ok so i have been collecting old and broken craftsman hand tools for a while. till i can justify a trip to sears for exchanges. i know there is a lifetime warranty on any craftsman hand tool. is there a limit on number of tools that can be exchanged at one time? and am i correct in thinking they will replace them no matter what happened as long as it says craftsman on it?

unless theyve changed their policy theres no limit on returns... they may try to push ratchet rebuild kits instead of exchange on those..

The majority of my hand tools are Craftsman, very satisfied with them (have used many different brands) and have never had a problem exchanging....:)

http://www.mysears.com/Tools--7018/topics/Craftsman-Hand-Tool-Warranty-Clarified/posts

lol ill be pissed if they impose a limit or try to shove a off brand on me. because once you get that off brand poof your lifetime warranty is gone. ill be taking in a almost full 4 drawer tool box full of 15yrs worth of broken craftsman tools.

I've taken in about 20 or so broken tools at once. This was about a year or two worth of stuff i just tossed into a drawer and had basically forgotten about until we moved. I took them in and had no questions asked. They went straight to the shelf and gave me new sockets, ratchets, and extensions. I have not ever heard of a store denying someone for the tool replacement....around here anyways.

never had a prob here, i have even exchanged for different sizes, say i had 3 14mm cockets and 1 was broke i have exchanged it for a different size b4

Bad thing is what you get doesn't start off near as good a tool as what you give them.

Ain't that the truth :(. I took like 5 broken ratchets in one day and they were a little confused :D.

Bad thing is what you get doesn't start off near as good a tool as what you give them.

the rachets are junk!!! i broke god knows how many every thing i have is craftsman except my rachets i have the snap-on soft handle rachets and have yet to break one

I purposfully use my craftsman tools " for uses other than recommended" because I know they will give me new ones for them. I put my 3/8 drive sockets on my MG725 1/2 drive impact and dismantle engines and such with them. Yall probably wont believe it, but I have yet to break one either. BUT these craftsman tools are over 10 years old. And I am not actually TRYING to break them, but my impact spins a lot faster than the air ratchet :)

I can tell you that they wont warranty torque wrenchs anymore, and if your ratchet is no longer available they try to push the cheaper version on you. Good luck on sockets, too.

....or it could be that our local Sears just sucks now.

i have a good collection of craftsman tools, some are from when i was in high school (early 90's) some are from the 60's-70's(got those from dad) and some are from the 50's(got those from a friend who was a machinist that passed away).. all i can say is the older the tools are the better they are..

I purposfully use my craftsman tools " for uses other than recommended" because I know they will give me new ones for them. I put my 3/8 drive sockets on my MG725 1/2 drive impact and dismantle engines and such with them. Yall probably wont believe it, but I have yet to break one either. BUT these craftsman tools are over 10 years old. And I am not actually TRYING to break them, but my impact spins a lot faster than the air ratchet :)

like putting a 3foot pipe on a 1/2" drive to break a bolt loose!! lol

i have only ever broke 1 socket a 14mm 1/2" drive and thay relpaced it no prob

If your Sears sucks, take it to your local Ace Hardware. Ace has contracted with Craftsman to carry there tools now. Not all with have them right away, but I know they are rolling them out.

I bought most of my craftsman tools when I was still living with my parents, back in the early 80's. The only problems have been with the ratchets, both the 3/8", and 1/2" have let me down in a pinch. The 3/8" was replaced, and the 1/2" was rebuilt in the store while I waited, even though they both had hammer/pipe marks on the handles.

like putting a 3foot pipe on a 1/2" drive to break a bolt loose!! lol

i have only ever broke 1 socket a 14mm 1/2" drive and thay relpaced it no prob

Exactly. But I will say I am partial to 6 pt instead of 12 pt sockets, they are much harder to split. Just my .02

the rachets are junk!!! i broke god knows how many every thing i have is craftsman except my rachets i have the snap-on soft handle rachets and have yet to break one


I broke my snap-on soft handle ratchet, striped the teeth in the head. Didn't even have a pipe or anything on the handle. Broke a craftsman also and they told me they rebuild them now. You drop yours off and they give you someone else's fixed one. They didnt have one like mine to give me that had been fixed so I got a new one. Otherwise I would have been complaining.

I think this would be a good spot to suggest this and see what yall think. I am sure everyone here has come across the stubborn bolt or nut that you have to use "excessive" pressure to break free. Has anyone ever had a tool break as the fastener break loose? I had this happen with a chinese line wrench once. Broke a power steering line loose and the "PING" broke my wrench. My theory is that the ping hit the resonant frequency of the metal and caused it to snap. Anybody else think thats reasonable?

Sometimes Sears is difficult. Depends on the person on the floor. I once took a shopping cart of tools into sears for refund because the floor manager was denying replacements. Floor manager lost his job ......I don't buy much craftsman any more due to this problem. Never had that problem with Snap-on, Matco, Mac or the local Proto/SK seller.

I think this would be a good spot to suggest this and see what yall think. I am sure everyone here has come across the stubborn bolt or nut that you have to use "excessive" pressure to break free. Has anyone ever had a tool break as the fastener break loose? I had this happen with a chinese line wrench once. Broke a power steering line loose and the "PING" broke my wrench. My theory is that the ping hit the resonant frequency of the metal and caused it to snap. Anybody else think thats reasonable?


Actually the same damn thing happened with me and a 15mm bolt on my drivers manifold. heard that damn ping and next thing i know i had a ratchet that spun both ways on me. least the bolt was loose.

Craftsman is a very good brand on my opinion. Bought the first set over 5 years ago and only the smallest socket wrench is not working properly.
Would be a bit costly to return the tools as the closest Sears is over 4000 miles away :D

If they say a tool is discontinued in the Craftsman line and try to give you a Sears. Tell tham you want cash instead to buy a Snap-on.
You don't have to give up you guarantee.