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The Craftsman brand has delivered countless quality tools over the years, winning customers over largely with its robust power tool selection. The batteries that power them have made waves as well, with there even being non-Craftsman products that can be powered by Craftsman batteries. At the same time, it can be easy to overlook Craftsman’s smaller, simpler options in favor of these more powerful pieces. Case in point, Craftsman’s extensive line of hand tools, which can make all kinds of jobs easier without having to rely on power cords and batteries to get your work done.

Craftsman has all the hand tool essentials, from screwdrivers to hammers to wrenches, with its selection of sockets not to be forgotten. Craftsman currently has a plethora of individual sockets for sale, in addition to larger sets. These socket cases can be as small as only a handful of items within, to those that come with hundreds upon hundreds of pieces. Of course, there’s more to what you get in the box when it comes to purchasing sockets or any tools. You want to know if the purchase is worthwhile — more specifically, if the tools you’re paying for are worth the cost in terms of quality.

The many Craftsman socket sets on the market today have been received rather positively by users. Here’s what folks have had to say about their quality.

According to many Craftsman customers, the brand’s socket kits qualify it to live among the best of the major socket brands. If you foresee needing sockets of different sizes and the hardware to use them, many believe the quality and variety for the cost are undoubtedly present.

“The quality is of the set is great, i wanted a set that doesn’t fall out easy as others i have owned in the past,” said Amazon user Roy Diaz of the Craftsman 135-piece tool and socket set set. William Theiler was impressed with the durability of the sockets, even under heavy use, while RGRBN praised the set for its selection and storability. The Craftsman 20-piece socket set garnered a lot of praise, too, with Amazon customer Climber even buying one for home and one for travel. “Great quality, the case is great, everything is visible, it appears to be a good quality. Highly recommend,” they added.

Meanwhile, over on YouTube, user GT Cam opened up one of the Craftsman V-Series 3/8 inch socket sets. While they do point out that the socket wrenches could be improved in terms of head thickness, they believe the set itself is of solid make and is worth the price. YouTuber ThingsMen looked at a couple of similar sets, those being the Craftsman V-Series 1/4 inch metric socket set and the V-Series 1/4 inch shallow socket set. They had the same feelings about the heads of the socket wrenches being a bit undersized, but they thought the sockets themselves were fairly decent.

Naturally, alongside the many positive reviews of Craftsman’s sockets are the negatives. There are countless folks who aren’t all that impressed with the brand’s socket offerings.

While many are satisfied with Craftsman’s current socket kits, others aren’t impressed. They feel quality has taken a hit in recent years, prompting them to buy with hesitation, if at all.

Supersonic Motorsport Unlimited on YouTube reviewed the Craftsman 88-piece socket set, and they weren’t blown away by what they saw. Not only did the sockets appear thinner than previous examples, but the interiors looked rough and a bit rusty. At the very least, the case appeared to be of decent quality. Several users in a Bob’s the Oil Guy forum thread on the topic noticed a similar trend with the Craftsman product. User Lenny5160 has even stayed away from the brand for years, commenting, “My primary sockets, extensions, and combination wrenches are all from my circa-2000 Craftsman set. I no longer use the ratchets and haven’t bought anything Craftsman in quite some time.”

YouTuber Jay Costa USA also took an in-depth look at the 88-piece set, and they came to the same conclusion about the quality. The chrome finish was lacking, and some of the sockets were already rusting on the inside. Not even the nostalgia factor behind the tenured Craftsman brand could bring them to recommend the set. Garage Journal user Chrome Vanadium Cody couldn’t quite recommend Craftsman sockets from the Craftsman 11-piece metric socket set, writing, “I still wouldn’t really recommend these just because they were a mixture where some sockets had regular detents and others had Craftsman’s ‘double detents’ which don’t fit well/hold securely.”

Craftsman is still beloved and considered a worthwhile, cheaper alternative to the Mac Tools hand tools and other more expensive lines. Simultaneously, its modern sockets seem a mixed bag, though odds are they’ll handle most casual jobs just fine.