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  #1  
Old 12-02-2005, 01:50 PM
glenmore's Avatar
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Location: Los Angeles
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Some tool questions

Been searching ebay for some universal sockets and the 1/4" drive ones seem to be more plentiful.

Is 1/4" drive strong enough for most applications or would 3/8" drive be better?

All the Snap On and Craftsman ads stress the lifetime warranties on the tools and I suppose this applies to the tool actually breaking. Can you get replacements if the tool is just loose or the fit of sockets is sloppy?

Anyone with experience under what conditions you get free replacement tools?

glenmore
1991 300CE
1990 LS400
2000 C280
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  #2  
Old 12-02-2005, 02:13 PM
boneheaddoctor's Avatar
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hells half acre (Great Falls, Virginia)
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only i fit gets broken...I've never worn out a Craftsmant tool....but I have brokken a few...and some of mine I have used for 30 years...

like a 1/2" breaker bar I had a 3' pipe on jumping on it trying to break loose an axel nut....POW!.....tried the 1'2 regualr ratchet same way......POW! broke that.........went to sears adn they chearfully replaced them........after heating it up cherry red then trying agin it broke loose....

1/4 is the smallest one....suitible for small stuff only....3/8" you can break if you lean into it , adn 1/2" is durable for automotive work in general....


You really need all three....get the set sears has on sale for just shy of $200 you won't regret it....its a quality set of tools, and having th eright tools and good ones makes any job far less agrivating.
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1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Last edited by boneheaddoctor; 12-02-2005 at 03:01 PM.
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  #3  
Old 12-02-2005, 06:46 PM
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That's good advice on all points. You can't beat $200.00 for a quality set of guaranteed tools like craftsman.
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  #4  
Old 12-02-2005, 07:29 PM
Ta ra ra boom de ay
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Pittsburgh
Posts: 1,915
New Craftsman policy is only to guarantee box wrenches not socket wrenches. I'm not sure if they sell a higher tier wrench that does come with a guarantee. If you buy an older socket wrench (via e-bay...) they may cover it... best to go to Sears and ask specific questions before hand.
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Reading your M103 duty cycle:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831799-post13.html
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831807-post14.html
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  #5  
Old 12-02-2005, 08:34 PM
Moneypit SEL's Avatar
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Back when I was still wrenching, Snappy would replace sockets that were worn out but not broken.
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  #6  
Old 12-02-2005, 08:50 PM
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Posts: 992
well

well i hate to disagree

but i got rid of all my craftsman (just sold them)
and replaced them with chinease...
harbor freight dot com
the cheap china stuff fits now and is good quality and
i wind up having 4 or 5 of each socket so when there rolling
around on the garage floor i can just grab another 10mm from the
box.... i have about 5 or 6 ratchet and 3 or 4 of each wrench so that
they are easy to find and if i drop one i just grab another instead of having to dive under the car right away..
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  #7  
Old 12-02-2005, 09:11 PM
mattdave
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Sears not my favorite

Every time I have tried to return a tool to sears they don’t have the exact same tool at the store so I have to go downtown to there main tool repair place and they replace it with the same tool the store had because they no longer make the exact same tool you bought 5 years ago. Now they also give you a used tool that has been repaired for replacement. Stanly tools made a revolutionary new development in socket set design. I have only seen it in there ¼ drive socket set and there hard to find. However, get this a socket set in a nice box that you can open the top throw it across the room and not apiece falls out yet when you need a socket, it pops right out for you, it is about time some one cam up with a decent socket storage design.

Dave S
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  #8  
Old 12-03-2005, 09:51 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Southern IL (by St. Louis)
Posts: 71
Quote:
Originally Posted by ejsharp
That's good advice on all points. You can't beat $200.00 for a quality set of guaranteed tools like craftsman.
Right on the money. I got this set several years ago for $170 and it's worth every penny altough the plastic tool case is a joke (IMO). The best wrenches i got are a set of the off-set box-end type.

I try to keep all my hand tools US made, but recently I purchased a few sets of specialty socket sets from Harbor Freight. They are sets of the torx, SAE & metric allen sockets. Quality is top notch and they look identical to the Craftsmans at a fraction of the price; $9.99/set vs $30+.

