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WTF happened to Craftsman tools!?!?!

buffermop said:
like every other damn commodity coming into this country, it is made in China.Its time this congress of ours wakes up and bring our American quality products and jobs back home.
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Congress? It's the average American that is sending the jobs over to China. Every American that complains about "big companies" moving their jobs to China and then runs out to Walmart where 90% of everything they sell is made in China, is the problem. People in this country, in general, look for the cheapest price but want American quality.

If more people demanded quality, AND BACKED UP THAT DEMAND BY PAYING FOR IT, we could bring jobs back to this country!
 
Unless you're working with these tools every freaking day the craftsman, kobalt or any other ratchet/wrench brand set will work just fine. Yes, it would be nice if all of this shit was made in America but it aint. I like nice tools too but you soon realize that most of the shit is junk at the big box stores and you stop caring what you buy. I couldn't tell you how many drills, skillsaws (insert tool type here) have failed over the course of a couple years. The brand that seams to work for me is Bosch. I've only been through two bulldog hammer drills in the past 5 years. But at the end of the day all of the tools we use are shit. They don't make things like they used to so get used to buying shit over and over again.

I just bought a 56 piece ratchet from sears. You guess it, made in Taiwan. I don't use socket sets to often so I'm sure these will last just long enough to be worth the $70 I spent.

If you want to boycott sears then you'll have to boycott ever other retail store that sells appliances and tools.
 
I looked at the Snap-On web site, and for a premium product, their warranty sucks - it seems to be written to make it hard to collect (must have receipt .... abuse, solely as determined by vendor voids warranty, non-transferable, etc. If they actually wanted to honor the warranty, it would be "If we made it, we replace if it you break it".

Sears has limitations, but is good with warranty service, and doesn't play games like "It doesn't matter if it's obviously our product, we require the receipt for you to collect".
 
ASHDUMP said:
I just bought a 56 piece ratchet from sears. You guess it, made in Taiwan. I don't use socket sets to often so I'm sure these will last just long enough to be worth the $70 I spent.
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There were American made tools likely on the same shelf, the 94pc set is all American made and similarly priced to the Next Gen CM set.
 
Rob Boudrie said:
I looked at the Snap-On web site, and for a premium product, their warranty sucks - it seems to be written to make it hard to collect (must have receipt .... abuse, solely as determined by vendor voids warranty, non-transferable, etc. If they actually wanted to honor the warranty, it would be "If we made it, we replace if it you break it".

Sears has limitations, but is good with warranty service, and doesn't play games like "It doesn't matter if it's obviously our product, we require the receipt for you to collect".
Click to expand...

Deal with the local truck guy ,they take care of it. Never a problem for me.
 
Snap-on's warranty is great IF you are on a "truck guys" route. If not you have to deal with mailing the broken one in and waiting for the fed-ex guy to drop off your new one. They are as painless as Sears is, just tell them it broke and they get you a new one, doesn't matter what you did to it.
 
i forgot to mention and i'm sure other's have noticed that Craftsman tool prices dropped in the last decade. that should have been an indicator of something....

-again, i started as a generator and small engine / HVAC mechanic in the Army back in 1995. shitty tools? i know them. anywho, if you actually use tools and fondle them, you'll know a shitty one from a POS on any given day.

i've seen and felt "quality" tools, which is subjective just about anywhere. are they as tough as the "old school"??? it depends... if you use them once a year to change the oil in your mom's minivan in order to go on a date that you met on the internet, who is actually a dude who is going to rob you... it probably makes no difference...

but if you use them to actually turn wrenches on a consistent basis to service 3-15kw Diesel Generators and pretend to be a mechanic on the weekends on your WRX... you'd know. same with drills, jacks, jack stands, ramps and so on...

[laugh]
 
Subsailor said:
I busted a 1/2 to 3/8 adapter that i've had for a long time, I go into Sears and the first thing I noticed is a set of regular combination wrenches that just look different, the open end was forged differently than the ones I have, I turn it around and WTF! "Made in China"

I haven't needed to buy any hand tools for a long time, and this was a shock. Some of the stuff was made in USA but most seemed to be from either China or Taiwan, in fact I couldn't find a new American made adapter, I had to settle for Taiwan made.

I also hear they give you "ratchet rebuild kits" now instead of handing you a new ratchet. Is there any truth to that? I also noticed many tools had "limited" warranties now. If i wanted Chinese junk i'd just go to Harbor Freight.

