Pretty sure the "life-time warranty" only applies to hand tools, not batteries in battery-operated items.
However, I agree their tool quality isn't what it used to be years ago.
However, I agree their tool quality isn't what it used to be years ago.
Yeah, there are Batteries+Bulbs stores all over the place. If you go to their Web site (https://www.batteriesplus.com/), they have store locator, plus they pop up a code for 10% off if you order online and pick up in store.
Yeah, I'm almost certain that the "lifetime warranty" only applied to hand tools, and I'm pretty sure it didn't even apply to all of them (it seems like torque wrenches were among the excluded tools).Pretty sure the "life-time warranty" only applies to hand tools, not batteries in battery-operated items.
However, I agree their tool quality isn't what it used to be years ago.
Recent Craftsman tools aren't what they were 20 years ago, and those weren't up to par with what they were back in the '70s or even '80s. My dad has some from the late '60s and early '70s that are still rock solid, whereas I've busted several of the sockets I bought in the late '90s, and those tools are of a noticeably higher quality than the ones in the tool set I bought a couple of years ago to live in the truck's toolbox.
All of my craftsman wrenches/screwdrivers are from the 70's. Danged fine tools, and much cheaper than the snap-on from that era.
Snap on and other screw drivers from that era were junk as well. Only the tip was hardened. Craftsman screwdrivers were hardened all the way from the tip to the shank. You could easily re-tip them on a belt sander with great caution to keep the metal cool and hard. I tested them on a rockwell hardness tester. Danged near pry bar strength.
I had 90s era Snap-On, Craftsman and the Craftsman Professional screw drivers. There is no comparison I still have the full set of Snap-Ons and they are one of the best 3 tools I have ever bought in my life. The snap on ratcheting screwdriver is the one all the others have ever been measured by and wanted to be when they grew up. I still have the original bit set with mine over 25 years later.
As for batteries. Technically you shouldn't be charging any battery with any charger other than what its designed for. Some chargers are capable of charging Lithium batteries along with NiMH or NiCd. I switched to Milwaukee Lithium in 2006/7 from Dewalt NiMH and it was the best choice I ever made. Now the cost has come down substantially and I would suggest anyone switch to Lithium powered products Milwaukee warranty is the best, I have only used it once and they didn't balk. I have a small fortune in their tools and they have taken a beating.
The main issue always with Craftsman is they don't make anything. They never have, you can look at the part# and see the 3 digit code at the beginning to see who makes something. The fact they change manufactures so much has caused problems were a line is discontinued and you are unable to buy batteries in the future that will fit an older model. I would suggest if you want inexpensive tools go with Ryobi they have stayed with same format on their batteries forever and have chargers that can do Lithium and NiMH and NiCd. As for craftsman again its all about what you are buying you could be getting a table saw made by Delta or one made by Black and Decker. Here is an OEM list of who made what http://vintagemachinery.org/craftsman/manufacturers.aspx eitherway I started off in the automotive trade many years ago with Craftsman and its served me well at the time till I was able to upgrade to better tools. Sadly Craftsman moved away from USA manufacturing on most hand tools many years ago and even the stuff you get now isn't of the same quality back in the 90s early 2000s.
As for batteries. Technically you shouldn't be charging any battery with any charger other than what its designed for. Some chargers are capable of charging Lithium batteries along with NiMH or NiCd. I switched to Milwaukee Lithium in 2006/7 from Dewalt NiMH and it was the best choice I ever made. Now the cost has come down substantially and I would suggest anyone switch to Lithium powered products Milwaukee warranty is the best, I have only used it once and they didn't balk. I have a small fortune in their tools and they have taken a beating.
The main issue always with Craftsman is they don't make anything. They never have, you can look at the part# and see the 3 digit code at the beginning to see who makes something. The fact they change manufactures so much has caused problems were a line is discontinued and you are unable to buy batteries in the future that will fit an older model. I would suggest if you want inexpensive tools go with Ryobi they have stayed with same format on their batteries forever and have chargers that can do Lithium and NiMH and NiCd. As for craftsman again its all about what you are buying you could be getting a table saw made by Delta or one made by Black and Decker. Here is an OEM list of who made what http://vintagemachinery.org/craftsman/manufacturers.aspx eitherway I started off in the automotive trade many years ago with Craftsman and its served me well at the time till I was able to upgrade to better tools. Sadly Craftsman moved away from USA manufacturing on most hand tools many years ago and even the stuff you get now isn't of the same quality back in the 90s early 2000s.