Last edited by Homeline; 12-03-2005 at 10:18 AM.
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  #9  
Old 12-02-2005, 09:52 PM
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Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 992
harbor freight

i bought a hammer with a fiderglass handle just
like i bought 25 years ago... except 25 years ago
it cost 30 bucks and today i bought it for 4 bucks..

i bought a 1/2 breaker bar at harbour freight (china stuff)
and this was about 8 bucks it would have been 50 bucks or
more from snap on or mac or craftsman... and it worked
perfectly and i dont feel bad when it falls on the garage floor
or when i put my foot on it to break loose a bolt..
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  #10  
Old 12-02-2005, 10:30 PM
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Posts: 8
Consider 3/8" size sockets your basic wrench. Add 1/2" and 1/4" to your tool collection after acquiring a complete set of 3/8", both standard and deep. I'm assuming you are working under-hood, whereas underdash clearances like 1/4" better.

Your first 1/2" sockets should be lug-nut sizes--I like deep, 6-points, you won't need an extension and won't mar a nut as easily as with 12-points.

Recently bought my daughters Stanley socket sets to wrench on their Hondas and was impressed with the fit, price and warranty.

Beware of the really cheap no-name stuff which fit poorly and round-over nuts readily.
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  #11  
Old 12-04-2005, 08:44 PM
88Black560SL
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: CT
Posts: 3,535
Quote:
Originally Posted by glenmore
Been searching ebay for some universal sockets and the 1/4" drive ones seem to be more plentiful.

Is 1/4" drive strong enough for most applications or would 3/8" drive be better?

All the Snap On and Craftsman ads stress the lifetime warranties on the tools and I suppose this applies to the tool actually breaking. Can you get replacements if the tool is just loose or the fit of sockets is sloppy?

Anyone with experience under what conditions you get free replacement tools?

glenmore
1991 300CE
1990 LS400
2000 C280

Generally my experiance is that Craftsman replaces anyting because the sales staff is too dumb to know any thing. SnapOn, Mac, Matco on the otherhand hava a little attitude.

But you want flex sockets. I have 3/8" drive set of Craftsman Metric flex sockets. I also have a set 3/8" drive set Snap-On Inch frex sockets. I hate the Craqftman flex sockets with a pasion. They are the most useless flex sockets I have ever used. They are loose and break easily. They are so bad that I actually become happy when I break one so that I can replace them with Snap-On's. Now maybe they got better, Mine are about 20 years old. I would offer to sell them to you but I dont want to make an enemy.

Not that I am a Snap-On addict and Craftsman hater. I like my Craftsman wrenches much more than my slippery thin shiny Snap-On's. The truth is to me no one company holds the best of all tools title. But in the case of flex sockets and also in hex bit sockets Snap-On is worth the tripple money.

John Roncallo
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  #12  
Old 12-05-2005, 10:09 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: roslyn, LI,NY
Posts: 445
To: JBA re: Sears wrench marked Japan.

As above marked SEARS in lare letters japan in small letters. I have no other explanation. Rgards, Abe G
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  #13  
Old 12-05-2005, 12:18 PM
boneheaddoctor's Avatar
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But Snap-on isn't too easy to get a replacement for unless you work for a shop....Craftsman is as close as your closest sears....
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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
---------------------
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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  #14  
Old 12-05-2005, 02:42 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 4,263
Quote:
Originally Posted by boneheaddoctor
But Snap-on isn't too easy to get a replacement for unless you work for a shop....Craftsman is as close as your closest sears....
Tell me about it. I've had enough trouble just trying to buy a few Snap-On hand tools. Waiting at a local garage for the truck to arrive (if it even shows up that day) is not my idea of a good time. One thing I did get from them is a 1/2" opening, 3/8" drive crows-foot wrench (for the base nuts of S&S cylinders on a shovelhead - 7/16" stud, 1/2" flats on the nuts - somewhat of a problem). The Craftsman piece was not up to the job at all.

However, every time I get a newly-redesigned Craftsman tool, the quality seems to deteriorate. But that's probably just my failed memory of the older tools.

I will note that I've never had trouble returning Craftsman hand tools for any reason, whether broken by abuse, worn, or simply not adequate when new because of bad fit, finish or operation.
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  #15  
Old 12-06-2005, 03:30 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Portland, ME
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Another good line of tools is Husky from Home Depot.

They're not Snap On or Mac, but nearly inline with Craftsman quality, and an equally good replace/exchange policy.

They can be real handy for us weekend warriors, because HD has GREAT business hours and there are lots of stores around. Around here, Sears is open 9:00 am - 9:00 pm. Home Depot is 6:00 am - 11:00 pm. That can be a key feature when you have to finish a job tonight in order to go to work in the morning.

Jeff Pierce
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