I would LOVE to see some proof of that. Same could be said about Duralast sold at AutoZone, as the duralast ratchets look strikingly similar to my Snap On Dual 80's. I do not believe Snap On's hand tools get rebranded under any other name (even snap on's subline Blue Point are different from the main line).

Craftsman and Matco however, share a LOT in common. Both are part of the Apex/Danaher tool group. Some stuff is simply rebadged, others are specific to product line.

Most tool companies have some crossovers as a lot of them fall under larger umbrella's with other companies.

A LOT of my tools are Craftsman, USA made if at all possible. All my sockets, raised panel and pro wrenches, flare nut wrenches (which are actually SK made and have the SK stamping). The more modern craftsman stuff, after the china move, are pathetic. The lobster claw wrenches are ridiculous, and it's obvious the only way they would get open end strength with the lower manufacturing quality was to add a TON of material around the open end, which causes clearance issues in tight places.

 

Just to clarify, Snap-On has not produced any tools for the Kobalt brand since 2003.

Kobalt is a brand owned by Lowes, just as Craftsman is a brand owned by Sears. Neither Kobalt nor Craftsman actually make tools, they contract with different companies to make tools for them. Lowe's and manufacturing partner J.H. Williams & Co. launched Kobalt in 1998, with the intention of competing against rival retailers Sears and The Home Depot and their respective Craftsman and Husky tool brands.

Snap-On purchased J.H. Williams & Co. in 1993. This original contract with Kobalt ended and in 2003, the Danaher Corporation began producing the majority of their hand tools.

In 2011, Lowe's ended its arrangement with Danaher and switched to a different supplier for its mechanic's hand tools, JS Products of Las Vegas, Nevada. Screwdrivers continue to be supplied by Great Neck. The same year, the Kobalt line expanded to include cordless power tools, manufactured by Chervon.

If you own Kobalt tools made from 1998 to 2003, arguably you have tools made by "Snap-On". Make no mistake J.H. Williams tools were very high quality well before Snap-On purchased the company. You can tell if you have J.H. Williams manufactured tools by checking your sockets and "box" wrenches. If they utilize the Snap-On tools patented Flank Drive, they were made by J.H. Williams. (The packaging also said so at the time.) If they do not have Flank Drive which consists of fillets machined in the corners where the 6/12 flats come together, they are not J.H. Williams.

By the way, I do not sell Snap-On tools, although my wife says I should. However I am a tool junkie, like many others here.

Good luck... GUSTO

 

I use what gets a job done without brand loyalty.

When I worked for a shop we used the higher end tools because time was important and you couldn't afford to use company time dicking around looking for replacement tools.

When it is your private collection and budget things change.

 

You may want to keep that one....my company was buying approximately 300 Waterloo 20" tool boxes per year that we re-purpose for a product we manufacturer. This year, Waterloo tells us that they will no longer be making small metal tools boxes. Waterloo was also making the Sears 20" tool box.....the same one we use but with a Sears decal. We ended up contacting a industrial Craftsman distributor and buying the last 200 boxes that were in the USA. Unfortunately, most everybody is moving to plastic boxes since they can be nested for shipping purposes. Depending on the recent years, the Waterloo boxes were made either in Mexico or China. I'm pretty sure yours is old enough that it was made in the USA.

Right now the only metal 20" tool box that is made in the USA is from Homak. We met with them at SEMA last year and they claim they are not going to stop making the small metal boxes.

https://www.homak.com/HTML/HandcarryTollboxes.html

 

Who doesn't like the old boxes?

 

Correct, Made in China

and

they don't honor the lifetime warranty unless you
still have the receipt. Of course their receipts are still printed on
thermal paper which fades so bad after two or 3 years that you can't
read it anyways.

Stopped going there for ANYTHING - as did the rest of America a decade ago.

Snap-On all the way

Regards
Chip

 

Snap-On not cheap but can get in places Craftsman can't way smaller ends on the wrenches I love mine and feel way better in your hand ..

 

I don't understand all the hate on craftsman. The most common sockets you know the ones you always end up loosing I have replaced with craftsman because I refuse to buy individual sockets from matco and snap on. Those craftsman sockets perform on a day to day basis just as well as the premium stuff granted I prefer the premium stuff but I am to cheap to spend 30 dollars on one socket when I can have a whole set from craftsman for the same price.

 

Honestly I don't believe that folks here are hating on Craftsman. I believe they are saying that Sears is circling the drain (has been for a while now). Their business model is no longer working for them and they appear unable to change. At this point what is happening to Craftsman is a by product of that, so buyer beware.

I personally still have a drawer full of Craftsman tools I accumulated long before I could afford to purchase Snap-On tools for a hobby. I would not hesitate to use them today if I needed to and probably won't part with them for nostalgic reasons either. My Father is nearly 90 and he still has the first set of Craftsman wrenches he bought as a teenager through their catalog. In the past Craftsman was a staple of many American mechanics, even professionals. But the times are changing and we as consumers are partly to blame. Cheap sells and Sears has felt they have no option but to go down that road.

The Craftsman brand still has value and when Sears does finally bite the dust, the brand will be sold. Hopefully to someone that remembers it's heritage.

Good luck... GUSTO

 

Craftsman, Agree their current stuff is (VERY) low quality stuff.

My Craftsman stuff from the 90's is way better that what in the stores now...

With that being said, Their hex and torx sockets from any generation
are garbage.. I had to buy quality sockets after breaking sockets (and knuckels)

L.O.L. If anybody has a line on reasonable priced, quality tools, I'm all ears... (price Snap-on, Cornwell,Mac,, you will be surprised!)

 

Snap-On hand tools are the real deal. If you're used to Craftsman prices, though, you may be in for a shock. A 3/8" drive 6" extension costs $31, for example.

I happen to think they're worth it, _especially_ if bought secondhand. They also hold their value very well.

I prefer other manufacturers for pilers, and for any tool that requires electricity. I like Precision Instruments torque wrenches (they also happen to be the OEM for Snap-On "Torqometer" line). Lista makes great toolboxes. Matco makes some interesting ratchets with extra-long handles and very fine teeth. I think all Snap-On branded jacks are imported from China now, so I'd go with Milwaukee Hydraulics. Different companies have different strengths.

 

I've owned Craftsman tools for over 30 years now. I can't say I ever had a failure from something I wasn't abusing. Ever. And those failures were few. I've easily put 250 ft-lbs on a 3/8" ratchet with pipe on it. The tools owe me nothing. Some months back I broke one of the 3/8" ratchets (internal part, gear broke some teeth) and wanted it fixed. They were going to replace it with a new one, I refused and said I wanted the parts for MY ratchet. They had to order them but did get em and I still have my nice old ratchet. The new ones are a bit heavy for my taste.

I recently wanted another set of tools for at work. I went to sears and bought a large set, then some misc sets to augment that, plus a bunch of ala-carte parts. I can't say I see any less quality in these than I did with my old stuff. I'm not gonna say they are the same, like I said about the ratchet above, the handles are bigger and heavier, I prefer the smaller light weight one of old. To each their own.

Sears does also have some pro line stuff that's vastly nicer if cost is no object. You CAN get really nice Craftsman stuff too. But, prepare to pay just like you would for any other brand of top quality stuff. There is no free lunch.

 

I've had good luck with Craftsman tools. I've also bought a bunch of odd-ball Harbor Freight tools for one-time only jobs that have worked just fine.

 

Knipex makes the best pliers I mean the best. No one even is in there league

 

I have one just like yours -- I received it as a gift in 1975.

 

I know I'm old but...have many tools that are 30 and 35 years old and still use my army pocket knife. (50 years old)