What makes Craftsman hand tools Inferior?
- Thread starter VH5150
- Start date
Maybe that's why they're going out of business. They are giving way more than they are selling
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RAS61
Well-known member
Good point! I haven't shopped Sears in years, so I've forgotten about that. Rivaled Radio Shack for check-out hassle ("No, I don't want to give you my phone number, just sell me the pack of batteries!") - aren't they going out of business too?
Why is Sears failing? Simple, not one happy customer on this thread.
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Tynee
Well-known member
I see a lot of people claiming that Craftsman will still get the job done, and that their quality is better than some but worse than others. Name me a brand they are better than, overall. I’d take any of the box store brands over them right now. Ratchets, wrenches, sockets, pliers, power tools tool boxes... not a single item I’d buy Craftsman after comparing them side-by-side. HF, Husky, Kobalt, Powerbuilt, you name it.
Picking up their basic line hand tools, they have more in common with a no-name socket that just says “Cr-V” on it than they do a quality tool. The chrome flakes off, the selector switches in the ratchets flop around, and the action wobbly at best, the wrenches are rough, loose, and short...
Stepping up to their pro line, yeah they are a little nicer. I’d consider buying some, except HF, Napa, and several other retailers have equivalent tools for 1/2 the price.
I almost bought some of the Lock-a-socket style rails the other day, but $21 per rails was a little more than I could bite off. Thank goodness I shopped around a little, I found the MTS variety for 3/4 of the price that were 4” longer.
I’m no brand basher, nor do I automatically write off anything produced in China. I own a BUNCH of brands and use Chinese made stuff every day. Craftsman quality though is absolutely inferior, and their value is off-the-charts poor in the modern market.
Picking up their basic line hand tools, they have more in common with a no-name socket that just says “Cr-V” on it than they do a quality tool. The chrome flakes off, the selector switches in the ratchets flop around, and the action wobbly at best, the wrenches are rough, loose, and short...
Stepping up to their pro line, yeah they are a little nicer. I’d consider buying some, except HF, Napa, and several other retailers have equivalent tools for 1/2 the price.
I almost bought some of the Lock-a-socket style rails the other day, but $21 per rails was a little more than I could bite off. Thank goodness I shopped around a little, I found the MTS variety for 3/4 of the price that were 4” longer.
I’m no brand basher, nor do I automatically write off anything produced in China. I own a BUNCH of brands and use Chinese made stuff every day. Craftsman quality though is absolutely inferior, and their value is off-the-charts poor in the modern market.
kythri
Well-known member
I won't argue the rest of your hyperbole, but I still have yet to see a better deal than this:
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-299-piece-ultimate-easy-read-socket-set/p-00935299000P
Especially when it's on sale (as it is regularly) or there's some $20 or $30 off coupon for a purchase like that (as there regularly is).
I have a spreadsheet to track, I haven't updated it in around six months but I'm up about $6,000 and around $500 out of pocket.
I have a spreadsheet to keep up with Knipex, I have over 80 pairs and including Sears, Amazon and places I've purchased full price my average is under $10 a pair. At Sears alone; retail is $2,181.42, out of pocket is $382.59, under $7 a pair.
ishiboo
Well-known member
One word answer: Sears.
They are still decent-quality tools. Unfortunately being able to service them locally in an instant has made them inferior to the same China tools sold at places like Home Depot and Lowes that are much more likely to be around, and easier to deal with.
I'm interested to see what happens with Craftsman with SB&D, especially with the Lowes distribution channel.
They are still decent-quality tools. Unfortunately being able to service them locally in an instant has made them inferior to the same China tools sold at places like Home Depot and Lowes that are much more likely to be around, and easier to deal with.
I'm interested to see what happens with Craftsman with SB&D, especially with the Lowes distribution channel.
Tynee
Well-known member
Personal experience, “hyperbole...”
I guess one man’s “ax to grind” is another’s “blind dedication...”
Better value to be had at HF in their 301 piece set.
https://m.harborfreight.com/301-pc-mechanics-tool-set-63457.html
With a typical 20% off coupon, I’m at $160, your best offering above is $270 using your numbers, and you don’t have a ratchet to drive all those seldom used sockets you’ve got. I’ve got a bunch of cash left over to go pick up sockets to fill any holes in my set. It obviously depends on what you need where the best value is for you.
I’m not trying to get into your ******* match, I just answered the OP’s question, “What makes Craftsman inferior?” If you’d like to claim any of my other personal experience is not valid, feel free...
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Moparman390
Well-known member
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"I’ve got a bunch of cash left over to go pick up sockets to fill any holes in my set."
