Craftsman ratchet inspection & repair 

Yea but there made in China now.

@@MicroSoftner I think he meant the USA made models. Not the newer models.

KarbideMachinist thanks!

soloban81 👍

condor5635 I’m still looking for the bearing from my 1/4”... Popped out twice and I wasn’t as lucky the third time.

Donald Hollums thank! Glad I could help and thanks for the compliment!

RewT Customs glad my little trick could help you! These ratchets sometimes get a bad rap but, more often than not it's because of lack of maintenance.

Genius

Harry Maharaj overall I bet that’d work pretty good. For the course tooth ratchets like the 36 tooth units in the video the light grease works good. Maybe up to the 72 units like in a Harbor Freight ratchet. I tried the Super Lube in my Matco 88 and it didn’t like it. Went back to a light oil. Maybe I’ll give the ATF a shot in my fine tooth ratchets. Thanks!!

megadethGUY M glad I could help!

The Den of Tools the ratchets that appear in my video are all USA made ratchets from the Danaher era of production. Most are from the 1990’s. The 36 tooth setup in all of these work fairly smoothly but, are far from a fine tooth ratchet mechanism. All the machine work is decent and consistent but, not highly precise. I am not familiar with the non-USA made Apex ratchets or the Stanley-Black and Decker versions. I’m sorry to hear that the SBD has the low quality that you mentioned as I really have some hopes that SBD can get the Craftsman name back to the reputation it once had up until the late 1990’s/early 2000”s to where many felt the quality started to slide. I have Snap On and Matco ratchets and yes, there is a difference. But, in my world I could easily accomplish what I’d like to do with standard-issue USA made Craftsman ratchets and be happy about that. They just plain work. No frills get the job done tools. I’ve been in that parts end of automotive dealerships for over 18 years and we’ve had the same Snap On rep come every Friday. I’ve indulged a few times. But for the “common man” Craftsman ratchets will get the job done just fine. I hope SBD can turn up the quality and get production back in the USA and make quality ratchets (and hand tools too) that are relatively affordable for us “commoners” and DYI types that can have a quality tool we can use and be proud of. OK, off of my soapbox! Haha! Thanks for the comment sir and I just want to say I love your channel. Shine on brother! :-)

The Den of Tools - Go back to making your Chinese Tool video's and please rename your channel The Chinese Panda Bear Channel. Your current identity is too much like an American Brown Bear and you can't even tell an American Craftsman ratchet from a Chinese made version.

Mike Baker thanks for the info!

@@mikegiaccone32 The older USA made kits (for the USA made ratchets) had the ball retention tool. In lieu of that, you can use a heavy duty staple from a carton bent in the same shape and it will allow you to easily hold down the spring and ball to get the pawl in place on the first or second try. I just used that tool to hold the ball down for an older New Britain NS-43 ratchet that I cleaned and lubed this afternoon. It's over 60 years old and belonged to my late uncle. It was only working in one direction. A cleaning and relubing got it to work like brand new. A little TLC goes a long way.

What is the card and paper trick ? Thxs

Jerry Beck sounds like you had a better local Sears experience than me. I went into my local Sears with the part number in hand and they told me they couldn’t help me. Just might come down to the people at any one particular store. Good to keep these ratchets in service!

@@mikegiaccone32 I know the guys at the local Sears and what I do is bring a few ratchets down to show them I actually own them. I give them the part #s for the kits and most times they will come out and give me what they have if they can. I usually can get away with cleaning and relubing them however. In a rare case (usually one I bought off Ebay), I have to use a rebuild kit. Most times, not.

Jerry Beck I would think they would if you show them the ratchet, it has a life time warranty so a repair kit is cheaper for them then replacing the ratchet.

Thanks 4 the info I did not know that, appreciated

Dan R not all Sears stores operate the same. The one that’s close to me here in CT has rebuilt ratchets ready to go behind the counter to swap with your broken one. I wanted MY ratchet; not someone else’s. Just a personal thing is all really. Oddly, when I asked to buy a rebuild kit (and I had the part number) I was told it was not available any longer. Go figure. That’s why I did it myself.

Dookie Bob stuff works wonders!

@@mikegiaccone32 Actually, the OEM instructions say to use SAE30 oil, or light machine oil, however many of the old rebuild kits came with a packet of grease. I use light machine oil or some lube like the Super Lube you have there and it's good to go.

Mark Stablein there is a sort of offset grove in the selector lever that keeps it in the hole. Once you’ve inserted the lever into the hole you move it slightly down towards the handle. From that point it’s sorta locked into its position. Thanks for watching!

