Craftsman ratchets?

[Turbolq4]

Any if the newer craftsman ratchets are ergonomically backwards. Thin on the push pull edge and fat the way you don't need them to be. I gave this offset HF ratchet a shot years ago and it's been great so I bought their long 3/8 ratchet. It's got really fine teeth in the head and takes a beating

 

[Canon_Mutant]

Wasn’t planning on buying Macs but figured surely they’d still be quality pieces.

This thread has me so depressed, I’m not buying any more tools!

 

[oldsmobile joe]

i use my craftsman ratchets all the time in the garage, they make great wheel chocks.
joe

 

[565bbchevy]

I am pretty sure all of my old Craftsman 1/4" and 3/8" ratchets are in the bottom drawer of one of my tool boxes.
Everyone of them has skipped a tooth at the most inopportune and ended up going in bottom drawer for punishment until they were all in there. on the plus side the 1/2" ratchets still work but I don't use them anymore because they are just too bulky.
I think the only reason I have any of them is they are some of the first tools I ever bought.

 

[a.graham52]

when is worked at a chevy dealer I bought a 12" flex head 3/8 ratchet from sears. it was close by so I grabbed it on lunch break. had the ratchet r/r'd once a year. plus the service was crap. bought cornwells comparable ratchet at 4 times the cost... haven't broke it in 6 years.

 

[Bonnewagon]

I just scored a practically new Craftsman USA 1/2" flex head ratchet for $26 on Fleabay. The same item brand new at Sears is $33.98 and made of Chinesium. Nuff' said.

 

[rogue_ryder]

I don't even like the USA made ratchets! (I have a few) I personally think the current Harbor Freight ratchets are better!

Until recently my go to 3/8 ratchet was a 15+ year old Husky flex head. I picked up a Gear Wrench 72tooth and that thing is awesome! It's almost identical to my Matco 1/4" in the design.

 

[rogue_ryder]

I hope Mac and Snapon go out of business, that is greed at it's finest. They could at least employee American's in manufacturing while they rape us for tools. I hope people are wise to this and don't buy from them.

MAC tools is just a line of Stanley tools who also now owns Craftsman. PROTO is another one of their tool lines as well. I've only seen them in Factories and never an auto shop.

In my personal experience the reason Snap-On does so well is the tool trucks offer great service and they have a good reputation. When you're a professional mechanic you don't want to be shopping at tool stores on your day off or waiting for something to get shipped. I personally haven't found a better screw driver than the ones Snap-On sells. They pay for themselves in time saved from not stripping screws.

At my last job we had Snap-On torque wrenches that were from the early 1970s and annually they always came back within tolerance when checked by the metrology shop. The Snap-On tools have their place unfortunately I can't afford to fill my tool cabinet with them...

 

[TURNA]

The reason Snap On does so well is simple.

Here take the tool I will just add it to your account we will settle up later.....

 

[64nailhead]

It's a shame what has happened to Sears and Craftsman in the past decade or so. The ratchets are barely functional and definitely not reliable. The lack of reliability is what has removed them from repertoire of tools. I still use the sockets, wrenches and screwdrivers, but that's it.

It seems that many of the tool manufacturers are experiencing the same issues. You never know what you are going to get. I bought a couple of Kobalt ratchets that were better than good. I bought another one for someone else as a gift - same model 3/8 swivel head fine tooth ratchet - total junk. The replacement was the same. Took it back and got a store credit and bought something like a new toilet seat - seemed fitting.

4 or 5 years ago my son and one of buds were on a day trip to pickup some wheels he had bought off of craigslist about 600 miles away. The belt tensioner failed on my danger Ranger and he got it towed to an Advance Auto parking lot. He bought a set of tools that would get him by to make the repair - tensioner, water pump, and idler pulley (belt had made a mess when it wrapped around everything.) Included in the set was a 3/8 and 1/2 drive short handle fine tooth ratchets. Those two ratchets are great pieces, especially considering the price - still use them and they work flawlessly. You never know what you're going to get.

Other than that, I've graduated to Snap On ratchets and it pains me every time I buy one. But they are truly quality pieces. The SnapOn 1/4" drive fine tooth is the nicest 1/4" drive I've ever used or been around. But DAMN, they are salty (expensive)!