Good to know. AKA... stay away from Craftsman.

 

Sad but true. I have many Craftsman boxes and tools, but some items like air compressors just aren't of good quality. I wouldn't say never buy from them, but inspect and research what you get prior to purchase.

 

So I went by Sears today to look at those torque wrenches they have on sale....MADE IN CHINA

I found an old stock one they had way in the back, blew the dust off....MADE IN USA

Here is the difference...US made have black handle and are called microtork. The China made ones have red ring on handle and are called micro-clicker.

 

Nice find! I always search for the better quality items when I'm there

 

Oh yeah! While I was there I found a nice pile of clearance items...I sure will miss Sears when they shut down.

 

I have Harbor Freight 1/2" and 3/8" click-type torque wrenches and 1/2, 3/8, and 1/4 Craftsman beam-style torque wrenches (old made in the USA ones). I've tested the Harbor Freight ones against the Craftsman ones got the same reading on both. I got them at Harbor Freight for $15 each.

I use them all the time on everything I own that I can find torque specs on. They have held up great and still test accurate against my Craftsman ones.

However, if the Craftsman ones were on sale for $49.99 each, I would have gotten those. I like the lock at the top of the handle better than at the bottom.

 

Interesting, even though not a surprise since Sears was purchased by KMart sometime ago.

My Craftsman torque wrench is USA-made as well as all the other Craftsman tools I have. Have been using them for too many years to remember. They are awesome and perfect for home use.

I never saw a German brand called Belzer here in US. Those are the best I ever had.

 

I must admit, I shop at Sears and Harbor freight and the tools seems to work just the same for the most part.

 

I have the Kobalt 1/2 and it has served me well... I stopped buying Craftsman because I split about every socket I own.

 

Did a bit of research on this a few months ago when I was looking to buy. Basically reviews were mixed about brands, saying it is all about the calibration. One shipment of one brand could be dead on, and another shipment of the same brand could be %'s off.

Almost no craftsman got decent ratings. Also keep in mind, Torque wrenches are not considered hand tools, so no one (that I've seen) offers a lifetime warranty.

I ended up with HD's Husky... I think it is essentially the same as the Kobalt. All china made though...