The quality of a tap can vary all over the map. The cheap Chinese taps certainly meet the hardness requirement, but, when you have to apply some torque, the brittle steel simply snaps.

However, when you use a high quality tap, it's amazing how much force you can apply without breaking it. You can actually feel it torque up slightly........the tap is very hard, but does provide some yield before it fails.

The Chinese taps never provide any notice..........one minute you're working along fine and the next, it's in two pieces.

Don't know about those Craftsman taps, but, from the sound of your experience, they can't be very high quality.