I sure appreciate the reply, your video was a big help!

Mark Keeler that’s not a bad idea. I’ll keep it in mind for next time. The index cards usually hold up for several services though.

dj beard I did try my local Sears and tried to get a rebuild kit for the 3/8 and 1/2 ratchets. I even had part numbers for the appropriate kits too. They told me they were discontinued and just had the rebuilt ratchets and would be happy to exchange mine. Um, no thanks. I don't know if they were BS'ing me (probably) or what but, I knew I could get them off of eBay and that's what I did. Are Craftsman ratchets the best. No. I could go to Harbor Freight and go pick up a "better" ratchet and just be done with it. But, I like my somewhat clunky made in USA Craftsman ratchets. I have a Snap On. I have a Gearwrench. I have some Harbor Freight ones too. Part of keeping the old USA Craftsman ratchets going for me is sentimental too. I love my tools and am very proud to have what I have. I feel a certain excitement every chance I get to use them and sense of accomplishment after a task is done always feels so rewarding. We are such a throw away society that I'd much rather try and save one of these old ratchets before I just go buy a new one.

Gary Jones I believe they do. I just checked on my work bench and I have the remnants of a kit and I see an unused snap ring in it. You should be good to go but, just make sure you get the correct kit for your ratchet. Good luck!

BadPete999 I do have a couple of those style ratchets now and have since opened them up. They are pretty easy but, if you check out These Are My Toys he has a whole series of videos on the history of USA made Craftsman ratchets and he also breaks each one of them down. Check his videos out as they were a wealth of help and knowledge to me.

@thanosgp1 I don’t know how to attach a link but, search “Craftsman USA ratchet history” and it should pop up. The name of his channel is Gear Wolf. More info than you ever wanted to know. Haha! Very knowledgeable and very well spoken.

Ladislao Zambrano when those ratchets first came out they had metal release buttons and switch levers. Eventually and unfortunately those components were changed over to plastic versions. If your rratchet has a plastic switch lever that may be your problem. I hate to say it but, that design was never terribly precise to begin with and the plastic levers made it worse. Probably not much you can do for it aside from a rebuild at this point. I still love my Craftsman ratchets but, that's just one of the quirks of that design.

Ernie Johnson never tried it but, can’t see why it wouldn’t work. I feel the Super Lube is probably still a little better choice as it’s viscosity is a little thinner than petroleum jelly and it shouldn’t break down over time as quickly being Super Lube not petroleum based. I’m sure we’re splitting hairs here though. Thanks for the suggestion!

David Bloomberg the short answer is yes. What you'll get is most likely an overseas made ratchet if they swap it out though. Some Sears stores have rebuilt units behind the counter. If yours does then you might have a chance of getting back a USA made ratchet. If you want to keep YOUR ratchet I'd explore a rebuild kit first. I like keeping what's mine personally.

🌟

Jimmie Vetor they moved production to China about 2012 or so. The ratchets, wrenches, and sockets look very similar between USA vs. China made items. All your USA produced items will have the USA stamp on them. As the Sears stores get more and more scarce doing a warranty exchange will probably get you a made in China product. SOME Sears stores that are left may have rebuilt USA made ratchets to swap for for warranty purposes. Lowe’s is carrying the Stanley-Black And Decker produced Craftsman line now which is still mostly made overseas. I’ve heard of people being able to warranty their old-school Craftsman tools at Lowe’s. Your success at your particular Lowes store may vary though.

Thomas Paccione the kit you have sounds like it’s for the 2011-2012 and newer Chinese made ratchets. The ratchets and the repair kit look almost identical but, the Chinese kits will not work in a USA ratchet and visa versa. I’ve rebuilt my USA made ratchets with USA kits and they work as good as new. Hope this helps!

eBay sir.

Check eBay. They are probably getting scarce. Thanks for watching and good luck!

Ab Abner hope you had some luck. If you’ve had no success yet maybe try a thin feeler gauge or a slice of metal from a soda can. Maybe even a slice of plastic from a soda bottle. Hope this helps!

@@mikegiaccone32 Mike thank you for getting back to me. I took of aluminum flashing and made a tool that did the job. Thanks again.

