# Craftsman: Yea or nay?



## stumblemumble (Mar 31, 2006)

I looked high and low for a replacement for a lost 5mm allen socket for the torque wrench. Finally found one at Sears, after a few weeks of use it snapped while torquing an axle cap to 120 in/lbs, that's 10 ft/lbs!
My set is all Husky so is this a Craftsman thing? I'll have to go online to order a replacement since no one seems to carry metric allen sockets. 

And I don't have the reciept...:madman:

So is Craftsman crap now?


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## saxen (Jun 15, 2009)

You don't need a receipt- go into sears and they will give you a new one- I like my craftsman stuff- works great


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## SunGuy (Aug 30, 2010)

Bring it back to Sears and they will replace it for free! No receipt needed.

Is Craftsman crap now? IMO, their allen sockets have always been crap! I have snapped a few .. 10mm with 85 ft/lbs ... I will keep warranting them until I lost them and replace it with Snap-On. I have lots of Craftsman tools and I have always been satisfied.


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## Dad Man Walking (Sep 7, 2004)

Craftsman stuff is fine (my experience, anyway). Take it back to the store and they'll give you a replacement no questions asked.


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## stumblemumble (Mar 31, 2006)

Good to hear, I'll take it in. Must've been a flawed one.


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## reptilezs (Aug 20, 2007)

craftsman bit sockets suck


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## dcrawford (Jun 19, 2011)

I have a set of Husky allen sockets that I use almost everyday on industrial machines and they are holding up wonderfully. I always hear that people bow to Craftsman but it is mearly because of the warranty. Kobalt from Lowes and Husky from Home Depot has the same replacement as Craftsman and some tools are 1/2 the price.


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## mechBgon (Jan 28, 2007)

reptilezs said:


> craftsman bit sockets suck


I agree. My nice set is Proto, and if I don't feel like spending $60 I'll just get a cheap house-brand set from the auto-parts place around the corner, they hold up surprisingly well and the bits don't fall out like Craftsman does.


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## jtmartino (Jul 31, 2008)

dcrawford said:


> I have a set of Husky allen sockets that I use almost everyday on industrial machines and they are holding up wonderfully. I always hear that people bow to Craftsman but it is mearly because of the warranty. Kobalt from Lowes and Husky from Home Depot has the same replacement as Craftsman and some tools are 1/2 the price.


Husky and Kobalt are good brands, but I've never seen them for half the price of Craftsman. Apparently Home Depot will replace your broken Craftsman tool with a Husky equivalent for free.

Stanley, which makes Husky, used to also make Craftsman. Now Craftsman is made by Danaher. Snap-On makes Kobalt, but they are not the same material nor the same quality. They are, however, made by the same employees that make the Snap-On tools.

I like Craftsman's replacement policy, but have started buying Husky instead due to their warranty and good quality.

OP, I haven't had too much trouble with Craftsman - perhaps you got a faulty socket. Take it back, get another, and if that doesn't work out, go with another brand.


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## mtnbiker72 (Jan 22, 2007)

Just keep in mind with Craftsmen that Sears may very well be gone within a year...maybe Kmart will start replacing them

I used to have a fair amount of Craftsmen and their sockets have always sucked (I probably broke them 10-15x). Knowing Sears is on the outs, I'd probably go with Husky these days if I was buying new mid priced tools. Most of my stuff is Mac and Snap-on these days, much of which I purchased at pawn shops for the same price as new Craftsmen and comes with full warranties even used.


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## mechBgon (Jan 28, 2007)

What's happening to Sears, just financial trouble or ???


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## mtnbiker72 (Jan 22, 2007)

mechBgon said:


> What's happening to Sears, just financial trouble or ???


Sears stores have not been profitable for many years, they are likely to be gone in the next year or two. The parent company (that also owns Kmart and Lands End) will exist but Sears stores are likely kaput...hence my Kmart comment


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## Ratt (Dec 22, 2003)

Wow that sucks to hear. I've rebuilt several motors with a Craftsman socket set and torqued the heads down with their socket allen keys with never a problem. But have to admit my tools were purchased 20+ years ago.


