Craftsman tools & Sears......

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Could be good or bad. I"d love to see Craftsman step up and show some pride in the quality, rather than them being one small piece of a conglomerate without time to care for such a small part of the company. Then again, they could go into profit mode, cutting corners anywhere possible. Time will tell, I guess.

-Spike
 
I saw that yesterday when I was looking to see if Danaher still made Craftsman. I'm no MBA retail genius but I think the only reason some people (me) go to sears is the tools. As it stands I drive past a Wal Mart and Target and two ACE hardwares to get to Sears, if I could get Craftsman elsewhere I'd probably never set foot in a Sears again.

Not to hijack, but why can't we get PROTO tools at ACE? THey are made by Stanley.
 
koop said:
I saw that yesterday when I was looking to see if Danaher still made Craftsman. I'm no MBA retail genius but I think the only reason some people (me) go to sears is the tools. As it stands I drive past a Wal Mart and Target and two ACE hardwares to get to Sears, if I could get Craftsman elsewhere I'd probably never set foot in a Sears again.

Not to hijack, but why can't we get PROTO tools at ACE? THey are made by Stanley.
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Proto is their "higher end" tool line and ACE probably thinks their customer won't pay the higher price. MSC Direct sells Proto tools if you want to buy some.

Besides the tools I shop Sears for their huge appliance selection and currently they are very competitive on flat screen tv prices. There were rumblings last year when Sears was taken over about splitting up the company. Sears has been dying a slow death for years, perhaps this will save the company.
 
koop said:
As it stands I drive past a Wal Mart and Target and two ACE hardwares to get to Sears, if I could get Craftsman elsewhere I'd probably never set foot in a Sears again.
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Have you been in a K-Mart (Big K) lately? Their Craftsman selection gets better every time I go in there (rarely, I admit).

Our Sears is the best place around to get tires and appliances, and we have every big box store imaginable.
 
koop said:
Not to hijack, but why can't we get PROTO tools at ACE? THey are made by Stanley.
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Proto brand of tools is considered industrial quality. Your average Joe that visits ACE Hardware will never need or be willing to pay for these types of tool.. Only tool junkies would own such tools...
 
I've spent less than $200 at Sears in 2007 buying tools. Contrast this to spending over $500 each year on Sears tools. Ever since Kmart bought them out, quality and SERVICE has gone downhill and I really don't care to step in a Sears store anymore.
 
I briefly read through the article....it mentioned reorganization....not necessarily splitting with craftsman. I think that would be a bad move on their part.

However, I did hear about craftsmans warranty moving from lifetime to limited lifetime under the preface: only home use. In other words, your tools are covered under warranty if they are being used for home use, not for shop use. I'm not sure how that would be effectively enforced however...
 
Are you guys still getting "made in USA" Craftsman hand tools?

All the stuff up here is Chinese made. Once in a while Sears has a small specialized kit that is US made but the vast majority is made of rice. The warranty is the same but you use it a lot more.
 
I was blown away when my nut & bolt vendor (Tifco) had Craftsman tools in their newest catalog.... but the strange thing is they are more expensive than the local Sears.......
 
You'll also find Craftsman tools on the shelf if you step into a Fastenal store. Not a big selection, but they have them.
 
they sell Craftsman at OSH (West coast chain?)
 
I think it would be good if Craftsman had a weekly route truck like Mac & Snap-off.....I know I'd buy more if they did........
 
Proto is marketed as industrial, but their quality leaves much to be desired. I've been through 3 Proto 3/8 teardrop ratchets in the past 18 months, none of which were seriously abused. They were replaced under warranty, but you have to wait a week or two to get the new one. During that time I've abused a craftsman 3/8 ratchet with deadblow hammers and cheater pipes and it's still going strong. Proto is priced just under snap on and mac, and I've been disapointed in every Proto tool I've purchased.

Blackhawk is the Proto value line, and oddly it seems to hold up much better.

Craftsman doesn't make the greatest tools, but they do hold up well for the price, and their warranty and ease of exchange makes them stand out. Hopefully they realize this and don't stray too far from what's been working for them.
 
grant5127 said:
I think it would be good if Craftsman had a weekly route truck like Mac & Snap-off.....I know I'd buy more if they did........
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Craftsman tested wagon distribution many years ago. Once the overhead cost of that type of distribution was added to the tools, they were almost as much as other wagon tools, making them not competitive.
 
Craftsman has some good stuff, their Pro tools are pretty nice but having to go to the fawkin Sears store and argue with the zit faced doucehbag about getting a tool replaced is enough to make me mental. I gladly pay more for Snap On or SK just to not deal with Sears employees.

We've got a ton of old Proto stuff from back in the day and it is really tough - I picked up a dented Proto roll cab box a few years ago for like $450 and it is a WAY better product than comparable Snap-On or Mac boxes.

Ferguson enterprises sells Proto stuff and they get all sorts of damaged freight - worth checking into if you are looking for very good quality tool boxes
 
MOfj40 said:
Craftsman doesn't make the greatest tools, but they do hold up well for the price, and their warranty and ease of exchange makes them stand out. Hopefully they realize this and don't stray too far from what's been working for them.
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As much as I have been upset with the noticeable loss in quality of Craftsmen over the last several years, I still primarily buy them for the exact reasons you mentioned. While it used to be very good quality for a decent price, it is now decent quality for a decent price. But being able to go to my local Sears and check out a great variety of quality tools is a huge benefit.

If Craftsmen were to split off, I could see some plusses from distancing itself from the mess that is Sears. But I would hope they would maintain a wide varitey of outlets - be it Sears, Kmart, or whereever.
 
lowenbrau said:
Once in a while Sears has a small specialized kit that is US made but the vast majority is made of rice.
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Ummm...you're Land Cruiser's made of rice.:p:D

Sorry...couldn't resist.

Point taken. I buy USA whenever possible...except when I'm buying cruisers of course.;)

I was headed to Sears today to check out their torque wrenches. Now I'm not so sure. I was under the impression the Craftsman stuff was still unconditional life warranted. I don't have a shop, but still. Been a while since I've been in Sears. Anyone care to recommend a quality alternative? Cost is no object, I want quality and don't want to have to buy things twice.
 
I think Lowenbrau is referring to the fact they are Chinese made... not USA made (read: higher quality)

Certain Sears tools are unconditionally guaranteed; things such as torque wrenches and electric tools are not.

Thermodyn said:
Ummm...you're Land Cruiser's made of rice.:p:D

Sorry...couldn't resist.

Point taken. I buy USA whenever possible...except when I'm buying cruisers of course.;)

I was headed to Sears today to check out their torque wrenches. Now I'm not so sure. I was under the impression the Craftsman stuff was still unconditional life warranted. I don't have a shop, but still. Been a while since I've been in Sears. Anyone care to recommend a quality alternative? Cost is no object, I want quality and don't want to have to buy things twice.
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Stumpalama said:
I think Lowenbrau is referring to the fact they are Chinese made... not USA made (read: higher quality)
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Yeah, I know, I got his point. Not trying to be a jerk. I was just giving him a friendly ribbing in the MUD tradition.:)

Thanks for the info on Sears' warranty.
 
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