Accept you can't do that. It's a different ball game over there at HF, they skip sizes and don't sell singles, furthermore, it's a hodgepodge of products sourced from different vendors with no common design, so the set is not consistent with the other products on the shelf making matching impossible and warrantying difficult without bringing in the whole set. Its just different.
Accept you can't do that. It's a different ball game over there at HF, they skip sizes and don't sell singles, furthermore, it's a hodgepodge of products sourced from different vendors with no common design, so the set is not consistent with the other products on the shelf making matching impossible and warrantying difficult without bringing in the whole set. Its just different.
Tynee
Well-known member
I get that. I don’t have to have matching sets all the way through. Another decent brand socket will fit in nicely with all the Pittsburgh stuff. I’m also not trying to turn this into Sears vs HF.
Look, all I’m saying here is the value question is one of the answers to the OP’s question. Even if you accept that quality is as good as you can get other places, (which is far from a given, I listed specific quality issues that I have observed in my first post) there are other places to get better value.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
What's going on? Why are people all the sudden posting wanting "fact base data"
Universities engeering schools are NOT going to do strength and metallurgical test on tools. To many hours watching CSI? Shill for the Chinese?
Hold a mid 2000 or prior USA craft an wrench in your hand. Hold a Chinese one. Use them. The Chinese version is complete and utter junk. Craftsman never was real good with their open end wrenches, the Chinese ones are worse at opening up and rounding edges. The lobster claw look due to the thicker metal (lower quality steel) also makes getting a wrench in many places difficult or impossible. If I break a craftsman tool now I don't even bother going to Sears. Either buy a wright or sk version(some instances snap on) or I find a USA craftsman replacement on eBay.
I know the Asian countries can make decent stuff. I have used sunex Impact sockets for years. The Chinese factory that makes craftsman currently are inept
Mikeske
Well-known member
I gave up with Sears long ago. My may issue is the fact to get to the nearest full line Sears is over 50 miles away and I am not going to make a special trip just to go there. We do have a Kmart with a half a$$ed assortment of Craftsman and the Ace hardware is really high priced for the Craftsman stuff they have and they do not accept warranty except what they sell out their store.
Sears shut down a long time ago in my neck of the woods and even when the stores were open they had terrible service in the last ten years. My father who worked for Sears as an manager for over 25 years before he died would not recognize what they have become.
I have to admit they did have decent tools when they were USA made and I have a set of sockets, wrenches and screwdrivers from the mid 1970's. I just ended up needing better tools at work and I ended up with another brand and left the Craftsman set at home. They have no value as I walked into any pawn shop and can pick up any socket at 50-75 cents a piece for sockets and wrench and a couple dollars can old USA ratchet.
Sears shut down a long time ago in my neck of the woods and even when the stores were open they had terrible service in the last ten years. My father who worked for Sears as an manager for over 25 years before he died would not recognize what they have become.
I have to admit they did have decent tools when they were USA made and I have a set of sockets, wrenches and screwdrivers from the mid 1970's. I just ended up needing better tools at work and I ended up with another brand and left the Craftsman set at home. They have no value as I walked into any pawn shop and can pick up any socket at 50-75 cents a piece for sockets and wrench and a couple dollars can old USA ratchet.
BDT/NWMN
Well-known member
Sorry Dude; but We need to start this thread over, and discuss one tool from a given era at a time
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ganymede
Well-known member
Sorry Dude; but We need to start this thread over, and discuss one tool from a given era at a time
Why? His other troll thread was locked but this one is working fine.
Moparman390
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- Jan 15, 2016
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The real "liquidation sale" is on right now at regular stores Sears on Craftsman. They are really desperate. This is what in talking about, it's the 299 piece socket set plus extensions making it 308. $269 AND you get just over $52 back in points. ($50 on a $75+ tool purchase)
http://m.sears.com/craftsman-308-piece-socket-accessory-set-with-extension/p-00935831000P
Then use the points on something like this:
https://m.sears.com/craftsman-6pc-thin-profile-ratchet-extension-bar-set/p-00934014000P
I don't know if you'll get another $50 in points for that because it wasn't $75 in cash spend but if they give it to you, you can possibly keep rolling it, and that's even more crazy.
This is why, if you shop right, Craftsman is a great value.
http://m.sears.com/craftsman-308-piece-socket-accessory-set-with-extension/p-00935831000P
Then use the points on something like this:
https://m.sears.com/craftsman-6pc-thin-profile-ratchet-extension-bar-set/p-00934014000P
I don't know if you'll get another $50 in points for that because it wasn't $75 in cash spend but if they give it to you, you can possibly keep rolling it, and that's even more crazy.
This is why, if you shop right, Craftsman is a great value.