Stanley Black and Decker buying Craftsman brand from Sears

[HelzBelz]

Well.. I live and die by my love of Craftsman. I've snapped numerous crappy Stanley and HomeDepot Lowes tools by combining them with Craftsman tools.

So today Sears announced they are selling the brand to Stanley Black and Decker. I would bet there is no intention of maintaining the quality of the Craftsman tools. Why would they?

I wonder if there will be a collectors market for "Old" Craftsman tools?

 

[Bounce]

The trouble over the past couple of decades is that Craftsman wasn't the Craftsman of old. Some items were warrantied as in the past (walk in and do a swap), some required a long process, and some left you SOL. It was a hassle trying to know which were which at purchase time.

In the early 70's I worked in the hardware department of a Sears after school and the things I saw people bring in that we swapped without question were "interesting".

When someone brings in a small-gauge allen wrench twisted into a pretzel, you figure it was a tight bolt and using cheaters didn't help. When he holds out his hand and shows you a dozen of them like that, you figure he'd have gotten a clue and quit ruining allen wrenches. The boss said swap 'em all so I did.

 

[mcatrophy]

I have several Snapon and Par-X tools, had them for over 50 years. Unbeatable quality. Was able to buy them at a reduced rate from a friend who was selling them to garages - they were still pricy, but I've never regretted having them. Wish I'd bought more.

Example:

(Click on image for larger view)



A little dirty, but no sign of wear on the jaws. (Its strength not needed for the nut it's shown working on

.)

They were sold with an unconditional replacement guarantee.

 

[redzgrider]

A lot of Craftsman tools from the 70's and early 80's were made by Stanley, when there was still a Stanley Tool Works in the US. Good stuff, and still many of my favorite tools. Since the 80's though, Craftsman has been changed over bit by bit to Harbor Freight quality Chinese imports. First thing to go were the twist drills, and then most of the driver bits. They tried to maintain a division between the good and cheese with the 'Evlov' tools for a while, but now anything not clearly marked 'U.S.A.' is M.I.C. (made in china)...

 

[HotRodZilla]

Yup. Craftsman has been Made In China for years. Some indicate Japan. What's funny, is I haven't bought much Craftsman stuff for a really long time. I have an Evolve set and they're not that impressive. I have some stuff from Autozone that I really like. Don't remember the brand, but they're some of my favorite sockets. My favorite driver is a Husky. Whatever works I guess.

 

[puppychow]

I have started buying Husky also. Home Depot is 3 blocks away. I have broken Husky stuff before, and have walked into Home Depot with broken tool and walked out with brand new replacement.

Prefer nothing breaks to begin with, but I have also broken Craftsman tools of late, and some of my Craftsman tools are noticeably better quality than Husky, but Sears is 3 towns away. Now, with store closures, not sure if there will be even one left in this county.

 

[FJRay]

I used to be a real tool snob and owed a good portion of my paycheck to the Snap-on or MAC tool truck. After living on an island for 30 years and not having access to the fancy stuff I find I eat just as well using Ace Hardware, NAPA, Husky or Kobalt. I don't even mind Harbor freight now that their hand tools are life time guaranteed. I've been on a MAC truck once since moving to Oregon to buy a good inch pound torque wrench. The local Ace Hdw. has Craftsman so I buy some stuff there.

I worked for Sears in the late 60's and then the tools were good. If I did break one I just walked to the main store to get a fresh one and back to work.

 

[Gmann]

As a hobbiest mechanic I love my old Craftsman tools. But I am wondering where Dewalt fits into this? Do they not own Stanley Black and Decker? Or is it the other way around? Sears is in so much trouble they are getting more and more desperate...

 

[TomInPA]

In a few years, there will be no Sears.

We lived in that era, let it go. It's not your Father's Craftsman, and that would be our kids saying that.

 

[Geezer]

I never thought Craftsman tools were really better than most average quality tools, but they always replaced anything I broke or wore out without question so I do have a box full of Craftsman hand tools. I have traded many worn ratchet wrench handles, split sockets, and broken screwdrivers without any issues. That is why I was willing to pay the higher prices they charge over other equally good hand tools. Like most things Sears brands, the actual manufacturer can vary from year to year and still carry the Craftsman, Kenmore, or other Sears brand.

These days many hand tools come with a lifetime guarantee, but many require that you send the broken one to them and wait for the replacement, which usually I need that day, so I end up buying a new one.

