Craftsman Hand tools made in China? (OT)

All my Craftsman tools are fairly recent, but they pretty much all have "USA" stamped on them somewhere. That includes ratchets, combo wrenches, and sockets, to my knowledge. I'm more than a little bit confused about this thread. I've honestly never seen any other country name stamped on a Craftsman tool, for me they either have USA, or nothing at all. I'll definitely check in a few moments when I head out to the garage, though.

However, I have to admit I am far more pleased with my 60 tooth Taiwanese-made Gearwrench ratchet than any of the newer Craftsman variety I've ever used. And when I found out they could be converted over to 88 tooth wrenches with a few cheap Matco parts, I was sold.

 

I love my foreign made tools.


I have some German made Gedore wrenches that are really nice...

 

Quote of the week!! lol

 

The Craftsman breaker bar I used for 35 years broke a while back, and the new replacement does not have the same level of quality the old one had.
I had to clean and square up the drive on it so I could get sockets on and off.
I mean, come on!

 

Don't fool with Craftsman anymore. You can get better tools at the Chinese Outlet Store. I use Kobalt tools from Lowe's.

 

Just to add here, sears sucks ass.. Seriously.. Not anything close to what it used to be, I would go as far to say its not sears anymore but instead a kmart that left the old sign still on the building.. The one in w covina,ca is really horrible..

 

It's my understanding that Lowe's (you know... the place that has huge signs in a different language) is getting out of the tool business.

Unless it's just a territorial thing.

 

Used USA tools for me, whenever possible. In my experience in my field, when it doesn't say USA on it anymore that pretty much says it. But can we complain? This isn't a symptom, this is a result. Price became the definition of value and most followed & bought discount stuff from big stores. Collectively, we voted for that with every dollar. Sad.

But small workshop guitars are in a huge comeback... so my suggestion is 3 or 4 of you guys pool your resources and start making tools. Sell directly online. No middle man. Keep it simple like the old cars we love. Sure they'll cost a lot more... but the customer can't have it both ways and can either ante up or quit complaining.

One company can make wrenches, another bars & hammers... cross promote each other. The 500 people who'll tell you you're crazy don't matter; it's better to get your hands dirty and fail having tried to change whatever it is the bitch was about.

 

Sears is on the way out. They won't be around much longer. Thier refurbished ratchets last about one crank. It's too bad, but the USA is in need of a kick in the ass soon.

 

ill have to say harbor frieght has been stepping up their game in the past few years and have some nice stuff. used to be thier sockets and stuff sucked but lately its gettin better.
ive been using the same 1/2 and 1/4 inch air ratchet for 4 years and for 2.5 of those years i used them every week day in the auto body biz, best part is those air ratchets are 20 bucks and if they break i go buy a new one. i compared a blue point air ratchet to a harbor frieght and they looked the same. some of you will say well inside theyre differnt. well tore one apart too. all the same
for some stuff i will buy nicer name brand tools, like welders and stuff

 

I never tore up or banged the shit out of my hand because of a broken cell phone or TV

Also, I was in Sears last week just browsing for sales and I thought I saw USA on the couple tools I curiously picked up for that reason

 

Amen, I have bought brand new 1/4" that slipped out of the box, now all of my ratchets are Snap-on, I usually buy them at flea markets for .50 on the dollar.

 

Most of my tool boxes are full of Snap On sets, or Mac. I also have some sets of hand wrenches that are Plumb, S-K Wayne, and Indestro.
(all of these sets are S.A.E., where the Snap On and Mac are S.A.E. and metric, because of my former career)

I had an old Sears Craftsman 'channel lock' type 12" offset plier, channels worn, it was used in the shop for an 'all around grab it' tool...
Wife Joey said she had to go to Sears, want to trade that worn 'water pump plier' for a new one?
We saw the salesman, he took the old plier, and handed me a new German Knipex Cobra!
(this is a good Vanadin tool, same line as their excellent bolt cutters, I have some of each in my 'main' tool boxes)

Sooo, if you have some crappy channel lock pliers, turn them in! Get the Knipex!

