Your Tool Preferrence?

for the home guy and infrequent use, craftsman is fine. HOWEVER, if you're making a living using tools, they simply won't do. you might as well stand in a corner and burn money. sure they replace the busted ones, but the time lost costs you alot more.

Jay, great news on the snap-on ratchets. I don't have any SK ratchets only becouse like you've noticed they don't last. I LOVE my snap-on ones though. I do like the SK box/open wrench and the screwdrivers, even the sockets take a pounding. If I could get replacement guts for the busted snap-ons then I wouldn't have to replace them.

 

Snap-ON Rocks !- About 20 years ago, I FOUND a snap-on torque wrench on the road and returned it to snap-on because it wouldn't reverse, they handed me a new one ! (after being run over several times too)
Beautiful well made tools and great customer service.

 

A ratchet is the only Snap-On tool I have ever busted in 10 years as a mechanic and then 25 more as a "shade tree". The ratchet was 30 years old and Snap-On replaced it instantly. Snap-On prices are painful but the tools feel better than anything else.

Paul

 

I'll bet the Craftsman was a 12 point and the Snap-On was a 6. Apples and oranges.

 

Although my favorite tool to use on cars are Snap-Ons, I do use my Craftsman tools in many useful ways , such as:

- slipping the LONG steel pipe over the breaker bar and socket on that stubborn bolt, when you know somethings gotta give

- grinding down a socket to fit in a tight spot

- hammering on the end of a socket to seat something

- cutting a wrench to make it fit

- and more abuseful things when called for

Having done all of the above, I think that Craftsman tools do have a special purpose in the tool box!

Wingnut

PS... I've yet to break their hardened metric six point air hammer sockets in 1/2" drive, even with the long pipe

 

Hahahahaha! TRUE. Have a few specially made Craftsman tools (heated and bent) in my box for those "special" tasks!

-Peter

 

The best tool is the one you can get a free replacement for 14 hours of every day seven days a week at hundreds of stores nationwide (craftsman). "Snap off" or Mac does me no good if they are broken on a Saturday evening or Sunday.

 

I just saw this thread and would like people's opinon.

I am in the process with Sears group to bring craftsman tools to my country as an exclusive distributor.
I do know that snapon makes top quility tools, however, I never imagined Craftsman to be so crapman.
I am not an expert about tools, and I would like to know if Craftsman is really crapman?
Also, if some of you guys have experience about Craftsman's tool boxes, please give me some feedback about those.

Thank you in advance.

 

Craftsman tools are fine, and provide a good value for the price. For most people, the warranty and availability are excellent.

As always with any product, you can spend more to get a brand that's lighter, smaller, has more brand "coolness", etc.

Craftsman tools aren't as good as they used to be, but what is?


As an aside, I really like the Kobalt tools at Lowes. Too bad they're not made by Snap-on anymore

 

My typical response to bringing Craftsman tools back, for the free replacement, is "it just broke".

My Sears guy, honest to God, comes back with " How long was the pipe you used", or " Boy, that's a clean break".

I just smile as I take my new (replacement) tool home. I'm a long-standing Sears customer.

Wingnut

 

I always get a kick out of the derogatory Craftsman comments! I made quite a nice living for 16 years as a GM and ASE Master Tech and guess what 80% + of my box was filled with? <gasp> "Crapsman". And they were kept in a "Crapsman" box, too! (OH, THE HORROR!!!) Enjoyed laughing at the endless parade of suckers coming off of the "Crap-On" trucks, though.

Bottom line is, if your are doing casual wrenching on your own vehicles on the weekends and Craftsman tools aren't holding up, then maybe you need to head on down to the local vo-tech and take some basic skills courses. Or maybe it's just tool snobbery! (Faacom has to sell tools too I guess)

Dave

 

Agreed.

-Peter (27 years professionally "turning wrenches")

 

I have some OLD craftsman tools,, the sockets have a much thinner wall,, good for tight spots.

I buy SnapOn now, , , just because..... I can...!

 

Lets see, 30 years ago I bought about $2000K of all Craftsman tools along with a chest and roller cabinet, and started wrenching. I never broke a wrench, seldom broke a socket, and didnt wipe out a ratchet for several years. The new ratchet lasted just as long, ditto, ditto, ditto....

About 15 years ago they stopped handing out new ratchets and started giving you a "kit". Unless you had the old "good" ratchets, then they took your old one and gave you the crapola one. Seriously, the ratchets are so bad I cant barely get through a job without one going to hell. Sockets are snapping left and right, and half the time they dont have the tool I broke in stock. I either am forced to wait for it in the mail, or drive into the city 40 miles. I tried the mail once, took 4 weeks. I am done. I hate them all. I have chinese wrenches I bought for working out at the airport so I didnt have to worry someone would walk off with my tools. Sorry, they are "superior" to this Sears crap. I have some TrueValue ratchets I would never of considered using 10 years ago, yet they have held up over 3 years and still work great. Even the cheapo stuff from Wallyworld seems superior or at least equal to Craftsman. I have some Snap-On stuff my Dad bought back in the 1940's, its all still working just fine. Anyway, If you buy better tools, you wont be needing to drive off to replace them at 9:00 PM. You'll be home wrenching.

 

Enough said.
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That can't be true,,,,,,

PAP isn't married.....

 

one day, one day

 

Around here it is Snap-On/Blue Point for sockets, Craftsman for everything else.

 

Snap-on for me. Have never had in issue with warranty. Their screw drivers, and pry bars are the best on the market period. I pretty much used every tool companies products out there and each one has failed. Snap-on ratchets are not as reliable however. Snap-on tools boxes are the best on the market although pricey (by cabinet empty is worth close to 10k alone).