"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
11/06/2018 at 20:00 • Filed to: tools, Toolopnik, craftsman
2
42|
"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
11/06/2018 at 20:00 • Filed to: tools, Toolopnik, craftsman | 2
| 42 |
Another one bites the dust...
Internal gear failure on my main 3/8". This was a Chinese replacement for a made-in-USA ratchet that succumbed to a broken switch. That one had lasted 2002-2012, but this one only made it about half as long.
I don’t have any pics of the old made-in-USA one, but I seem to recall it being slightly shorter in length than ratchet #2. Not by much, less than an inch if memory serves. They shared the same product number, though: 44811.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
We’ll see how ratchet #3 fares. Sears didn’t have an exact match, so they gave me a 44808. It’s even longer than ratchet #2, by about an inch or so. More leverage, more better!
...I hope.
Yeah, I’m not as much of a Craftsman fanboy as I used to be. But free is free, and despite the extra length, it still fits in the same molded drawer (part of a whole set) that its predecessors sat in.
Oh, and while I was there, I took a pic of their returns box. The associate said that this is 4 days worth of Craftsman trade-ins.
lone_liberal
> Urambo Tauro
11/06/2018 at 20:04 |
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Remember that the Craftsman sold at Sears is different than the Craftsman sold at Lowes. The Lowes stuff is higher quality with production in, or moving to, the US. I won’t buy any of the Sears stuff anymore, unless it’s something like a tape measure, and I have a garage full of Craftsman stuff that I bought there.
GLiddy
> Urambo Tauro
11/06/2018 at 20:05 |
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I see several of the old style push-button rat chets in the box like I still have. Thanks for this post, as I have a couple ratchets that I’ve been neglectful of swapping out for new ones. As much as I hate to trade in USA made tools for Chinese ones, getting something that works for something that doesn’t (before Sears goes under completely) is something I need to do.
MM54
> Urambo Tauro
11/06/2018 at 20:05 |
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I have broken the ratchet
ing mechanism on a newer craftsman ratchet as well. I’m hoping the now-it’s-at-lowes versions are coming up in quality, because a few years ago I’d put harbor freight at equal or better quality than a lot of the craftsman stuff I was seeing.
Deal Killer - Powered by Focus
> Urambo Tauro
11/06/2018 at 20:08 |
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I have several craftsman tools from my dad. Still going strong. I bought a torque wrench from sears a few years ago. Complete garbage.
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Urambo Tauro
> GLiddy
11/06/2018 at 20:09 |
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WAIT! There are rebuild kits available.. . I mean f ree’s free, but saving a USA-made one might be worth the investment.
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Urambo Tauro
> lone_liberal
11/06/2018 at 20:10 |
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Hm, I’ll have to keep that in mind for next time.
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GLiddy
> Urambo Tauro
11/06/2018 at 20:10 |
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Thanks. I’ll look into it. I’ve had my set since the 80s and love the old style ratchets.
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lone_liberal
> Urambo Tauro
11/06/2018 at 20:16 |
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The way they did the deal, with Stanley/Black&Decker buying Craftsman but allowing Sears to keep selling it’s stuff, is confusing as shit but I’m guessing that Stanley figured that Sears won’t be around much longer anyway. I still haven’t read if you’re going to be able to return broken stuff that you bought at Sears to Lowes or not. Some things say yes, some say no.
Hey Julie
> Urambo Tauro
11/06/2018 at 20:17 |
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I broke the switch on my dewalt half inch drive ratchet last night, I also dropped a 11/16ths deep socket into one of the bays at work shortly after I’ll have to go down there and dig around in the muck to find it
Chariotoflove
> Urambo Tauro
11/06/2018 at 20:25 |
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I have some stripped allen keys you just reminded me to return.
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Urambo Tauro
> lone_liberal
11/06/2018 at 20:48 |
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Interesting. Just did some reading and it is every bit as confusing as you say. The Craftsman brand already has a lot of caveats attached to its warranties, and but it doesn’t go into detail about the Lowes situation. Lowes’ main C raftsman page suggests that there are caveats, but doesn’t list them. They w ant you to call for more info .
ranwhenparked
> lone_liberal
11/06/2018 at 20:48 |
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Sears should have downsized to just hardware & appliances like a decade ago, bet they’d be in better shape today. Instead, they cheaped out on what they did well and ruined it, and kept on plugging away at dozens of other things that they pretty much always sucked at.
Die-Trying
> Hey Julie
11/06/2018 at 21:02 |
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a good magnet on a stick is your best friend there........
Nothing
> Urambo Tauro
11/06/2018 at 21:11 |
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I exchanged one last year. The store I went to swapped China for China, but if you brought in a USA one, they swapped it with a rebuilt USA one.
arl
> lone_liberal
11/06/2018 at 21:12 |
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I did not know that. Thanks.
wafflesnfalafel
> Urambo Tauro
11/06/2018 at 21:18 |
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interesting - I have one like that from a little over 20 yrs ago, never had any problems, (but I haven’t really hammered on it either...) I really do love my Craftsman stuff.... one of the most disappointing things about the Sears implosion...
shop-teacher
> GLiddy
11/06/2018 at 21:25 |
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Rebuild them then. The new Chinese stiff is hot garbage.
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Urambo Tauro
> Nothing
11/06/2018 at 21:28 |
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Interesting that they had both versions in stock.
jminer
> Urambo Tauro
11/06/2018 at 21:34 |
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Craftsman used to be my go to tool, and I’ve got a garage full of it. As the selection shrinks and the quality drops I’ve found myself needing to find another tool manufacturer.
My craftsman drills and batteries are starting to fail, they’re 15+ years old so I can’t blame them. But now I have to buy into a new system. Leaning towards makita, but that’s a pricey pill to swallow.
