HF Tools vs Craftsman

[Tanner]

Interesting article & testing... now formulate your own opinions.

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69831

'T'

[Lifer]

Hey, Tanner! Sorry you have to sell your diesel project.

I just read your ratchet comparison article. Very interesting, indeed! I did what the last guy said he was gonna do and checked my Craftsman ratchets. None of them are as rough as the one in the comparison, but then again, the newest one is 32 years old. I hate to say it, but "Made in USA" no longer means "world's finest." We are not training first-class machinists, we've begun hiring anyone who is willing to put in an 8-hour day (for a week or two at a time), and we've begun accepting substandard products as the norm. It'll all even out eventually, though, when nobody gives a crap about anything any more.

[rickv100]

I am not surprised. I figured Sears was done when Kmart bought Sears.

Rick

[cuz]

Craftsman tools have many levels of quality. Many batches are purchased short notice from both US and off shore for the cheapy high volume sales efforts every so often.

[Lifer]

I am not surprised. I figured Sears was done when Kmart bought Sears.

Rick

Sears isn't totally dead yet. There is still a big Sears store in Galesburg, IL, where I used to do all my tool shopping. They had good stuff, too. You can imagine my surprise, though, the first time I spotted Craftsman tools in the K-Mart store at the other end of the mall! A quick visual inspection revealed that they were not of the same quality as the ones in the Sears store.

Now, I live in GA, and have yet to see an actual Sears store. They have what used to be called "catalog sales stores" down here and these seem to be going under at a rapid clip because of all the folks ordering their stuff on line.

[T. Highway]

I gave up on Craftsmen tools 17+ years ago after a major "In store Problem" with broken tools. I will NEVER go to SEARS again.

[Josh]

doesn't surprise me. their average store stuff is junk. I have two JH Williams 1/2" drive ratchets that are the finest tools I own. I will cry when they finally break. They have to be 2X older than me.

[johnc]

The main reason for my buying craftsman is the lifetime guarantee. No questions asked, just swap it out. So I pick up busted or beat up craftsman stuff for next to nothing, and take them to sears- new tools for cheap.

[JHawes]

Yeah, the lifetime warranty is great untill you see who rebuilds the rachets.

My local Sears has the same ding dongs that sold it to me rebuilding the tools behind the counters, . . ugh.

[Lifer]

I just discovered this while searching for something else and thought I'd share it with y'all.

K-mart did not buy Sears and Sears did not buy K-mart. What actually happened is that they merged on 24 Mar 05. Neither bought the other. It's kinda like they "got married."

Both are now owned by the Sears Holding Corporation.

Does this work to our advantage? Probably not, but it kept K-mart from having to close a lot of their stores. Our wives will appreciate that, anyway.

[johnc]

Yeah, the lifetime warranty is great untill you see who rebuilds the rachets.

My local Sears has the same ding dongs that sold it to me rebuilding the tools behind the counters, . . ugh.

Well the stuff I usually find is so old that the store can't rebuild it. Most of my returns are for cracked sockets (thrown away by the owner, or sold for a dime at a swap meet), and destroyed screwdrivers. The last 2 screwdrivers were found on the ground. One was snapped off, and the other one was a handle with a rustry shank. Replaced no problem.