Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2004 11:43:35 -0600
Reply-To: wlail@OU.EDU
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Warren Lail <wlail@OU.EDU>
Subject: Re: torque wrench
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Most Craftsman hand tools do carry a lifetime warranty, but some do not. Their torque wrenches are among those
that no longer carry a lifetime warranty.
Almost all of my tools are Craftsman and I do like being able to return a screwdriver, wrench, or pliers and have them
replaced at no cost. However, I seem to be replacing them more often these days. I recently bought a Craftsman
stainless steel screwdriver and the tip bent severely the very first time I used it. I took it back and upgraded to the Craftsman
Pro screwdriver and have had no more problems. The Craftsman Pro line seems to have hardened tips. They
definitely have better handles (larger and rubberized).
My Craftsman floor jack started leaking hydraulic fluid after about a month (back when I was using it a lot while
installing a new engine in Billy Bones). It has a one year warranty also. I took it back and it was replaced,
but in this case I had my receipt in hand.
I like the warranty, but I absolutely hate having to drag my butt out from under my (or Maggie's) van and make a special
trip to Sears to replace a tool that should have been more durable in the first place. Two trips in one day to deal
with the torque wrench issue really rubbed me the wrong way.
Warren Lail
88 Westy "Billy Bones"
"All the time he lived with us the captain made no change whatever in his dress but to buy some stockings from a
hawker. One of the cocks of his hat having fallen down, he let it hang there from that day forth, though it was a great
annoyance when it blew. I remember the appearance of his coat, which he patched himself upstairs in his room,
and which, before the end, was nothing but patches."
----- Original Message -----
From: Brien Dews <vwvanagon@gmail.com>
Date: Sunday, November 28, 2004 10:12 am
Subject: Re: torque wrench
> Only a year warranty? I thought Craftsman tools had a liftime
> warranty.
>
> On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 09:11:05 -0600, Warren Lail <wlail@ou.edu> wrote:
> > Hi Peter,
> >
> > I am on my third Craftsman 10-75 ft-lb torque wrench. I had the
> first one for about 7 months and when using it recently the
> > springs popped out of the locking mechanism. Sears replaced it,
> but reluctantly, because I did not have my receipt (they are
> > only warranted for one year). Fortunately, I used a credit card
> and they were able to pull my purchase up on the computer and
> > so they replaced it. I came back home and was using my new
> wrench to torque the cv axles on Maggie's bus and the racheting
> > mechanism would not reverse at a certain point (maybe a bad tooth
> in the ratcheting mechanism). I took it back and this time
> > Sears gladly replaced it.
> >
> > Is it a good torque wrench? I have my doubts about its long term
> viability. But for the home mechanic, who else sells a good
> > one?
> >
> > Best of luck.
> >
> > Warren Lail
> > 88 Westy "Billy Bones"
> >
>
