JoeTF1718 Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Is craftsman the best hand to Brand? I am thinking about buying all new hand tools and some people are telling me to buy craftsman only because they are American made but they are not the best. Others are telling me they are the best. Please help me buy telling me what hand tools are better than others. Thank you in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigmikez Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 a lot of craftsman hand tools are now made in china its kinda rare that u find any made here now.i have quite a bit of craftsman tools that my grampa gave that have usa stamped on them but for my newer hand tools I have snap-on matco Gear wrench and I have Dewalts Big mechanics box set 2yrs ago now which has taken a beating and never let me down we use and abuse these guys at the shop almost everyday they have been my favorites lately while my others stay clean:) even Tekton has been coming out with some nice tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazzman Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Craftsman is mostly chinese garbage nowadays man. Better off with something decent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dg1127 Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 I have craftsman for my personal tools at home the set is about 10 years old never had a issue. At work we use everything craftsman,Kobalt, husky, s&k, but proto and mac hand tools can't be beat. Yes they are expensive but you only buy it once. I started buying speciality or hard to find ones in proto and the basic in craftsman. I figure I can leave my kids all the good ones Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 How many Lowes and Home Depot's are you passing on your way to Sears? If you pass 1 of them, I think your wasting gas money. From my recent experience I find Craftsman to be on par if not inferior to most Kobalt and Husky tools but with a higher price tag. I highly recommend checking out the Milwaukee hand tool line up at Home Depot. I bought some of the linesman pliers and they are down right impressive. Even people I know who are electricians who have handled them are really impressed. I am going to pick up some of their locking pliers here soon, I think they look pretty darn innovative. I like how they are constructed so you can throw a drift pin in and keep tightening down. Now all of the Sears stores that I'm willing to drive to have shut down over the past few years. I won't pass 5 - 6 Home Depot's and Lowe's stores to buy a Craftsman anything. The last tool I bought at Sears was a Craftsman hickory handled claw hammer. Only reason I bought it was nostalgia, my Dad has always had one with his name engraved on it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Throughout most of the 20th century Craftsman was unbeatable at their price. The line was easily available for repair or expansion, made in America by bigger manufacturers like Plomb, New Britian, and even Easco. They were good For me.That couple years saw the brand table a drastic turn and long story short, the USA stuff has been replaced with Chinese garbage that you should avoidIf you want our help building a budget collection of USA TOOL WE'de be glad to held out! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigmikez Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Throughout most of the 20th century Craftsman was unbeatable at their price. The line was easily available for repair or expansion, made in America by bigger manufacturers like Plomb, New Britian, and even Easco. They were good For me.That couple years saw the brand table a drastic turn and long story short, the USA stuff has been replaced with Chinese garbage that you should avoidIf you want our help building a budget collection of USA TOOL WE'de be glad to held out! hey what's up conductor have u tried much of the Tekton hand tools? I've been seeing these a lot on Amazon and they've been gettin some good reviews. I'm hoping to have some extra funds for when proto comes out with some deals like they do on Zoro close to the holidays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted June 27, 2015 Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 hey what's up conductor have u tried much of the Tekton hand tools? I've been seeing these a lot on Amazon and they've been gettin some good reviews. I'm hoping to have some extra funds for when proto comes out with some deals like they do on Zoro close to the holidays.Hey Mike! I like the Tekton stuff I have. I use the impact sockets all the time and despite the reservations you'll find about them being CR-V as opposed to CR-MO, I've never had an issue.I also really like their USA plier line. Yes, they are the same Wilde pliers you can get elsewhere, but Tekton offers them at the cheapest price and offers the best customer service and warranty process around 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadlanthier Posted June 27, 2015 Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 I never had a problem with craftsman tools that I didn't cause. Even then I walked into a store handed them the tool, and they gave me a new one free of charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted June 27, 2015 Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 That's kinda the dilemma with Craftsman Chad. You're getting a lower grade tool than you used to, but you're still getting it replaced forever. That's ok with some folks.I used to be a huge tool snob as it pertained to COO and wanted every hand tool I owned to be USA made. Over time I've come to the conclusion that many Taiwanese and European tools are about as good as some of the high end American offerings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR99 Posted June 27, 2015 Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 I have bought some Gear Wrench stuff lately and I really like the quality and the price, but they are not made in the USA though. You are going to pay a pretty big premium for any hand tools made in the USA. If your not using them daily it might not be worth the expense if its a personal reason I can understand too I want to keep jobs here too. I just can't personally afford made in the USA tools all the time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazzman Posted June 27, 2015 Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 Gearwrench,Tekton etc are good tools. even better is you get quality and customer service for a lower price. The milwaukee hand tools are nice,i