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98TJ View Drop Down
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    Posted: 01 February 2021 at 1:58pm
Most of my hand tools are either SK or Craftsman.  I bought a 1/2" ratchet set at Lowes the other day expecting it to be similar to Craftsman tools I had bought in the past.  Wrong.  It was pure chinese crap.  Even the engraving/markings on the sockets was pathetic.  I could have got better at HF.  There goes another American brand down the drain.
1998 TJ 4.0 5spd Atlas 36" Swampers RE4.5 ARB's 44/44
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83K10 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 83K10 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 February 2021 at 10:27pm
Unfortunately your right. This happened slowly while sears still owned the brand. It didn't get any better when sears sold it to lowes. 

On a different note, SK is back to being all USA made last time I looked. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 98TJ Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 February 2021 at 11:24pm
I looked at an SK 1/2 ratchet.   It was $85 plus shipping.  I have a nice 40 year old craftsman somewhere, but I can't find it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote stout22 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 February 2021 at 7:16am
I thought Craftsman was moving back to the US but it looks like just some tools are made in the USA (screwdrivers, adjustable wrenches..) but not sockets or ratchets.
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83K10 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 83K10 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 February 2021 at 6:43pm
Brad, 

Did you buy the $85 sk ratchet? If that seems to expensive, check out snap on's website for USA made ratchets. I'm becoming more and more of a fan of Wright brand tools. Good solid industrial tools that are USA made and reasonable.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 98TJ Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 February 2021 at 11:56pm
No, I'm still looking for that old craftsman rachet I have misplaced..   I will take a look at snap-on and wright.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote alabamatoy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 February 2021 at 10:54am
Gearwrench seems to have some pretty good stuff at lower price point.  Be careful, though, there are several Gear[something] brands popping up to ghost the brand.  I have bought a couple of Gearwrench sets (ratchet wrenches, flare nut wrenches)  etc.  The ratchet wrenches seem to be pretty good stuff so far, I have had them for probably 5 years.  They are not up to Snapon or professional everyday use, but they are plenty good for a hobbyist.  So far....

I have also bought some Grey Pneumatic and Sunex, and they seem pretty good as well.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 98TJ Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 February 2021 at 5:40pm
Originally posted by 83K10 83K10 wrote:

Brad, 

Did you buy the $85 sk ratchet? If that seems to expensive, check out snap on's website for USA made ratchets. I'm becoming more and more of a fan of Wright brand tools. Good solid industrial tools that are USA made and reasonable.

Snapon was $175.

I found a Wright 1/2" ratchet at NT for $60.  So Wright is are US made?  Unless I only plan on using something one time, I'm done buying chinese junk.

Found a bunch of old craftsman 1/2" ratchets on ebay for $30, but I don't know if they are just old (good) or old and wore out (bad).

I'm going to keep looking for my old craftsman 1/2", but it may be gone.  I'm starting to think I might have left it on the bumper of my truck and drove off with it.  That would be totally appropriate since I originally found it at a hare scramble in Chattanooga about 30 years ago.




Edited by 98TJ - 04 February 2021 at 5:47pm
1998 TJ 4.0 5spd Atlas 36" Swampers RE4.5 ARB's 44/44
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote unlblkrubi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 February 2021 at 7:34am
Ive found some old Craftsmen tools at pawn shops.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 83K10 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 February 2021 at 8:46am
I have the 3/8" version of the wright ratchet you posted. It operates very well and feels good in the hands. They also have very little back drag. I'd buy another one.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote alabamatoy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 September 2022 at 4:52pm
This is very interesting comparison of several different brands of ratchets:


As I kinda expected, Gearwrench does very well, surprisingly it did substantially better then the Snap-On which cost almost 4X the price.  The Snap-On performed about as well as any number of cheaper brands.

I have quite a few Gearwrench products, and have only had one go bad, and it was a ratcheting wrench.  To be fair, those are more for convenience than for breaking loose something really tight, so now I use a fixed wrench (box end when possible) to break loose something tight , then switch to the ratchet wrench to wrestle it off.
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