When and why did Sears decide to do this? I would gladly pay a little more if they kept the same quality as their old tools and kept all the manufacturing in this country.
Click to expand...

Wow.

I'm not doubting you--and it has been a while since I bought Craftsman hand tools (they last forever, right?)--are you sure they were labeled "Craftsman" and not simply "Sears?"

scatter said:
...I've also got some polished Craftsman sets from about 20 years ago. They're not quite as good as the Snap-ons, but they were close back then.
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I thought so, too. Mine are from 1978.
 
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ASHDUMP said:
The brand that seams to work for me is Bosch. I've only been through two bulldog hammer drills in the past 5 years. But at the end of the day all of the tools we use are shit. They don't make things like they used to so get used to buying shit over and over again..
Click to expand...

I don't agree that the only choice is to live with mediocre quality. Most of my power tools are Makita and they are granite solid. I finally wore out my 3/8 drill/driver after 20 years of abuse and got another one. That said, I've got a couple of Bosch nailers. Not bad in my opinion. But if I need to buy another power tool, and I have a choice, it will be Makita. Just another guy's opinion.
 
I have a bunch of Craftsman tools. I seem to find them in the middle of the road all the time. Weird. I have no idea why but that is where they all came from. I stop the car in the middle of the road and my 11 year old says to me, "Hammer or wrench?" Usually a wrench. But they were free. I don't care when they snap. And they all eventually do.

Hey, suckers. Stop arguing like idiots over the quality of modern tools. They are shit. Get it? Are you that dumb? It's all crap these days. And if it isn't crap you'll mortgage your house *again* to buy it. Did you all just fall off the turnip truck? Have you ever had a toaster last more than 3 years? A fridge last more than 10? My grandfather has a fridge that is 40 freaking years old. Still running... American quality is dead.

Go to eBay. Spend $100 and you can outfit yourself for life with the best quality steel that was ever produced. Why does this thread keep going? You're like my 5 and 7 year old arguing who hit the other one first. Morons.
 
Swamp_Yankee said:
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Look for an odd letter, out of place, on your dads tools. That will indicate who actually made it for Craftsman. I don't think they mark them that way anymore.
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I'll look when I get a chance, but I dont recall any other markings besides "Craftsman" and the size of the wrench. They're at LEAST as old as I am, most likely older.
 
Swamp_Yankee said:
I have a bunch of Craftsman tools. I seem to find them in the middle of the road all the time. Weird. I have no idea why but that is where they all came from. I stop the car in the middle of the road and my 11 year old says to me, "Hammer or wrench?" Usually a wrench. But they were free. I don't care when they snap. And they all eventually do.

Hey, suckers. Stop arguing like idiots over the quality of modern tools. They are shit. Get it? Are you that dumb? It's all crap these days. And if it isn't crap you'll mortgage your house *again* to buy it. Did you all just fall off the turnip truck? Have you ever had a toaster last more than 3 years? A fridge last more than 10? My grandfather has a fridge that is 40 freaking years old. Still running... American quality is dead.

Go to eBay. Spend $100 and you can outfit yourself for life with the best quality steel that was ever produced. Why does this thread keep going? You're like my 5 and 7 year old arguing who hit the other one first. Morons.
Click to expand...

you're a ****ing retard dude. my house was built in 1950. i got it for a good price. no way would it compare to a house built in 1900, or a house built within the last 10 years.

you shop on eBay for anything that you would deem to be quality??? that makes you a retard. "real life" vs. "internet"

[rofl]

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Swamp_Yankee said:
I have a bunch of Craftsman tools. I seem to find them in the middle of the road all the time. Weird. I have no idea why but that is where they all came from. I stop the car in the middle of the road and my 11 year old says to me, "Hammer or wrench?" Usually a wrench. But they were free. I don't care when they snap. And they all eventually do.

Hey, suckers. Stop arguing like idiots over the quality of modern tools. They are shit. Get it? Are you that dumb? It's all crap these days. And if it isn't crap you'll mortgage your house *again* to buy it. Did you all just fall off the turnip truck? Have you ever had a toaster last more than 3 years? A fridge last more than 10? My grandfather has a fridge that is 40 freaking years old. Still running... American quality is dead.

