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Craftsman Tools
buddyb
Member Posts: 5,249 ✭✭✭✭
I had a swivel head 3/8 Craftsman ratchet break a while back.Took it to Lowes today to see if it was still warrantied.It was and they replaced it with a new one.The new Craftsman tools don't look like the old ones,but the price on the new ratchet was a few cents less than $86.00. I doubt I paid that amount for a complete set of Craftsman tools when I bought them years ago.
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I’ve had Craftsman tools since 1972. I did have a 1/4 open socket break once back in 80s or 90s and sure enough they replaced it no questions asked at a Sears store. I was wondering if they still guaranteed their tools.
Good to hear Lowes is honoring the warranty. I have a small ratchet with the gear stripped I need to take in there for replacement.
I have dozen of craftsman tools I have been using for the last 50 plus years . Have a few needing replacement . Time for a tool run .
The new craftsman tools are NOT the same quality, like almost everything else.
In my 81 years I had one tool fail. It was a quarter inch ratchet drive. Sears replaced it. No questions asked.
About 10 years ago drove to Middletown, NY Sears. I usually bought Lee or Wrangler jeans there on sale. Can't remember which. Got out of truck and walked all the way up to front door and all the glass was covered with black paper. Sign said "Sorry we are closed". Yep, they were gone forever. I sure got blindsided on that one.
Lots of folks thought Sears got what they deserved but for me in the old days, don't know what I would have done without them. When the kids were small everything in my house came from Sears or their Catalogue. --------------------------------Ray
I started buying craftsman tools around 1974
life time replacement on about all of them help sell me on the brand
no way could I afford snap on or mac even back then the craftsman tools pinched my meager pay check 1.35 a hour don't buy many tools . but I also went swap meets , auctions yard sales and a couple tools now and then new at sears
then the internet came along it was a god send for back yard hacks like me LOL
I could buy a butt lot of used craftsman for the price of just one ratchet . serious I could buy a set of 3/8 sockets from 3/8 to 3/4" for the same cost of just a couple sockets new at sears same with wrenches .
I could not count the tools I have taken back for replacement to sears over the years lot of sockets and maybe a dozen ratchets but its been more than a few years since I broke anything good to know lowes will honor the old deal
35 or so years ago I worked with a fellow his first job was at sears each night him and his buddies would fish out all the tools brought back broke ( the store just tossed the return ones ) then Thay would go to the next town south of the one they worked at and trade them in again he said they had a nice collection of tools in no time .
I broke a 3/8 ratchet handle many years ago. Went to the local sears store and the salesman pulled a cheap chinese made ratchet handle out of a drawer.
I said no thanks, mine was made in the USA like the ones on the wall. Either give me one from the wall display (made inthe USA, or I will see you in court.
He checked with the manager and gave me from the wall display.
Now all are from China, but priced like the are made in the USA.
Margaret Thatcher
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
Mark Twain
@buddyb I had the exact same experience.
I actually wanted a non-swiveling head (which was cheaper) but I had to take the closest replacement. Oh shucks.
I bought first craftsman tools back in '56. I still have many. I asked my local Lowe's a couple of year ago about replacements and they said only if they had the same tool in stock.
Although you pretty much get what you pay for..........Harbor Freight has warranted all of their hand tools for life.........or at least they used to.
My old hunting pal prided himself with his full rolling Craftman tool chest. That is.......until someone noticed his open garage door, at the wrong time.........and the chest was gone.
As for me.......never could afford the "good stuff".......so just scrounged together what I needed over the years.
Well harbor freight over the last few years has been trying to compete with the top brands and building better tools as a up grade over the standard use once
they have been known for over the years
I have seen a lot of youtube posters and mechanics going that route comparing a single snap on whench to the cost of a whole set from harbor freight wrenches and they do have a warranty some items I think you have to pay a couple dollars to get a lifetime warranty but best deal going
Yep, made in China.
IIRC black &decker bought the craftsman some years ago...They musta moved the mfg. to China, or sold out to them???
JIM...............
I have MANY vintage craftsman tools including 2 large sets of their storage drawer units.
