My Craftsman ratchets from the 70's worked well for 20+ years,after they finally started skipping or I busted them,I was very dissapointed with the free replacements Sears gave me--they were junk,skipped from day one,and had plastic levers to switch from forward to reverse,which snapped like glass when they touched anything while using the ratchet...
I suspect the ones I was given were not "new",but someone elses junk trade in's they put a repair kit in--they were in a drawer under the cash register,not on the shelf..one time Sears gave me a hard time when I wanted my 1/2" ratchet replaced--the clerk says "we cant exchange the entire thing unless the handle is broken"..I said "OK--I'll be BACK!"...
I went home and put it in my vise and smashed it with a 20 lb sledge until it snapped,and I returned with all the peices..the clerks face was
,but he gave me a replacemnt--when he tried giving me one from the "return" drawer,I said "OH NO you dont--I want a NEW one,not one of those "rebuilt" POS ones..of course they didn't have the same one on the shelf,so I opted to take the next better one that had a finer tooth count and a polished handle,which has held up OK so far...
I wont buy Craftsman ratchets any more,they are china crap...since K-mart and Ace Hardware started selling Craftsman tools,I have seen them being sold new at flea markets,and now Sears is balking at replacing them "free" unless you have a sales slip,because anyone can buy one for a buck anywhere at a yard sale,etc,and trade them in for new ones..(I once bought a Craftsman 1-7/16" socket to tighten my transfer case yoke nut one for 3 bucks at a flea market--I noticed it was cracked though,but the seller said "SO?..just stop at Sears and get a new one free!..I did just that,but that was 10+ years ago..
I have bought a few Lowe's "Cobalt" ratchets and they seemed to be a lot better ,but I noticed since that purchase that theirs no longer look the same,or are as beefy,and are likely china made...Husky from Home Depot wasn't bad either ,but I dont know what they are like now either..
I'd be leery of Snap-On ,my friend buys a lot from them and he's been zinged a few times ,some of their tools are also imported ,from china,tiwan,so just because it says "Snap-On" doesn't mean its a good tool...I find their prices ridiculously high,at least for a guy like me who does not use his tools often enough or rely on them to make a living...I will buy up any cheap Snap-On stuff I see at yard sales or flea markets though..
My friend has a tool box full of broken Cornwell and Mack tools and cant get the guy who has the truck route to stop at his shop any more,after a few squabbles about warranty repairs or replacements..(He had to give the tools to another mechanic who still deals with the guy to get them replaced or fixed)..those 2 brands are better quality than department store or home center tools,but the prices are at least double too...
Other brands that were good were Blackhawk,Proto,Bonney,Wright,and S-K..they are all probably out of bussiness now though,but used ones are a bargain often...we sold S-K and K-D and "Easco" tools at the parts stores ,but when S-K started to balk at honoring their warranty their sales dropped off as customers were turned off,and last I knew they went chapter 11..
K-D,Easco,and Craftsman sockets and ratchets used to all be made at the same place in Worcester Ma back in the day...after they moved production overseas,their quality went downhill fast...Sears combination wrenches and flare wrenches are still decent quality,but I will only buy used ones now,the older ones were made better IMO..
I've seen the Great Neck and Stanley ratchets in stores,have yet to own one,but they do look like decent quality compared to some of the other junk sold at other stores...
, but it doesn't cost $200 either.