Go to eBay. Spend $100 and you can outfit yourself for life with the best quality steel that was ever produced. Why does this thread keep going? You're like my 5 and 7 year old arguing who hit the other one first. Morons.
Click to expand...

you're a ****ing retard dude. my house was built in 1950. i got it for a good price. no way would it compare to a house built in 1900, or a house built within the last 10 years.

you shop on eBay for anything that you would deem to be quality??? that makes you a retard. "real life" vs. "internet"

[rofl]
 
I'd send you a picture of what to look for but I sent all my Craftsman sockets (made in the 40's) to my brother. They happened to have a "v" discretely marked. I forget which forge they came from. It's just like AR's. Keyhole, cardinal, square. Nobody makes what they sell.
 
I'd agree with OB1Kenobi, modern doesn't mean its bad or worse quality than old tools. There is plenty of old rusty garbage that is better left corroding into dust. You can Google the stamp marks and find out who made the tools for craftsman going back to the 1920's. There are forums full of tool nerds out there and they scour eBay, Pawn shops, and yard sales looking for quality stuff and its not all that common or that cheap. A little research and you can get yourself plenty of awesome quality tools for a reasonable cost, or you can spend the cash and get Snap-On, MAC, and Matco and get great tools WITH a great warranty.

Craftsman's has always been a middle of the road brand, this isn't new or the result of overseas manufacturing.
 
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Rob Boudrie said:
I looked at the Snap-On web site, and for a premium product, their warranty sucks - it seems to be written to make it hard to collect (must have receipt .... abuse, solely as determined by vendor voids warranty, non-transferable, etc. If they actually wanted to honor the warranty, it would be "If we made it, we replace if it you break it".

Sears has limitations, but is good with warranty service, and doesn't play games like "It doesn't matter if it's obviously our product, we require the receipt for you to collect".
Click to expand...

Thirty years ago I tried to get a replacement SK 1/2" breaker bar from Tooltown in Paramus, NJ - big tool store, been there for years. I got into a 5 minute argument about how they didn't make that unit any more, and my old one was better (in spite of being broken) because it had a square hole in the handle to use as an extension, and since I had inherited it it was really out of the lifetime warranty, blah, blah, blah... I asked the guy his name so that I could tell SK when I wrote them who it was who wouldn't honor their warranty. I got my new breaker bar. Works great and I still have it.

Around the same time I brought a Craftsman screwdriver in to be replaced - guy said "Go grab one from the shelf while I start the paperwork". Guess who got more of my business? Never regretted it, either.

Now, to be fair, I DID work for Sears for three years, repairing electrical hand tools in their specialty repair center... and as a result, I'm pretty familiar (or was) with their policies and what manufacturers they used. A 135 prefix on the model number means it's made by Skil, a 315 prefix is Singer Power Tool (and their less expensive units are utter SHIT) and a 900 prefix is Black & Decker. However... I still have Craftsman power tools that I bought 25 years ago and if you TAKE CARE OF THEM, they'll last a long time. I've got a Craftsman sander that's older than I am - my problem is that I can't find BELTS for the damned thing any more, it's so old! I've got the saber saw that my father used to make the molding in the family room he added onto our house - it's three years younger than I am. I replaced the sawbar, sawbar bushing and the motor bushings while I worked for Sears since they were a little worn but it works just fine.

Oh... few weeks ago I was at Harvard when one of the grounds crew came out to bolt some benches together. I took one look at his electric drill and started to laugh - I knew the unit inside and out; it was one of the more popular ones 25 years ago. A 315.10411. I could tear down those things in my sleep (I think I did, a few times!). I must have fixed hundreds of those things. His was well-worn but obviously taken care of.

Swamp_Yankee said:
Hey, suckers. Stop arguing like idiots over the quality of modern tools. They are shit. Get it? Are you that dumb? It's all crap these days. And if it isn't crap you'll mortgage your house *again* to buy it. Did you all just fall off the turnip truck? Have you ever had a toaster last more than 3 years? A fridge last more than 10?
Click to expand...

Yes and yes. What the **** are you doing to your appliances? Do you ever CLEAN them? Toaster? 7 years old. Fridge? at least 15 - I don't remember if we bought a new one when we bought the house or if we moved it - which would make it older. Stove? 14 years; the one that was in the house burned a batch of cookies - an unforgivable sin. It got replaced. Dishwasher? 15 years old. TV? 20+ (oops... that's a Mitsubishi. Never mind).

