American made screwdrivers

Morning folks, Had to tear down my wife's treadmill yesterday and replace a lost set screw.
Anyway, Had to go into search mode in my shop- mess-disaster area to find a decent phillips screw driver. Not much to be found. Looking for your recomendations on a good american made (preferably)set. Is Craftsman still made here, any other ideas? I'm going to buy this week. have about $150 max budget. Thanks to all. Tom B.
 
I haven't bought screwdrivers in about ten years but the last ones I bought were S-K brand. They are probably the best ones I've ever had. I got them from Tooltopia.com
 
You must mean Crapsman...........You need to look far and wide to find a USA made screwdriver. Names like Proto, and Snap on come to mind. Do your research to find out where they are made.
 
Craftsman top end screwdrivers are still made here,Mac,Snap-on,S-K are a few others,thanks in advance for buying American,I wish more of us would,and yes you still can if you look hard enough.
 
I don't know where they are made, but Klein makes some very good screwdrivers. They make alot of electrical tools and are of very good quality.
 
I just bought a Craftsman set on Friday, made in USA. I didnt have to look far and wide either, they had shelves and shelves of them. They even had 2 isle-end displays in other areas of the store. Pretty common screwdriver and readily available.
 
(quoted from post at 14:03:37 11/25/12) I don't know where they are made, but Klein makes some very good screwdrivers. They make alot of electrical tools and are of very good quality.

Yep, Klein is about all I use anymore. The Phillips in particular fits the screws very well.
 
Klein not only makes the ones we are used to but the also have a series that has harder metal and a grip that's kinda different. They say USA but I really think this series is made in Germany. They are light weight and strong, about $10 each where you can find them. Any Klein dealer can get them.
 
The clear plastic handled craftsman screwdrivers are trash. Their pro ones are only slightly better. If your on a budget look at Mayhew "catspaw" they aren't bad. I really favor Matco's, I mostly use my snap-on ones but I actually like the matco better. Once you go and spend the money on a good set you will never go back to the junk ones.
 
Tom IMO I like the Craftsman the best because It really doesn't matter what happens to the Craftsman screwdriver or other hand tool. IT Is The Tool That Is Warranted,,,,Not the Original or subsequent Owners!!!!Use-Abuse-Tear it apart,,, Pitch the broken one on the counter and get you a new one. It is that simple, No long lengthy explanation on what happen. Any Sears store with a Tool Dept and you are on your way, and they are made here still.
Hope this helps.
Later,
John A.
 
Clear handled craftsman screwdrivers have phillips tips that don't grip good and handles that you can't grip good. They are a far cry from a professional screw driver.
 
Klein gets my vote. I do have craftsman cushion grip that are US look identical my Klein's except the color of the plastic.

Jeremy
 
Funny thing after first reading this posting I looked at my sk screwdrivers and realized they are made in france... Would rather buy chinese..
 
An 8 piece snap on set is right in your price range. I have had the same set for 16 years and have had to only replace 1 tip. There cant be enough good said about the quality of their screwdrivers. Although I do like the old handles better than the new style.
 
I own about every brand made and the best are Snap On. Try at your friendly pawn shop first, you should save at least 30%.
 
cdl, Darn strange!, I don't have problems with any I own. & I use them hard.
Sounds like to me if the tips don't grip then the Operator must be using the wrong size tip on a given screw!
Also seems to me that if someone cant grip the handle the problem is the operator! Weak Grip! Ive had Craftsman tools since 1976 and have Never had a tool failure that I didn't cause or put pressure beyond the failure point. and even then it was still warranted. I have personally had to use some Craftsman screwdrivers as a Cole Chisel when I was out away from home having again to get something going and beat the handle off several and warranted them too!
Only problems I had,,, is the Members here on YT that rag on Craftsman tools, Then rag on Me when I say they have done right by Me!
So I say Each to his Own! For me they fit my hands, the warranty has worked well for me in Any Store! I don't have to keep receipts on tool purchases, and prove I bought some tool from a given company guy in a mobile truck who may not warranty my tool just because I didn't buy it from him or the guy he took the route over from.
Later,
John A.
 
Think what you want, I am a self-employed professional mechanic and threw all my craftsman screwdrivers away 10 years ago when I saw the light. I critical about having the right size tip for the job, it always bothers me when I see people using a #2 in a #3 hole. Some of the craftsman stuff isn't too bad but you couldn't give me one of their ratchets or screwdrivers any more.
 
SnapOn now has a lot of Chinese made tools - just capitalizing on their brand name now, so be careful what you buy from them.
 
if it were me, id go to your favorite auto shop, find out what day the tool trucks come around usually it will be once a week or every other week, snap on, mac, matco are all professional mechanics tools, and are among the best out there, and there not cheap, but about the only way you will have a failure on these tools is if you loose it
 
For 25 years all I have used is snap on screwdrivers. No professional mechanics I know use anything other than snap on, mac or matco, except for the newbies who learn quickly that their craftsmans are junk. Their tips are the best in the business. The bead blasted tips grip better than anything else. Nothing worse than a cheap phillips screwdriver stripping out a screw.
 
That's right, you soon learn the cost of good tools is nothing compared to the time and expense of removing stripped fasteners. Guys bring me stuff they stripped the phillips heads out with their cheap screwdrivers, I take a good screwdriver and can still get a grip on what they didn't round out enough to remove the screw.
 
I've got a full set of Snap On screwdrivers in my roll-around, and a complete set of Kleins in my carry-around tool bag. Both have their merits. Anything else is nothing more than a tent stake as far as I'm concerned.
 
(quoted from post at 16:49:20 11/25/12) Morning folks, Had to tear down my wife's treadmill yesterday and replace a lost set screw.
Anyway, Had to go into search mode in my shop- mess-disaster area to find a decent phillips screw driver. Not much to be found. Looking for your recomendations on a good american made (preferably)set. Is Craftsman still made here, any other ideas? I'm going to buy this week. have about $150 max budget. Thanks to all. Tom B.

Stanley has recently came out with a set of screwdrivers made in the US. I have seen them at Wal-Mart and also at Sears. Don't know how good they are but I thought it was good to see them made in the USA. Usually once made overseas, they never come back, but these have.
 
Stanley has a good couple of screw drives I really like --- can't remember what the call them - something along the lines of demolition - or something or other. They have metal caps on the ends of the handles.

They make one standard and one philips head. Both kind of large, but a good general purpose size.

Those are my current favorites.

not sure if they're made in the US...

probably not, but I like to think they are.
 
Being a dumb ole farmer I'll continue to buy USA made Craftsman tools. As you say too dumb too know any better.
 

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