Craftsman at Lowes

[zendriver]

Perhaps I'm out of touch, but all along I was under the impression, that Lowes cman offering were supposed to dominate their tool offerings, with big showey displays, etc, in their own section.

Unless it's different elsewhere, two stores here, with maybe the exception of tool chests, the individual cman products are mostly simply intermingled, with their other brand offerings, or maybe on a remote isle display, elsewhere in the store. almost a moment.

Very underwhelming to say the least.

Is it that way everywhere?

 

[upgrading]

Same around me.

It seems they don't know what to do with the "name" yet.

 

[Psychwarfare]

CM is in full swing at the 3 Lowes I frequent.

Large tool chest displays. Their own aisle of hand tools. Separate aisle of power tools. Multiple end caps for sets/Kits across the front of the store.

Maybe the ones around me are so jazzed up because Sears had multiple stores in the region and CM had some perceived consumer pull.

 

[JVB]

As far as I know they are in transition and the tool sections are getting reset for the craftsman tools. This is at least in my area of 3 stores .

 

[hangfirew8]

My local Lowe's the Craftsman does dominate the tool section. Bosch and Dewalt 12V power tools now share 3 feet of counter space. Kobalt hand tools 6-8 feet. Cman 2 full/long rows.

It is all meaningless to me, because they have zero open stock and therefore no ability to do warranty replacement of individual hand tools. If you ask they point at a sign to call SBD. What is Craftsman with no instant useful warranty? Just another brand.

-HF

 

[diesel_dan]

I just was in my local ACE Hardware and the front of the store was like being in a good ol' Sears tool department, well ok, not that many CM tools but a lot of shelf and floor space dedicated to the brand...

Didn't ask if I had a defective one, would they replace? Maybe next time I'm in there...

 

[JulianMorrow]

The big box Lowes in my hometown is going Craftsman in a major way with exhibits up front and a large stock of the brand. My local Sears just died, and my local Ace is 1/3 the size of Lowes.

My local Ace is much closer to where I live--they have a modest stock of Craftsman. I bought two long Craftsman screwdrivers there (flathead & phillips) with padded grips for $8 bucks each--very nice.

 

[diesel_dan]

So I know Lowes is owned by Masco, who owns a lot of big companies and big brands... Has Cman been sold off as part of the Sears bankruptcy stuff?? If so, who owns it now...?

Scott

 

[Bretny]

I was in a sears last week exchanging some broken screw drivers and two US made 3/8 flex head ERGO ratchets. There stores and tools have gone way down hill. Il be buying husky now for the quality and HD is 10min away and on the way home. Sears/lowes is 30min out of the way.

 

[JulianMorrow]

So I know Lowes is owned by Masco, who owns a lot of big companies and big brands... Has Cman been sold off as part of the Sears bankruptcy stuff?? If so, who owns it now...?

Craftsman is now owned by Stanley Black & Decker.

 

[joey1320]

I was at Lowes this morning and the more I walked around the more I disliked being there. It was a total mess. It felt like I was walking through Kmart with all the isles in complete disarray and "clearance" bins all over the place.

I used to like Lowes over HD because it was always more organized and well staffed, but today was a nice kick to the cojones on that front.

Let's see what happens...

 

[redidbull]

The Lowe's where I work in CT, has Craftsman mixed in in spots but there are a lot of end caps that are just Craftsman. We show no signs of getting rid of anything at this point. Not much clearance there either. Jim

 

[fordgasm]

So what does Craftsman/Stanley-Black & Decker do if Lowes goes under? It's not like Lowes is doing great themselves....

 

[JulianMorrow]

So what does Craftsman/Stanley-Black & Decker do if Lowes goes under?

Stanley is everywhere--they're even in Wal-Mart. I don't think we need to worry about them. I'm more worried about the Craftsman brand--that name once meant something. Now that Craftsman has been outsourced & sold, there's a lot of uncertainty. We'll see how well the new Craftsman tools hold up over time-that's the only real test.

