View Poll Results: Which brand do you prefer?
Kobalt
32
29.09%
Craftsman
78
70.91%
Voters: 110. You may not vote on this poll
Craftsman vs. Kobalt Tools
craftsman of course. im fairly sure kobalt isnt made in the US. i do have some kobalt things. id consider it a top tier jap brand. better then the other imports, but still not as good as any quality US made tools. i have a kobalt jack.....complete piece of ****. stopped working after about a year of light use. with every full pump of the handle, it raised about a quarter inch. i bought an aluminum tirerack jack, and havent looked back.
kobalts warranty is also different. for craftsman, you bring a broken tool in, and they give you a new one off the rack. i had a broken socket adapter in kobalt. you have to go to customer service; they give you a receipt and refund you the exact price of the tool. you then go buy the tool again, with the money they gave you. you get a new one in the end, free, but its more hassle then just dropping off a broken part and grabbing a new one.
for all my major tools/repairs, i use craftsman, or my stockpile of very old, vintage US made snap-on, KD, etc. i use kobalt for back up tools, mobile sets for the track/autox, etc. if i need a particular special socket for something, like a big deep metric, i dont mind going to lowes for a single kobalt since its closer then the nearest sears, and i dont plan on using it heavily.
kobalts warranty is also different. for craftsman, you bring a broken tool in, and they give you a new one off the rack. i had a broken socket adapter in kobalt. you have to go to customer service; they give you a receipt and refund you the exact price of the tool. you then go buy the tool again, with the money they gave you. you get a new one in the end, free, but its more hassle then just dropping off a broken part and grabbing a new one.
for all my major tools/repairs, i use craftsman, or my stockpile of very old, vintage US made snap-on, KD, etc. i use kobalt for back up tools, mobile sets for the track/autox, etc. if i need a particular special socket for something, like a big deep metric, i dont mind going to lowes for a single kobalt since its closer then the nearest sears, and i dont plan on using it heavily.
As far as the Craftsman Lawnmowers, My father has had two of them and BOTH TIMES something happens with the drive gears on the walk behinds. Craftsman says they cover and warranty/guarantee the mower, but what they DON'T cover is the darn drive gears. So BOTH TIMES he has to get a new mower because after a year or two, the drive gears strip or something. The gears are $100 or something like that, so it'd actually be cheaper to buy a new mower.. 
Been eying that new Honda lawn mower they have at Home Depot.
Been eying that new Honda lawn mower they have at Home Depot.
Village Idiot
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 428
Likes: 0
From: Santa Monica, California
I remember the days when Snap-Ons would be considered in this discussion... What happen to Snap-on Love?
Tools are a little bulky but are still solid and good to go...Love my Snap-ons...
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/catalog.asp?tool=all
Tools are a little bulky but are still solid and good to go...Love my Snap-ons...
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/catalog.asp?tool=all
No one considers Snap On in discussion in this thread because it was about affordable tools, not $20 a socket.
Snap On has great stuff, but some of us on here don't make $100k/year. Someone said it best earlier in the thread, "Strap-On".
Snap On has great stuff, but some of us on here don't make $100k/year. Someone said it best earlier in the thread, "Strap-On". Oh and Home Depots brand (Husky) is made in Taiwan, and I'd rather by a brand that at least not BASED outside of this country.
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OLD Craftsman is good stuff, back before they sold out to 12 yr old kids building their tools in sweatshops over in China. Now, they're stuff is garbage. I have some Craftsman stuff from the 70s that's virtually unbreakable, yet everything I've picked up from Sears in the past 10 years has broken at some point.
Perfect example: I've got a 3/8 IR Titanium Impact that's ballsy as hell. At full power it can deliver 300ft lbs of TQ. I use this gun for almost everything. My old Craftsman CHROME sockets have taken a beating from this gun for several years. Last year, I lost my trusty 15mm Craftsman chrome socket, that was probably 20 yrs old. Went and picked up a new one from Sears, and snapped it in 2 the second time I put it on my IR impact.
Husky is also the same way. They've sold out, and now all their **** is garbage.
I'm also scared to say, that Snap on is slipping a little too. I've bought/broken a few things from Snap on the past couple of years that shouldn't have broke.
