robertbartsch

Wrong Big Daddy!

The labor rates of 02 cents per hour in China aren't "cheap" labor since the Chinese worker can buy housing, clothing, food and other essentials with that wage. In other words, their 02 per hour is a livable wage.

That wage is realitively inexpensive only when measured in US dollars. This phenominon means that economic capital will flow to those locations where it can produce goods at price levels that reward those investors who put capital at risk.

Recent press reports show the Jaguar plant in the UK will shut soon. Why you ask; labor unions have priced the product out of the market and consumers can buy better less expensive cars that are made in Asia.

Capital finding a better home is not preventable by governmental action; it is an economic process that will occur regardless of laws or regulations.

American workers must produce products that are comptitive in the world economy. Yeh, we have lost lots of manufacturing jobs overseas, so what - we have gained lots of jobs in service sectors and our economy is better as a result.

In the mean time I will buy "cheap" tools from Asia and laugh all the way to the bank!

Modsquad

iTrader: (6)

The wrenches are ugly, but they are very ridgid. Some of the thin slippery snap ons I have scare me more than the Craftsmans on some really tough jobs....I've got some larger craftsmans that are 1" and larger that have been beat on with the 'Marc Shop Hammer' & have never failed me or needed to be swapped out. The Marc shop hammer happens to be a 8lb. sledge hammer fitted with a custom shortened handle for one handed use.

Chrome does't make tools strong....quality steel does. Do you know that some types of jobs will not allow chinese or certain foreign steel to be used? Personally, I'd like to see more of the black finised tools I used to see on some of the tool trucks...I just never could afford them & already had a good base set of tools. Buy what you want....but they are a good value...best bang for the buck tool you can buy if you use them.

China tools are thicker..........the sockets often share the same outer dia.
What is with the chrome tools? Do you like 20" and larger wheels? Is 'bling' a word you use frequently? Tools are meant to do a job, not look pretty.

How can you not see the value in buying a tool once in your life & never have to worry about buying it again? Loss & theft excluded.

No the tools are not very high quality


Would you buy an old Commodore 64 to run a fortune 500 company or would you get a nice Dell Server or some other big name? Professional tools are for professional use...some of us like to go overboard....like turning a 300 hp car into a 500 hp car....Pop Mech tools are ok, but the 1/2 metric set I picked up before I really needed metric is nowhere near the quality of the Craftsmans....
If you want better quality & more "chrome" get the Craftsman Professional Series. Chrome doesn't make a tool good....tools are items of function, but if you are so cought up on all the bling, then you obviously are not using them because mine are covered in oil & grease. Unless it is something that will be used only rarely, Craftsman is the lowest quality tool I will put in my box. I have Snap-on wrenches with the Flank Drive because I used to work on equipment & they have some patented teeth on them that grip like hell & can get stuff lose that would normally strip. I like snap on ratchets allot as well....my screwdrivers are snap on, never broke one & the tips are all still in great shape. They have a GREAT socket screwdriver & were the first & only ones to have one for many years. I haven't been on a tool truck in ages but I'm sure the stuff is only getting better. I don't know why you are hating on the Craftsman stuff, but they are good tools.....for the money & ease of warranty exchange, they can't be beat. Sears used to deliver stuff on horse drawn wagons.....I don't see them going anywhere, but where are you Pop Mech tools now? I can still swap out my Craftsman & my high $ Snap ons...but if you break your Pop Mechs, you gotta buy new tools....lifetime warranty is only as good as the company backing the warranty. If you like your China tools, fine, use them but don't think you can convince us they are better, the simply aren't.

If you want some alternatives, try S-K, Cornwell, Proto & I think if Olympia is still around they are good....think they were pro grade tools from Mexico...not sure but a tech that worked with me back in the day had them & they took a beating. I see all the 'high quality' china tools at Harbor Frieght.....they don't compare to Craftsman. Can they get a job done? Yes! I used to do all sorts of stuff with my cheap-o $5 socket set when I was a kid but that doesn't make them good.

Rat_Fink

Craftsmen tools are great use mine all the time.
You can use there screw drivers for chisles then return them for new ones.

robertbartsch

Ok so I bought several sets of gear wrenches at Sears. What baout those; they invented the gear wrench; right?

