I have a pretty good collection of Craftsman tools.  When I was young my dad was the Allstate Insurance agent in the local Sears store - and he could get a 1o% discount for me.  And.....the tools were good quality and they had a lifetime warranty.  Over the years I have worn out a 3/8" drive ratchet, broken a few 1/2"-3/8" socket adapters, and used screwdrivers until the ends are all rounded off and no longer usable.  All I needed to do was take the broken/worn out tool to the Sears store and hand it in for a replacement.

I am not hard on tools and I still have tools that are 50 years old that look and work line new - but last week I broke the tip off a screwdriver.  I was abusing it while trying to get a rusted brake drum off of a car that hadn't moved in 30 years.  If I had been at my house I could have found a proper tool - but I was 300 miles from home and only had my small tool box with me.

There are no longer any Sears hardware stores around me, and even the K-Mart stores that carried Craftsman tools are gone.  I got online and found that Lowe's carries Craftsman tools and honor the warranty.......or at least that is what the internet states.  I went to the local Lowe's and the lady at the Customer Service Counter told me to go get the same screwdriver.....they did not have an exact match, and the screwdriver they had was about 1/2" longer.  I went back to the Customer Service Counter and she compared numbers.  She said that they could only exchange if the numbers matched, and she gave me a telephone number to call for the Craftsman exchange.  The telephone was answered by a computer that gave me the option of getting a claim form webpage by telephone or text....I chose text.  The claim form was pretty lengthy - and it stated the claim could be denied if there was any store within 30 miles that could exchange the tool.  So.....I decided a $4.00 screwdriver was not worth the time/hassle and I ceased trying to make a claim (I went back to Lowe's and bought the $4.00 replacement).

So I guess the honeymoon is over, and my lifetime warranty on my Craftsman tools is not really of much use anymore.  

Sears is no longer in business, at least in Canada. The 'Craftsman" brand appears to have been bought by either 'Stanley" or 'Dewalt". I too just broke a 1/2" drive socket wrench I bought in 1965. Not bothering with any warranty.  
Craftsman was always a quality brand back then,  bought a 10" bandsaw a few years before Sears expired, got lucky!
Cheers! no cool emojii

 My shop Supervisor just exchanged 6 or 7 old Craftsman tools as part of an update.  2 did not have exact matches at Lowe's and he was able to get replacements shipped out with images sent as well.

 I think in Dave's situation it is less of an issue with Craftsman not providing replacements, but an issue with what situation is easier at the time.  Buy a similar $4 screwdriver or get an exact replacement in the mail.

 Has Craftsman in the past exchanged similar items that weren't exact?

 Oh and Craftsman was bought by Stanley/Black and Decker back in March 2017.

https://ir.stanleyblackanddecker.com/news-releases/news-release-details/stanl...