Has anyone noticed a difference in the quality of Craftsman tools since they went from being made in the USA and now China?
Chraftsman, USA vs. China
- Thread starter 007
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Saw a video on You Tube. he guy showed slightly out of center openings in sockets and poorly machined faces on the inside of the jaws on their open end wrenches since they are made in China. I have a LOT of Craftsmen tools purchased 30-40 years ago and mine have done a lot of jobs and still look and perform great.
Ratchets seem to be the biggest difference, they feel coarser and seem to sometimes have rough, sharp edges on them, like they skipped the deburring before they were chromed.
Buy some. Don't rely on our talk. I did buy some very recently and can report very high visible quality extensions and sockets. No off center, no bad machining. People are very opinionated, it doesn't matter about facts sometimes, so look on your own. If you don't like, take them back. My new extension bar set, I think it was $25 or maybe less, has every adapter and extension I could ever need. It is better than any old set I have had. The fit is more precise and I hate trying to get too tight sockets off extension bars, or too loose. These are very well made, just the right amount of removal force which indicates precision. Now CNC processing is used. But that's just me talking.
I bought this last week: https://www.sears.com/kd-tools-carb...p;prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1 Only needed the 20 and 21 to complete my set of mostly USA made wrenches and figure I would put the duplicates on Ebay. For $45 how much quality could there be? You can definitely tell the difference with the China ones texture finish being uneven and the stamped letters too faint in places. Can't say about the strength though, and the allure of the forever warranty is tempered by the number of Sears stores closing and the uncertainty of having a place to return them.
I bought a set of Craftsmen box wrenches a few years ago that were made in China. They are out of tolerance. Never bought anything more from them since. This is a major reason that they are going out of business. They did it to themselves.
Im not a fan. The last Cman ratchets/ sockets I bought was a set for $50 around Thanksgiving 2013. I didn't realize they were Chinese at the time either.
Cut my hand on a rough ratchet and put a nice long burr up my finger from a wrench.
Cut my hand on a rough ratchet and put a nice long burr up my finger from a wrench.
Originally Posted by NO2
Buy Snap-on if you want quality.
I forget but someone mentioned that you can get Williams stuff that's the same as Snap On products and they can be had for a fraction of the snap on price.
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/5070566/1
Buy Snap-on if you want quality.
I forget but someone mentioned that you can get Williams stuff that's the same as Snap On products and they can be had for a fraction of the snap on price.
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/5070566/1
Isn't SK made in the USA? Although almost as pricey as SO.
Originally Posted by Farnsworth
Buy some. Don't rely on our talk. I did buy some very recently and can report very high visible quality extensions and sockets. No off center, no bad machining. People are very opinionated, it doesn't matter about facts sometimes, so look on your own. If you don't like, take them back. My new extension bar set, I think it was $25 or maybe less, has every adapter and extension I could ever need. It is better than any old set I have had. The fit is more precise and I hate trying to get too tight sockets off extension bars, or too loose. These are very well made, just the right amount of removal force which indicates precision. Now CNC processing is used. But that's just me talking.
Chinesium Craftsman wrenches are called lobster claws for a reason, compare a wrench off the shelf of Lowe's even with a lowly =V= and you will see the difference.
Originally Posted by atikovi
Isn't SK made in the USA? Although almost as pricey as SO.
Used they are a great deal.
Buy some. Don't rely on our talk. I did buy some very recently and can report very high visible quality extensions and sockets. No off center, no bad machining. People are very opinionated, it doesn't matter about facts sometimes, so look on your own. If you don't like, take them back. My new extension bar set, I think it was $25 or maybe less, has every adapter and extension I could ever need. It is better than any old set I have had. The fit is more precise and I hate trying to get too tight sockets off extension bars, or too loose. These are very well made, just the right amount of removal force which indicates precision. Now CNC processing is used. But that's just me talking.
Chinesium Craftsman wrenches are called lobster claws for a reason, compare a wrench off the shelf of Lowe's even with a lowly =V= and you will see the difference.
Originally Posted by atikovi
Isn't SK made in the USA? Although almost as pricey as SO.
Used they are a great deal.
Originally Posted by atikovi
Can't say about the strength though, and the allure of the forever warranty is tempered by the number of Sears stores closing and the uncertainty of having a place to return them.
Are you expecting Lowes and Ace Hardware to go under as well?
Can't say about the strength though, and the allure of the forever warranty is tempered by the number of Sears stores closing and the uncertainty of having a place to return them.
Are you expecting Lowes and Ace Hardware to go under as well?
Originally Posted by zzyzzx
Originally Posted by atikovi
Can't say about the strength though, and the allure of the forever warranty is tempered by the number of Sears stores closing and the uncertainty of having a place to return them.
Are you expecting Lowes and Ace Hardware to go under as well?
Well Lowes hasn't been doing that great lately, Home Depot is beating them. I like Lowes for appliances because they can deliver the next day if it's in stock and they're the same price as Home Depot. Home Depot for everything else.
Originally Posted by atikovi
Can't say about the strength though, and the allure of the forever warranty is tempered by the number of Sears stores closing and the uncertainty of having a place to return them.
Are you expecting Lowes and Ace Hardware to go under as well?
Well Lowes hasn't been doing that great lately, Home Depot is beating them. I like Lowes for appliances because they can deliver the next day if it's in stock and they're the same price as Home Depot. Home Depot for everything else.