 

I've had my craftsman tools for 55 years and in that time I have replaced or rebuilt only a few(maybe 3 ratchets & 8 or 9 sockets). Everyone of these either had a 4' pipe or an impact wrench helping me destroy what I had.
The tools were passed down from my grandfather so there original age is unknown. As for the quality of searsmart , I have seen a definite drop in quality from what I have in my tool box. Over the years I have bought tools at garage sales, estate sales, and the Internet standbys for the grand-kids to get them at least a good start with their tool boxes.
Since they became one(searsmart) I don't buy anything there, for no other reason except that they won't be around to honer any warenty of anykind at thr rate they have been closeing stores. Lifetime is only good if the store is still open to honor it.

 

It's the Wal Martization of the US. Sam's kids sell the cheapest chinese junk they can and people eat it up. Sears/Kmart is trying to compete.

 

Assembled in Detroit. At least it's a start. We just need to make the parts here. There are semiconductors still made in the US for now. Processors still made here. Let's go.

 

I used to buy Craftsman but they are getting a little wierd about their "Lifetime Warranty" however, Harbor freight has a lifetime warranty on their wrenches and sockets and they have been improving their quality.

 

How about the guys whose hot rod shares garage space with a foreign branded daily driver?

Blue

 

How about the shitty made so called US cars now. And for the the record the majority of the foreign cars are assembled here with just about as many US parts. Same with the motorcycles. I regularly pay more for higher quality, I regularly pay more for US made goods. I prefer when the two go together. Or I can at least get similar quality at the least.

 

At estate sales, I make a bee-line for the garage or basement. Looking for older Craftsman, Proto, Mac. Last thing I bought new from Sears was a top box. Returned two units (dented out of the box) before I got one with a small enough dent to live with. That POS is sitting on top of a 1957 Snap-On bottom box with drawers that are still smooth as silk. Sears has lost me. Soon as I find a nice vintage top box, that Sears unit is off to the swap meet.

 

Okay, I'm out in my garage now, looking over all my Craftsman stuff real careful like... and the only items I can find that are obviously made overseas are their pliers, which are all stamped "China" on the hinge. However, every single one of my Craftsman sockets, ratchets, combo wrenches, and screwdrivers are all stamped either "USA" "Made in USA" or "Forged in USA". These are ALL their new-style tools, none purchased more than 5 years ago. Most recently got a replacement on one of their long-handle swivel head ratchets a few months back, and it too is stamped "USA".

Where are you guys getting your tools? Or is this a much more recent thing and I'm just seeing old stock?

 

Yup.
It's either Harbor freight "Hardly great as i say"
or Kobalt. Kobalts good shit.
I never have issues with ratchets wearing out...Unless i use um' with a big pipe for breaker bars silly me.

I do have alotta proto's and such that were passed down, a real keen set of bonnie wrenches too.

Buy old shit. its more better.

 

bought a new craftsman 1/4 ratchet today, lost my other one.

looky look whats on the back

 

I have an almost vintage (70's or 80's?) Sears ratchet set (not craftsman) that has "made in Taiwan" so it certainly isn't something that just started recently. Sears is in a bad way anyways, lots of corporate big shots stuffing their pockets as the company crumbles into bankruptcy. I wouldn't be surprised to see the company completely collapse in the next 10yrs here. I have a buddy who worked at a local parts and service warehouse. They had no manager in the building for 9 months and expected him, as a warehouse worker, to run the manager's duties on minimum wage. He quit and soon after they shut down the whole building and laid off everyone working there.

 

it is what it is, we live in strange times here in 2012. im a young guy to some but things are a changing.

I bought the ratchet for the warranty

 

I have a set of Craftman combination wrenches I bought through the catalog in the early 80's that say Japan on them. I remember being so disappointed when I recieved them, but they've done really well.

 

WHAT ABOUT VISE-GRIP???? THE POSTER CHILD FOR OUT SOURCING!!!!

And while were on it........don't forget the Vise-Grip story! Corporate goons at Irwin Tools/Newell Rubbermaid pulled the plug on the old Nebraska company in 2008 and off to China they went...... along with 300 some jobs!!

TRAITORS!!!!