5 ms·

I picked up some craftsman metric/SAE box and open's the other day from the discount section, the build quality is not bad at all. I would not compare it to Sna

I picked up some craftsman metric/SAE box and open's the other day from the discount section, the build quality is not bad at all. I would not compare it to Snap-On, but a whole other tier than that of HF.

mrits 10y ago
That was my first time to ever read that. I lost it at the eye patch.
douche 10y ago
You really have to be careful these days, though. Sometimes you find stuff that is close to the old Craftsman quality, other times it is much shoddier. The consistency isn't there, in my experience.
91bananas 10y ago
Recently I've given up on craftsman all together. Harbor freight owns up to being Chinese junk, but still gives a life time guarantee on and hand tools now. So if they're half the cost of craftsman but break and replace the same, why buy their name brand Chinese junk when I can buy generic stuff from probably the same factory?
- roflchoppa 10y ago
  I think douche replied with a well comment below, garage sales might be the best.HF is not bad, but sometime I find that even new CM are engineered better, like the HF box n open can't hit the exhaust manifold nuts on my car, but a CF one is able to do it due to the slight angle from the open part. Idk always small things you find. Hopefully craftsman will still be around.
- manyxcxi 10y ago
  That's pretty much where I've been on them for the last few years. I've got a bunch of old inherited Craftsman stuff that's just as good or smooth as expensive stuff is brand new today. If I'm not investing in something I need to be very precise or efficient, it's harbor freight I go. Perfect example, my angle grinder was $30 from HF like 5 years ago and it's still humming along- I could've dropped $150+ easy going with a name brand. If it's a really nice woodworking tool (like a block plane or chisel), I go direct to the specialized brands. If it's something general but I want a 'nicer' or more reliable product, I'll go to the big box store and pick up Kobalt, Milwaukee, or DeWalt- mostly because that's already what I have.
  - justanyone 10y ago
    REPLACE any Craftsman that shows wear. I had some sockets from 20+ years ago, some were rusted (yeah, it happens, sometimes my fault sometimes not). So, I packed em up, walked into the Sears tools dept., and exchanged them, like 20+ of them, one-for-one with new sockets. BEAUTIFUL, now I have new sockets, labeled more clearly, for free. And, if they ever rust again, I'll repeat the process.
- syshum 10y ago
  My tool buying methodolty is 1. Buy Harbor Freight Version.... 2. If a break the Harbor Freight tool, then I will look at a SnapOn, Dewalt, Ridged, or other Contractor/Professional Brand I have very fews tools in the #2 category...
  - mikestew 10y ago
    Though waiting for number 2 might give you frustration in the mean time. There's more to a tool than whether or not it breaks. When that steel bolt has cold welded itself to the aluminum engine head, you're going to want the most precision-machined socket you can find. Because if you bugger it up, your day is about to get a lot worse while you ponder whether you can burn the bolt out with an acetelyne torch before you melt the aluminum. Granted, I don't run into that a lot now that I no longer turn wrenches for a living. That said, I've got a lot of HF in my toolbox and can't say I've been unhappy with them. When I'm 100 miles from nowhere and my motorcycle breaks, it'll be HF sockets and Torx bits that get me back on the road.
    - roflchoppa 10y ago
      shit man i snapped a cylinder bolt into my L-series head attempted to drill it out, went off center, now i gotta get Helicoil to repair it...... I should have just MIG welded another bolt onto the end, but that poses risk for warping the head.
    - syshum 10y ago
      I am mainly a Woodworker as a hobby and IT has a Profession My Cars are worked on by Professionals so I do not have alot of Automotive tools or needs

mrits 10y ago

That was my first time to ever read that. I lost it at the eye patch.

douche 10y ago

You really have to be careful these days, though. Sometimes you find stuff that is close to the old Craftsman quality, other times it is much shoddier. The consistency isn't there, in my experience.

91bananas 10y ago

Recently I've given up on craftsman all together. Harbor freight owns up to being Chinese junk, but still gives a life time guarantee on and hand tools now. So if they're half the cost of craftsman but break and replace the same, why buy their name brand Chinese junk when I can buy generic stuff from probably the same factory?

roflchoppa 10y ago
I think douche replied with a well comment below, garage sales might be the best.HF is not bad, but sometime I find that even new CM are engineered better, like the HF box n open can't hit the exhaust manifold nuts on my car, but a CF one is able to do it due to the slight angle from the open part. Idk always small things you find. Hopefully craftsman will still be around.
manyxcxi 10y ago
That's pretty much where I've been on them for the last few years. I've got a bunch of old inherited Craftsman stuff that's just as good or smooth as expensive stuff is brand new today. If I'm not investing in something I need to be very precise or efficient, it's harbor freight I go. Perfect example, my angle grinder was $30 from HF like 5 years ago and it's still humming along- I could've dropped $150+ easy going with a name brand. If it's a really nice woodworking tool (like a block plane or chisel), I go direct to the specialized brands. If it's something general but I want a 'nicer' or more reliable product, I'll go to the big box store and pick up Kobalt, Milwaukee, or DeWalt- mostly because that's already what I have.
- justanyone 10y ago
  REPLACE any Craftsman that shows wear. I had some sockets from 20+ years ago, some were rusted (yeah, it happens, sometimes my fault sometimes not). So, I packed em up, walked into the Sears tools dept., and exchanged them, like 20+ of them, one-for-one with new sockets. BEAUTIFUL, now I have new sockets, labeled more clearly, for free. And, if they ever rust again, I'll repeat the process.
syshum 10y ago
My tool buying methodolty is 1. Buy Harbor Freight Version.... 2. If a break the Harbor Freight tool, then I will look at a SnapOn, Dewalt, Ridged, or other Contractor/Professional Brand I have very fews tools in the #2 category...
- mikestew 10y ago
  Though waiting for number 2 might give you frustration in the mean time. There's more to a tool than whether or not it breaks. When that steel bolt has cold welded itself to the aluminum engine head, you're going to want the most precision-machined socket you can find. Because if you bugger it up, your day is about to get a lot worse while you ponder whether you can burn the bolt out with an acetelyne torch before you melt the aluminum. Granted, I don't run into that a lot now that I no longer turn wrenches for a living. That said, I've got a lot of HF in my toolbox and can't say I've been unhappy with them. When I'm 100 miles from nowhere and my motorcycle breaks, it'll be HF sockets and Torx bits that get me back on the road.
  - roflchoppa 10y ago
    shit man i snapped a cylinder bolt into my L-series head attempted to drill it out, went off center, now i gotta get Helicoil to repair it...... I should have just MIG welded another bolt onto the end, but that poses risk for warping the head.
  - syshum 10y ago
    I am mainly a Woodworker as a hobby and IT has a Profession My Cars are worked on by Professionals so I do not have alot of Automotive tools or needs