Perfect example: I've got a 3/8 IR Titanium Impact that's ballsy as hell. At full power it can deliver 300ft lbs of TQ. I use this gun for almost everything. My old Craftsman CHROME sockets have taken a beating from this gun for several years. Last year, I lost my trusty 15mm Craftsman chrome socket, that was probably 20 yrs old. Went and picked up a new one from Sears, and snapped it in 2 the second time I put it on my IR impact.
Husky is also the same way. They've sold out, and now all their **** is garbage.
I'm also scared to say, that Snap on is slipping a little too. I've bought/broken a few things from Snap on the past couple of years that shouldn't have broke.
I must be the only one who found this post pretty damn funny. Who'd of thought Lowes was worldwide.
I have been doing the same research, but with Husky tools; from what I read, Craftsman is no longer made by Stanley so compared to their old skool stuff, they are now ****. Now from what I learned about the Huskey, they are made from the same manufacturer as Snap-On.
http://www.dfwstangs.net/forums/showthread.php?t=29034
I like the Husky a lot and for $59 for a 259 piece set, that's a steal! They use to make a 338 count for $200, but sadly they no longer sell it.
Here's something to think about! In the event you have to return a tool due to breakage, how many Sears are there vs. HD and Lowes? In my area there's only ONE Sears store in reasonable driving distance, however, there are four HD's and two Lowes I can think of. If I go with the Huskey tools, or even the Kobalt brand, at least I know that if one of the HD's, or Lowes don't have the replacement, then I can go a few miles to the next location, where as, with Sears, I would have to travel over ten miles... **** that!
DM
http://www.dfwstangs.net/forums/showthread.php?t=29034
I like the Husky a lot and for $59 for a 259 piece set, that's a steal! They use to make a 338 count for $200, but sadly they no longer sell it.
Here's something to think about! In the event you have to return a tool due to breakage, how many Sears are there vs. HD and Lowes? In my area there's only ONE Sears store in reasonable driving distance, however, there are four HD's and two Lowes I can think of. If I go with the Huskey tools, or even the Kobalt brand, at least I know that if one of the HD's, or Lowes don't have the replacement, then I can go a few miles to the next location, where as, with Sears, I would have to travel over ten miles... **** that! DM
Craftsman, K-D, Kobalt, RidGid and many, many, other name brand tools, are all made by the same company...Danaher. Snap-On "used to" make Kobalt, but no longer.
Last edited by LS1GMCTruck; Aug 1, 2010 at 07:48 AM.
I like Craftsman hand tool unlimited lifetime warranty, just in case I break anything. So far I haven't. Plus I like how they are made in the USA. Their other stuff like power tools aren't AFAIK however, and they don't have the same warranty either.
I have nothing positive or negative to say about Kobalt, I've never tried any of their stuff yet. I might next time I buy some things. I need some wrenches...
I have nothing positive or negative to say about Kobalt, I've never tried any of their stuff yet. I might next time I buy some things. I need some wrenches...
IMO, it depends entirely on the intended use.
If you are a hobbyist that is just going to be wrenching on your car on the weekend a couple times a month doing some basic things, any of these brands will probably work.
If you are a pro that uses tools hard every day, then that's another story.
Pros will mostly use snap on or similar and most hobbyists will use something like craftsman.
If you are a hobbyist that is just going to be wrenching on your car on the weekend a couple times a month doing some basic things, any of these brands will probably work.
If you are a pro that uses tools hard every day, then that's another story.
Pros will mostly use snap on or similar and most hobbyists will use something like craftsman.
As far as the Craftsman Lawnmowers, My father has had two of them and BOTH TIMES something happens with the drive gears on the walk behinds. Craftsman says they cover and warranty/guarantee the mower, but what they DON'T cover is the darn drive gears. So BOTH TIMES he has to get a new mower because after a year or two, the drive gears strip or something. The gears are $100 or something like that, so it'd actually be cheaper to buy a new mower..
Been eying that new Honda lawn mower they have at Home Depot.
Been eying that new Honda lawn mower they have at Home Depot.
Craftsman tools are not worth the price to me, ******* expensive because a ratchet is like $17.
i dont use any power tools by craftsman. i am a fan of makita and milwaukee. hand tools it is hit or miss. my gear wrench's take a beating every single day at work and have never had a problem have the same set at home. im with everyone on the old craftsman all my dads older tools never skip a beat but i have gone threw alot of new ratchets all makes.