I miss Sears and U.S made hand tools.

[WAYNO]

In the trades, we were given a tool allowance each year and had to use it or lose it. So every year I would go to Sears and buy some kind of tool set or tool product, even if I didn't really need more tools. Many times, we'd be at the top of a ladder, putting our entire weight on a wrench or ratchet, sometimes at the end of a cheater, and we had to be able to trust our tools. We could buy any brand we wanted, but I very much appreciated the old Craftsman products.

I have a relative that's a car mechanic. I offered him many of my tools once I retired. He turned me down because they were not Snap-On. I get it, he's a Snap-On snob. He will never know the kind of use my tools were subject to, and they survived admirably. I do not believe for a second, his Snap-On tools would have done my job any better.

And waaaaay back, when I was in A&P school, I had a complete set of Ward's Power Kraft tools. Same quality and same warranty. I still have them in my at-home tool chest.

 

[Don Lovel]

Craftsman damaged bolt & nut kit and screw removal kit are awesome. I bought sets for each of my kids. That left turn grab thread has saved me several times

 

[Star43]

Above it was mentioned a couple of times about "going to Sears at the mall" Those were the days. I would love to go to the tool department and just look around....I loved that. Now there are no.more Sears tool departments and the malls for that matter are mostly gone too. Most stuff is bought "online" now. To me, that sucks. Give me the old days. I miss those days very much...

 

[WAYNO]

And Sear's discontinuing the sale of many outdoors products, for example fishing and hunting gear, as a cost saving measure hurt their stores very much. I just might walk thru a Sear's store just to see their outdoors gear, and I might buy a pair of pants or shoes while I was there, but with little to no manly stuff, there's very little chance I would enter the store at all.

Ward's did the same thing, and they shut down. Penney's has done the same thing, but although they have survived, many of their stores have shut down.





.

 

[Danjet500]

I too have mostly Craftsman hand tools, screwdrivers and others. However, I also got many of my dad's tools when he passed. His old, 40-50s, Herbrand tools are still going strong. Sadly, these haven't been manufactured for many years. They were manufactured in a small city local to me.

Herbrand tools... was bought by Kelsey Hayes, the company that made good rims. Bonney history merged with them, as smaller tool companies couldn't compete with less expensive imported lower quality tools

http://alloy-artifacts.org/herbrand-van-chrome.html The Herbrand Company was founded in 1881 in Fremont, Ohio by Jacob Herbrand, Char...

justacarguy.blogspot.com

 

[Wyandot Jim]

I have mostly Craftsman. In the past it was no problem replacing broken ones.

But the tool I'm most proud of is a Proto 3/8 ratchet that I used in 1960/63 while in the Air Force.
It is still going strong and brings back many memories when I use it. I also have some wrenches from high school days.

 

[CHEVYINLINE6]

I have a few tools in my garage.

CHEVYINLINE6.

 

[settup6]

I bought a set of Sears brand not Craftsman end wrench's back in '81 because they were cheaper, best set I've ever seen or used. Have a bunch of Craftsman too.

 

[peachhead]

In the early 70's I worked for an excavator driving dump trucks. One day we had to break a rather large bolt loose and we couldn't do it with a 3/4" breaker bar with about a 4' cheater bar and both of us hanging on it.

Tommy had about zero minus patience so he brought up his backhoe and slammed that cheater bar as hard as he could. Well, he twisted the end of that 3/4" Craftsman breaker bar and told me to get a new one at the Sears store.

I brought it in and the salesman said: I don't even want to know how you did this! He went in the back and brought out a new one.

We got that bolt off, but I don't remember how we did it.

That would have been a good conversation piece to hang on the wall.

 

[GasGuzzler]

At some point I learned about the Craftsman Club.

I too was a member. I still have a few Craftsman sockets and a lot of my wrenches are Craftsman.

Hard to break a combo wrench regardless of where it was made.

Only other major brand of wrenches I own sets of is GearWrench (made by the same parent company as Stanley and MAC).

 

[Mobuck]

'I brought it in and the salesman said: I don't even want to know how you did this! He went in the back and brought out a new one.'
Similar story: Back in the 'good old days' when I was strong and agile, I was trying to loosen a rather large bolt on a plow. 18" Craftsman adjustable wrench with about 6' of pipe was the tool in use and I broke the wrench jaw. Mrs (this was before she became 'the Grouch Attack') took the broken wrench back to SEARS and the store manager asked her "Ma'am, just how BIG is your husband?".
She replied "Oh, he's not all that big but he's really, really strong".

