Nostalgic Review CraftsMan USA 3/8" Basic SAE Socket Set
This is a review of ones of the last of the US made basic sets of craftsman tools, and the ratchet has plastic switches but overall it was a decent set.
Craftsman #9-34553
Nostalgic Review CraftsMan USA 3/8" Basic SAE Socket Set
My local Ace Hardware requires a receipt to honor the lifetime warranty, which is kind of hard when you’ve had a set for 20+ years.
Cat, I think those extra notches, divets that they put on the sockets was meant to get the retention ball in easier and to not put as much force on the ball so that it doesn’t wear out fast. Possibly.
Yeah even snapon if you’re not in the computer having bought it say you got it from a friend for Xmas no warranty lucky I had 3 ratchets that were broken and was on the system as purchaser if I was not in the system no warranty. Not blaming them it says original owner so be careful of the warranty how it works. Could not believe the price of the ratchets 400 bucks for 1/2" and 2 3/8" ratchets there good but don’t know if I would get them again at that price and now that harbor freight is a owner oy oy.
I have the exact same set still actually. Still use the ratchet and sockets.
Hello again Catus Maximus and Tiny
Thank you for another Great Video. Nicely done!!!!
Nice little set! The USA made is still the better tool!
Went through my fractional sockets. Have less than 20.
Metric? 😅😅😓
Klein doesn’t warranty shit they so pissed me off I’ll never buy Klein again
well to be fair, most people figured that a craftsman lifetime warranty would be a safe bet lol everyone has their tools and they were so big for so long
I have this one
Stanley and Lowe’s never made a dime from people who bought Sears’s Craftsman products so it’s a bit disingenuous of people asking for warranty from a totally unrelated company. Yes they bought the name and I guess the IP but it’s totally different company. What is even more insane is that if you still have a Sears store near you like here in Tukwila WA they still sell Sears Craftsman products and I am not sure where they are getting it from but it seems to me like they have some new Sears Craftsman items in the store, perhaps its just old inventory but they have some new stuff including this set funny enough.
Oh wow I love those old metal-tray craftsman sockets.
I bet most of those sets got given as gifts. Yours apparently to someone who didn’t use tools!
Excellent non professional set. I recommend it to anyone for home or on the go. It’s been my quick go to for years now.
Blast from the past today and thank you for the video.
Nice set
Literally hated to see Sears go out of business. Bought all my tools, appliances, tires & batteries there for decades.
It seems like everyone had had that set who has ever been a dad or grandpa. 😂
These were commonly $9.99 on specials.
Those late model American made craftsman ratchets were complete junk. They broke and would slip with such little force.
Never cared for craftsman 3/8 ratchet round head was pretty Good . Sockets were very Good especially considering it was a few good brands and , lots of pot metal junk some of that cheap stuff snapped like glass in Temps below freezing.
I prefired the pre-fluted Sears sockets. They didn’t have the excessive lead in taper that seems to make the sockets slip off shallow modern fasteners.
Wow, nice find. I have this in the 1/4 metric, same box with same type of label, except there were a couple of extras. In addition to 10 shallow sockets (4-14mm) there were 4 deep dish, plus a 3" extension! It’s very convenient to keep in the car along with a 3/8 set. Alone, it will fit in the glove box.
That set and its metric counterpart, were for years black Friday staples for $9.99 a set. Not too bad considering a similar Chinese made set ran $12.99 this black Friday.
Hey, there’s an accessory mechanics kit. For reaching areas from Sear for Craftsman. Kits called Craftsman 24-Piece Reach and Access Add-On Set. It’s the perfect kit I needed to get the right extended socket metric bits and T bits extended too. With some added goodies. Just a heads up.
The extra notches in the back of the socket are annoying as hell when you go to try using a snap on extension or some other square drives that get hung up on them. Even some of Craftsmans own socket racks get hung up on them. There IS a patent for a ratchet that uses those notches, but it was probably never actually made (how silly would that be?), but that’s the donkey following the carrot…. the notches are a money saving measure when the sockets were made. Nothing else… They save a machining step. While the socket is held in the same machine for broaching there is a punch that cuts those extra channels and then the next step uses a slight larger punch to make a metal dam to retain the socket on the drive tool. This saves them from having to then move the socket to a lathe where other companies would cut the ball detent spot. This took me some time to figure out with lots of people on FB giving tons of false information as fact, such as "it’s a ramp to make the ball go in easier", and other goofy ideas. Husky sockets have this too.
This set may say made in USA but it’s actually the cheap version similar to the crap made in China. It was Sears giving us a heads up of the garbage they were going to be selling under the Craftsman name going forward. No wonder they went out of business.
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I always liked these 36 tooth ratchets…..Everybody nags on them,but if kept clean and oiled they always work…..Too bad it’s all China now…..They make our tools…All our clothes…..Toys….Furniture……And in return they give us the VIRUS…..Thank you China.
The older "V" series Craftsman were really the last good Craftsman series sockets and ratchets. I’ve still got a couple of old Craftsman sockets and one 1/2" flex head ratchet bought probably 35+ years ago that still see regular use. That old Craftsman ratchet is one tough bird and can stand all sorts of abuse that I would never put any fine tooth ratchet thru. If you need durable, those old 30-50 tooth ratchets in 1/2" drive will stand up to massive amounts of torque and abuse. Every tech should have at least one of those…
Interesting seeing those old USA-made Craftman’s fat handles. They seem so antiquated these days.
It ran, G, G1, inverted, G2.
Hey Catus, what is the part number on the bottom side of the ratchet? is it VF or VJ or?
still have my 1994 and still rocking,
I don’t think it’s Craftsman with the double notch on the bottom, it’s danaher and Armstrong.. Armstrong was around just as long as the other us tool manufacturers and they are now gone too
this morning i walked down to a local resale shop and bought a 21 piece craftsman socket set. the lid is worn off and its missing a few pieces. what does -vv- mean?