The Guy in MY 99TA

I forgot to add........ you think Craftsmans are expensive?????????

Go price a set of 17(I think it was 17, might have been 15 or 12) Mac box ended standard sized polished wrenches!!!! $450!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

robertbartsch

When I can buy 24 Stanley polished wrenches chrome plated from Sam's for $29, (12 metric, 12 standard) I consider the Sears wrenches expensive (about 4 times that).

So far as the Mac stuff goes - I'm surprised; at 450 for 12 or so pieces - that is truly pathetic... They will need to keep raising prices as they loose market share but this will eventually KILL them.

The Guy in MY 99TA

nah Mac, Snap-on and Cornwell will probably be around forever! Their tools are unbeatable, Of coarse they are extremely expensive but some shops require their mechanics too have the tools it takes to do the job right and these companies are often the only ones who carry these such tools!

pacmantravis

I used to work at Sears in the Hardware Department.

Everyday we would have people coming in to replace broken ratchets and sockets. The lifetime warranty is awesome. I used Craftsman, my friends use craftsman and so on. Snap-On and MAC tools are better quality, however, they are more expensive; and it's a lot harder to get the replacements.

Pontiac Nut

iTrader: (1)

I am a former Honda master tech now in the Army. I started with Craftsman, then naturally upgraded to Snap-on. Now that I am away from the dealership I am having an incrediably hard time getting replacements. I have $15k worth of great great tools, but now I am stuck. I think Craftsman is the way to go to the do-it-yourselfer. I happen to be in one a few areas Snap-on is not represented. However, Sears is down the road. The professional grade Craftsman is very nice. I the only thing Snap-on has on Craftsman is their screwdrivers and pliers. Just my 2 cents

tensecondz

iTrader: (1)

Bang for buck Snap-On is dead Last. I agree craftsmans ratchets are poor, but their sockets are great. In addition, their "professional" line of screwdrivers and pliers are very good quality.

You know why Snap-On and MAC sell? Because they will set up a nice 60 month payment plan for your new shiny set of $1000 screw-drivers. We are American's, we dont care what something costs as long as the monthly payment is manageable

No doubt that Snap-On and MAC have somewhat better quality, but is a marginal increase in durability worth 4-8X's the price? I think not. Maybe for a select few tools at best.

V8_DSM_V8again

I have all sorts of different mfg's tools....

I have craftsman 6 pt hand tool sockets.. std, metric, deep... I'd get anything and everything you can in 6pt first... most are still around from my first craftsman starter kit... I just junked the craftsman ratchets and run snap ons...

I have one craftsman 1/2 impact. with the 3 "forward" throttle settings and one reverse... I like it...

I have IR air ratchets and impact sockets, std, metric, deep, shallow, swivel etc.. etc...

I have a husky air hammer and die grinder...

The list goes on and on...

Reckless

iTrader: (9)

I forget the brand name, but the tools they sell at Autozone are much cheaper than Craftsman and they carry the same warranty. Have not had any problems yet. Picked up an entire set of 3/8" drive 12-point metric sockets for $19.99, and they are lifetime guaranteed.

robertbartsch

I bought a Craftsmutt tool box - roller bearing type this week end. It is no better quality than the Husky and it cost more...

More proof that Craftsmutt provides questionable quality at a non-competitive price...

bad2000ss

iTrader: (6)

If you have a lot of room to work with, craftsman are decent tools. If you are in a tight spot snap-on is the way to go. I figured this out a while back when removing the driveshaft. Craftsman and most import tool's box end of the wrench is too thick to fit into tight spaces like U-joint nuts. Had to go back to the tool box for the snap-on wrench to clear the yoke.

I believe the quality of snap-on and MAC is a lot better than the craftsman, but for the average home user, like everyone else has said, craftsman is the best choice. Everyone has a Sears near by.

What most people forget is people who are professional mechanics can afford the more expensive snap-on or MAC tools because they can WRITE THEM OFF. If you have a creative tax man the $450 12 piece snap-on wrench set will cost about $50 in the end.

robertbartsch

Being a CPA I can add to this point.....

Write-offs are not available unless you are using the tools to produce income (taxable income).

If your effective tax rate is 33% your after-tax cost of the $450 wrench set is $301 (450 x 67%)....

