Sockets - Kobalt, Gearwrench, other affordable brands

lowcountry

lowcountry

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I need some 3/8" drive impact and regular sockets for the garage. I have Lowes down the street so if I do break something, I can quickly return it/change it out. I also have an Advanced Auto Parts not far from the house and they have Gearwrench sockets. They also have a lifetime warranty and I have been real happy with their ratchets. I used to get mostly Craftsman products but there is no longer a Sears store close by for returns. I admit I do have a tendency to break stuff and being able to return/replace a tool is very nice. If there are some other brands I need to check out, let me know. I am not a fan of Harbor Freight and I can't drop the cash for Snap-On, Matco, etc.
 
Based on what you said, Kobalt is probably the best bet. Lowes doesn't seem to be going anywhere and you know they'll replace the broken items.
 
lowcountry said:
I need some 3/8" drive impact and regular sockets for the garage. I have Lowes down the street so if I do break something, I can quickly return it/change it out. I also have an Advanced Auto Parts not far from the house and they have Gearwrench sockets. They also have a lifetime warranty and I have been real happy with their ratchets. I used to get mostly Craftsman products but there is no longer a Sears store close by for returns. I admit I do have a tendency to break stuff and being able to return/replace a tool is very nice. If there are some other brands I need to check out, let me know. I am not a fan of Harbor Freight and I can't drop the cash for Snap-On, Matco, etc.
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Stanley Black & Decker bought Craftsman from Sears and it is now sold through Ace Hardware stores.

Edit: Evidently this has changed.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/24/sta...s-lowes-to-sell-the-craftsman-tool-brand.html
 
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I’ve heard that Craftsman may be moving some production back to the US and going into either Lowe’s or HD for distribution. Sorry, don’t recall where I heard it.

I used to hit up pawn shops for older Craftsman sockets, the =v= ones tend to be pretty good. Obviously find more 12 point than 6 point, and I prefer 6 point so just ended up buying a set eventually.

Someday I hope to find a sweetheart deal on Hazet sockets, I love the knurling!

Not sure about price, but Williams USA sockets are made on the same machines as snapon.
 
lowcountry said:
I need some 3/8" drive impact and regular sockets for the garage. I have Lowes down the street so if I do break something, I can quickly return it/change it out. I also have an Advanced Auto Parts not far from the house and they have Gearwrench sockets. They also have a lifetime warranty and I have been real happy with their ratchets. I used to get mostly Craftsman products but there is no longer a Sears store close by for returns. I admit I do have a tendency to break stuff and being able to return/replace a tool is very nice. If there are some other brands I need to check out, let me know. I am not a fan of Harbor Freight and I can't drop the cash for Snap-On, Matco, etc.
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Check this out.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/24/sta...s-lowes-to-sell-the-craftsman-tool-brand.html
 
Most of the Sockets and Gears are Taiwanese. They use the good metals. JS Steelman had Lowe's and HD for many years in US but they moved it to Taiwan. I cannot remember who has the contracts now...

However, more and more scrap alloys have been introduced through Asian steel as cost increases are coming. (Steel hit bottom in Nov 15).

Lowe's Kobalt has a great gear ratio with 10 degree clicks (I think?) and they are Lifetime Replacement. Kobalt is good... New Craftsman... I would give it a few years... They hit low in 2011...
 
Based on your criteria kobalt stuff from Lowe's is probably your best option. But, if you live near pawn shops, keep an eye out for broken Snap-on, Mac and Matco stuff. They usually sell for a dollar or less and you can turn them in for new stuff easily.

I used to use Craftsman a lot but their newer stuff is now made in China with crap materials. I'm in the process of weeding anything craftsman out of my box and replacing it with SO.
 
rotorhead said:
Based on your criteria kobalt stuff from Lowe's is probably your best option. But, if you live near pawn shops, keep an eye out for broken Snap-on, Mac and Matco stuff. They usually sell for a dollar or less and you can turn them in for new stuff easily.

I used to use Craftsman a lot but their newer stuff is now made in China with crap materials. I'm in the process of weeding anything craftsman out of my box and replacing it with SO.
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Snapon has been cracking down hard on this practice. If you haven’t got an account established with them through either online or a truck it’ll be a lot harder than it was a few years ago.
 
I have a lot of Craftsman tools. I stopped buying Craftsman tools when K mart got the Sears brand.

I've been buying Kobalt lately and it holds up very well.
 