Take care of your tools and stop using roadside discards.
 
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If I bring in my US made ratchet can I just get a repair kit at the counter and fix it myself?

Also is there a bin of repaired ratchets under the counter for warranty exchange? If so are there usually any US made ratchets in there? If not are they all just dumped into a scrap bin?
 
yes you can get the repair kits from most of the stores, i run a Sears Hometown Outlet and we have the kits. I offer to install them for people if they dont mind waiting a few minutes. the 1/4" drives are very very tough to do but everything else is easy to do. If i dont have the kit in store, i try to replace them with one that is in stock. We have a Web page available to us that allows us to order replacement tools to be sent to the owners home directly, but it functions poorly or not at all. Sears has been going down a slippery slope since being obtained by Ed Lamperts investment group. He is an investor, not a retailer! he hasn't the slightest idea what goes into a retail chain and how to make one successful.

Dom
 
Rob Boudrie said:
I looked at the Snap-On web site, and for a premium product, their warranty sucks - it seems to be written to make it hard to collect (must have receipt .... abuse, solely as determined by vendor voids warranty, non-transferable, etc. If they actually wanted to honor the warranty, it would be "If we made it, we replace if it you break it".

Sears has limitations, but is good with warranty service, and doesn't play games like "It doesn't matter if it's obviously our product, we require the receipt for you to collect".
Click to expand...

I have a bunch of older craftsman, snap-on, SK and others. I striped the gears on a Snap-On 1/4" ratchet (from the late 80's) Called them (Snap-On) up, told them the issue, they sent me a brand new 1/4" ratchet free. No begging, no BS, no receipt etc. AND they said if they wanted the older one back, they would send a call tag and to send it back on their dime. But they never wanted it. So all it took was a phone call and a week later I had a replacement. The one they sent was $85 retail.
 
how long ago was this?

chris_1001 said:
I have a bunch of older craftsman, snap-on, SK and others. I striped the gears on a Snap-On 1/4" ratchet (from the late 80's) Called them (Snap-On) up, told them the issue, they sent me a brand new 1/4" ratchet free. No begging, no BS, no receipt etc. AND they said if they wanted the older one back, they would send a call tag and to send it back on their dime. But they never wanted it. So all it took was a phone call and a week later I had a replacement. The one they sent was $85 retail.
Click to expand...
 
thanks, i need to give them a ring, I have a 80s ratchet that striped and needs replacement. based on what I have hear from others your experience is not typical but I will go in with fingers crossed
 
Baystatesuks said:
All the mechanics I know (mechanics not auto technicians) use snap on tools. They say they cost more but the higher quality is worth it. The T-handle socket wrenches are particularly nice to avoid shearing off bolt heads on a '66 buick boat, er car.
Click to expand...

The big difference being this:
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...roup_ID=682403&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog $102.95 for a 3/8" drive ratchet
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-3-8-...0944808000P?prdNo=13&blockNo=13&blockType=G13 $17.99 for a 3/8" drive ratchet

...I'll buy a full set of sockets to go with it and STILL pay less than the cost of that single snap-on ratchet.
 
JohnnyViper said:
thanks, i need to give them a ring, I have a 80s ratchet that striped and needs replacement. based on what I have hear from others your experience is not typical but I will go in with fingers crossed
Click to expand...

I will say that they asked me to first find a truck, but after telling them that driving by every auto repair place or staking one out waiting for a truck was not an option, they helped.

They just asked for the model number on the ratchet and all went well.
 
Scarecrow said:
The big difference being this:
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...roup_ID=682403&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog $102.95 for a 3/8" drive ratchet
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-3-8-...0944808000P?prdNo=13&blockNo=13&blockType=G13 $17.99 for a 3/8" drive ratchet

...I'll buy a full set of sockets to go with it and STILL pay less than the cost of that single snap-on ratchet.
Click to expand...

You can get the ratchet from the OEM maker too:
http://www.amazon.com/BAHCO-7750-Comfort-Enclosed-Ratchet/dp/B006MHEFWY/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Just dont expect the Snap-on warranty at that cost.
 
Good. Now all I have to so is put my box of busted tools in an accessible place for when that happens. They wanna help you do things right.

One rachet has to be from the 50's and is probably going to go on my wall.
 

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