 

[contender]

As we can see,, no tools are indestructible. But when you break a serious tool,, that normally holds up to real work,, it's interesting. I have my fair share of older Snap-On's, Craftsman, Proto, MAC, Klein's, & Channel Lock's. As noted,, buy quality, buy once & cry once.
But sadly,, a lot of the new replacements are NOT as good as the older stuff. That's why,, when I get a chance at older tools,, that are like my others,, even when I really don't NEED them,, I buy them if they are cheap enough.

But to prevent breaking stuff like a ratchet gear,, I use a breaker bar instead of the ratchet. I try & use the proper tool for the job to keep from destroying a good older tool. If I have really hard to break nuts or whatever,, I will often step up to a bigger drive set like a 3/4 drive for even a 1" nut that's really stuck. And I use penetrates to assist me.

Work smarter,, not harder,, and keep the older tools in good shape. Because; "They don't make them like they used to!"

 

[larry8]

You Guys, must work hard too. Craftsman (old stuff) is very good as are Snap-on. However, wherever I go I don't even look at those old tools. Why? Because having a tool means I have to work with it, and I'm retired and don't want to do any work, that what retirement is for, leaving all the work to the younger guys.

 

[Danjet500]

I watch the local online auctions for tools. You can usually get them pretty cheap. Just have to make sure of the brand or manufacturer before bidding. I've also picked up a tool chest for my son.

 

[Rat76]

I've been acquiring tools for almost 60 years. Lots of Craftsman, something of most other brands, sentimental tools etc. Now-days I usually buy Harbor Freight or Kobalt (Lowes) as they are lifetime so if they break no big deal.

The most useless tool I own is a 3/8 Craftsman ratchet. This is the only tool I can't use; the plating is incredibly fragile.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Lots of good tools for sale at better prices now than in the old days.

LOL, yeah. ok

 

[Jack Ryan]

In the trades, we were given a tool allowance each year and had to use it or lose it. So every year I would go to Sears and buy some kind of tool set or tool product, even if I didn't really need more tools. Many times, we'd be at the top of a ladder, putting our entire weight on a wrench or ratchet, sometimes at the end of a cheater, and we had to be able to trust our tools. We could buy any brand we wanted, but I very much appreciated the old Craftsman products.

I have a relative that's a car mechanic. I offered him many of my tools once I retired. He turned me down because they were not Snap-On. I get it, he's a Snap-On snob. He will never know the kind of use my tools were subject to, and they survived admirably. I do not believe for a second, his Snap-On tools would have done my job any better.

And waaaaay back, when I was in A&P school, I had a complete set of Ward's Power Kraft tools. Same quality and same warranty. I still have them in my at-home tool chest.

You are wrong about the Snapon. When the Craftsman stuff breaks, put a Snapon on it. I own both and always have. I've done it many many times.

 

[jav]

I used be only buy craftsmen tools and only sears appliances not anymore went to sears to buy a gas stove I have never bought an appliance anywhere else. This was the last time I cancel the order very bad experience what a joke no I don't miss sears at all

 

[needsmostuff]

Now-days I usually buy Harbor Freight or Kobalt (Lowes) as they are lifetime so if they break no big deal.

I was told Harbor freight made a decent drill bit.
Maybe not so much.

 

[Randyzzz]

When we first got married my wife got a job at Sears. She got an amazing discount, and I bought a ton of Craftsman tools. I also used to frequent yard sales a lot, and I would buy Craftsman tools by the bucket it seems. Buy a broken socket for a nickel, exchange it under warranty. I will agree- their rackets were junk for the longest time. Some of the real oldies were outstanding, and their newest ones have a nice feel to them. But the more I used my tools for making money, I became more picky in what I purchased. All my torque wrenches are Snap On, along with my most used rachets. I have Mac screwdrivers, pliers, and precision tools, along with a huge Mac box. Gear wrench racheting combo wrenches are a favorite. Still, most of my sockets are Craftsman, with specialty sockets from SnapOn. I also like the Craftsman professional combo wrenches, but they aren't as hard as they used to be. For electrical tools I use Amp/Tyco and Thomas and Betts crimpers, Knipex strippers, and Fluke meters. Knipex also makes some great parallel jaw pliers that are great for gunsmithing.

Harbor Freight- there's a place for them too. Big heavy impact sockets are from them although I hardly ever use them anymore. Replaced all my Mac and SnapOn air tools with Milwaukee Fuel stuff.

Big green Mac box is hand tools, small blue kobalt box is electrical and cordless tools.