Buy some new ones , they are now Black and Decker owned. Lowes Sears and Ace sell them. Amazon too. Look for yourself. I never bought any Chinese made a few yeas ago, the new ones I just bought were perfect. Of all the sockets and wrenches I have owned over decades plus what I inherited from my father who was a machinist starting apprenticeship in 1926, I have never seen an out of size spec socket or wrench. They are not filed/ground out by hand measuring as you go, a machine makes and sizes them. I would have to see proof of an out of size name brand socket with the caliper measuring it in the picture before I would believe that. The new tools are probably within two thousandths or better on size using the new methods.
Quality and easy of warranty is no longer a feature of Craftsman. Will not buy Craftsman unless it's made in USA or Taiwan.
The couple of Sears that are left in the area have a very limited assortment of loose tools. Almost everything they sell now is in a set. Getting warranty a replacement is next to impossible. The tool associates at Sears will tell you to take the tool to Lowe's or Ace Hardware for warranty.
Switched to Harbor Freight Pittsburgh and Home Depot Husky. Both are easy to warranty and don't hurt the wallet like truck brands.
The couple of Sears that are left in the area have a very limited assortment of loose tools. Almost everything they sell now is in a set. Getting warranty a replacement is next to impossible. The tool associates at Sears will tell you to take the tool to Lowe's or Ace Hardware for warranty.
Switched to Harbor Freight Pittsburgh and Home Depot Husky. Both are easy to warranty and don't hurt the wallet like truck brands.
Originally Posted by 007
Has anyone noticed a difference in the quality of Craftsman tools since they went from being made in the USA and now China?
They went from the best a normal person could buy to... still ok but obviously lower quality
Has anyone noticed a difference in the quality of Craftsman tools since they went from being made in the USA and now China?
They went from the best a normal person could buy to... still ok but obviously lower quality
Made in China Craftsman is not as good as the old Made in USA stuff, but still good enough for the needs of the average home gamer, yet if you want to spend some time shopping around then you can get better quality for the money, except sometimes Sears has those Shop Your Way rewards bucks/whatever which can be a pretty significant savings on future purchases, if you are a perpetual shopper that doesn't forget about them and let them expire.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Craftsman widget if I happened to be in a store, in need, and that's what they had. I wouldn't make a separate trip elsewhere to get something else unless it was a large ticket item. That is seldom the case, usually I know far ahead of time if I need something so I wait till I'm at the store that carries what I want, or else I buy online, and then Craftsman just doesn't factor into the choices. Then again I have two sets of made in USA Craftsman wrenches/ratchets/etc (among others) so I am not in the market for much these days except specialty tools, things I don't normally find at local stores.
I do reserve the option of changing my opinion based on what Stanley B&D does in the future. They usually make low end tools but the few I've owned, didn't seem to have any glaring manufacturing defects like a lot of the stuff I've seen at Harbor Freight.
Someone in a previous reply mentioned cutting themselves on a wrench or ratchet? I don't understand that. If I can't inspect tools before purchase then I'd either return/exchange it, or take a file or sandpaper to it if I wanted to keep it.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Craftsman widget if I happened to be in a store, in need, and that's what they had. I wouldn't make a separate trip elsewhere to get something else unless it was a large ticket item. That is seldom the case, usually I know far ahead of time if I need something so I wait till I'm at the store that carries what I want, or else I buy online, and then Craftsman just doesn't factor into the choices. Then again I have two sets of made in USA Craftsman wrenches/ratchets/etc (among others) so I am not in the market for much these days except specialty tools, things I don't normally find at local stores.
I do reserve the option of changing my opinion based on what Stanley B&D does in the future. They usually make low end tools but the few I've owned, didn't seem to have any glaring manufacturing defects like a lot of the stuff I've seen at Harbor Freight.
Someone in a previous reply mentioned cutting themselves on a wrench or ratchet? I don't understand that. If I can't inspect tools before purchase then I'd either return/exchange it, or take a file or sandpaper to it if I wanted to keep it.
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Originally Posted by zzyzzx
Originally Posted by atikovi
Can't say about the strength though, and the allure of the forever warranty is tempered by the number of Sears stores closing and the uncertainty of having a place to return them.
Are you expecting Lowes and Ace Hardware to go under as well?
Well Lowes hasn't been doing that great lately, Home Depot is beating them. I like Lowes for appliances because they can deliver the next day if it's in stock and they're the same price as Home Depot. Home Depot for everything else.
Their lumber is all garbage. But I can never find the right plumbing fittings at Lowes. And their employees always seem to know better than me when I'm looking for something I know I need.
Originally Posted by zzyzzx
Originally Posted by atikovi
Can't say about the strength though, and the allure of the forever warranty is tempered by the number of Sears stores closing and the uncertainty of having a place to return them.
Are you expecting Lowes and Ace Hardware to go under as well?
Well Lowes hasn't been doing that great lately, Home Depot is beating them. I like Lowes for appliances because they can deliver the next day if it's in stock and they're the same price as Home Depot. Home Depot for everything else.
Their lumber is all garbage. But I can never find the right plumbing fittings at Lowes. And their employees always seem to know better than me when I'm looking for something I know I need.
If it is true [I haven't had to use the warranty in years] that stores like Ace and Lowes won't warranty Craftsman tools I will never buy another Craftsman tool.