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## jtmartino (Jul 31, 2008)

Ratt said:


> Wow that sucks to hear. I've rebuilt several motors with a Craftsman socket set and torqued the heads down with their socket allen keys with never a problem. But have to admit my tools were purchased 20+ years ago.


That's back when Craftsman was built by Stanley (up until 1994.)

Their old stuff is quality. New stuff....not so much.


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## stumblemumble (Mar 31, 2006)

Well they did replace it without a receipt no questions asked, so that's good. See how this one goes, snapping at 10 ft/lbs is pretty bad.


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## SunGuy (Aug 30, 2010)

jtmartino said:


> That's back when Craftsman was built by Stanley (up until 1994.)
> 
> Their old stuff is quality. New stuff....not so much.


The stuff they have now isn't bad, I think they are great ... besides the allens on the socket and their new 90* plastic air grinder.

I do believe the older craftsman/snap-on stuff are stronger due to more material. The old sockets have thicker walls, the rachets have coarse tooth, hard plastic handles, etc.

The new stuffs are thin wall sockets (easier in tight space), fine tooth rachets (easier to ratchet in confined areas) and rubber handles (better grip with greasy hands). As a result, it will break more often. Snap-On has a 100 tooth rachet ... 100. All you need is 3.6 degree of space and you can rachet. Try that with an old ratchet.

BTW, Danaher is the main company behind Matco, Gear Wrench and Armstrong tools.


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## sasquatch rides a SS (Dec 27, 2010)

Craftsman is like Park, good, but not the best. I've snapped some Craftsman bits and sockets but they always replace them for free. That right there makes it worth the money you spent on them, especially when you use the tools as much as I do (and my family does).


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## SunGuy (Aug 30, 2010)

Another item I need to add .. their "regular" screwdrivers SUCKS! I keep bending and breaking the tip off the flat heads. Their "professional" screwdrivers are awesome. Snap-On quality at a fraction of a price.


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## indyducati (Aug 16, 2010)

My two cent concerning allen sockets...I like Craftsman tools, except for their allen sockets. My Craftsman set holds the 'allen' in the 'socket' with a friction fit. My nice, expensive S-K allen sockets retains the allen with a set-screw. The other nice thing is the S-K set had a full size allen in each socket. If I need a longer or shorter allen I can custom cut one with a Dremel and a spare allen wrench. The smaller sized Craftsman use a reduced diameter allen. They have one end, lets say, 3/16" and the retaining end at 1/4". No diy changes with those.


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## customfab (Jun 8, 2008)

mtnbiker72 said:


> Sears stores have not been profitable for many years, they are likely to be gone in the next year or two. The parent company (that also owns Kmart and Lands End) will exist but Sears stores are likely kaput...hence my Kmart comment


Fastenall has started selling craftsmen tools. I've seen them popping up at a few other places as well. Craftsmen will not die with sears that is for sure.


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## wuzilla (Sep 9, 2008)

stumblemumble said:


> I looked high and low for a replacement for a lost 5mm allen socket for the torque wrench. Finally found one at Sears, after a few weeks of use it snapped while torquing an axle cap to 120 in/lbs, that's 10 ft/lbs!
> My set is all Husky so is this a Craftsman thing? I'll have to go online to order a replacement since no one seems to carry metric allen sockets.
> 
> And I don't have the reciept...:madman:
> ...


What type of torque wrench do you have, and how old? It seems really odd to break any tool with that little torque. I have pens that can hold up to more then that.

On another note, I have Husky allen sockets while the rest of my tools are craftsmen. Allen head stripped out of one, another is also on its way out. These are of course from automotive repairs (if you're breaking tools on the bike, you're doing something wrong!)

I ordered a bunch of stems from a guy on Ebay a few months ago. Every single allen bolt head was rounded out. A few of the bolts had been torqued so hard, they were actually stretched!  Now, I personally don't believe in using a torque wrench on bike repairs, but I still wrote the guy that he needs to be careful with those giant arms of his.


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## estabro (Oct 9, 2009)

I bought a cheap set from Advance Auto Parts for $3 and it's worked great for years.


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## axelbaker (Jun 17, 2011)

customfab said:


> Fastenall has started selling craftsmen tools. I've seen them popping up at a few other places as well. Craftsmen will not die with sears that is for sure.