RoCas Cords there’s a few ways to approach this. If you have a Sears nearby see if you can exchange it for a rebuilt one. I’m guessing yours is a USA made one that is. If they can do an exchange make sure it’s another USA made one. And make sure it works properly before you leave too. My coworker did an exchange and got back a USA made one. All good right? Nope! The thing works terrible! I took it from him and tried all my tricks and it still works lousy. My suspicion is Sears used the wrong kit in his ratchet. That brings me to my second option. If you get a kit to rebuild it yourself make sure you get a kit made for the USA made ratchets. Again, I’m assuming you’ve got an American made one. If your local Sears can’t get you a kit (or you don’t have a Sears nearby) then find a kit on eBay or what have you. You could exchange it for a Chinese made unit but, that’s defeating the purpose here, right? Hope this helps and good luck!

@@mikegiaccone32thanks for the reply, it's a USA made and wouldn't exchange it because it's a classic, I'll definitely look for the rebuilt USA kit and bring it back to its original self... 👍

RoCas Cords I hear you. That’s what I’d do as well. Glad I could help.

Reese Richter did you just buy a new Craftsman ratchet from Lowe’s?? If it’s one of the new Stanley-Black and Decker made Craftsman ratchets then I have no personal experience with them. Take it back for a warranty. If you bought a new Craftsman ratchet from Sears yeah, they may look like the old-school Craftsman ratchets but, are made in China. Sears should be able to warranty that out for you as well. Good luck and thanks for watching!

Yep

Use a breaker bar so you don't push the ratchet the failure

Gearz as far as I can tell somewhere around 2011-2012. Wrenches, ratchets, and sockets are all made in China or Taiwan now. Screwdrivers, most pliers, and hammers are still made here in the USA. So the next time you head to Sears just check your country of origin before you buy a tool if it matters to you. For me I like knowing my Craftsman tools are USA made. SK is a very nice alternative for USA made tools and won't completely kill your budget. For nice overseas made stuff look to Gearwrench, NAPA Carlyle, or even some select Harbor Freight stuff. I just like having made in USA if I can afford it or find it.

Mike Giaccone let me tellnyou my story.... I have 2 sears on my area, one super far (45min.) n the other near by (13min.). The one that is far has super knowledgable people and the one close by everyone is stupid and dont care bout sales or customers and my biggest mistake i made was to choose the close one out of convenience because i took them a set of HEXED male sockets the 2 out 7 piece were busted (made in USA of course). So i was after only the 2 sockets i had broken and did not care for the entire set tobe replaced since i already knew something look different n fishy bout the new set they wanted me to exchange. I get the EXACT same socket that were in individual packaging off the shelf (yes i had to do all their job for them) n tell em "hey id like these 2 only instead" and the sears rep gives me the look as if im the STUPID one for refusing the set. I told her my reasons are simple "my set inludes USA made sockets and your set now is Chinese, however your individual sockets are USA made still". After i explained, the moron decided to refuse my warranty all together because she says if i bought the set then the set is what they will exchange. I was soo angry with HER i said something i now regret..."its no big deal if you do the exchange my way because Sears is going down under and your still not going to have a job soon after whether you warranty this or not then people like me who have a REAL profession have to pay for your UNEMPLOYMENT." You can call me dumb for this if you must but 2 days later i drove up in person and had asked for to be brought up but was out for lunch so i waited the whole time for her to get back only to apologize. When i did she started crying n said the comment i made to her that day was not far from the truth since this particular sears declared a closing date. At that point i could care less that she never exchanged my w sockets n i just felt like a D***H*** but she eventually exchanged it anyways cuz she never thought i was gonna come back n apologize. I ended up becoming friends with her. Ehh this message got super long ill stop here.

Mike Giaccone i was at sears yesterday and looks like packs of screw drivers are made in china too i have the same set i was looking at and mine were made in U.S.

mario paz I’d first try your local Sears if there’s one nearby. If there is one each one is a bit different on how or if they’ll help you. My local Sears said they couldn’t get the repair kits anymore so I got mine off of eBay. Some people have said they were able to get them at their local Sears. Your results may vary. In any instance you need to get a rebuild kit for USA made ratchets if yours are USA made. And I’m guessing they are. Get the kit for your model stamped on the handle. Most of the eBay listings are pretty good and they tell you that kit fits what ratchet. You can also check out These Are my Toys channel and his Craftsman USA Ratchet History Project videos that go very in depth and he gives you the part numbers for the rebuild kits. Sorry for the long reply but, hope it helps!!

@@mikegiaccone32 I'm looking on ebay but many listings do not say whether asian or usa. Need part numbers

Tyler james they started making them in China between 2011-2012. About 90% of my Craftsman collection is USA made. We’ll have to wait and see what Stanley-Black & Decker does with the Craftsman line as far as bringing it back to more USA produced items. What I’ve seen so far I’m not terribly impressed.

