Craftsman Clear Handles

[LB-1911]

Ideal bought Western Forge? That's news to me. I had no idea.

Time line for a few of Ideal's acquisitions.

In 2009, Western Forge became a wholly-owned subsidiary of IDEAL INDUSTRIES

SK was acquired by IDEAL INDUSTRIES in 2010.


Pratt-Read and A&L Handles were acquired by IDEAL INDUSTRIES in 2010.

 

[jcfields]

.

 

[dkroth]

I have to admit, I'm a bit behind on the rolling disaster that is Sears: have they switched to another supplier for their screwdrivers or are they simply running out of WF stock with nothing to replace it with?

The suit makes it sound like Sears is in trouble without WF and will be damaged accordingly. However, it's a lawsuit and it's going to have the plaintiff's slant.

EVERYTHING else Craftsman has gone to China. The Grip screwdrivers are already China. It was probably only a matter of months before they switched to a Chinese suppler for the screwdrivers, too (hence the reason for this thread!). They need/needed WF to bridge the gap until the transition is complete, whatever the timeline.

 

[1saxman]

Well, that settles it. The American tradition of Craftsman tools is over, so preserve what you have. It was fun while it lasted.

 

[theoldwizard1]

The most used tool in my box ! Sadly, it has not been available in "clear" for several years (now gray/black). 1/4" square hand driver WITH 1/4" square female socket embedded in head.

The 1/4" square female socket embedded in head is a MUST HAVE as you can use a 1/4" breaker bar for that little bit of extra leverage !

 

[theoldwizard1]

I didn't see this one posted in the thread yet.

Magnetic bit holding................ This one has about a 4" length. I know there is also one like this that has blue in place of the black in about a 5" - 6" length. Bits can be stored in the handle. Cap screws on/off.

Second most used tool in my box ! Got to have BOTH the Philips/Straight AND the Torx.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Well, that settles it. The American tradition of Craftsman tools is over, so preserve what you have. It was fun while it lasted.

Sigh ! While I was working my way through college I had various different jobs at Sears. This was back when they paid you in CASH on payday ! My collection grew quite a bit back then. Nothing extravagant.

I warrantied a couple of C-clamps a few weeks back only because I noticed they actually had some in stock. No where near the same quality as my 40 year old ones.

 

[jakemac]

Well, that settles it. The American tradition of Craftsman tools is over, so preserve what you have. It was fun while it lasted.

It certainly has changed, but it isn't entirely over yet.
Stanley has committed to bringing the brand back to the US in various forms, but that won't necessarily transfer to the tools sold at the dwindling Sears outlets.
Time will tell, it's still early in the process.

For the consumer who cares, they'll have to be diligent and have to keep themselves informed.
The big change is that we can no longer take anything for granted. Issues with "MADE IN USA", "MADE IN USA WITH GLOBAL MATERIALS", and "ASSEMBLED IN USA" will continue to blur the issue.

 

[mikebaker1129]

Sounds like Ideal is wise not to continue supplying Sears with it's looming soon to be filing for bankruptcy .
They do not want to get pennies on the dollar when Sears closes its doors.

 

[SRSemenza]

Aren't these the stinky handles?

Yes, well, apparently some of them. The SuperStubby torx set I just got definitely has an odor. Cellulose Acetate. Does this ever go away?

Seth

 

[Jim C.]

Yes, well, apparently some of them. The SuperStubby torx set I just got definitely has an odor. Cellulose Acetate. Does this ever go away?

Seth

No, not really. Think of it like high quality cheese. The smell just gets better with age. At least that's what I've heard.

Jim C. (Who knows absolutely nothing about cheese)

 

[wmm2]

Yes, well, apparently some of them. The SuperStubby torx set I just got definitely has an odor. Cellulose Acetate. Does this ever go away?

Seth

I don't know if it ever goes away. I've only had mine 25-30 years and either the odor doesn't go away, or my sense of smell is improving.

 

[Wamsutta]

Time line for a few of Ideal's acquisitions.

In 2009, Western Forge became a wholly-owned subsidiary of IDEAL INDUSTRIES

SK was acquired by IDEAL INDUSTRIES in 2010.