Snap-on are much better tools at even higher prices and come with the lifetime, no question asked, guarantee. They are good enough that I have never broken one without severe abuse, but they can be broken if you try hard enough. The problem other than the price is that I have to track down the truck in order to trade in the broken tool.

 

[tntmo]

The article mentioned they are planning to open a manufacturing plant in the USA, so that's good news if it happens.

I just recently broke my Craftsman 3/8" drive ratchet. Didn't feel like driving to Sears so I got a composite ratchet from Harbor Freight, that thing is nice and gets good reviews online. Guess I better get to Sears soon, though.

 

[Gmann]

Ok, Stanley owns Black and Decker ($3.2 Billion) and.....Dewalt, Porter Cable, Fat Max, Bostich, Mac Tools, Kwikset and Baldwin. Now Craftsman. Corporate consolidation in our day and age?

 

[SacramentoMike]

The older I get, the less important buying really good tools seems to me. sigh.

 

[Abercrombie FJR]

We just got news today that we will be loosing Sears from the mall in Fargo. It seems hard to believe that a a metro area of well over 200,000 can not support a sears any longer. It is not surprising news since Sears just never seems to have its feet underneath themselves.

I have owned Craftsman tools since I bought my first set of tools and the quality is outstanding. When my sons graduated from high school a few years ago, I bought them both a large set of tools and was appalled at the lack of quality.

 

[SLK50]

"Lack of quality" , hmm.

Manufacturing is market driven, not the other way around.

If consumers didn't buy cheap tools no manufacturer

would make them.

The market responded to demand.

IOW, you get what you pay for.

 

[bigjohnsd]

The trouble over the past couple of decades is that Craftsman wasn't the Craftsman of old. Some items were warrantied as in the past (walk in and do a swap), some required a long process, and some left you SOL. It was a hassle trying to know which were which at purchase time.
In the early 70's I worked in the hardware department of a Sears after school and the things I saw people bring in that we swapped without question were "interesting".

When someone brings in a small-gauge allen wrench twisted into a pretzel, you figure it was a tight bolt and using cheaters didn't help. When he holds out his hand and shows you a dozen of them like that, you figure he'd have gotten a clue and quit ruining allen wrenches. The boss said swap 'em all so I did.

My experience working at Sears as well. As a consumer, while working as a mechanic, I used Sears 6 pt deep sockets with my impact tools and they were always replaced under warranty. I went to purchase some new sockets recently, they were made in China, didn't fit as well and had thicker walls. I noticed that wrench thickness has increased as well.

An iconic brand slips away.

 

[RossKean]

Most of my hand tools are branded by Canadian Tire. I'm sure that the vast majority of these originate in China. They have two "grades" of most of their hand tools (Mastercraft and MAXiMUM). For the most part, I have found very good quality (especially the MAXiMUM grade) at a very good price (when on sale). They have a lifetime replacement deal on the higher grade hand tools but I have never had to invoke that.

I have to say, I gave up on Craftsman stuff some time ago. Seems you were paying a premium for quality that was not especially high. Fewer and fewer Sears stores around with a good stock of tools.

 

[Uncle Hud]

SacramentoMike posted: The older I get, the less important buying really good tools seems to me. sigh.

Like.

Bought a "home handyman" set from Home Depot a few months ago for Aunt Kelly's house. Strange mixture of English/metric, and included an 8-inch adjustable wrench. Haven't seen nor used one of those in a long time.

 

[Knifemaker]

Growing up I remember my dad saying he only bought craftsmen tools. He said they were the best and I should never "get cheap when it comes to tools (or guns)....either are more likely to fail on you when you need it."

Most of what I own are Craftsmen, the bulk of them bought back in the late 70's early 80's. I've never had a Craftsman tool break on me, although through the years I've found a few of their screwdrivers with the tips broken by the side of the road. Guess the owner didn't realize he could just go to Sears and get a new one for free?....which is what I did with them.

I did have a "Great Neck" rachet break on me. I do have a few Stanley tools, mostly things like razor knives, pliers, and hammers. I have a set of Kobalt combination wrenches that so far have worked fine, and if I needed something I wouldn't hesitate to buy a tool from Lowes or Home Depot...as long as it says made in USA....as the nearest Sears is 45 minutes away.

A while back I was "gifted" with a 84 piece set of Craftsman sockets....six point, twelve point, deep wall, with both 3/8 and 1/2" drives, standard and metric, along with both size ratchets. Found the case lying in the street.

So...I'm pretty well fixed up with all the tools I'll likely ever need, but I do hope the Craftsman line remains and the quality doesn't go down the toilet.