If your tax work is more creative than that you will be sharing a cell with the K-Mart queen - Martha....

bad2000ss

iTrader: (6)

If the worst case senario is sharing a cell with Martha Stewart, i'll take my chances. Clean sheets, breakfast in bed, and for an older woman, she takes pretty damn good care of herself.

OWENMUSTANG

iTrader: (2)

what are you comparing pricing to? compared to mac/matco/snap-on
anything is cheap!
my tools and tool box is 98% craftsman the only things i by that are'nt are
special tools and any wierd style sockets i.e torx,ect
with any line of tool you will have the standard stuff and the mechanic grade stuff
example.. polished wrenches, better ratches,ect buy the better stuff and enjoy
them. if nothing else, 10 yrs from now you will be able to get them warrantied.
as far as the comments about older stuff being higher quality i agree and disagree
it depends on how your part was purchased. example. i broke my 3/8 swivel that
came in a kit. kind of chintzy, weak looking. broke with very little force.
the replacement off the rack was beefed up everywhere.felt twice as heavy. good
stuff. i 'm guessing the lower cost kits have different grades of tools in them
(check out the kit tool vs the same off of the rack, you will be surprised!)

Ackattack1

iTrader: (7)

If you don't like Craftsman so much, why do you continue to buy them?


I've seen the brand at Autozone (Dura-something I think). The only thing about there lifetime warranty that I question is: Are they going to be around in 15 years to take advantage of it? Just like the walmart brand popular mechanics.

I've read on other forums that many of the tools are actually made by the same companies. According to the posts I read, there are like 4 or 5 quality tool makers that sell them to companies like craftsman and snap on. I think I remember reading that stanley tools makes some of the snap on tools.

prelude00782

lol i just spent $50 on a snap-on reversible 19/21mm impact socket and extension, but for me it was well worth it, i use those two all the time. And how the hell anyone can use stanley or popular mechanics tools is beyond me. If i ever see anyone doing a valve cover job with a stanley tool i'll beat them over the head with my snapon ratchet, and finish the job :p

but seriously...the threads of the 6 and especially 12 point sockets of any generic-brand sockets will easily wear/strip and often don't match up to the same size. So don't be surprised if you strip a few bolts because you're using tools made by pre-teens in some third world country.

I like craftsman, most of my tools are crafstman except for my impact gun and my new 19/21mm reversible impact socket with extension :p They hold up pretty well and like the guys mentioned above, it's pretty easy to replace them. I remember a few years ago i stripped out a nut on a ball join because the pep boys socket i was using wasn't the same size as what a real socket would be.

So buy new tools or don't work on cars unless you don't mind stripping bolts at the very least.

robertbartsch

Don't laugh at cheap tools like the ones from China - they are very high quality...

Remember, everyone laughed at the Japanese producing cars in the 1960's.... NO ONE is laughing now....

The difference in tools is that the labor used by the Chinese is .02 per hour versus a US worker earning $10 or more per hour...

If I can buy a 16 piece set of hand wrenches that are forged, polished and tripple chrome plated for $29 I'll buy them and not the $450 set from Snap-On. I could bust 14 sets of the China tools before I reach the value of one Snap-On set.... With those odds, I'll take my chances with the China set...

Lostpatrolman

iTrader: (3)

You could break them 14 times for the price of 1 good set of snapon, but how many times are you going to bust your nuckles in the meantime? Sometimes the extra money is worth the added safety. I do not understand why everyone is complaining about craftsman finish not being highly polished. Why would you want the slippery bling bling wrenches? My gearvender wrenches are high polish and they constantly slip out of my hands when i get antifreeze and other liquids on them. I will stick my dull gripable finish.

Rat_Fink

I brought my 18 year old 3/8" rachet into sears on sat they repaired it on the spot. I have no complaints with craftsmen tools.

fab1

agreed!

BigDaddyZ28

And if more people begin to follow the same practice (preferring to do buisiness with the .02 per hour worker vs. the US worker) it won't be long before the American worker is forced to accept the .02cents as well...
(Hint: When is the last time you saw an American bricklayer?)

Cheap labor is not always a good thing. It seems that oftentimes you 'get what you pay for'.

I am more than happy to pay a little extra for the 'Made in USA' stamp on products I buy. JMO