Craftsman tool warranty

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Milkman

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Pittsburgh PA USA
I was doing some work on my Daughter's car today. My 30+ year old Craftsman 1/2 ratchet stopped working in reverse. It appears that something is wrong with the lever mechanism that you flip to go from forward to reverse. Has anyone had any dealings with Sears lately and how did Sears handle this. I don't want a Chineese wrench. Is it possible to rebuild the ratchet that I have ?

Thanks
 
ACO Hardware will do the swap. I partially sheared a 1/2-3/8 adapter not long ago and the new one actually looked like it was made better. time will tell.
 
Originally Posted By: Kawiguy454
ACO Hardware will do the swap. I partially sheared a 1/2-3/8 adapter not long ago and the new one actually looked like it was made better. time will tell.
I literally was talking to the owner of my local Ace 3 days ago about this-he says they can order anything I need and will honor the warranty, even on my older stuff. The Chinese made ratchets & others are a shame, though.
 
Get us pictures of your current ratchet. There may be snap rings etc.

You could also just dip the whole lower inch in a small can of ATF to see if it frees things up.

I had a crabby ratchet come back to life after a simple disassembly and reassembly. Used vaseline for grease, possibly not the best option, but all I had on me.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
You could also just dip the whole lower inch in a small can of ATF to see if it frees things up.


This alone will fix most of the "broken" ratchets out there.
 
Working in the Sears tool area for awhile I can tell you exactly what they will do. They will give you another rebuilt ratchet wrench assuming it's the standard one. That's the only one they have rebuild kits for. It will be a Chinese one. If you have one of the expensive fine tooth ratchets they will probably give you a new one.

It all comes down to what rebuild kits they have.

The crazy thing that would happen would be when someone comes in with a bucket of broken rusty Craftsman tools from yard sales and want all new.
 
The sooner you execute your warranty swap AT SEARS, the better.

Friend had an SK 1/2" ratchet which was failing. We had no idea of the ATF fix. I mailed it to Chitown and they sent a fresh one.

The secretary actually called to let me know it was coming. WILD!
 
Having used Craftsman tools since I was a little kid and my Dad loved them I would have to return Craftsman tools that were severely abused in a truck garage with no hassle and complete satisfaction.
As a adult the last tool I took back was a 1/2 rachet that I no longer work on truck but I will admit broke under a pipe. They gave me a beat up, severely scared rachet in exchange which I wasn't happy.
To which they pointed out repair or exchange nothing about what they exchange it with. That was my last trip to Sears. They know they are finished they don't care about customer satisfaction.
I just go to Harbor Freight or buy used top name tools at Estates.
That said new Chinese tools are better than old name brand tools. Precision casting and automatically controlled machining are turning out quality tools. I wouldn't expect Craftsman to improve now Stanley owns them, I think their time has passed.
 
If you like the traditional style American made Craftsman ratchets and there is a Menard's near by, look at MasterForce. They are USA made and are built well and come with a lifetime warranty. The only thing is the reverse lever works opposite of Craftsman. No big deal to me. MasterForce ratchets are the best value in USA made ratchets today IMO.

MasterForce 1/2" ratchet
 
Originally Posted By: Michael_P
If you like the traditional style American made Craftsman ratchets and there is a Menard's near by, look at MasterForce. They are USA made and are built well and come with a lifetime warranty. The only thing is the reverse lever works opposite of Craftsman. No big deal to me. MasterForce ratchets are the best value in USA made ratchets today IMO.

MasterForce 1/2" ratchet


Yea, but the tools nuts over at the GarageJournal forum are speculating that the Apex produced Masterforce days "might" be numbered also. Armstrong is down the toilet and Apex seems to be struggling. Again, just speculation. Lets hope for the best.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=338895
 
I complained that I didn't want a China handle and they took the ratchet in the back and rebuilt it in a few minutes. They come apart super easy and you can see if it's actually broken or just dirty/dry. Take out the snap ring and the guts just pull out. I have tried ATF, MMO and silicone oil. Thin is best for ratchet action on a semi loose bolt. Sears is doomed. At our store the bottom floor is closed and tons of tools are out of stock. I asked if they were closing down and the cashier just gave an angry NO. They probably know they will be out of work and aren't too thrilled either.
 
S-K has a new ratchet out.
SK-LP90-Ratchet.jpg
 
Update :

I soaked the ratchet head in ATF overnight. It appears to have cured the problem. Thanks !

(PS I used Pennzoil Multi-Vehicle Synthetic ATF)
 
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