JL ws-6

iTrader: (50)

You get that Tig welder yet?

nine-eight

iTrader: (7)

I'm with this guy. I stopped buying craftsmen when they started handing me parts baggies with a "made in china" sticker as my replacement when a ratchet broke. The quality isn't what it was in my father's time. Snap-on has now replaced every craftsmen tool I owned; the quality is there, the service has been remarkably good, and though I may not be a mechanic by trade, I spend more than enough time with my tools to know the quality differences and appreciate them.


Screw any loyalties I may have to any given company, I support america. you turn a good quality american-made product line into a cheaper, imported brand and I'm gone.

hotrodscrap

iTrader: (10)

That about sums it up!

-SS

Silverback

Good luck with that... I used to try to buy american but at times found that it was a choice of either buy the cheaper tool or not having one. In the mean time I did manage to build up a good collection of craftsman, kobalt, husky, snapon and a few matco, oh, and some HF/Pittsburg.

I probably won't buy any more snap-on, unless they have something cool that the rest don't carry. The quality doesn't appear any better, and for the amount I have I sure seem to spend a lot of time trying to get stuff replaced (which proves next to impossible). The Craftsman stuff... the old stuff is nice, the older professional series stuff I like, the newer stuff is a lot like the snap on stuff, I just don't see where it's better than the normal stuff, some of it might be more comfortable but doesn't even seem as well built as their normal stuff. The new rachets that look like their old ones suck, they're rough and don't work well, but the polished low profile ones I really like.

Otherwise, a lot of it is up to the individual tool, I've bought good tools at all of those, and have bought junk from all of them (more often then not I play with it in the store and decide that I don't want that junk). I have HF/Pittsburg stuff that I like, their impact sockets and a few sets of wrenches that are every bit as good as the craftsman and snapon ones that I have. Honestly, the only HF tool that I've returned (they do the lifetime thing also) was a clamp that I broke by abusing it, I've never broken any of their tools, they have junk, but they have some decent stuff also. I have a set of their pliers that I like better then the similar craftsman pros that I have, and generally I like the old school traditional craftsman pliers better then the professional ones. I've returned every one of my craftsman ratchets at one point (usually stripping the gears, I had a really nice 50's vintage one that the head exploded on when i torqued something down), and it seems like I've had to replace almost every snap on tool I've ever touched.

Honestly, I used to try to buy american, but lately I've been finding that often I can't even find an american version of it, and when I can it's junk. So now it's I try to buy the best quality I can find, and unfortunately, often it's not american made.

realmendrivev8s

iTrader: (23)

I bought a craftsman ratchet as a temporary replacement because someone lost my snap on ratchet and it broke within the first few minutes of using it. I will never buy anything craftsman again

Pocket

iTrader: (22)

Wow you guys are hard on tools

The ONLY tools Ive broken was from misusing them. Cheater bars on ratchets, jack handles on breaker bars, normal sockets on impact guns, prying with flatheads, hammering with ratchets, etc. It doesnt matter what brand they are, they wont live long when abused

That being said, Ive had great luck with the SAM's Crescent/Channellock brands. They're lifetime replacement, like most good tools, only they have to be mailed in

02Z28

iTrader: (11)

I hate the craftsman ratchets too I just ordered a set of Gearwrench soft grip ratchets online 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch for $88... hopefully they're decent.

TT632

iTrader: (3)

From my research this is the company that currently makes the Kobalt hand tools that are made in the USA; www.danaher.com. The Kobalt tools that are made in the USA clearly indicate that on the package.

I say; Buy the best quality American made tool once, and enjoy it for life;

southsidecox

iTrader: (11)

ive got craftsman wrench sets ive had for years,they work fine,and they usually replace that brand at sears no problems,of course not on the cheaper off brands they sell nowdays,word of advice..dont ever buy things with moving parts from sears,my shop vac got to warm and motor went, and of course it was cheaper just to buy whole new vac and kit than replacement motor,my question is wtf? couldnt they put a thermal switch in to prevent thins like that from happening,also on their crappy electric drills they change the shape of the plug in batteries slightly so you wont find your model anywhere except at sears and youll prob. have to backorder it and expensive too,if your dewalt drill needs a battery,most of them interchange as long as the voltage is right,that alone makes me never shop at sears

s10-den

For what its worth,ALL my craftmans ratchets broke!!!I'll never buy that brand again, just me.

crashinaz

iTrader: (35)

Just a little FYI on the notchy *** piece of **** craftsman ratchets with the plastic toggles (since they were mentioned earlier and everyone's got a drawer full of them). When I take them in, I have the clerk perform a return for the price of the wrench and in the same transaction he applies the store credit towards the top of the line ratchet and I pay the difference. They're considerably more durable and have a finer ratcheting mechanism. I've switched out half of my ratchets so far... They're heavier too, so they pull double duty as a hammer more efficiently too ...

Like others have said, when you pick up tools all day long, the diff between a Snap-On and Craftsman is night and day... You can literally observe ANY moving part Craftsman tool degrade over the period of a few months... Snap-Ons just get smoother