Pratt-Read and A&L Handles were acquired by IDEAL INDUSTRIES in 2010.

So who owns the patent on the clear handle screwdrivers; Sears or Ideal?

 

[EOC_Jason]

Probably Ideal as those same screwdrivers are made for lots of other companies. Though my guess is any patent ran out a long time ago.

 

[jakemac]

The clear handle and color scheme wouldn't be under a patent, the rights would be held under a brand trademark. Other manufacturers have released their own clear with red handled screwdrivers. The question becomes, is the trademark for brand appearance now held by SBD as the owner of Craftman or did it remain with Sears.

I would be inclined to believe that it was part of the purchase of the brand. Which means that if Sears contracted to have screwdrivers made under another brand, they would have to be careful about the appearance so as to not seem like Craftman clones.

Another question arises, did the purchase include the Dunlap, Companion, or eVolve brands ? This could get even more interesting.

 

[rlitman]

The clear handle and color scheme wouldn't be under a patent, the rights would be held under a brand trademark...

Actually, they could also have a design patent (as opposed to a utility patent).

 

[jakemac]

Hadn't thought of that, thanks.

 

[Moose97]

Recently (like in the last 2 weeks) bought my son a 413 piece Craftsman set. Also a clear handle set of 8 screwdrivers. All screwdrivers and pliers made in the USA. Sockets and wrenches are China.

 

[dkroth]

Nut drivers. Note: Metric are grey handles:

.

I was in the store yesterday and both the metric and inch nut drivers have gone to China. They had cheesy gold lettering. The clear handle inch drivers looked low quality. The plastic wasn't really clear and the size colors looked thin and poorly applied. Probably not even butyrate.

 

[1saxman]

It certainly has changed, but it isn't entirely over yet.
Stanley has committed to bringing the brand back to the US in various forms, but that won't necessarily transfer to the tools sold at the dwindling Sears outlets.
Time will tell, it's still early in the process.

For the consumer who cares, they'll have to be diligent and have to keep themselves informed.
The big change is that we can no longer take anything for granted. Issues with "MADE IN USA", "MADE IN USA WITH GLOBAL MATERIALS", and "ASSEMBLED IN USA" will continue to blur the issue.

Another thing is the 'no question' lifetime guarantee. I'd suggest that if you have any broken/worn out Craftsman hand tools you should get them replaced soon.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Another thing is the 'no question' lifetime guarantee. I'd suggest that if you have any broken/worn out Craftsman hand tools you should get them replaced soon.

I swapped some C-clamps and was told the replacements had a 1 year warranty.

 

[L.Cheapo]

No, not really. Think of it like high quality cheese. The smell just gets better with age. At least that's what I've heard.

Jim C. (Who knows absolutely nothing about cheese)

I was at the in-laws over the weekend and was in the garage to get a screwdriver. My FIL is an industrial maintenance man; he has a tool box at work and at home. His home box is a 6'+ tall 26"ish Homak stack.

I opened a few drawers seeking the aforementioned screwdriver, until I found the correct drawer. It was one of the top ones. At 6'3" tall, it was just below my nose. It was full of clear handled Craftsman screwdrivers. My nasal passages were assaulted by that putrid smell of rotting ***. Obviously that drawer hadn't been disturbed in a while. These were likely purchased in the early 90s.

 

[dwasifar]

I just bought new Craftsman clear handles, actually. Ace had a sale on sets of 5 for $2.99, slotted or Phillips. Of course one in each set was tiny-tunes size, and I tossed those in my desk drawer for electronics work; but I added a #3 Phillips and a 6" 1/4" slotted driver bought from ebay sellers. I've got maybe $21 into this:

All USA Western Forge, could be some of the last of those. "Lifetime warranty," but who knows what that's worth right now. Should last a while at least, though.

In recent years I've been depending a lot on multi-drivers. Just to shake things up I decided to try to put those down for a while and use individual drivers, so I bought these and set them up in a handy spot on the outside of my toolchest. Using the clear-handled Craftsman seems more natural and comfortable than I remember them being.