Craftsman Tool Warranty is alive in 2025
 

So I popped a 15mm deep socket the other day. I guess I am far stronger than I look.

So I went to Lowes to get a replacement after doing an online search to determine the warranty protocol. And...FAIL. What a bunch of idiots.

They did give me a number for Craftsman. So I called. 15 minute hold. And...I got a new socket. It arrived today. No questions. No BS. Nothing.

Is the quality what it was way back? Probably not. But I still have a matching set. And that is good for something.

Thought y'all might care.

Be well.

Your experience is better than ours, we have found that “Craftsman”!will only warranty it they have not changed the part number or design. BITD, you could take a broken screwdriver, wrench or socket to Sears and they would replace replace it no questions asked with the newest version of the tool, these days, you are SOL.

M15 deep socket. Were you using it on lugnuts? Sparkplugs? M15 seems like a size I rarely use - but I'm no pro.

Congratulations on getting made whole by a faceless corporation. It's not the usual result these days. Savor the victory.

Shhhh. It was on the lug nut of a John Deere Gator. Not the best tool for the job. But I used a 1' ratchet handle so it's not like I over levered the thing.

As for Byron? My 6pt 3/8 drive deep socket set has been discontinued. The phone person said this and I started to get testy. Then I found the same specced socket on their website as I spoke with them. I got the new P/N socket. I would call them back. If they don't make the part? I think you are SOL. But if they have one very very close? I would ask.

Report back. I have a bunch of old Craftsman stuff. Most came from garage sales and pawnshops. It would please me to have a solid warranty.

Ill let you know how it works for me .. I just bought a 3/4 craftsman " ratchet and extension , becuase it was the weekend, and I had already broken every 3/4" ratchet and breaker bar I owned tyring to get the lug nuts loose on my new to me Peterbilt towtruck project . No one , anywhere had 1 " drive stuff available . The snap on man wants a kidney and my sons first 4 years of wages after he gets out of school for this stuff, but Ill probably end up purchasing the good stuff eventually anyhow after I break everything else .
I specifically purchased craftsman, because I was pretty sure I would be breaking something . Sure enough, I twisted the 6" 3/4 extension . The ratchet held up to a 6 foot long pipe over it and me , hanging on it with all my body weight trying to get those buggers loose .
I was hoping to have my rear air brake shoes changed on Saturday afternoon. ended up taking me 5 hours to get one wheel off . I have a one inch impact wrench , and it only removed about half the lugs . I think I have my prodecure down pat now, and should be able to make quick work out of the other side . . The fronts busted loose pretty easily .
I need to toughen up my home tool set now . I think my weak link is my compressor . It simply cannot keep up with those big impact wrenches . I have an old emglo compressor that I wore out in my shop . I think Ill rebuild that, and moveit to my home shop .

I tried to return a standard 3/8" rachet.
New one had a different part number but was otherwise identical.
Wouldn't swap it out.
Guessing sears did this deliberately.

I have my Dad's Craftsmen box wrenches. They're at least 60 years old. So....what's that phone number? :D

Here is the website:https://www.craftsman.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopat19kyqXwYaAiR-6V5QAoOqShtaaF5JYEnHJDkJEqq1ZGzuwm

I think the phone number is there somewhere. You can do online claims as well.

They must have changed the policy recently because a few years ago, I was in the same boat and Lowes just gave me the latest version of both of my 3/8 ratchets that had failed.

Does Lowes still sell Craftsman tools but not honor the warranty now? Or only if it's a tool that you bought from them? That sucks. :(

Man, that sucks. I recently had the same situation but only with a car, some chimp massively over-torqued the lug nuts and I had to use my floor jack handle as a cheater to bust them loose! And this was with no rust involved, they were lug bolts on an older Mercedes. Is rust a factor on your truck? Regardless, it sounds like someone really screwed you over on those. You might have to take it to a rail yard and get someone to use the impact that they use on trains on them, or at least a big rig shop. They probably would not charge you much to bust them loose and retighten them to a reasonable torque so that you can work on your truck. I'd call around. They have the right size compressor. :cool:

Same for me. Two half inch and a quarter inch ratchet. No hassles.

I think Ace hardware stores sell Craftsman hand tools . Anyone ever tried returning a broken tool there ?

Like Lowes, they told me I have to contact Craftsman.

^^^ well that sucks :( . I went to the website and submitted a question on how to get warranty replacements for my broken breaker bar and ratchet . I bought these at Sears 40 + years ago . Will be interesting to see if I get a reply .