JimB said:
Snapon has been cracking down hard on this practice. If you haven’t got an account established with them through either online or a truck it’ll be a lot harder than it was a few years ago.
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Thx for the update. I haven't had problems yet from our local truck but I imagine it'll catch up with the times eventually lol.
 
As far as impact sockets, Grey Pneumatic are the best price=quality. I have used them everyday for several years and have only broken 3/4-1/2 reducer. I still have some old craftsman 12 points for when i need them.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 
rotorhead said:
Thx for the update. I haven't had problems yet from our local truck but I imagine it'll catch up with the times eventually lol.
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If you have a good relationship with the truck guy then you’re probably golden unless the driver decides that you’re a leech. It’s the home-based guys that try to get tools replaced by phone or email that are getting the most heat. Buying broken, swapping, selling on eBay was a big business for a while.
 
JimB said:
If you have a good relationship with the truck guy then you’re probably golden unless the driver decides that you’re a leech. It’s the home-based guys that try to get tools replaced by phone or email that are getting the most heat. Buying broken, swapping, selling on eBay was a big business for a while.
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Yeah I can see that. Our truck guy is pretty lenient and is out at our airfield every Wednesday so it works for us.

I can see how they'd be wary of non regulars, though.
 
We buy most of our hand tools from Lowe’s and have been happy with them. Some of them we abuse pretty hard (imagine an 8’ cheater bar on a 24” pipe wrench) and haven’t broken any yet.
 
I bought my last Kobalt tools when Lowes was closing out the US made Kobalt to be replaced by the chinese stuff. They dumped the made in the US stuff so they could load up on the asian stuff and pocket the difference.
 
JimB said:
Snapon has been cracking down hard on this practice. If you haven’t got an account established with them through either online or a truck it’ll be a lot harder than it was a few years ago.
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I cant imagine any tool manufactor acting like this? I would think that the lifetime warranty would be good no matter how you obtained the tool.. This might be more then a couple of years ago, but there was a time when we didn't have a Snap On distributor in my area for quite some time.. I would call Snap on, and I would explain the problem what tools were broken. They then would send me shipping label, I would then box up the tools and send then back via UPS or FedEx. Then would then ship the new tools back to me usually overnight. Had the same response with Mac and Matco when the same situation occurred. But, like you said? Things might have changed since then and if so, thats a very bad business practice. I spend a lot of money on a quality product and expect quality service in return.
 
I’m still using craftsman sockets and wrenches that I built my tool set with 20 years ago as a teen. Last few years as the ratchets I’ve traded in several times have crapped out, I’m switching them to kobalt ratchets. I like them way better. And I’ve added a bunch of gear wrench stuff in the last few years. NAPA has great sales on gear wrenches a couple times a year and I’ll go buy another set every time they do
 
Lager said:
I cant imagine any tool manufactor acting like this? I would think that the lifetime warranty would be good no matter how you obtained the tool.. This might be more then a couple of years ago, but there was a time when we didn't have a Snap On distributor in my area for quite some time.. I would call Snap on, and I would explain the problem what tools were broken. They then would send me shipping label, I would then box up the tools and send then back via UPS or FedEx. Then would then ship the new tools back to me usually overnight. Had the same response with Mac and Matco when the same situation occurred. But, like you said? Things might have changed since then and if so, thats a very bad business practice. I spend a lot of money on a quality product and expect quality service in return.
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It hurts them not at all to act this way. The folks that are their customers still get lifetime warranty, they are just trying to filter out the folks that are only buying their products second hand, and those folks don’t make the company any money. The driver may be lenient with the expectation that the guy will become a real customer.
 
JimB said:
Not sure about price, but Williams USA sockets are made on the same machines as snapon.
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No they aren’t. Snap on makes their sockets and only their sockets. There is no other sockets made on the same machine. Even if they were, do they use the same metallurgy as snap on?
 
Coltdefender1911 said:
No they aren’t. Snap on makes their sockets and only their sockets. There is no other sockets made on the same machine. Even if they were, do they use the same metallurgy as snap on?
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I think you’re wrong, but maybe you know something I don’t.
 
I ran all Snap-on tools when I was was doing car audio and other mods professionally. Sold it all in the mid-to-late 2000s as I had moved on to another career and was going through a divorce. Bought all Craftsman at that point and have been pleased. I do miss the small-degree ratchets from Snap-on. Good lord they were butter smooth and so great in tight places. I still have a few pieces like their small pick set and a ratcheting screwdriver that I refuse to give up.