When I worked for SouthWestern Wire in the late 90's I bought a 3 drawer + top lid tool chest and a machinists tool pack. Then I inherited a craftsman rolling cabinet set with a all my FIL's tools. So far nothing from my set or my FIL's has failed me. But I doubt I will by anymore craftsman now.
As far is LiON vs NiCad, LiON wins hands down. Longer shelf life, does not develop battery memory (you can charge it no matter how full it still is and it works perfectly fine) and typically has a higher charge cycle count. The only danger with LiON is that if the battery gets too hot it can go into thermal runaway (this is what causes cell phones, laptops and ecigs to explode, usually from bad/incorrect chargers). So don't keep the battery in the sun on a hot day then crank on it.
As far is LiON vs NiCad, LiON wins hands down. Longer shelf life, does not develop battery memory (you can charge it no matter how full it still is and it works perfectly fine) and typically has a higher charge cycle count. The only danger with LiON is that if the battery gets too hot it can go into thermal runaway (this is what causes cell phones, laptops and ecigs to explode, usually from bad/incorrect chargers). So don't keep the battery in the sun on a hot day then crank on it.
This is right on. I worked for Sears for over 5 years in the late 90s - early 2000s. The quality was all over, from bargain bin stuff to high quality (and sometimes equally high prices). I have some decent yet inexpensive hand tools that are mostly fine (the Allen key wrenches suck, and the screwdrivers are not great), and some really nice higher-grade Craftsman hand tools (namely the more expensive ratchets with a thinner profile and significantly higher tooth count, so you can still work it with less handle movement, which put them leagues ahead of the basic ones) that still hold up well today.
I have a super cheap impact tool set (air hammer, ratchet, impact) that are unremarkable, and I have a top-of-the-line Craftsman Professional impact wrench that drives nearly 700 ft-lbs of torque (like a 18 year older version of this) and functions immaculately (and is literally triple the price of the basic 1/2" impact wrenches).
Point is, their quality was hit or miss and it's hard to know what's good, and what's bad. I think sometime around 2005 it started getting real poor though. Most of the larger power tools like table and mitre saws and drill presses were made by Emerson Tool (who also made Rigid), and Rexon (a Taiwanese firm) if I remember right. Some others and the smaller hand power tools were Ryobi and Black & Decker, with an even more rare Makita in there.
Oh, I agree. Craftsman started going down hill in the mid to late 80's. You could look at the box wrenches and see a difference in wall thickness. Most of mine were bought in the mid to late 70's when they still had quality, and I used them for a living to the day I retired.
I have snap-on tools as well. Don't have an order of preference when I grab one out of the tool box except for screwdrivers, and in that case alway go for the Craftsman for the reasons I stated in an earlier post. I don't know what they are like now, just what I had then.
My grandfather's screw drivers from the 70s and dad's from the 80s are fine.
The newer ones, say 90s and newer, the Philips just all strip/round off and lose their point pretty easily. I've exchanged several in the 20+ years I've owned sets. The flathead are only marginally better (still chipped or bent more easily than you'd expect, even just trying to loosen fasteners. Not prying).
I will say this about all of the Craftsman wrenches I have--they're a damn sight better than some of the Harbor Freight cheapies I've seen. I needed a set of metric flare nut wrenches in a hurry, so I grabbed a set at Harbor Freight. Holy hell, but those were some rough tools, and I'm pretty sure some of them weren't actually a uniform size where it counted. They got the job done, but a crescent wrench probably would've done just as well...
I guess I do have to admit that some of the wrenches I've seen there would've been perfect for those "not quite 13/16ths on one set of flats and a bit more than 7/8ths on another" nuts that seem to be common on used farm equipment because some goober grabbed a pipe wrench instead of the right tool...
I guess I do have to admit that some of the wrenches I've seen there would've been perfect for those "not quite 13/16ths on one set of flats and a bit more than 7/8ths on another" nuts that seem to be common on used farm equipment because some goober grabbed a pipe wrench instead of the right tool...
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