My friend who told me that, said they t was Craftsman’s. He has been using Craftsman for over 50 years and the job he just retired from (Maxwell House, coffee) as a head maintenance guy, so he’s gone through some at work. I actually like the Kolbalt brand from Lowe’s, they feel good in my hands and they have a lifetime warranty and actually honor it. Like others here, I still have the set of Craftsman tools that I bought in high school, and also like others here, garage sales, pawn shops, flea markets (Swap Meet to those on the other coast) and have traded in broken Snap-On, Matco, Mac tools to the route drivers and received brand new high end tools.

This is the first real toolbox I bought, in the 90s, at a pawnshop for a couple hundred bucks. And the ratchet, I don’t remember, but it was in my kit at the warehouse I occupied from the late 80s until last year.

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My 1/2" ratchet died a couple of years ago, and my local ACE replaced it on the spot, no questions asked. The thing was 40 years old, too...

Good to know , I will have to swing by the local Ace and see what they say .

I just received an email reply to my inquiry about my broken breaker bar and ratchet . The email says new and improved replacements will be sent to me from the factory . The email provided the part numbers being sent . There was no request to ship the broken parts back or even pics of the broken parts . That's great customer service in my book !

I was totally honest in my email that these were purchased 40 + years ago from Sears . I am not trying to get anything by lieing I just want the warranty to be honored . I realize this is just one transaction but I am very impressed with the customer service .

I was out in the garage today and I realized, I haven't taken a ratchet or a screwdriver back to sears in ages, even though I have lots of craftsman ratchets and screwdrivers. And this is why: These harbor freight ratchet handles and this Stanley 6x screwdriver are the ones I reach for most all the time anymore. I got so tired of throwing craftsman products across the room (figuratively, of course) and it started to dawn on me one day that these cheapies work better. Tighter fit, they don't change direction when they're buried deep inside tight spaces, the one with the swivel handle fits perfect in my palm for 90 percent of what I need it for....I still use mostly craftsman sockets, and I have a lot of combination wrenches too that work good enough for the likes of me, but those don't generally get used up with the kind of projects I do.

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I wonder if they would ask you to send in the broken socket if it was a
10 mm ?

Iv got so many damn tools its actually a relief when one breaks and I can scrap it. As satisfying as it is to get a tool warrantied sometimes its just easier to buy a new one. Like my gearwrench ratchet wrenches I love them and a few times the 9/16 and 1/2" went bad. Back when advance auto carried them they gave me a hard time with the warranty but they did it. Then they stopped and I havnt seen them around so just bought a new one on ebay. I had a bunch of s-k stuff broken so did the online warranty thing and I thought it didnt go through because I never got any sort of confirmation so did it again. Well they sent me doubles and each one in its own box 10x bigger than it had to be lol well their system is flawed but im happy. I should ebay some of the socket sets I never use. That old craftsman stuff is getting pricey.

I did an online claim via the website LWJ provided . Told them I had a broken breaker bar and a slipping ratchet both 1/2 inch . The next day I received a reply that they would send replacements . Great . They stated it could take 10 - 14 days as the tools would be sent from some warehouse .

Two weeks goes by and nothing and I never received a tracking number . I replied to my original email asking for a tracking number . The next day I received the email reply with tracking . Great . However the tracking said the shipment had been " stuck " with UPS for a week in the next town over . Took several searches to find a phone number for the hub the parts were stuck at .

Called the number and the lady puts me on hold for a few minutes as she researches . She comes back and says it looks like the shipment is lost . Yeah right . She said contact the vendor and have them initiate a lost package claim . Ugh . So I contact Craftsman via the email and explain the situation . Two days later I receive an email stating they don't normally send warranty replacements again if they are lost in shipment .

But I was told they will make an exception and send out replacements a 2nd time . Again no tracking info was provided :( . At this point I think I have a 50/50 chance of seeing the tools . Lo and behold the package was delivered on Monday . Shiny new tools :D . I am happy for the final results but their lack of providing tracking numbers made this transaction difficult . SmileWavy

I'll send you a box and $25 for shipping. Pretend you broke as many tools as you can stuff in the box! I'm here for you. I'll throw myself on that grenade for you, buddy!

:D

I bought a 3/4" drive socket set. I could not stand the thought that someone would find me using a floor jack on a breaker bar. The set was used and old ostensibly meaning they are made out of good steel. I have used a long pipe as a cheater to do over 250 ft lbs. How do I know I got to 250.?

