CountryByNet.com Forums :: Kobalt Tools?

Gary, Now that Craftsman is just one of many (hobby quality and priced) hand tools with lifetime guarantee (many tool brands in the upper 1/2 of quality but few makers and then not all of a brand is made by the same maker. Restated: There are by far more brands than manufacturers. Many "brands" are just made on contract or private labeled for a distribution organization. Just like there is no KENMORE factory, there isn't a Craftsman factory either. (No Kobalt factory either.)

I have had lifetime warranty alternators that had to be replaced so frequently that I bought a NAME BRAND alternator with standard warranty to get away from the need for frequent changes.

Think about how you will use the tools and pick a quallity level that supports the majority of your intended use. Big clunky sockets or thinner but stronger sockets at a higher price. Really good finish and detail or cast in India by 10 cent per hour labor?

In the larger sizes, like 3/4 inch ratchet, drive, extensions, breaker etc, I chose a Chinese import set with, dare I say it, a lifetime warranty (Pittsburg brand I think.) Big tools don't need real fine perfect sizing to the same number of ten thousandths as a 1/4 inch drive set that goes down to 1/8 inch or whatever.

The big box stores have a chance to be around for a while and their lifetime guarantee should be of some value. Remember the Handyman store chain? Wasn't it as big as Home Depot or Lowe's?

Assess the quality, fit and finish. Decide if it is good enough for your needs and consider your opinion about Lowe's longivity without which you have no warranty. Will Sears follow Wards? Will Lowe's follow Handyman?

I have seen the tools in the store and they look OK but I didn't super scrutinize them nor try them in actual use. Lowe's has a satisfaction guarantee in addition to the mfg warranty so you can give them a try and if they don't satisfy you, take them back.

My complaint with Craftsman isn't that it H A S a lifetime guarantee but that you N E E D the lifetime guarantee. Craftsman hand tools have in general been cheapened. A couple decades back Craftsman tools started a decline in quality and a trend toward bigger, heavier, clunkier tools, maybe not all but many.

For example, take a Craftsman 10 inch "Crescent" wrench (an adjustable spanner) and compare it to a Crescent brand crescent wrench. The Crescent brand jaws only have steel where it counts, they open wider, they are harder and deform less when really stressed, they don't bet buggered up (technical term for gouged, dented and messed up) nearly as easily as the surface of the material is harder. The tool is lighter yet stronger. Apparenty the Craftsman wrench is made out of cheaper material neccessitating more material to meet strength requirements and restricts jaw opening to prevent use on larger (more stressful jobs) and to reduce stress due to adverse leverage as jaws open wide.

I'm sure there are some mechs on the forum with at least a few grey hairs in their beards who can attest to a general cheapening of some brands, especially Craftsman.

Getting geard up to keep your cheap rice burner from falling apart?

Pat

"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"

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