Year old Craftsman socket set rusting

[pipsters]

I bought the 299 pc socket set almost one year ago. Sat in my house a few months and has been out in my garage maybe 8-9 months. I noticed today that some are now starting to collect surface rust on the outside chrome.

What gives? Is this an issue with Craftsman in particular or is this pretty common? Garage is unheated in NC.

I don't think it's that they are in the garage because most are fine but maybe 10% are starting to rust. I can always swap them out but I have to wonder if the others will eventually do it. Plus it's a PITA going thru each socket. I'm a big Sears fan but this is just ridiculous. None of my imported sockets have rusted after spending years in my garage.

 

[Altec]

Any steel will rust if left in a uncontrolled environment without any method of corrosion prevention (wd40, etc). It happens...

 

[NC-Fordguy]

Any steel will rust if left in a uncontrolled environment without any method of corrosion prevention (wd40, etc). It happens...

This........

Those little silica pack thingys help too

 

[pipsters]

Most sockets are good, and my several year old imports are fine...but yet 10% of the Cman sockets are now rusting. Seems like a defect to me.

Also they have had Camphor blocks in them since day 1.

Hell I had put Boshield directly on my older Craftsman set, 98% were good there, but still a few rusted.

 

[buening]

Sounds like poor/thin nickel plating to me. True, metal tools will rust but the point of nickel plating is to prevent rusting. If these were used impact sockets then it'd be a different story...

 

[NC-Fordguy]

I keep a set of tools in my Bronco for trail repairs, mostly crafty with other brands mixed in. Beginning of wheeling season I wipe them all down with some wd-40 as the tools sometimes gets dropped in the mud/dirt, get rained on etc during trail repairs.

The wipe downs and the little silica packs keeps rust from forming. Many many years ago when I got into the rock crawling hobby I discovered that if I didn't follow this method rust would form..typically inside the sockets and pliers were the most effected.

Now I haven't seen any rust issues with the tools I keep in the shop, but then again that's climate controlled

 

[pipsters]

I could see it if all the sockets were rusting - but they aren't.

 

[Altec]

You really expect every surface in that box to rust at the same time, or none at all?

 

[cbracer]

I have had the same problem. Sure I can clean and lube them to protect them, but I don't want sockets I have to do maintenance on. A lot of import tools have thicker chrome and they cover the whole socket. When non truck brand US made sockets get their chrome, they don't always completely cover, especially inside the socket. Some sockets receive a coating of paint on the inside as they didn't pass initial QC. The only US made ones that don't rust are Snap-On, MAC, Matco and perhaps SK and Proto. All others will do the same as what you see, about 10% will rust It's sad.

 

[keithwvd]

mine are all fine after 3 years (maybe a few specs on the bottom inside) of working outside, sometimes in light rain, and stored in a humid basement with no climate control or anything. most of them have been dropped in oil at one point or another though.

 

[pipsters]

Just to be clear, I wouldn't care if they were rusting inside the socket. But they are rusting on the outside chrome. This is what bugs me - the chrome should not be rusting in 8 or 9 months of sitting in a garage of mostly unused sockets.

 

[NinetyTwoFifty]

Pipsters, I know exactly what you're talking about. I've had the same trouble with newer Craftsman wrenches too.

 

[pipsters]

Yeah I noticed some of my RP wrenches are doing it as well.

The thing that upsets me is I actually like the sockets - I really dig the laser etching. I would honestly pay more for a better product from them but they don't seem to be wanting to make it.

I had bought SK in the past but that was a good 6 months ago. Their sockets had plenty of chrome on them but had missing detents as well as light stamps.

Just pisses me off that we can't get a decent new US made product here in the States for anything less than Snap-On.

 

[Gary S]

I have some 1970s Craftsman sockets, and some Craftsman sockets made in the 1990s years ago. The 1970s tools are definitely better made. The 1970s ones have no rust or chrome flaking. The newer ones aren't rusting yet, but they do show some flaking of the chrome. I'm guessing your 1 year old ones are even worse than my 1990s ones.

That is just the way it is today. If you want a good product, shop for old used products to get some of the better quality products.

 

[vintagefan]

Yeah I noticed some of my RP wrenches are doing it as well.