I don't. Old VW or 911 rear axle nut. Tight as hell is 250 to me. Besides, you have to back it up a bit or possibly advance it just a little to install the cotter. So close enough is the answer.

PS, I did do the length times my weight calc for grins. It's all good. I think the old school mechanics just sat on the air impact for 30 seconds.

I like this wrench!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nT9lymhc6sU?t=26&feature=share

www.tekton.com has the best tool warranty...they don't ask for the broken tool back. It doesn't matter where you got the tool. Just fill out their online form, send a pic of the broken tool, and they ship a new one. Taiwan made, but I consider their quality as good as the old USA made craftsman stuff, or better in some cases. The Tekton 90 tooth ratchets are really good, in my opinion. Scroll to the bottom of this link for ratchet details:
https://www.tekton.com/flex-ratchet-set-srh92004

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I can't get past the submit bar because even if I post a date, say 1/1/1980, it still tells me they need more info. Damn, my sockets are so old, they were made in the USA and have a 5 digit product code! lol I guess I'll need to call them. Since I have to talk to an actual person, I guess I'll round up my rusty and cracked Crapsman screwdrivers, too.

^^^ I put " over 40 years ago " in the fields asking for purchase date . It worked for me . Good luck ��

Had to call it in and ended up at a call center in the Phillipines. The lady sent me an email that I could reply to, and requested pics of the damaged sockets. Maybe 2 weeks for a replacement.

I just bought a Craftsman 3/8" socket set for my son on Amazon. It was pretty bad looking quality. Certainly not the stuff we used to get when they had to plug in the Sears 1,000 digit product code into their early days digital cash register. Not even close.

Precisely why the old USA made Craftsman tools are fetching prices on ebay that are a bit shocking to me.

I have quite a few craftsman tools, but haven’t broken anything in ages. I do have a couple of 3/8 inch craftsman ratchets, but they’ve discontinued them, but I can’t get parts to fix them. I have a Kobalt 3/8 inch ratchet, that when I’m using, changes direction. I keep meaning to take it back to Lowe’s to exchange it.

Try SONIC. They are huge supporters of IMSA . Feel great and have not broken one yet in since inception. love the ratcheting box ends

I took my Craftsman 1/4" & 3/8" drive ratchets apart today to be cleaned and greased. I hope the 1/4" will work better now.

I did the same thing maybe couple of years ago. Used carb cleaner on the parts, then superlube synthetic grease. The ball bearing in the 1/4" sure was a *****..made a tool to push it down & hold it out of a small paperclip, pounding the paperclip as flat as I could make it.

I tried to return a S-K 1/4” x 6” flex extension that “Bird-Caged”. The tool didn’t have a part number on it, it came as a piece in a kit with other 1/4” pieces. The guy claimed they never made one. I sent him a photo of the box, the part number tag, and the broken tool.

He retracted her statement and sent me a 6” fixed extension.

Moral of the story to him, is you don’t always know everything in you 6 years of service. Dam young’ins. A lot of my tools were older than him I suspect.

Have you ever tried to return a Snap-On? If you’re not on his driving route, they mostly give you the cold shoulder in my experience. If you try to contact the factory, you may get the “Please provide your receipt “. Huh, I never kept that sort of stuff. With the invent of thermal printers, they ghost out on a few months. The secret is to befriend a guy still working in the automotive repair trade that has the mobile Snap-On guy frequent his place of employment.

I have heard stories about how Snap-On treats the dealers. Like long delays, or expected to suck it up. Delays mean his truck doesn’t have that replaced tool to sell to another mechanic.

The sockets I called about were Made in the USA.

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^Wow! How'd you do that?

Both were 17mm, and I must have done it changing wheels on my BMW maybe 10 years ago. I only used hand tools like a breaker bar and torque wrench, so no idea how the deep socket shattered. And I found the standard socket was cracked tigntening some wheel bolts. It kept slipping on the nut, so I looked at it and :eek: Now I have many spares of sockets used for wheel bolts. lol

You should get a set of decent impact sockets in 1/2" drive for lug nuts and anything tighter. Even cheap ones are a lot stronger than those pot metal chrome ones.

Tekton makes a nice set of thin wall impact sockets . I only use them for wheels as they fit the Porsche wheels great without scratching the wheel nut holes . I use heavy wall impact sockets for the tough stuff .