Sears tools are junk now.

[speedsix]

What happened? I have been through about 3-4 socket wrenches from Sears and they keep breaking. They take them back and exchange them but my Snap-On tools never break.

 

[hornadylnl]

If you are talking about these ratchets, yes they are total junk.

I have an older version with the silver lever that came apart. I wont even take it in because they'll give me one of the new styles. The silver levered ratchets are good.

Their newer thin profile ratchets are pretty good. I wont pay snap on prices so I'll probably be looking at SK for future hand tools.

 

[Naptown]

Even though I still have a CRAFTSMAN air compressor in my garage, I'll never buy or recommend another one to anyone. I went through about 4 of them at work during a 12 month period. Hauled them to the repair center, went back 3 weeks later, and the broke again and again. Very medium duty (probably light duty) use.

Bought a Harbor Freight import for the same price and I am 4 years down the road. I can't wait to buy another HF. Sorry Sears.

 

[Denny347]

Never liked Craftman ratchets. I have an assortment of Snap-On racets that I love. The only thing Craftsman in my toolbox are sockets. I did find that the racheting box-end wrenches from Home Depot are fantastic and have a lifetime warranty.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Blame it on K-Mart.

 

[cburnworth]

How about kobalt @ Lowe's, they have a lifetime warranty. i did see some people having issues with returns though.

 

[Fletch]

I have the Home Depot house brand... Heavy Duty or something... works OK for what I use it for. I have one old Craftsman ratchet my dad gave me that's pretty sweet, but I've not used any of their current stuff. I refuse to buy Craftsman power tools though... every one I've ever had was crapola.

 

[Hornett]

I haven't bought anything from Sears since my Craftsman belt sander melted down many years ago. It wasn't pretty.

 

[Bunnykid68]

The ratchets used to be great. now just junk like you said

 

[ATOMonkey]

The ratchets used to be great. now just junk like you said

Yep, the $2 autozone ratchet is a better piece now. The autozone sockets are better too. Last craftsman socket set I bought wasn't even de-burred.

Can't recommend sears tools to anyone. Seems like they're trying to kill off the tool department.

I've had belt sanders melt down as well. They use non sealed ball bearings to support the rotor. WTF... Any kind of hours on it and it's guaranteed to fail. Buy a new one and immediately replace the non sealed bearings with sealed one for about $14 and it'll last forever.

 

[schafe]

I have an older version with the silver lever that came apart. I wont even take it in because they'll give me one of the new styles. The silver levered ratchets are good.

I have a 3/8" version with the silver handle from 40+ years ago. It was the first tool I ever owned...a gift from my dad. It did once have a problem with the ratcheting mechanism. When I explaned that I didn't want a replacement, but wanted it repaired, the salesman dug around and found a "rebuild kit" for it. It included all the internals and a new (dark colored )lever. He saw the old lever was still good and said "just change the guts( they were original) but use the old lever....good as new". It hasn't broken again since, and I use the heck out of it......just like Dad hoped.....(more than likely to keep me from borrowing his all the time).

 

[hornadylnl]

My ratchets need a rectangular or square handle. That way if I'm working in a blind spot, I can tell where my socket is pointed. Most ratchets have a round handle.

 

[Marc]

they are all junk except 1 and thats their beer bottle opener.

 

[danielocean03]

Craftsman has been hit or miss with the vast majority of their tools for some time now. I've not had many issues with a 3/8" Craftsman professional ratchet I own, it's been replaced once in seven years of abuse in my toolbox. Free replacement on a $35~ ratchet that only required replacement once in a seven year period doesn't bother me. What bothers me are the $150 Matco, Snap-On, and Mac ratchets I've broken in much shorter time spans. Granted they're also free repair/replacement, but there is something to be said for loss of use of your tools when you make your living with them.

 

[chef larry]

About 15 years ago I used to work for Overland Trucking in the Chicago area and would take a delivery once a month from three to seven 55 gallon drums with a burlap bags and steel banding around the top to a Sears warehouse in Melrose Park, Il, second time there, I asked the person unloading me what was in the drums and said they were broken tools from the area. I have had good luck with Husky tools from Home Depot, in over ten years had only two broken ratchets working on construction equipment.

 

[chraland51]

Where are Craftsman tools made? US or China? Go into Lowes looking for threaded iron pipe and elbows and caps. Those threads are so sloppy with loose tolerances that some pieces barely fit together while others are so tight that they can not be completely put together. It is probably that way just about everywhere. The quality keeps dropping while prices keep going up. Blame it on Wal Mart and the death of Sam Walton. It was not that way as long as the old man was alive or at least it did not seem that way.

 

[hornadylnl]

they are all junk except 1 and thats their beer bottle opener.

And that's the market that craftsman is now catering to. Those who buy them as peg board ornaments in designer garages. Those people seldom use those tools. The craftsman pro line tools are still pretty good. Compare a new regular line wrench to one that is 20 year old one. No comparison. Way more steel in the old stuff.

 

[Marc]

And that's the market that craftsman is now catering to. Those who buy them as peg board ornaments in designer garages. Those people seldom use those tools. The craftsman pro line tools are still pretty good. Compare a new regular line wrench to one that is 20 year old one. No comparison. Way more steel in the old stuff.

hey... its nice to know my bottle opener has a life time warranty, i bought that years ago

 

[Brandon]

i bought an air compressor from sears last fall, thinking its craftsman. cant be that bad. Man was i wrong. the drain valve on the bottom broke the second i tried to close it. this spring/summer im going to have a garage sale and sell it and get something better. as for their tools, i have some newer ones, but not like the picture above and they appear to be good, beat the heck out of them and they are holding up.

 

[Aaron B.]

I have an assortment of the standard Craftsmen ratchets, with the lever you flip on the back. None of them are original because they've all broken after time.

I have one however, that to this day I can't find another one like it. It has a round handle, round head, with a rotary knob on the back of the head to change direction. I've beaten it, abused it, hammered on it, and put a cheater bar on to break loose bolts that a 3/8" ratchet should never be used to break loose. It still works better than any other one I've used. Wish I could find another like it.