The thing that upsets me is I actually like the sockets - I really dig the laser etching. I would honestly pay more for a better product from them but they don't seem to be wanting to make it.

I had bought SK in the past but that was a good 6 months ago. Their sockets had plenty of chrome on them but had missing detents as well as light stamps.

Just pisses me off that we can't get a decent new US made product here in the States for anything less than Snap-On.

The new production SK is MUCH higher quality. I just got a 1/4" set, and there are new production sockets mixed with old production. You can plainly tell which is which. I've been meaning to post some pictures.

As far as the OP's problem, I guess this is Danaher's famed "BriteGuard" Nickel finish that improves corrosion resistance while decreasing cost.

 

[woody 73]

Having lots of sockets rusting along with newer EPA regarding chroming that rust is now a larger problem then in the past.

What I do is to take a can of white lithium grease and spray the insides of my sockets,if I should ever get other oils & greases on them I never wipe it off. Of course they look like Dog **** but they never rust.

 

[buening]

The new production SK is MUCH higher quality. I just got a 1/4" set, and there are new production sockets mixed with old production. You can plainly tell which is which. I've been meaning to post some pictures.

+1000. I'm super please with my new SK sockets. The stampings are much deeper than Craftsman ever thought about. You won't get them at Craftsman pricing though

 

[Outlawmws]

Put some chips of camphor in the drawers with rust problems; Old machinist's trick.

 

[pipsters]

Put some chips of camphor in the drawers with rust problems; Old machinist's trick.

Unfortunately event that didn't help, I had about 6 blocks in the drawer since day 1.

My experience is camphor is an old wives tale.

 

[Full Throttle]

I bought my very first c man set back in 97, been in un lined droor, unheated garage and they are rusty. 1 would think these should not do this

hell I have to clean any chrome on my Harley once a month or it will rust.

by the way these tools are now in my box in my service van, and I have learned respect for my tools as I have replaced with new shiney tools that get kept clean they are also in a lined box, cleaned, and lubed after every use.

 

[RamMan4x4]

I've got some 15yo craftsman hand tools that have never seen a conditioned environment. Spent about 10 years in my aluminum truck toolbox and the last 5 in my unheated garage in NC. I only have one socket with light rust, the rest are fine. Must be a change in plating from my tools to yours.

You could try to exchange them bit you would get chinese made tools in the swap and they probably don't even warranty the finish.

 

[losabio]

Just pisses me off that we can't get a decent new US made product here in the States for anything less than Snap-On.

What about Proto for sockets? Those things are all chromed out. It seems like MSC is constantly running 25-35% off sales to bring the prices down a bit.

 

[vintagefan]

What about Proto for sockets? Those things are all chromed out. It seems like MSC is constantly running 25-35% off sales to bring the prices down a bit.

Yep, and Wright is a great option too, you can get their 3/8" 6 point set brand new for $60 shipped, Snap-on is $146 + tax shipped.

The prices used are closer but brand new, Wright is really cost effective compared to the truck brands.

 

[Outlawmws]

Unfortunately event that didn't help, I had about 6 blocks in the drawer since day 1.

My experience is camphor is an old wives tale.

Is it real camphor, or the fake stuff they sell all too often these days?

 

[pipsters]

Is it real camphor, or the fake stuff they sell all too often these days?

It wasn't synthetic if that is what you are asking

 

[pipsters]

I've got some 15yo craftsman hand tools that have never seen a conditioned environment. Spent about 10 years in my aluminum truck toolbox and the last 5 in my unheated garage in NC. I only have one socket with light rust, the rest are fine. Must be a change in plating from my tools to yours.

You could try to exchange them bit you would get chinese made tools in the swap and they probably don't even warranty the finish.

Craftsman sockets are still made in the USA and warrantied for anything you want.

 

[pipsters]

Yep, and Wright is a great option too, you can get their 3/8" 6 point set brand new for $60 shipped, Snap-on is $146 + tax shipped.

The prices used are closer but brand new, Wright is really cost effective compared to the truck brands.

To be honest those prices are still out of the DIY realm. I have no need for $10 chrome sockets. I will just go buy imports at that price.

What pisses me off about this whole ordeal is Sears and SK are perfectly cable of producing quality products but they fail to do so 10%-20% of the time. It's so frustrating.