Modsquad

iTrader: (6)

Do they turn bolts or not? Does it matter? You asked if they are a good value. They are.

robertbartsch

Modie:
Yeh Sears tools turn bolts too. Some here said they are great tools; others would not buy a single one.

Value is a in the hand of the beholder....

I hold up the Gear Wrench and say, great value. I hold up the Sears wrench and say, what garbage. I hold up a Snap-N-Half and say I would LOVE to own a complete set but I would never pay that kind of dough to get them.

Its really a personal opinion thing..

Modsquad

iTrader: (6)

Craftsman aren't garbage, you just don't know **** about tools, simple as that.

BigDaddyZ28

Modsquad

iTrader: (6)

Somebody had to call the bullshit....I've had China tools & I've have Craftsmen....which one can you swap out & any Sears in the nation when you break it?....and on a side note, the only things I've ever broke where ratchets, sockets & screwdrivers....where as I've broken almost any China tool I ever used on a frequent basis.

FASTONE

Hey if you have to ask if a WRENCH is good quality or not then you don" t know jack about tools!!!I want to ask Robert if he's ever had a greasy hand while pulling on a triple chrome plated wrench,or a wrench with a finish you can grip like the sears wrenches,then which is the best????The chrome ,smooth wrenches are hard as hell to grip!!!I think Rpobert likes to be difficult(oh yea how do like your name spelled stupid)Go buy some shiny tools and hang them where you can LOOK at them If you don't likes SEARS tools them DON"T buy them,simple enough????

Mooobunnny

iTrader: (1)

I think that statement was about the lower level craftsman gear wrenches which are garbage compared to gear wrenches, but you cannot beat the warrenty. And they do make the professional line of reversible gear wrenches that are VERY nice, I just did not feel like paying double what the gear wrenches are for them.

Shamrock98TA

We're the same way, they basically tell you that you will not bring in any Craftsman productss. I've only seen one Craftsman product at work and that was a small toolbox. This is at a Snap-On plant btw.

Shamrock98TA

Better take a closer look.

What's the employee turnover rate at the plants in China? I'll tell you, they have very high turnover rates. Do you want someone who has been there for 1 month making your tools or someone who has been doing it for 20yrs?

Are they developing new designs and innovations for tools or just trying to copy something that a high quality company has already developed?

Boostaholic

iTrader: (4)

If they are beat up enough it will be very easy to exchange them, I found a old 1/2 in drive ratchet that was beat to hell and got it for a few bucks, took it to sears, and walked out with a brand new $22 ratchet, they didn't make the old one I had anymore so they just gave me a new one that was good.

I also told them sometimes my craftsman gear wrenches seem to automaticlly flip direction, and they said just bring them in, no questions asked they will exchange them.

jmd

iTrader: (4)

I kinda go out of my way to buy SK and when I next buy wrenches they will be snapon, but I don't think craftsman are garbage tools; they're just a solid quality tool that's darn good, just not always the best.

Silvette_02

I heard that Sears won't exchange if you are using their tools professionally. I tend to believe this is bullshit so someone please clarify.

Has anyone used any Kobalt tools (Lowe's)? I really love the ratchets. Very nice to hold and use.

My dad owns only Craftsman. I own some of everything. Fixing to graduate college at NASCAR Tech. I get 1/2 off of Snap-On while I'm in school, so guess what the majority of my **** is fixin to be !!!!

Modsquad

iTrader: (6)

Just buy good tools & most of the name brands should hold up as long as you use them properly.

robertbartsch

Hey: this has been an excellent discussion. Thanks guys.

I really had a bad felling about Sears tools at the start of this thread. After reading all this stuff I have concluded that they may not be that bad.

I may experiment with a few of their tools now. I still think they are over priced but I will reserve further judgements now and buy them, try them and see how it goes...

Modsquad

iTrader: (6)

If you want them cheaper, look on ebay & in pawn shops, get used Craftsman tools then trade em for new ones. Just make sure you know that just because it says Craftsman that it is warrantied for life. They don't warrant certain tools like power tools, torque wrenches, etc.

robertbartsch

Hey Modsquad:
I really like thin-walled box wrenches; they are like a fine wine and a sleezy chick.

So I guess I'll go with the tripple plated and polished professional series Sears hand wrenches.....
***********

PS - I thought Sears sold welders, torque wrenches and power tools under the Craftsmutt name that are really manufactured by other tool companies.... You know Miller, Stanley, etc...

Oh, no - here we go again....