i know that, in the past, craftsman was known for quality (my dad has some of his father's original craftsman tools that are still in amazing shape)...i also now know that their power tools are imported, but that their tool line is made in the USA (which may mean nothing these days) by danaher tool group (who i've never heard of)

yes, i realize they're not the best, but for my very limited use, walmart crap has sufficed (for the most part), so i would assume that ANYTHING better would work

what i need are some wrenches at the moment...i just can't decide what would do me more good in the long run - the ratcheting kind (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00943376000P) or the normal kind (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00947047000P)

i realize this is probably a stupid question overall, but meh...i know computers, not the more noble business of tools and mechanical things

10/14/2008 9:25:33 PM

lifetime warranty + long run = teh winz

Yes you pay a premium for their tools, but if you plan on keeping them for a while you can't beat the policy of literally handing them a broken tool and pulling a new one off the shelf. Sad this policy only applies to handtools tho.

If I were you I'd look into the wrenches that are standard on one end and ratcheting on the other.

10/14/2008 9:42:13 PM

Quote :

"lifetime warranty + long run = teh winz"

is this craftsman, or are you referring to another brand?

Quote :

"If I were you I'd look into the wrenches that are standard on one end and ratcheting on the other."

i probably should...but i already picked up the metric and SAE versions of those two sets (so 4 sets total) for $20/each, which doesn't seem bad to me at all

10/14/2008 9:52:50 PM

in my opinion, craftsman stuff is great for non-professional DIY stuff. they're definitely not professional snap-on or anything, but you won't pay the professional price either.

i have not had the chance to use the newer ratchet wrenches, but some of them look pretty sweet. i'd probably bust the gears out of them things though. i've busted a few craftsman ratchets.

the lifetime warranty is pretty awesome. i break screwdrivers using them as prybars and chisels all the time and they keep replacing them. they say they won't replace tools damaged by "improper use" or something, but they never give me any trouble.

anyway, craftsman should be fine for you. go for it.

10/14/2008 9:55:27 PM

yeah.. there really isnt a bad brand out there as long as its lifetime warranty.

sears/home depot/lowes/advance auto/autozone

they all have lifetime warranty tools. IMO sears has the best return policy, lowes does too...

since you arent going to be beating on tools, just get the least expensive ones from any of the chains. but try to make them lifetime, that way you can use a screwdriver as a breaker bar and what not. haha.

10/14/2008 9:59:48 PM

Ricky, there are only some Craftsman tools I would own anymore...and that's primarily because you can get some stuff in Craftsman that none of the other cheaper brands offer...and you can only find on high dolla tool trucks.

I rarely if ever buy Craftsman anymore. I have a ton of different stuff, and for the most part, it's all held up amazingly well.

Craftsman used to be made by KD, which evidently got bought by Danaher. Danaher is most known for their DC servo actuators, linear motors, and the like.

If I was going to go tool shopping tomorrow, the brands that stick out in my head are Stanley (a Cooper Tool brand, in the same family with Blackhawk, a mid-grade professional tool line, and Proto, a higher end professional tool line). I've picked up Stanley everywhere from BJ's (GREAT deal on a set) to Walmart. S&K...now in cahoots with Facom, a popular European line. You can order S&K online, and some tool trucks and local parts houses sell 'em...a great mid-grade professional tool at a fraction of big-dog Snap-On prices. I also buy a lot of stuff from Northern (like all my big combination wrenches). Kobalt is also very good stuff, especially when you can catch a closeout or sale. They used to be made by Snap-On's Blue Point line...I don't know who makes them now. Husky tools at Home Depot are also quality.

With so many other places to get tools these days, you'll rarely catch me at Sears anymore. Their tools are still rather overpriced for what you get when you compare them to other brands.

I still really love the tools I've gotten offa tool trucks (great for warm fuzzies when a job has got you in a rut), but who the hell can justify paying that kind of money for stuff that you have to wait a week to replace if you break? Just about all good tool lines come with a lifetime guarantee (even a lot of the el cheapo tools), and you can replace them at any retail location without the wait. Even when I was working as a tech, I rarely bought stuff off of tool trucks. All that bling is a great way to clean out techs' pockets, and a lot of techs could pocket a lot more of their hard-earned money if they just shopped wisely. Unfortunately, few do.

