Socket wrench problems

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Nexus-6

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Apr 1, 2020
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Not sure if this is the best place to post and ask this but maybe someone out there with more experience can shed light on a problem that I am having with a couple of socket wrenches that I own. Back in the early 90s I replaced my SK socket set (stolen out of the back of my FJ40) with a large set of Craftsman USA sockets including 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" sockets and wrenches. They've gotten a fair amount of use in the last 25 years or so, but I do my best to take care of my tools. Recently, the 3/8" socket wrench has been slipping and the 1/2" wrench will lock up on occasion. It's annoying and dangerous. I decided to disassemble the 3/8". Nothing really amiss, everything was intact including the ball and spring. There were some fragments, like spinters of metal from the actual gear mechanism but it didn't look that bad. Regardless, I did a full cleaning, WD40 and reassembly. It works without slipping now, but I find (like before) that if you inadvertently nudge the lever (plastic?), it will slip. The lever is wobbly on all three wrenches and the gears on the 3/8" and 1/2" are rough (1/4" is fine). Am I doing something wrong or was Craftsman junk even in the early 90's ? I'm not looking for an excuse to replace them because I like to get the most out of anything I buy, but now I dread having to do maintenance or repair stuff.
 
Man if you use it, it wears out. Since I’ve finished diesel mechanic school and started farming in the early 2000’s(with the majority of my original set of tools from the early 90’s) I’ve probably been through 5 craftsman 1/2 drive ratchets and a couple Napa brand as well. I try to keep my tools clean and lubed but it doesn’t always happen. Once a ratchet slips it’s gone.
I have no interest in buying a snap on either.
 
Nexus-6 said:
Not sure if this is the best place to post and ask this but maybe someone out there with more experience can shed light on a problem that I am having with a couple of socket wrenches that I own. Back in the early 90s I replaced my SK socket set (stolen out of the back of my FJ40) with a large set of Craftsman USA sockets including 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" sockets and wrenches. They've gotten a fair amount of use in the last 25 years or so, but I do my best to take care of my tools. Recently, the 3/8" socket wrench has been slipping and the 1/2" wrench will lock up on occasion. It's annoying and dangerous. I decided to disassemble the 3/8". Nothing really amiss, everything was intact including the ball and spring. There were some fragments, like spinters of metal from the actual gear mechanism but it didn't look that bad. Regardless, I did a full cleaning, WD40 and reassembly. It works without slipping now, but I find (like before) that if you inadvertently nudge the lever (plastic?), it will slip. The lever is wobbly on all three wrenches and the gears on the 3/8" and 1/2" are rough (1/4" is fine). Am I doing something wrong or was Craftsman junk even in the early 90's ? I'm not looking for an excuse to replace them because I like to get the most out of anything I buy, but now I dread having to do maintenance or repair stuff.
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Craftsman has a lifetime warranty, they should replace them no questions asked (or at least that was my experience in the past).
 
WValtakis said:
Craftsman has a lifetime warranty, they should replace them no questions asked (or at least that was my experience in the past).
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Yeah, I think you're right. I thought this practice was long gone, but I just checked it out and it looks like they still offer a lifetime guarantee on most hand tools. I'll need to give them a call.
 
All,
I appreciate the responses. I didn't think this question would garner much interest, but your points are all valid. Much appreciated, thanks.

For what it's worth, I did an overhaul of the 1/2" wrench and it's working fine now. Couldn't find out why it was jamming, but it's nice and smooth now. The 3/8" is clearly worn out.
 
Nexus-6 said:
Yeah, I think you're right. I thought this practice was long gone, but I just checked it out and it looks like they still offer a lifetime guarantee on most hand tools. I'll need to give them a call.
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They will replace your American made ratchets with current Chinese garbage, at one time there was a chance they'd give you a rebuild kit in some cases but not anymore.
You can look online for rebuild kits if you really want, and if theres still a Sears outlet open near you they would have the rebuild kits for sale.
Generally the raised panel teardrop Craftsman ratchets are fairly strong, but later on they weren't quite as good ( near the very end though , they were still decent enough in the early 90's ).

Btw WD40 is more of a penetrating oil not a lubricant, and since these are a coarser low tooth count anvil / pawl they really do like a bit of superlube silicone grease more than just oil.
 
25 years? Whatever you paid for it back then, you’ve certainly got your money’s worth, and then some. But for the one that’s still slipping, just go ahead and replace it. It owes you nothing at this point.

I’d tell you to guy buy a nice used one from the ‘tool guy’ at your local flea market. I’m always finding good deals on older, used tools, in nice condition. These guys buy them up from estate sales, yard sales, etc, where they’ve been sitting in some old timers garage for 50 years, and only occasionally replaced a spark plug in a mower, or such. I’d tell you to go there, but with the whole COVID thing, most aren’t runnin at the moment.
 