Not very familiar with that product. The thicker the grease the more likely the ratchet will not operate properly. If it’s a thicker axle grease then I would use it very sparingly. Only a thin layer at best. These older 36 tooth ratchets tolerate a thicker grease. I like the Super Lube for these ratchets personally. You can pick it up at Harbor Freight or NAPA. Some of the finer tooth ratchets work better with a lite oil like 3-In-One. I have an 84 tooth Gearwrench and a Matco 88 that like just a TINY bit of Super Lube or just oil. For all around for most ratchets the Super Lube seems to fit the bill best without being too thick. Try what you like. If it doesn’t work then you can always clean out the ratchet and try something else. Sorry this was a long answer but, hope it helps. Thanks for the comment!

@@mikegiaccone32 hey great response thank you. The grease I mentioned is named "lucas red n tacky". I will follow your advice and try out thiner lube for my smaller ratchets.

ryan m99 glad I could help! I've seen others use a paper clip and for me I thought that was a PITA!! I figured at the factory they must use a really thin metal shim or something like a really thin feeler gauge. The thickness of the index card made sense to me so I tried it and it worked so that's been my trick ever since!

Robeft Yearian nah, they’re pretty simple inside. Haha! Thanks for watching!

Tony Saprano Lowe’s, Ace, & Sears all still sell them. None are the USA made ones though unfortunately. Some of the new Stanley-Black & Decker made ones are somewhat decent although a little pricey for what they are.

GNX157 thanks for the comment and to be honest with you, the raised panel ratchets are not my go-to. In the video you can see the polished, round handle version and that’s been my go-to for nearly 25 years. I also have Snap On and Matco ratchets and love using them as well. They are all a bit unique and all seem to come out and get the job done when called upon. I JUST picked up a Snap On TRLL72 extra-long 1/4” and can wait to use it. I still have a soft spot for the old-school Craftsman ratchets though. Thanks for watching!

Unfortunately you are correct sir. Rather rebuild my USA made ratchets at my own expense than give it up for a Chinese made replacement. Thanks for the comment!

Trill Monger if you mean standard ratchets as in non-powered (pneumatic or battery) then yeah, I’ve got a few! Haha! About 21 in total between 1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2”, and 3/4”. I do have a bunch of ratchets for sure. I do have a 1/4” and 3/8” pneumatic and plan on getting a 3/8” battery unit down the road. If you mean standard as in non-flex then yes, I’ve got more regular than flex heads. I have a Snap On 1/4” flex, Matco, Snap On, And Gearwrench 3/8” flex, and a 1/2” Pittsburgh Pro (Harbor Freight) flex head. It’s nice to have several ratchets so you can keep a few out with various sizes of sockets on them. But I also like collecting them as well. Thanks for your comment and I hope this answers your question.

@@mikegiaccone32 Yes that's what I meant. I was wondering if they were rare or something that is no longer produced. Thank you

Trill Monger the USA made Craftsman ratchets stopped somewhere between 2011-2012 where production moved to Taiwan and China. I do have a 1/4”, 3/8”, and 1/2” Craftsman Thin Profile ratchet set that is 84 tooth and made in Taiwan. All the rest of my Craftsman ratchets are USA made. A few of them are vintage from the 1940’s, 50’s, and 60’s. Craftsman tools back in the day were rugged, reliable, affordable tools for the average-Joe that carried a great warranty. Yeah, my Snap On and Matco ratchets are nicer but, my Craftsman stuff is near and dear to my heart and some of it I’ve had for almost 30 years.

Lover of tools.

Joe Bradley yeah, you’re right. There were higher quality tools available and still are but, for the price they were decent USA made tools for the “regular guy”. I’ve had my full polish “professional” ratchet now for almost 30 years and it’s still the one I reach for the most. And I have Snap On and Matco in there as well. Sentimental?? Maybe. But for a 36 tooth ratchet it’s actually pretty smooth! My basic point is things made in the USA are almost a bygone era and keeping these ratchets around and functioning is a tiny way to preserve that. Take a look at practically any tool box tour and you’ll see many auto technicians have an old Craftsman hanging out in there with all their Snappy ratchets. I’ve been at the automotive dealership level (on the parts side) for almost 2 decades and lots of guys and girls still have some C-Man stuff sprinkled in there. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching.

ถิรธนัช ศรีปลัด English dude! English!

If you mean SnapOn or Matco I’ve got those too. I have room in my box for all of them and enjoy using them all. Thanks for your comment.

Thank you. I CAN get that way sometimes. Haha!!