Ace Hardware has also started carrying Craftsman too, which I find really convenient, and lets me support my local hardware store . I use many Craftsman tools for both work and at home for my bikes. As has been said, they are not the best tools in the world, but they are also not the most expensive, they are easy to find, have a good warranty and last I checked (someone correct me if I am wrong) still union made in the USA.

Now if you want to drop some cash and get the best, there are some German tool companies out there that make Craftsman tools look like toys at only triple the price (StahlWille and Hazet come to mind) but I can't justify $100 for a 6 piece hex set.


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## tyler243 (Oct 28, 2009)

it seems to me that craftsman has been going down in recent years. I stripped a torx screwdriver pulling 3 little bolts from my knife that holds the clip on but I will keep using the stuff because of the warranty on hand tools


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## bing! (Jul 8, 2010)

Ive only stripped Harbor Freight allen sockets on seized pedals that havent been removed for 20 years. 

Theyre ok for basic bike maintenance. If you need a better set, go for it.


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## Gsromich (Nov 22, 2009)

I have the craftsman cabinets and the workbench and they seem of good quality. I havent had anyproblems with them yet. I have a few craftsman tools like the ratcheting box end wrenches and the socket set. If sears is going under soon then what are the quality craftsman tools should i get with my leftover gift cards?


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## axelbaker (Jun 17, 2011)

Craftsman rolling cases are made by Waterloo, and are a good solid case. They don't have the nicest drawer pulls Waterloo offers, but your great grandchildren won't know that. If you really can't think of some thing at Sears that you want, I need a new torque wrench, and a new set of allen drivers ;-)


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## IRONMAN1518 (Jul 19, 2008)

Have used Craftsman tools since the 50's, earned my living as an electrician using them. Rebuilt numerous motorcycle engines, repaired tons of cars and bicycles with them. Broke one or two sockets which were replaced with no hassle. Even got a Craftsman file replaced because it was worn out! But they don't make all needed tools for a bike, like cone wrenches. Got some Parks and some Bicycle Research cone wrenches; Park BB tools and Campagnolo BB and crank wrenches.


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## GpzGuy (Aug 11, 2008)

customfab said:


> Fastenall has started selling craftsmen tools. I've seen them popping up at a few other places as well. Craftsmen will not die with sears that is for sure.


Yep! I've seen my local Ace Hardware store selling Craftsman, and it has the same policy: No receipt needed, as long as they can read the Craftsman brandname on the tool, they'll exchange it no questions asked.


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## Eckstream1 (Jul 27, 2011)

How's this for Craftsman durability?
7/16" wrench right through my tire... And it was supporting the weight of my car!


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## mechBgon (Jan 28, 2007)

Gsromich said:


> I have the craftsman cabinets and the workbench and they seem of good quality. I havent had anyproblems with them yet. I have a few craftsman tools like the ratcheting box end wrenches and the socket set. *If sears is going under soon then what are the quality craftsman tools should i get with my leftover gift cards?*


Flex-head teardrop ratchets, 44815 (3/8" drive) and 44816 (1/2" drive) would be up there on my list, along with a couple head-rebuild kits for each size. Flexed to the 90° position, they work as speeders once stuff's busted loose, and they have decent length for leverage on tough stuff. I have three of the former, one of the latter.


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## aztrail (Sep 27, 2011)

I noticed that craftsman tools are being sold through the Summit Auto catalog... although that could have been happening for a long time without me knowing since I don't look at those too often.

I have had great luck with my craftsman allen sockets, I used to work on motorcycles for a living and used them daily. I also have a set of craftsman pro metric wrenches that I couldn't be happier with... 

It sounds to me like the OP had a 'one off' experience...


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## mtnbikecrazy55 (Jul 26, 2007)

just make sure that you dont get their "evolve" line if you want the warranty, as the evolve line does not carry the same no questions asked lifetime warranty. 

but on the flip side i bought a set of their evolve line allen sockets to use to change the brake pads on my sisters vw jetta and they worked just fine. 

but craftsman is good stuff, I've brought rounded oer allen wrenches in and they replace them no questions asked. even a 2 mil that i used as a pry thngey and bent it to all hell and i got a new one for free. whoohoo!


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