 

[mudflap]

So what does Craftsman/Stanley-Black & Decker do if Lowes goes under? It's not like Lowes is doing great themselves....

Maybe wally world...? They already have shelf space there with Stanley.

 

[mudflap]

The Lowes near me just have toolboxes, a few sets, and some cordless tools... Anybody seen singles anywhere..? Is that even part of the plan..?

 

[Jtels85]

The Lowes near me just have toolboxes, a few sets, and some cordless tools... Anybody seen singles anywhere..? Is that even part of the plan..?

Same, I’m close to you (west side) and none of the Lowe’s have singles. Cincinnati has been left behind

 

[6PTsocket]

So what does Craftsman/Stanley-Black & Decker do if Lowes goes under? It's not like Lowes is doing great themselves....

If you look at the size of SB& D with their many brands and World wide presence, their survival hardly depends on Lowes. The Cman power tools are repackaged DeWalt or Porter Cable. The hand tools are probably just basically Stanley. They spent a few bucks on the name but they will be fine.

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[6PTsocket]

On a closely related issue. Eddie Lambert avoided Sears liquidation by a hair. One of the litigants was SB&D, claiming that since the Sears that they signed the deal with is gone, the new Sears has no right to the Craftsman name, for use in Sears stores. The judge shot that claim down. My guess is Sears is still not long for this a world if Lambert is involved but for now there are still two Craftsman.

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[byoungblood]

Craftsman is creeping into my local Lowe's.

Every couple of weeks it seems like a few more items show up, but all of the basic hand tools (wrenches, sockets, ratchets, pliers, screwdrivers, etc.) are still mostly Kobalt or other brands, with one or two Craftsman items. Oddly, in the areas where the Craftsman stuff has taken over, I've yet to have seen any of the other brands go on clearance, they just mysteriously disappear, or else someone is snapping the stuff up in a hurry.

Unfortunately everything I've picked up is still made in China. Wish they'd have some kind of timeline or what specific tools will be made in the US.

 

[340wedge]

I have been looking for a Craftsman air compressor. Lowe's doesn't carry any, Sears has none in the stores. They seem to be available online from Sears but it also looks like the last sales were in 2017, and some other sites show Sears is only selling remaining stock most of what is damaged when it comes to air compressors.

 

[ARFLY]

My local lowes has some compressors, but just the little pancake compressors for $99. I bought a Porter Cable compressor from Tractor Supply because I didn't trust what Craftsman had last year.

 

[Here2Learn]

Sears sold the Craftsman name to SBD about two years ago. Part of the deal was that Sears got to keep marketing and selling their version of Craftsman tools for 15 years. They have about 13 to go or until the company folds.

www.sears.com ships it right to my door after the local Sears closed.

As far as my local Lowe's, they have some styles of tools beside other tools, then a large batch together. The cordless tools are by the other cordless tools, same for measuring tapes and hammers, a few other things.

My local Lowe's DOES have singles of sockets.

Good job to the poster who cried about Sears when you took tools back, then mention wanting to go to HD. You guys kill me. HA HA

 

[joey1320]

Craftsman is creeping into my local Lowe's.

Every couple of weeks it seems like a few more items show up, but all of the basic hand tools (wrenches, sockets, ratchets, pliers, screwdrivers, etc.) are still mostly Kobalt or other brands, with one or two Craftsman items. Oddly, in the areas where the Craftsman stuff has taken over, I've yet to have seen any of the other brands go on clearance, they just mysteriously disappear, or else someone is snapping the stuff up in a hurry.

Unfortunately everything I've picked up is still made in China. Wish they'd have some kind of timeline or what specific tools will be made in the US.

Same with my local Lowes.
All of the cordless Kobalt stuff is gone, having been replaced with Craftsman. I refuse to buy Craftsman stuff because I feel as it's been shoved down my throat.