Walk into any Sears that sells Craftsman tools and turn it in. They’ll give you a brand new one on the spot. Been like that forever, and it still is.

Apparently Lowe’s sells craftsman brand tools and does that now. I rounded off a Craftsman torx bit I bought at Lowe’s the other day, took it back, and they handed me a new one off the shelf.
 
My advice here would be stop trying to replace old tools with new junk. Go to HD and get a couple Husky brand 100 tooth ratchets. You'll wonder why you ever bothered with the new Craftsman stuff....
 
Hickory n steel said:
They will replace your American made ratchets with current Chinese garbage, at one time there was a chance they'd give you a rebuild kit in some cases but not anymore.
You can look online for rebuild kits if you really want, and if theres still a Sears outlet open near you they would have the rebuild kits for sale.
Generally the raised panel teardrop Craftsman ratchets are fairly strong, but later on they weren't quite as good ( near the very end though , they were still decent enough in the early 90's ).
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Yeah, mine is made in USA and the newer ones don't appear to be made in USA. I checked out the reviews and if I counted correctly, five out of the 15 reviews stated that their ratchets failed. That doesn't work for me. I won't disagree with you on grease being the better lubricant but the idea of WD40 not being a lubricant is an old myth. There is a facts page on the WD40 web page that addresses this.
 
Nexus-6 said:
Yeah, mine is made in USA and the newer ones don't appear to be made in USA. I checked out the reviews and if I counted correctly, five out of the 15 reviews stated that their ratchets failed. That doesn't work for me. I won't disagree with you on grease being the better lubricant but the idea of WD40 not being a lubricant is an old myth. There is a facts page on the WD40 web page that addresses this.
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Since 2012 the ratchets have been imported, that's when basically all American production of Craftsman branded tools stopped.


I'll have to look into wd40 as a lubricant.
I've always been told it wasn't one and I know it doesn't make a great lubricant in my experience but I'm sure it's got some applications.

I've got Craftsman ratchets from the 60's , 80's, and 90's that have seen lots of use and they're still going strong.
The 1/2ers are known to be beasts, but the 1/4 and sometimes 3/8 don't quite last as long from the 90's+.
Now the RHFT is a different story, but with the tear drop raised panel the earlier the better.
 
Arathol said:
My advice here would be stop trying to replace old tools with new junk. Go to HD and get a couple Husky brand 100 tooth ratchets. You'll wonder why you ever bothered with the new Craftsman stuff....
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Vintage husky sure, but not that new stuff.
The even the US made Husky stuff that was inline with Craftsman wasn't that great.
Now the old New Britain manufactured stuff ( and of course the early stuff from the 40's ) from the Litton industries era were good tools.

Sure the current imported Husky stuff is better than the current imported Craftsman stuff, but there are better options out there.
Especially if you want to build up a set of quality a little at a time instead of buying one complete set of cheap imports all at once.
 
What’s left over after the solvents evaporated from WD-40 is just plain mineral oil certainly not the best for a old course tooth ratchet. There are many inexpensive ratchets that are better than the craftsman. The Pittsburgh pro from Harbor freight are quite good along with Tekton, Gearwrench and Williams.
 
In the mid 80’s when I bought my Craftsman ratchets. I found that the sets came with different ratchets than those that were sold separately. And neither one was as good as my Dads from the 70’s. Now they are junk. Sad really. That lifetime warrantee is not worth anything anymore.

SK tools are still made in the USA.
 
eveled said:
In the mid 80’s when I bought my Craftsman ratchets. I found that the sets came with different ratchets than those that were sold separately. And neither one was as good as my Dads from the 70’s. Now they are junk. Sad really. That lifetime warrantee is not worth anything anymore.

SK tools are still made in the USA.
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What was the difference?

At that time ( around '70 till some time in the late 80's when a third type came out ) there was the standard tear drop raised panel and the very well respected round head fine tooth ratchets.
 
The tear drops with the lever and black button were in the set. There was a different year drop on the shelf but it wasn’t fine tooth. The round fine tooth’s were no longer available. Which is what my dad had.

At least that is what I remember. It’s been a very long time.
 
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rycen said:
What’s left over after the solvents evaporated from WD-40 is just plain mineral oil certainly not the best for a old course tooth ratchet.
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Truth.
 
eveled said:
The tear drops with the lever and black button were in the set. There was a different year drop on the shelf but it wasn’t fine tooth. The round fine tooth’s were no longer available. Which is what my dad had.

At least that is what I remember. It’s been a very long time.
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Interesting .
They must have been out of stock or something, because the RHFT was the longest continually produced Craftsman ratchet . Running from I believe the very late 60's just about until American production of Craftsman tools stopped.
Maybe it was the stainless steel series or the Taiwanese Stanley sourced Craftsman ratchets.
 
It’s probably just my faded memory. Or like you said an out of stock issue.
 
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