really like the ones i have. The new Dewalt branded stuff ive heard are prety good too but i have yet to try any myself. I have alot of craftsman stuff in my garage but they are all over 20 years old now and still some of the best tools ive used. I have heard recently that Craftsman is beginning to make USA made sockets again so you might wanna look into that. If you have Napa auto parts near you their tools are pretty good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted June 27, 2015 Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 Gearwrench,Tekton etc are good tools. even better is you get quality and customer service for a lower price. The milwaukee hand tools are nice,i really like the ones i have. The new Dewalt branded stuff ive heard are prety good too but i have yet to try any myself.I have alot of craftsman stuff in my garage but they are all over 20 years old now and still some of the best tools ive used. I have heard recently that Craftsman is beginning to make USA made sockets again so you might wanna look into that.If you have Napa auto parts near you their tools are pretty good too.NAPA's Evercraft stuff isn't all that impressive, but the Carlyle line is great stuff. It isn't cheap, but the quality is excellent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazzman Posted June 27, 2015 Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 NAPA's Evercraft stuff isn't all that impressive, but the Carlyle line is great stuff. It isn't cheap, but the quality is excellentyes Carlyle is what i was referencing,I should have been more specific Thanks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comp56 Posted June 27, 2015 Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 from what I see over the years, Craftsman has gone done hill...in fact fell off a cliff garbage now I'd invest in better stuff and be done with it......when it comes to tools it is not always good to buy what you can afford.....I would rather have 2 good tools than 4 crappy tools....I'm beginning to see what ChrisK is on to with Festools....... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazzman Posted June 27, 2015 Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 We still have a couple Sears stores in our area but I cant remember the last time I went in one,especially because they are connected with crappy malls. Buy the best you can,amazon is a good place to find decent tool deals,you should be able to get kitted out pretty decently. Also keep an eye on toolguyd,he always makes good posts on deals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuutr Posted June 27, 2015 Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 I replaced my craftsman mechanics set with dewalt and am glad I did. They were more comfortable to use and have performed very well with little bit of time I have used them. The Milwaukee pliers and screwdrivers have been great. I'd follow the advice here and buy something better than craftsman now or plan on buying it later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comp56 Posted June 28, 2015 Report Share Posted June 28, 2015 I have to admit I purchased some wood clamps awhile back this year at about 65% off and they seem to be pretty good.....I would buy more of those clamps at same price.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrich1 Posted June 28, 2015 Report Share Posted June 28, 2015 I sold my craftsman set to my brother last year and got a kobalt set from Lowes. Very happy with it. Nothing wrong with my 15 yr old craftsman set, just wanted a change. I like the markings better for sae vs metric and we dont have a sears anymore. We do have an ace though which still carries a good line of craftsman tools. Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crone_electric Posted June 28, 2015 Report Share Posted June 28, 2015 I love milwaukee hand tools there line man pliers they first came out with was way better that the klien I say Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrsalas Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 Can't go wrong with Snap on(USA), Klein(USA), CARLYLE(USA), Milwaukee, Dewalt, Knipex(German), or Channel Lock. At least this is what i own and I love my tools.Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Rebel Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 I always liked Craftsman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrsalas Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 Craftsman will get the job done, keeps you contempt and that's all that counts.Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGBEARJT Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 i often shop at sears now because they sell knipex and channel lock stuff, greenlee, textron, due to their decline, cant deny some of the crazy deals lately, 20 peice gear wrench ratcheting wrench set for $50! but i keep going back because shopyourway coupons, $10 here, $15 there, and even more from cash back, would wouldnt want knipex gear with free money. as far as craftsman branded power tools and hand tools, wouldn't touch them if they were given to me, i can see the crap quality, but i did buy a universal miter saw stand, decent stand for the price of $40 after coupons and member sale price. they practically beg me with free money in coupons, so i keep coming back until to store closes up and home depot is just right next door which i pay no taxes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trogo Posted June 30, 2015 Report Share Posted June 30, 2015 AGREED! This is why I went with Milwaukee! There is a reason why the prices are so cheap on Craftsman tools, because they are cheap Chinese made POS. And to make it worse, remember the days when you bought a Craftsman tool from Sears, and if it broke due to defect, Sears would replace under warranty? No longer does Sears honer the warranties, so your buying that tool at your own risk. B&D is just as bad in my opinion, their name used to mean something back in the 70's and 80's, now its just a bunch of toys for children.You want a real tool, then you gotta go Milwaukee, Rigid, Dewalt, Bosch, etc.Most Milwaukee tools are also made in CHina now. Just because something is made in China does not automatically mean it's junk. Hand tools are probably the least complicated tools there are, and have not changed in decades. I've been very satisfied with both Craftsman and Husky Tools. Anything breaks, just take it to the nearest retail store and get a new item. Have never had one break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.