 

[Robinson1]

My local Lowes just did a major tool reset. Dewalt still has a giant presence. More selection than before the reset. Porter Cable has been reduced to an end cap display. Hitachi cordless the same. Giant full line cordless Craftsman display. Lots of handtools, most of the Kobalt handtools are gone. They still have a handful of Channellock and Stanley but not much.

I was glad to see the expanded Dewalt offerings. Seems Bosch has a bigger presence as well. They even had a SDS MAX Bosch rotary hammer. Not something I had ever seen in this particular Lowes.

I have mixed feelings about Craftsman taking over a giant portion of lowes tool selection. I feel that the handtools are no better or worse than the Kobalt offerings and seem to be priced similarly.

I don't see myself buying any Craftsman power tools. I'm not interested in a compromise brand that fills a gap between homeowner garbage and pro tools.

To be fair I felt the same way about Porter Cable.

 

[Robinson1]

I think if Lowes wants people to take Craftsman seriously they need to have open stock sockets and wrenches. No one is going to buy a set for a single socket or wrench they have lost.

 

[6PTsocket]

Sears sold the Craftsman name to SBD about two years ago. Part of the deal was that Sears got to keep marketing and selling their version of Craftsman tools for 15 years. They have about 13 to go or until the company folds.

www.sears.com ships it right to my door after the local Sears closed.

As far as my local Lowe's, they have some styles of tools beside other tools, then a large batch together. The cordless tools are by the other cordless tools, same for measuring tapes and hammers, a few other things.

My local Lowe's DOES have singles of sockets.

Good job to the poster who cried about Sears when you took tools back, then mention wanting to go to HD. You guys kill me. HA HA

As I said, SB&D tried to get out of the deal, claiming that the Sears that came out of the bankruptcy deal is not the one they had the contract with. The new Sears will unload 200 more stores leaving only 200. The plan is to concentrate on tools and appliances and ditch other stuff, like clothing. With such a small presence and a questionable future Sears Craftsman may not amount to much. Sears.com has always been terrible and the local stores will be few and far between. At least Lambert is planning on hiring a CEO with some retail experience. He never put a dime into those stores and just used them as a personal piggy bank.

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[6PTsocket]

I think if Lowes wants people to take Craftsman seriously they need to have open stock sockets and wrenches. No one is going to buy a set for a single socket or wrench they have lost.

The same can be said of Harbor Freight. They have no open stock for most of the sets they sell but they open three new stores a week. I think most people don't think about that when they buy, though it may come back to bite them later.

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[Robinson1]

The same can be said of Harbor Freight. They have no open stock for most of the sets they sell but they open three new stores a week. I think most people don't think about that when they buy, though it may come back to bite them later.

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Yes but Harbor Freight historically has catered to lowest price point buyers.

Lowes on the other hand deals with contractors, tradesmen and serious DIYers.

I've got a friend who works for Paul Miller Ford in Lexington. One of if not the biggest Ford dealer in Kentucky. Lowes is right next door. He says almost all the mechanics get their tools from Lowes.

No professional is going to take a brand seriously that doesn't offer singles.

 

[6PTsocket]

Yes but Harbor Freight historically has catered to lowest price point buyers.



Lowes on the other hand deals with contractors, tradesmen and serious DIYers.



I've got a friend who works for Paul Miller Ford in Lexington. One of if not the biggest Ford dealer in Kentucky. Lowes is right next door. He says almost all the mechanics get their tools from Lowes.



No professional is going to take a brand seriously that doesn't offer singles.

That distinction is alot blurrier than you describe.Half the people I see shopping in Lowes are home owners with very little expertise. They sell Black and Decker power tools and Kobalt. Thee used to sell Skil when it was Bosch's low end line. The Hercules line at HF is closer to DeWalt. The Pittsburgh Pro is good Taiwan quality. Being next door has a lot more to do with where those guys shop. Neither one of those places seldom employ anyone qualified to be selling any kind of tools As far as big box goes, Home Depot seems to be a lot more invested in pro grade tools but they service the casual DIYer, too.

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