The first three on the left, and the last two on the right are the ratchets that came with the tool kit my parents bought me for Christmas.
Came in a grey tool box with a tool tray.
Tester
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What Iāve noticed about many of the Craftsman chrome sockets . . . the āchromeā flakes off after some time
I also feel the Snap on ratchets are superior . . . theyāre stout, and they simply fit in the hand better versus Craftsman. Very important . . . IMO . . . if youāre going to be using them do earn your living
As far as Craftsman impact sockets, I agree completely with you . . . great quality, and tremendous bang for the buck, especially if you buy during club saver days.
Another comment . . . AFAIK, Craftsman extensions never did, and still donāt, have knurling. It actually does make a difference. Again, thatās just my opinion. Iām talking chrome extensions, BTW
Also, the craftsman locking extensions leave something to be desired. The locking mechanism is kind of cheesy, to be specific, the mechanism to release the socket from the extension. Again, Snap on is more expensive, but it simply works better
If thereās a Snap on tool I need and/or would like, Iāll often wait until I see it cheap on ebay. I buytool boxes, power tools, scanners, software, and other things off the snap on tool truck. But I try to find the hand tools on ebay, if possible
But with a Craftsman tool, youāre not waiting for a tool truck to show up to replace that broken tool.
When the ole man was a heavy equipment field service tech, he switched from SNAP-ON to Craftsman.
Like he said, **When I break a tool, I donāt have the time to wait for a tool truck to show up. The customer wantās the equipment repaired now! So all I have to do is go to a Sears store to replace it. **
I can remember him having arguments with the SNAP-ON guy over cracked sockets/damaged ratchets.
Tester
OOOOOO!!! Iām pretty sure itās the exact same toolbox! Thanks! If he still has them Iāll snag some pictures.
Well my ratchet wrench from sears as a gift in 1972 has never failed, and I have abused it to the nth degree, Maybe buy old tools on ebay?
Needed a shelf for a server today, had some old stock, made in Chicago it says, dang it has got to be good, so tired of seeing made in China.
Hereās an observation for what it is worth. Doesnāt really apply to the OP. As a diyāer Iāve only had diyāer quality tools. No complaints, that was what I could afford, and they work ok for what I need to do and the frequency I need to do it.
But one day I was taking a walk around town and found pair of old, rusty snap on slip-joint pliers laying in the middle of the road. Looked like they had been run over by a lot of traffic. Just normal stuff, that type of pliers would cost maybe $4-$6 for a good pair at Sears. $1-2 at WalMart. So now theyāre my favorite pliers in my toolbox. I canāt say exactly what makes them so good, but they are always smooth operating, never jam, seem to never need adjusting, have a really good feel, maybe a better term is ābalanceā, to them, and even better, the jaws, even rusty, really bite onto whatever Iām using them on.
Oh, and they donāt pinch me like other pliers seem to!
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I wrap mine in neon Duck tape. It dramatically improves friction and makes the parts much easier to notice when under the carā¦ or when Iāve set them in some cavity under the hood while Iām working, which I often do, which means I visually miss a lot less of them when Iām picking up. I think it enhances safety too by helping me be sure Iāve picked up all the tools before starting the engine.
I use duck tape on my screwdriver shanks too. Orange for phillips, yellow for ācommonā (flat). Makes finding the correct type much easier on the eyes. It also insulates the shanks in case I bump a circuit. I have a whole bunch of screwdrivers in all sizes and types.
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Most of my hand tools are Craftsman, good tough tools at a reasonable price. I have one snap-on 1/2" combination wrench that I found laying in the road. (My truck should have had a sign on the back- I brake for tools.) That snap-on feels sooo good in my hand that I would buy them if I made my living with them but I never maintained more than 6 cars in the family and I just could not justify the cost.
I used to buy Craftsman tools at flea markets and the condition didnāt matter because if there was a problem. I wonāt do that any more because I donāt want the Chinese replacement.
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Re; Testerās toolbox, I have one just like it, it was my only toolbox when I started out. Now I have a roller chest in the garage and shelves an drawers in the cellar by my work bench for my non automotive stuff so I glued a piece of carpet to that old toolbox and if I have a job to do in the house I load up that toolbox with what I need and It doesnāt get anything dirty or mar any surfaces.
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Ha, thatās funny. I have two Snap-on tools in my box and one of them is of the āF.O.T.ā variety (Fell Off Truck) that I found as I was crossing a busy street immediately in front of a Snap-On distribution center. Itās a ratcheting combination wrench with a hinge on the box end. Itās a great tool.
The other one is a ridiculously expensive ratcheting screwdriver that I have used almost every day for the last 20 years. I wouldnāt be without it.
Iāve had a few metal toolboxes over the years, including one like Testerās, but I canāt lift them any more. I now keep all my tools in tool chests organized in compartmentalized soft plastic sleeved jackets that snap closed. I sew them myself.
That was my first tool box, while I was working at the gas station in high school. Went to Craftsmen rolling tool chests in the early '80s. Cleaned them out top to bottom last year, a bit disappointed that the paint seems to be failing, rubbing some off as I cleaned them.
+100 for this.
My Craftsman ratchets we purchased in late '90ās, so perhaps quality is better on old ones? I just have my experience to go on.
And @db4690: Yes to the locking extensions. I love that they hold the sockets, but I have had all of them fail, and then I have to spend time trying to get my socket off before I go back to Sears. I have had to make more trips to Sears for replacements than I have had to wait on the Snap-on truck.
But, Snap-on is quite a bit more expensive, so itās not for everyone.
for the record, adn full disclosure- I have 2 broken impact extensions on my toolbox right now- one Snap-on, one Craftsman, lol
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I recommend a whole ratchet set, whether you get a half inch drive set or 3/8" drive set. Iām not loyal to any brand. Iāve never broken any sockets or ratchets.
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Iāve never broken a socket. Iāve intentionally cut them, ground them, installed axle endcaps with them, and otherwise abused them, but never broke one.
I did, however, break a no-name ratchet about six months ago. But it was a dirt-cheap one picked up in an emergency years ago. For the price I paid, and considering that it served me in a breakdown āsituationā, I got my moneyās worth. No complaints.
Excellent write up for them. I think Iām going to look at getting the set. I got a few random basic Kobalt tools before (hammer, screwdrivers, etc) that seem to have held up well. I had a toolbox survive getting rear-ended and bounced around my trunk quite nicely too
The one nice thing about Craftsman tools this time of year is their Christmas sales. They are nearly impossible to beat.
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I have a set of Craftsman ratchets that I use all the time, and they have held great. Worth the cost.
Unfortunately based on my observation of Sears and KMarts Iāve shopped at in the past 10 years - I think theyāll be out of business by 2020.
Mike,
Lowes has similar bargains on their Kobalt tools. Sometimes even better than Sears and many of the tools are superior fit and finish. Worth taking a lookā¦