10/14/2008 10:06:21 PM

Those offset ratcheting wrenches are junk- the ratcheting mechanism is horrible and they don't fit into tight areas. Go with the gearwrench brand. I've had mine since 1996- still in great shape. They have a lifetime warranty and you can buy them or trade them in when they're broken at sears, Lowes or northern tool.

10/14/2008 10:08:04 PM

oooh yeah, gear wrench wrenches are top notch.. kinda on the $$ side (heck, i bought mine at like $45 for a set, now they are $70).

but yeah, at your stage, tools are tools.

heck, even at my stage. hah, as long as i can return it if it breaks, thats fine.

10/14/2008 10:19:17 PM

Advance auto parts carries GearWrench now so you'll probably be able to warranty them with us now

10/14/2008 10:52:19 PM

thanks for all the input...i thought for sure i was going to see some "all tools are junk except XXXX", just because i didn't know the difference...i think i might swap this stuff out (haven't used it, yet) for a metric and SAE set of standard open/ratcheting ones, instead...and since y'all say that pretty much anything with a lifetime guarantee is good, i'll see whatever i can get the lowest price on (i just figured since craftsman has been around a while, i could count on swapping them out in the future if i ever needed to)

for what it's worth, danaher also makes gearwrench and matco (i thought these were more expensive?)...but they don't list craftsman on their site

http://www.danaher.com/business/strategic_detail.asp?key=12

thanks, y'all

10/14/2008 10:56:53 PM

Regular Craftsman is shit. Their 'pro' wrenches are decent......and identical to S&K.

Lifetime warranty or not......it isn't worth your time replacing the same shitty wrenches once a month, even if they are free. This of course, speaking on using these for a living.

10/14/2008 11:02:44 PM

save up your loot and get the really nice gearwrench set, i wanna say it's $150, but it's flexhead ratcheting.

i had my craftsman hydrualic jack shit on me. I wasn't pleased. Some of my other craftsmen stuff is decent. Just get stuff on deals, or ask for Sears gift cards for holidays

10/14/2008 11:33:43 PM

^^we've already determined that craftsman is not good for those who make a living with their handtools

10/15/2008 7:32:01 AM

Quote :

"^^we've already determined that craftsman is not good for those who make a living with their handtools"

thats wrong. its all in how you use the tool, if you absolutely abuse the hell out of everything, even good tools will not hold up. the key is knowing what you are doing and that comes from experience.

10/15/2008 8:37:54 AM

^that's a good damn point. I've got in my repertoire of tools MANY Kmart Benchtop brand tools that have held up marvelously. The biggest complaint I have with them is that the tolerances aren't as close as the high dollar stuff, and they will round off rusted bolts and nuts a bit quicker.

I also have very many CarQuest ProValue tools...same thing. the nice thing is that I can have about 4 or 5 (and in some cases more) wrenches on hand for when I need them. Yes I have 5 hands...

I just have to make sure that all my real problem bolts soak in PB Blaster over night, though I realize that sometimes this isn't an option in the production environment.

10/15/2008 8:51:33 AM

Quote :

"in my opinion, craftsman stuff is great for non-professional DIY stuff. they're definitely not professional "

I have alot of it and have had several failures, but for a parttime er like me they are fine for what I do these days.

10/18/2008 11:16:15 PM

I sold all my craftsman stuff and upgraded to snap-on stuff when I worked at a shop. craftsman stuff is fine, I dont really know why I got rid of mine. However I tend to abuse everything I own and snap-on has held up some better than the craftsman stuff. IMHO of course.

10/19/2008 11:16:49 AM

i ended up picking up 2 sets of 8 gearwrench wrenches (standard on one end, ratcheting on the other), one metric and one standard, for $30/each on sale from sears

also picked up a set of gearwrench's vortex pass-through sockets for $40

i really like the sockets...the difference between those and the set i have is night and day (the pass-through is nice, too)

thanks for all of the advice...i think it's a $100 well-spent (and, really, i needed something that didn't suck, anyway)

10/19/2008 6:28:03 PM

I really do dig those pass-thru sockets. Almost bought some, but I have more important things to blow money on right now.

10/19/2008 8:01:13 PM

^
sluts????

10/19/2008 8:02:05 PM

Ohhhh back in the day I woulda.

Now I gotta go diamond shopping.

10/19/2008 8:03:54 PM