I heard that Harbor Freight high end hand tools come from the same factory that makes Snap On.Dont know if it's true but it is interesting.
Many mango seasons ago when I was an apprentice Plumber, I would scour the flea markets and yard sales for really cheap, broken or damaged Craftsman tools then take them to Sears and got them all replace with new tools for free.
That was a great thing for me as I had little money then and I needed a lot of hand tools in order to work.
I lost several sets of 1970's vintage Craftsman wrenches in the wildfire 11/2/22. After attempting to buy similar quality Craftsman replacements, I bought TekTon from a local business. Far better quality than current production Craftsman.
In 1964, I bought a Craftsman 3/8-1/2" socket set at Sears (my Uncle worked in the tool section). Jump to 1969 when I got out of the service, most of the set was GONE! Should have locked it away, I guess. My brother and his cronies scattered them all over town. Now I have probably $4-500 worth of Craftsman tools in my garage in a locked tool box.
Craftsman. I was walking the dog down along the river yesterday and I found this in the sandy beach.
That code # is 345s3. Is that date of manufacture?
Lok at like this if $500.00 snap on that would be a couple 3/8 standard sockets and 1/2 wrench
My favorite Craftsman tool. The adjustment wrench.
Neat , I like it
but I will guess the user may not like The the damage to themselves if used lol
The adjustment wrench.
Lots of knuckle heads now days needs that adjustment wrench, especially after they have voted.
So that's where I left it .........................................
Allen, I was hoping that was a 10mm 😃
theyll swap you out if they have one on the shelf. I have a couple star drivers that have rounded tips but they came in a set and Lowe's don't carry them..
I'm pretty sure the majority of my tools are Craftsman. I've been lucky the last couple summers hitting up yard and garage sales, and finding the older U.S.A. made stuff. I don't recall every really breaking any of them in the past, and needing to warranty any of it, but maybe I just haven't wrung on them hard enough.
I really lucked out a week or so ago, and nabbed a decent-sized Craftsman 19.2v cordless tool set at a nearby thrift store for $15, including two batteries and charger. Next to that set was a cardboard box full of drills, minus the 19.2v batteries, for $2.99 each, so I snagged three, each a different size, including a hammer drill. I'm way behind on the whole cordless tool concept, so I'm glad I won't have to constantly deal with 75 feet of cord any more.
Carefully check the status of the 19.2v charger and batteries.
Long ago.......my close friend's 19.2v Craftsman charger and battery went bad. One or two cells in the battery pack went bad(shorted), and subsequently blew the thermal limiter in the charger. I replaced the bad cells and repaired the charger..........but alas more cells in the battery pack started to also fail. It's a situation of cascading cell failure in an old Ni-Cad battery pack.
Solution.........if one cell fails......replace the whole pack.(edit: or convert to lithium batteries)
Hope this helps......
I lost track of the 1/2 ,9/16 ,5/8 sockets I broke both 3/8" & 1/2" and a handfull of ratchets that wad Years ago when my spare time was aalways tinkering and repairing cars
But it's been years dance I broke one and Aldo years ago wrnt to auction sites and bought up a lot of spares
Adly Getting old and having a bad back and knees I really don't see a lot of tools getting busted anymore by me
when I kick off I think my sons will take a few of them but some lucky people will get a butt load of tools on the cheap
I will guess along with that a lot of speciality tools i have accumlated will.leave people scratching their head WTH is this
That helps a lot, and I appreciate the info.😎
Well, I lucked out, and the batteries all work great. A buddy of mine had a double charger and a couple batteries that he wasn't using any more, and tossed them my way. I gave them all a good cook overnight. That hammer drill will strip skin off your hand if you're not paying attention!🤣
Good deal!
To be sure of a full charge.......use a digital voltmeter to measure a battery pack voltage immediately after charging. And then measure again 24 hours later.
Also.......do NOT leave batteries on the charger permanently. Doing so will cook/kill individual 1.2 voltmeter cells within each battery pack.
I use a separate appliance timer.......to plug the charger into.......allowing only 1 hour of charging each day.
Hope this helps.