the plugs, points, or oil. The household tools gave them the ability to do improvements and additions to their homes, a bit at a time, as they could afford it. Sears and what it sold represented prosperity and freedom.

No wonder people are nostalgic for it.

I'm with you on the thought that it's mediocre. As I owned Proto and SK and Wright and Indestro and Snap-on, it became apparent that Craftsman was just "good enough", not great. But, it was good enough to find it's way into 95% of the middle class homes in America. And, to improve the lives of those that had it. And, to make them feel good about it.

 

[Dogbone]

I"ve still got a bunch, have worked well. Looks like Lowe's has bought the line now. That reminds me I've got a couple of screwdrivers that need to be replaced....

 

[hangfirew8]

I"ve still got a bunch, have worked well. Looks like Lowe's has bought the line now. That reminds me I've got a couple of screwdrivers that need to be replaced....

Good luck with that, at Lowe's anyway. And Stanley B&D bought the Craftsman name, not Lowe's.

 

[Qualitytools]

I haven't upgraded. Most of the tools I own are Craftsman. I'm not a professional and don't really need to upgrade. Actually I am still buying Craftsman tools. I have some Milwaukee cordless tools, but I never had any Craftsman cordless tools so I didn't really upgrade there.

As for the question about what Craftsman loyalty is attributed to, it would be my dad. When I was a little kid I didn't know we were actually poor. On Fridays Mom would take Dad to work and keep the car all day. We would go pick him up from work, go to the bank, and then go to Sears. When I was a little older I asked Dad why all of his tools were Craftsman. He said Craftsman meant quality tools at a fair price that you could count on to get the job done and with a lifetime warranty. He also said Sears had a lay-a-way program that allowed him to get the tools he needed by paying a little each week until the tools were paid for and he could take them home. That is why we went to Sears every Friday after Dad got off work and the real reason he had Craftsman tools. Dad died in 1991 when I was 15. As time goes on, I seem to have forgotten so much of him. Having a shop full of Craftsman stuff helps me to still feel a connection to him.

That's touching story! Thanks for sharing as I recently lost my dad

 

[Robinson1]

They bring pretty good money on Ebay. Sometimes stupid amounts of money depending on the set and the bidders.

I've sold a fair bit the last few years even bought some to flip.

Most of my wrenches are still Craftsman. Have a full set of RP SAE wrenches on my service truck. They will easily outlast me.

Still have a few pairs of WF sourced pliers in my main tool bag.

I actually bought a small 1/4 drive set about a month ago when Ace had them marked down to $9.99. Chinese made but it's no worse than any other Chinese tool and better than alot I've seen.

 

[atlm]

Craftsman (all USA):

• Raised panel ratchets sold on Craigslist - (upgraded to Craftsman USA low profile)
• Raised panel wrenches sold on Craigslist - (upgraded to Craftsman USA Professional)
• Clear handle screwdrivers went to charity - (upgraded to Wiha)

All of my other Craftsman tools still get regular use, alongside tools from many other brands.