It’s cool to hear that Lowe’s is picking up Craftsman.

I have bought some random Kobalt sockets in odd-ball sizes for working on my ATVs. Like a 44mm socket. Can’t find that in a full set and not sure I’ll ever use it on anything else. Also have some random HF impact sockets that I’ve picked up recently and have had to use them backing off axle nuts torqued down to 210 ft/lbs. Didn't even show a mark on them and no signs of stress at all. Bet your sweet pumpkin I’m wearing safety glasses in case they decide to blow though!
 
Where's the Home Depot love???
Husky are pretty good tools with lifetime warranty as well! I actually like them over kobalt.
I too have mainly USA made Craftsman and prefer that over all!

DS
 
I have been using the same Stanley set of sockets for 15 years. Never broke one. Broke alot of crapman. My tools are a big mix, snap on, Mac, HF, and more. Just depends on we're I find them for the best price.

If you are looking for a set that can be replaced easy then I would go with Lowes.
 
JimB said:
It hurts them not at all to act this way. The folks that are their customers still get lifetime warranty, they are just trying to filter out the folks that are only buying their products second hand, and those folks don’t make the company any money. The driver may be lenient with the expectation that the guy will become a real customer.
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"This warranty only extends to the original Customer and cannot be transferred or assigned."

https://www1.snapon.com/display/termsofsale.nws
 
I haven't read through all the posts here, so forgive me if someone else already mentioned this.

Check out yard/garage sales, estate sales, flea markets, auctions, and the like. You can often pick up things like this at all these kinds of sales, and the beauty of it is that any Craftsman, Snap-On and similar tools have warranties associated with the brand...if any of them break, then you get replacements for free.

Plus you can just stock up on these things for dirt cheap, even if they aren't on par with Craftsman etc for warrantees.
 
If you have a Lowes close, and no HD, then go for it.
If there is a Home Depot - go the Husky route.

my toolbox is all Craftsman and Husky and they are both very reliable with fantastic warranties.
 
Autozone house brand (Duralast??) is good, they have similar warranties as others.
 
HamSlamma said:
Hey guys,,,,Don't forget about the Northern Tool "Klutch" brand with the lifetime warranty.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/category_klutch+hand-tools?seeAll=1
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I tried to warrenty a socket I bought six months ago there Thursday and they wouldn' t replace it without a reciept or the phone number under which it was purchased under. Well I do not give out my number and a scrap of paper from six months ago is long gone. If they would have told me this when I purchased it then ok, but they did not so I refuse to use them any more.
 
You purchased it under a phone number when you bought it,,,but you wouldn't give it to them for a warranty? WoW!

Make up a phone number and remember it for things like this,,,,I have one I use all the time.............................
 
Gearwrench, Craftsman, Proto, Armstrong & more are coming out of Apex Tools In Apex.
It's PAINFULL to see the tens of thousands of pounds of tools get hauled off to be scrapped due to surface imperfection, last year's model, a brand they no longer carry, etc.
Kobalt's first couple of years tools were manufactured by SnapOn & said so on the packaging. You'll be fine with Kobalt or Gearwrench.
 
HamSlamma said:
You purchased it under a phone number when you bought it,,,but you wouldn't give it to them for a warranty? WoW!

Make up a phone number and remember it for things like this,,,,I have one I use all the time.............................
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867-5309 ....Lol

Say your name is Jenny.....

DS

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
 
HamSlamma said:
You purchased it under a phone number when you bought it,,,but you wouldn't give it to them for a warranty? WoW!

Make up a phone number and remember it for things like this,,,,I have one I use all the time.............................
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No I didn't purchase it under a number. There was no reason expressed to me as why they wanted it, so I did not give them one. I shouldn't have to give out personal info for a product with a lifetime warrenty.
 
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Pink_Vapor said:
Kobalt's first couple of years tools were manufactured by SnapOn & said so on the packaging. You'll be fine with Kobalt or Gearwrench.
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Now it's all Chinese.... Apex Tools is the graveyard of American tool brands. Kind of like the MTD of quality mower equipment (Cub, Simplicity, Wheel Horse, Toro, etc.). Yeah, it's the way of the world, but they charge the same for Chinese imports as they used to for US made stuff.

If I want China-ware, I'll go to Harbor Fr(hate)eight and at least save 50% ....
 
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