I did notice one of my extensions also rusting.

I wish SK could get their **** together and put all new product in their cases. I would buy them in a heartbeat.

 

[vintagefan]

To be honest those prices are still out of the DIY realm. I have no need for $10 chrome sockets. I will just go buy imports at that price.

What pisses me off about this whole ordeal is Sears and SK are perfectly cable of producing quality products but they fail to do so 10%-20% of the time. It's so frustrating.

I did notice one of my extensions also rusting.

I wish SK could get their **** together and put all new product in their cases. I would buy them in a heartbeat.

Wright's 3/8" shallow sockets cost $5-6 each individually, not $10. In some cases SK's individual sockets and individual socket sets cost more than Wright.

I don't think anything is "out of the DIY realm", as it depends on the individual DIY'er. Some DIY'ers have $30,000 in mechanic's tools, and don't even know how to change an air filter (maybe an exaggeration, but you get the idea).

The 91848 and 94549 master sets are a rather strange exception to the pricing on nearly everything else SK makes. If you look at any individual component, they cost MUCH more than what you'd think based on the set price.

Honestly, I'm incredibly satisfied with the SK stuff I've gotten... if you haven't been, I have to wonder if any product besides Snap-on will be good enough for you. Please don't take offense, but I really think you're expecting too much, especially when it comes to the SK stuff. Even their worst sockets are still quite usable tools, I've seen some with blemishes, but nothing over the top or that would make them defective.

I've bought three 91848 and two 94549 in the last year, and I think there was a grand total of about five sockets that I wasn't happy with, and only two were bad enough to get exchanged. That's less than 1% QC error, which is pretty acceptable IMO.

 

[pipsters]

Yeah the 3/8" set is what I was referring to. Had quite a few sockets with very faint stamping on it, and maybe another 6 or 8 that had no detents in them. I buy sockets to use on ratchets and I don't want them falling off.

It's not that the sockets weren't usable, I suppose they were, but why settle for something that isn't correct? I wrote SK and they ignored my email even with the pictures. Imports have been able to make good quality product for years now.

I'm OK paying a premium for US product but not anything too crazy. SK was as high as I was willing to go.

Again, it's not that Sears couldn't make a good product. It's just that a % of them aren't good. I just want them to be consistent. I have a Sears set that is 5 years old, garage kept, that has been awesome.

 

[cbracer]

I've bought three 91848 and two 94549 in the last year, and I think there was a grand total of about five sockets that I wasn't happy with, and only two were bad enough to get exchanged. That's less than 1% QC error, which is pretty acceptable IMO.

So you're living with 3 sockets you aren't happy with. That sounds satisfying
Buy a Taiwan kit and all the sockets would be made with 0.01% QC error.

 

[cbracer]

I wrote SK and they ignored my email even with the pictures.

Did you try calling them? Pursuing this any more? I'd be curious what they would do if you talked to them. I read yesterday on the Proto Warranty that they will replace with reconditioned tools whenever available if you return something.

 

[pipsters]

Did you try calling them? Pursuing this any more? I'd be curious what they would do if you talked to them. I read yesterday on the Proto Warranty that they will replace with reconditioned tools whenever available if you return something.

No I just returned their product.

 

[98TJ]

You really expect every surface in that box to rust at the same time, or none at all?

Those of us that are OCD will accept nothing less.

 

[vga]

My home tools sockets are all Craftsman. I spray them down with Tri Flow or T 9 chain lub and I have no rust/ corrosion at all. I get plenty of rain most years up in the SC mnt during most winters !!!

 

[Jarhead0408]

I bought one of their tri-fold mechanics sets a year and a half ago. I leave it in my truck toolbox all the time. No rust. But some of the .97 cent sockets I just bought from sears have the laser etching already coming off and others the plating is multi shaded chrome (poor). Don't know why. I also have a ton of older C-Man's that have no issues whatsoever.

 

[vintagefan]

Yeah the 3/8" set is what I was referring to. Had quite a few sockets with very faint stamping on it, and maybe another 6 or 8 that had no detents in them. I buy sockets to use on ratchets and I don't want them falling off.

