Brief Rant about Craftsman

radioman · Mar 2, 2009

what's more scary is that the lug wrench that came with the truck don't fit ? I kinda think that is strange unless it was a custom set of rim,lugs ? Good thing they learned about this at iplayfarmer house instead of on busy highway,raining, at night, with flat tire without the right tools to change the tire.

So in a positive way, his brother is in the right place, at the right time.

So - go ahead and rant away!

texbaylea · Mar 2, 2009

MikeD74T said:
Craftsman was a quality hand tool until the time period when Bob Villa became their spokesman & gadget tools became their mainstay. Now it's the "collector series", so much for working tools.
Last week I told Sears where to put their card I've held since 1971. They wanted a $38 dollar late fee for a payment postmarked 10 days before it was due - "It's not our fault the mail is slow!" They agreed to drop the fee since we've never missed a payment before & then I closed the account so I'll never be late again. MikeD74T

I completely stopped buying from Sears about 10 years ago over a similar account hassle, the last in a series. Closed our account on the spot and bought the refrigerator (not Kenmore) that my wife wanted with my Amex. The first was 60 years ago when they hit me for a missed patment. Since I knew when and where I had mailed it I reported it to the Post Office. The postal inspector was scathing in his report, it seems that some clerk couldn't "find" our account so created a new account using part of my name, credited the payment to that account and went on. Sears was very apologetic and things were good until about 25 years ago when their quality went to pot.

Vernon

Iplayfarmer · Mar 2, 2009

radioman said:
what's more scary is that the lug wrench that came with the truck don't fit ? I kinda think that is strange unless it was a custom set of rim,lugs ? Good thing they learned about this at iplayfarmer house instead of on busy highway,raining, at night, with flat tire without the right tools to change the tire. So in a positive way, his brother is in the right place, at the right time. So - go ahead and rant away!

Thanks for the emotional support of my rant.

I know he was off the side of the road once with a flat, and I drove to help him out (lucky for him, he was only 4-5 miles from my house). He had the same wheels then, and I don't remember a problem. I think I had my cheap set of tools with me, though.

I tried both imperial and metric sockets with the lugs on Saturday, and it's definately a 13/16". I actually bought him a spark plug wrench to carry with him from now on so that he'd have something to take the lugs off with if the need arises.

My rant with craftsman is not that they're really bad tools or anything. It's just that they are not worth the price you pay. I know that Mac and Snapon are much more expensive, but they actually seem to be better tools. I've scored a few Mac tools at yard sales for dirt cheap, and I'll agree that they are probably worth what they cost if a guy is using them day in and day out.

jda1961 · Mar 2, 2009

so you are dissing a craftsman socket because YOU picked the WRONG tool for the job. thats real smart. keep up the good work.

Iplayfarmer · Mar 2, 2009

jda1961 said:
so you are dissing a craftsman socket because YOU picked the WRONG tool for the job. thats real smart. keep up the good work.

Actually, yes.

radioman · Mar 2, 2009

oh please! like the rest of us never had a boneheaded moment.

Diamondpilot · Mar 2, 2009

I guarantee you its a metric lug, no matter what type of 13/16" socket fit it.
GM has used metric nuts and bolts on 95% of everything for the last 10 years. But like mentioned earlier, its the rims fault, not the socket. I have had this problem with a Hemi trying to change the spark plugs. Had to spend a hour on the bench grinder taking off the meat on a spark plug socket to get it to fit down in the recess for the plug.

Chris

Iplayfarmer · Mar 2, 2009

Diamondpilot said:
I guarantee you its a metric lug, no matter what type of 13/16" socket fit it.
GM has used metric nuts and bolts on 95% of everything for the last 10 years. But like mentioned earlier, its the rims fault, not the socket. I have had this problem with a Hemi trying to change the spark plugs. Had to spend a hour on the bench grinder taking off the meat on a spark plug socket to get it to fit down in the recess for the plug.

Chris

I guess I know this. None of the metric sockets fit any better than the imperial.

To me it seems like adding a little more metal to the socket is cheating. I would think the right way to do it is to use a little stronger alloy.

Diamondpilot · Mar 2, 2009

Iplayfarmer said:
I guess I know this. None of the metric sockets fit any better than the imperial.

To me it seems like adding a little more metal to the socket is cheating. I would think the right way to do it is to use a little stronger alloy.

Can not argue that. HF makes a set of special wheel sockets for your impact for this reason. I got a set few years back. The sockets are 2 sided and there is 3 in the set for 6 total sizes and comes in a case for about $15. I got it for about $10 on sale.

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

Chris

joes_427_vette · Mar 2, 2009

Why would you accept a tool as a replacement with someone elses initials carved in them ? I demand and get replacements off the shelf. I don't slide my tools across the cement floor and won't accept any goobers mistreatment of his purchases.
I don't mind sears tools. I have a complete set of snap on and use what ever I grab. For adjustments in the woods / fields the craftsman go. If I loose them its not that big a deal. The gold snap on stay close to the tool box in the shop, not loaned to anyone.