Crafstman tools

[BLNRAY]

i bought my first set of tools from sears in 1967 or 68 not really sure,but have always been a fan of craftsman. i have noticed in the last few years diffrent brands showing up in sears that was ok as long as my USA made craftsman tools were there,now i pickup a crafstman ratchet and it says made in china WTF is this world coming to. just sayin!!!!

 

[Bill Stockard]

i bought my first set of tools from sears in 1967 or 68 not really sure,but have always been a fan of craftsman. i have noticed in the last few years diffrent brands showing up in sears that was ok as long as my USA made craftsman tools were there,now i pickup a crafstman ratchet and it says made in china WTF is this world coming to. just sayin!!!!

Yep, I too bought Craftsman tools since about 1960 and have accumulated two roll around tool boxes full of them. I've been very satisfied with Craftsman, but like you have noticed that the new tools aren't what they used to be. I guess it goes with the times... cheap price is more important than quality. Lately, I've bought from Snap-On online for any addition to my tools.



Bill

 

[AEdelheit]

The Crafstman quality and customer service has gone down hill fast , a lot of Snap-on is no longer made in the USA either

 

[GHarman]

A Decade ago, we were using SPARKLESS WRENCHES in a special application, at work. They were a Bronze Alloy and stamped Craftsman! GregH

 

[BIGNASTY]

Snap on wrench handles to thin and hurt when putting some torque on the job.

 

[HDR]

I tried to exchange my 3/8's drive ratchet at Sears and the geek behind the counter said they have to send them in for repairs. I told him I'm a mechanic and if I don't have my ratchet how I'm I going to work? He eventually got the manager and I got a new one.

 

[AHarris]

Since K-mart is a division of Sears, they sell Craftsman there. Normally the "Craftsman" tools at K-mart say "Made in China. " At Sears, I've found that there's two levels of Craftsman there: the cheaper ones are Chicom and the higher-end tools say "Made in USA. "

Craftsman have always been great tools. Got a bunch of them and they are second to none for the price.

Remember Schwinn? Schwinn used to make the best bicycles in the world, when they were US made and only sold in bike shops or better stores. Now "Schwinn" is just a decale on a cheap steel frame made in the same Chinese factory as Huffy or Mongoose and sold at Wal Mart and Target.

There's other examples, too: Polaroid, RCA, etc...

Sad to see our great American brands turn into cheap Chicom crap with fancy decals. I hate the era we live in now.

I fear the same fate awaits Craftsman tools... the writing is on the wall.

 

[Troubleshooter]

I was passing by a Sears store in another town a couple of weeks ago (final sale days before they closed the store) and stoped in to see what they had. As mentioned, many of the Craftsman-marked tools were made in China. Interestingly, the sale price on a particular Craftsman tool was more than double what the same exact tool cost elsewhere (and probably made in the same factory).



I've had some fair luck going to farm auctions and buying older, US-made hand and power tools for less than retail. I look for an estate sale or a retirement auction. I find good brands like Craftsman and Rockwell; and they frequently go for pennies on the dollar. (Probably shouldn't have told y'all that; now you'll be outbidding me at the next auction).

 

[WalterRyan]

The Craftsman tools are all the same no matter where you buy them. I even see them at Ace hardware stores now. Craftsman has had more than one line of tools for years but now I am afraid that the main line is turning into junk.



As an even sadder side note Kmart is not a division of Sears. Kmart bought Sears for 11 billion in late 2004. Now they say they merged but at the time it was Kmart buys Sears. Since then they changed the corporate name to Sears holdings or something like that.



Sears started going downhill after that.

 

[BLNRAY]

and it's not just craftsman, i bought 2 tool kits from OTC

 

[BLNRAY]

slight interruption,both OTC tool,you guessed it, made in china. you gotta shop carefully.

 

[Bob4x4]

Sears started the downward slide MANY years ago 1980's imho

 

[Deleted member 995608]

I won't buy Craftsman anymore. All junk, especially their ratchets.



