Tools

[kawtech87]

Sears does NOT own craftsman or the name. Craftsman is its very own company that manufactures tools and sells them through various venues. They have a contract with Sears and as part of it sears brands other items under the name. The deal was originally very beneficial to all involved, sears, craftsman, the consumer, etc. however it has been a strained relationship for some time now and recently sears has been stocking less and lees of it, gradually replacing it on the shelves with the old sears brand made by the lowest bidder. Craftsman

Interesting I didnt know that. Thanks for the info. Most of my Craftsman stuff is older probably about 10 years. With the exception of the stuff I broke and had to replace recently. My dad bought me a huge set for my 14th bday when we started restoring a 1969 Triumph Bonneville together. Good times.

One problem we ran into. Not many tool makers still make old British Standard wrenches.

 

[hornadylnl]

I have a lot of Craftsman but I'm starting to buy other brands now. There isn't much that Craftsman makes that I don't already have and the stuff I need now, they don't make. Craftsman has really cheapened up with a lot of the stuff now made in China. I'm not so opposed to the Chinese made stuff if it's quality. I just ordered a 13 piece long pattern sae SK brand wrench set. I would have went with Craftsman but they're only a few bucks cheaper and now Chinese. If you look at the open end of the Chinese wrench compared to the older US made ones, there's about 20-30% more mass to the wrench head. That could cause problems in tight spaces.

I'm getting tired of Craftsman as they seem to be marketing more toward the yuppy consumers with then new whiz bang tools than expanding the line with stuff I'd actually use. Like specialty bit sockets and stuff like that. I'm not and will never buy a dogbone wrench, pocket sockets, lighted socket adapters, etc.

 

[FordMan08]

My wife manages a Sears so I'm a craftsman guy.

 

[schafe]

Started out many years ago with a craftsman 3/8" ratchet and a few sockets given to me by my father when I bought my first car....he somehow knew I was gonna need them, (And probably was tired of me borrowing his). The collection progressed thru to much more Craftsman, various specialty stuff, large and small boxes, and a lot of sweat.
I can say this..... I don't recall ever buying a tool that didn't pay for itself eventually...even the cheaper stuff.
Thanks, Pop, I learned a lot from that little gift.

 

[churchmouse]

Started out many years ago with a craftsman 3/8" ratchet and a few sockets given to me by my father when I bought my first car....he somehow knew I was gonna need them, (And probably was tired of me borrowing his). The collection progressed thru to much more Craftsman, various specialty stuff, large and small boxes, and a lot of sweat.
I can say this..... I don't recall ever buying a tool that didn't pay for itself eventually...even the cheaper stuff.
Thanks, Pop, I learned a lot from that little gift.

Sounds like dad knew what was up...

 

[femurphy77]

Craftsmen predominantly with a smattering of other tools, typically Snap-on because they had a specialty tool I couldn't get elsewhere. They've kept all my toys, homes, etc in good repair for a long time.

 

[cbseniour]

From 1970 until 1985 I worked in body shops, I purchased tools from Bonnie, Matco, Snap on and others. I think if I compared all of them there is very little real difference. If you are buying tools for occasional or hobby use anything from Harbor Freight to Craftsman will probably get the job done, you only need to consider price and what kind of life expectance you have for the tools. For instance screw drivers and socket sets probably Craftsman because of the no hassle warranty.