It's not that the sockets weren't usable, I suppose they were, but why settle for something that isn't correct? I wrote SK and they ignored my email even with the pictures. Imports have been able to make good quality product for years now.

I'm OK paying a premium for US product but not anything too crazy. SK was as high as I was willing to go.

Again, it's not that Sears couldn't make a good product. It's just that a % of them aren't good. I just want them to be consistent. I have a Sears set that is 5 years old, garage kept, that has been awesome.

I don't have any experience with their email support, but I do know so far that post-Ideal, the phone support is absolutely top notch.

Pretty much identical to most folks experiences with Snap-on... weeks to get a response to email, but if you call, you have a new tool in the mail instantly.

Don't know why either is like that, but phone works good, so I'm gonna stick to that for now for both.

Anyways, as I said above, I didn't mean any offense. I am very picky myself... but once I got bad enough that I started seeing "problems" with brands that I knew were the pinnacle of quality (Knipex, Snap-on, etc.), I realized that maybe it was time to take a step back.

I've bought the same pair of pliers five times in a row just to get one that I was happy with.

So you're living with 3 sockets you aren't happy with. That sounds satisfying
Buy a Taiwan kit and all the sockets would be made with 0.01% QC error.

One of the sockets had a scratch in it from handling, one had light stamping, and one had a tiny chip in the chrome (possibly happened during shipping). All were purely cosmetic, and other than the scratch which was blatantly obvious, it wasn't at all unreasonable that the others made it through QC.

FYI I've seen all three of those issues appear in Snap-on, Wright, and Proto sockets... and Taiwan sockets as well. Not often, but then again, it didn't occur often in the SK sets either.

Of the two that were sent back, one had a burr inside the drive end that made it a bit hard to get on and off the ratchet/extensions, and the other had light stamping combined with thick chrome plating (as if that's something to look down upon), and was hard to read. Both took about four days to get to my doorstep once I requested replacement.

Additionally, I have a very strong suspicion that four of the five bad sockets were from pre-Ideal sets, based on the time that I bought them, and some subtle finishing and machining differences on the sockets. The two that I've gotten that are post-Ideal, have been very near perfect... and well within what I consider premium standards. Are they as nice as Snap-on? No. But the same Snap-on setup would cost literally FIVE times as much.

As far as the Taiwan sockets go, they're plenty nice. Brands like Genius have great finish quality and seem to be quite durable. Most Taiwan brands, though, won't drop a brand new socket in the mail for you the same day you call. If they do, chances are they will charge you the cost of the new socket in "processing".

I've also seen some Taiwan made sockets that weren't particularly impressive, FYI. They aren't some kind of magic bullet.

Another thing is that I know that heat treatment is an art. Custom knife makers can spend a lifetime developing their heat treatment methods, and still learn new things. Some of these Taiwanese manufacturers haven't been in the game long enough to have the same creds as a manufacturer like Snap-on, Proto, Wright, or SK.

Additionally, I know for a fact I can count on American steel. Even the slightest lapse in contamination control during the steelmaking process can have tremendous effects on the success of heat treatment and the lifetime of the tool. I'm not saying that the Taiwanese manufacturers aren't able to meet the same standard, but what I am saying is that they are not a known quantity for me, like the established USA manufacturers are.

 

[mrbreezeet1]

my tools and tool chest sat in a garage , no climate control, no heat/AC/de humidifier/ for about a year one time. I had to replace my short well snap on impact with a craftsman, as I lost the SO one.
All the SO were fine a year later, the craftsman was rusting.
cheaper metal I would say.

Oh, and he craftsman slip joint pliers did the same thing, channel loc brand did not.

 

[RamMan4x4]

Craftsman sockets are still made in the USA and warrantied for anything you want.

Craftsman ratchets and wrenches are all made in china now...I figured the sockets would have moved over there as well.

 

[Hank McMauser]

simple solution.....move all of your belongings to a dryer climate, I could leave my sockets in the driveway for 6 months and for the most part they would still be like the day I set them there.

 

[cbracer]

Craftsman ratchets and wrenches are all made in china now...I figured the sockets would have moved over there as well.

I don't believe that's true. A few ratchets and many wrenches are still made in the US. They will likely stay that way and the sockets will also be made in the US for many years to come. We'll just have to wait and see.