I've never broken a handle but the gear mechanism in the heads constantly break!



I took in a 6 month old 1/2" ratchet and they tried to give me a replacement that look like it was used as a hammer. I wanted a new one or at least looked new like the one I turned in. I took my broken one back and now use it for a hammer.

 

[Bill Stockard]

As an even sadder side note Kmart is not a division of Sears. Kmart bought Sears for 11 billion in late 2004. Now they say they merged but at the time it was Kmart buys Sears. Since then they changed the corporate name to Sears holdings or something like that.



Sears started going downhill after that.

It makes one wonder how that was done with Kmart in bankruptcy at the time. I think it was actually a merger, but was a PR and media "spin" as a buyout using Sears' money. All that it did was pull Sears down faster than they were already sinking.



It wouldn't surprise me if Sears Holdings began selling off the profitable lines and the old "hull" of what is left disappear into the pages of history like their former competitor, Montgomery-Ward.



Bill

 

[Deleted member 995608]

I have several old Craftsman power tools that are fantastic. One is a table saw my grandad bought in about 1956. It is mostly cast iron, it's heavy, accurate, and powerful. I use it often to this day. When I was a kid, almost everything we bought was through layaway at Sears or Monkey Ward. "Progress" I guess, but sad to see them in decline.

The good ole days of quality Craftsman are gone.



I have my father-in laws Craftsman floor tool box. I don't know what year it is but it beast the snot out of my modern day $2k Craftsman box.

 

[KBurgoyne]

i bought a 155 piece set of craftsman. was not impresed. all the sockets had a rough finish. it had two sets of allen wrenches in it. each one was counted as a tool to make the deal sound better. bought them on sale for fifty bucks under regular price, and returned them in short order.

 

[BIGNASTY]

I bought a kit from SK just to put in the camp gear when traveling in the the Dodge with the TT it was like 100 plus piece set. Its not bad for just what it is a HOPE I DONT HAVE TO USE IT BUT GLAD TO HAVE IT IF I DO.

 

[Grizzly]

I've been a Craftsman tool loyal customer for many years. Yes, the quality has cheapen, but so has everything else.



Sears is still good about their free replacement policy, which is the best part about Craftsman. Last week I went to my nearby Sears store to exchange a few broken tools. One was a steel leaf rake with some broken tines. They tried to give me a plastic leaf rake. I said, no thanks, I'll keep my broken steel rake better.

 

[Bill Stockard]

I have several old Craftsman power tools that are fantastic. One is a table saw my grandad bought in about 1956. It is mostly cast iron, it's heavy, accurate, and powerful. I use it often to this day. When I was a kid, almost everything we bought was through layaway at Sears or Monkey Ward. "Progress" I guess, but sad to see them in decline.

Yep, I have my father's Montgomery-Ward table saw that he bought back in the early '50s. It's probably similar to yours, and as you describe, built out of cast iron, heavy, accurate, and powerful. I also own a Craftsman radial arm saw, floor drill press, a bench grinder on a stand, and a 30-gallon 4-hp 220 volt 2-cylinder portable air compressor I bought in the early 70s that are a well built power tools. I don't buy Sears brand cordless or corded power tools anymore.



Bill

 

[Grizzly]

Yep, I have my father's Montgomery-Ward table saw that he bought back in the early '50s. It's probably similar to yours, and as you describe, built out of cast iron, heavy, accurate, and powerful. I also own a Craftsman radial arm saw, floor drill press, a bench grinder on a stand, and a 30-gallon 4-hp 220 volt 2-cylinder portable air compressor I bought in the early 70s that are a well built power tools. I don't buy Sears brand cordless or corded power tools anymore.



Bill

I agree with you. I don't buy any of their power tools either, but I do buy their Forever guarantee tools.



I still have many of the Craftsman tools I bought when I built my first house in the mid 60's. Here's one of them.