Well there ya go!
Lifetime warranty!
And if there’s Lowes nearby, even better!
Tester
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actually 2 within 10 miles of my house!
If you click on the photos and use the enlarge slider you’ll be able to see clearly whether the set is 6-point or 12-point.
You could actually go and look at them in person.
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About 80% of my sockets are Craftsman, American made and very tough. Most of mine were marked with a V or a W Vulcan Tool for the V and I assume Washington Forge for the W.
Craftsman tools are now made in China and if the Craftsman locking pliers I just exchanged are any example, the new Chinese tools may be junk. The first time I used the new locking pliers they became in worse shape than the 40 year old ones that I turned in. The job I used them on was not even hard use. The steel in the new one is much, much softer.
Chicago brand hand tools at Harbor Freight are guaranteed for life without a recipt just like Craftsman. They don’t have as large a selection as Sears and don’t sell individual sockets so they would have to break up a set to give you one, but if the
HF ones were cheaper, that is what I would buy.
Cobalt tools seem more expensive that Craftsman and also not made here.
Any replacement sockets I want these days I get at car show flea markets.
If I was a young man starting out, I would look at estate or moving sales and flea markets.
I have been very frugal in my tool purchases. Every time I have bought something, I have made sure the tool would save me more money on the first use. My older tools are mostly from Big Lots clearance and then Walmart, this was when HF was not close to where I lived. Now I am in an area with a HF store nearby. Over the last 7 years I have bought two torque wrenches, a 3 ton jack, a breaker bar, a pancake compressor, and a few sets of impact sockets and all have worked just fine for me. I am a casual DIY’er and I am sure if I had a shop with daily use, most of these tools would not hold up. When I was buying my 3 ton jack, I researched craftsman jacks and the reviews were not good at all. I also have family that used to use craftsman tools for their business but they have switched brands.
Not everyone has a HF locally yet, the nearest one to me is 30+ miles away, but I did try enlarging the photos on their website and they clearly show how many facets the sockets have.
“I also have family that used to use craftsman tools for their business but they have switched brands.”
Okay, are you saying they switched from craftsman tools to Harbor Fake, for their business . . . ?!"
Not to HF exclusively, I think I mean they are not that loyal to Craftsman anymore. Logic being if you are going to get the same junk with the same warranty, you might as well pay less. So they shop around.
I’ve got some of the kobalt sockets and I think they have just fine. A lot of menards stuff is just junk and I’d be careful with hf.
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I still have a 1/2" drive Craftsman ratchet and many of the sockets and combination wrenches from a set I received as a gift 54 years ago so I agree that it was a quality product years ago and for the DIY it may still be. Of course I have Snap-On and Mac tools that have broken in daily commercial use and been repaired or replaced in recent years so even the best(?) will fail.
I have in my tool chests and cabinets countless different brands. I have to say that the absolute best crescent wrenches I’ve ever owned by a longshot are Huskys. They’re precise, sturdy, with smooth flat jaw surfaces, absolutely do not backdrive, the jaws remain the most parallel I’ve ever seen no matter the adjustment, and even abusing them has zero effect on their precision. They also stay precisely in whatever setting you set them at no matter how many times you go from bolt to bolt with them. I bought more in different sizes after the first time I used them.
I have a lot of different brands of crescent wrenches, including Craftsman, but I don’t even use any other than the Huskys anymore. The difference is dramatic.
We just looked at four tool sets – plus a torque wrench – from all the major national retailers.
We were focused on the $150 sets, but all the information here applies to the less expensive, smaller sets, too.
The short answer: Every one of these tool sets is made offshore, and one is just as likely to break as another. The real question is: How close is the retailer if you need to replace one? We’ve listed the total number of retailers in the US for each outlet, but the only thing that will help you is how close the store is on a Sunday afternoon.
The other thing to consider is the warranty. For example, the Craftsman warranty doesn’t guarantee replacement. It guarantees “repair or replacement.” When (not if) the 84-tooth ratchet mechanism breaks on the current Craftsman ratchets, you won’t get a new one, you’ll get a repair kit and another thing to take apart while you’re trying to replace your starter.
Finally, the warranty doesn’t apply equally to all tools. The reason we looked at Torque Wrenches, for example, was because they’re an essential piece of equipment, and they often aren’t covered by the lifetime warranty.
Neither Craftsman nor Kobalt covers one for more than a year. Surprisingly, Harbor Freight’s $9.99 torque wrench has a lifetime warranty.
Here’s the whole story. Hope it helps: http://bestride.com/research/buyers-guide/best-200-dollar-mechanics-tool-kit
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About 10 years ago, I switched to buying Kobalt tools over Craftsman. Primary reason was convenience. More Lowes stores than Sears and the variety is actually better as well for stores in this area. I have never been let down by one and they almost always have superior finish detail so it feels better in your hand.
I don’t have much for Kobalt-brand automotive tools, but I’ve got other tools by them and overall I’ve been very impressed. I have a sliding miter saw that’s I would say 90% of the quality of the “good” brands, that I got for less than 50% of what you’d pay for the good ones.
My pliers and aviation shears from Kobalt are excellent as well. I wouldn’t hesitate to get a Kobalt ratchet based on my experience with their other tools.
As a pro:
I have almost all Craftsman sockets, but use Snap-on ratchets with them. I know Snap-on may be out of your price range, but every Craftsman ratchet I have ever owned has broken under pressure. Sure, they were all replaced for free (and the replacements are sitting in the back of my socket drawer looking pretty,) but whats the point if they won’t do the job?
Craftsman sockets are top notch. Ratchets not so much.
Some of the Craftsman ratchets I own are almost fifty years old.
Sure! I’ve had a couple fail. But it was usually because I abused them or didn’t keep them clean.
These are the ones I still use to this day.
Tester
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I would buy Husky. Lifetime replacemect guarantee. I use my 1/4 & 3/8 the most. I only buy 6 point sockets. They grab more surface area and not just the points of the nut.
Hey Tester - just out of curiosity, which is the oldest one in that pic? I’m visiting my Dad this weekend and he’s a Craftsman guy. I thought it would be cool to see if he’d rummage through his toolbox to see what he’s got in terms of older Craftsman stuff. He used to spend hours in the tool section at Sears.