Same with sockets that are starting to break/get lost I have to find a new supplier, I’ve been using harbor freight to fill gaps asnitnis cheap and ok, but want something higher quality.
Wild
> Urambo Tauro
11/06/2018 at 21:42 |
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I work at sears. Not in the retail store. They have a guy on staff that actually rebuilds them but they’re so short staffed he can’t do it. Sometimes the old stuff comes in and we laugh at the changes they’ve foolishly made. A few times people have come I. With stuff so old we refuse to take it because it antique cool, even if not worth much. We just giv e them the replacement.
Sears employees don't really even but the newer stuff anymore. Thank heavens black and decker can save the brand. And as a bonus the royalties pay into the pension fund for the folks who built sears into what it was.
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shop-teacher
> Urambo Tauro
11/06/2018 at 21:54 |
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I’m not impressed by that casting.
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> Urambo Tauro
11/06/2018 at 22:16 |
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That model is shit tho. I have a 1/2 ratchet and it feels like crap. I’m just waiting for it to break. Then I will go to Lowes and get a much nicer one.
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Nothing
> Urambo Tauro
11/06/2018 at 22:33 |
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They rebuilt them in the store. I thought it was interesting as well when I brought in my USA one and he told me about their policy. I’m not sure if it was store specific or not, but I thought it was pretty cool.
dannyzabolotny
> Urambo Tauro
11/07/2018 at 01:55 |
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I’m more surprised you were able to find a Sears here... they’re all either dead or on the verge of closing here in Phoenix.
SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> Urambo Tauro
11/07/2018 at 05:40 |
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Blimey...you Americans clearly have access to some very ordinary quality tools. I’ve got two Sidchrome socket sets that are twenty plus years old. One is Oz assembled from Japanese parts and the other is Tiawanese.
I don't think you can blame the country of manufacture... it's the country (or company) of specification that's where the issue lies.
adamftw
> Urambo Tauro
11/07/2018 at 07:08 |
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Stop buying shit.
I have an 88 tooth made in the USA Armstrong 3/8 ratchet that is in exact copy of Matco. It was $40. Also, any 3/8 socket wrench with less than 80 teeth is junk.
Sovande
> Urambo Tauro
11/07/2018 at 07:17 |
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functionoverfashion
> Die-Trying
11/07/2018 at 09:11 |
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I use an old 4" car speaker for this. Or hard drive magnets - small and very strong.
loki03xlh
> Nothing
11/07/2018 at 09:41 |
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I have broken both
1/4"
and a
3/8" Craftman rachets
. They were
USA made in’98-ish. B
oth times they rebuilt the ratchet
while I waited at my local Sears.
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Urambo Tauro
> adamftw
11/07/2018 at 10:50 |
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Bookmarked.
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Urambo Tauro
> SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
11/07/2018 at 10:56 |
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Couldn’t agree more!
TBH, I’ve never subscribed to the whole “Chinese = bad” thing. I bet they make a lot of great stuff too. It’s just that so many retailers have traditionally chosen to import junk, and seeking out stuff that’s made in USA ha s become a somewhat reliable rule of thumb. And in the specific case of Craftsman, there is indeed a difference in quality.
Shift24
> Urambo Tauro
11/07/2018 at 12:34 |
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Im becoming a Husky tool fan and harbor freight for the rest. Husky has some good ratchets that mimic Snap-on’s and are return and replace as well. Harbor freight is great for tools you ether use occasionally or dont care about.
jimz
> SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
11/07/2018 at 13:29 |
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Blimey...you Americans clearly have access to some very ordinary quality tools. I’ve got two Sidchrome socket sets that are twenty plus years old. One is Oz assembled from Japanese parts and the other is Tiawanese.
he says, as though Craftsman is the best we have available over here.
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jimz
> Urambo Tauro
11/07/2018 at 13:31 |
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I wonder if they’ve had a rush of people getting exchanges in before the company evaporates for good.
Sgt Jmack
> Urambo Tauro
11/07/2018 at 14:00 |
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You can buy Craftsman Professional tools. They are only a few dollars more, but well worth it. Even their tool boxes in this line are guaranteed for life. No other box manufacturer that I know of has a life time guarantee.
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Sgt Jmack
> ranwhenparked
11/07/2018 at 14:06 |
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I blame the CEO, and so does a lot of other people that have been watching the stocks. He is a terrible businessman, and doesn’t ever take advice from other people. I honestly think he shorted Sears Holdings, and is drawing out the full on closure so he can still milk Kmart and Sears for the huge salary he is receiving.
MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> Urambo Tauro
11/07/2018 at 15:44 |
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My craftsman stuff has been great, but it’s all made in USA stuff.
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SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> jimz
11/07/2018 at 16:01 |
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Hardly...but what's the point in having access to decent tools if you aren't prepared to pay for them.
Michael
> jminer
11/07/2018 at 22:59 |
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I went with Milwaukee and I will swear by them. We use Makita at work and we’ve had some issues.
RangerSmith
> Michael
11/08/2018 at 00:36 |
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Milwaukee or dewalt. Depends on which
tools you want. I have the 20V dewalt universe going on at home because they are lighter than Milwaukee and
easier to swap batteries one handed.
But
Milwaukee’s 2
0V
one handed sawzall has changed my life at work
(And is by far the best for trimming
mature lilac trees
at home
)
.
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jminer
> Michael
11/08/2018 at 23:08 |
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That’s the one brand that’s more expensive than makita :)
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50ford500
> Shift24
11/10/2018 at 18:06 |
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Good ol Harbor Freight sold me my electric drill that I’ve abused for YEARS now and yet somehow refuses to die