Craftsman In Retrospect

[Conductor562]

Thought I would share an article I wrote that you guys might enjoy. It basically takes the 1964 Craftsman catalogs and compares them to the same items today. The article mostly focuses on how prices have faired versus inflation.

It's not a review, just something I did for fun. Check it out and let me know what you think

http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/2014/07/craftsman-tools-in-retrospect-a-50-year-comparison/

 

[JDon99]

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing that.

 

[Parrothead]

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing that.

+1. Very interesting, and I like the fact that you point out SK and Proto as a comparison variable too.

 

[fasteddie313]

very cool..

I bet the 64 cman stuff is better than the new cman stuff also, atleast for the hardline..

 

[Super Sport]

Interesting article!

A month or so ago a member posted, complaining that he couldn't find a USA-made bench grinder for less than $600. I looked in a 1970 Craftsman catalog and adjusted the $119 price of a bench grinder for inflation into today's dollars. Wouldn't you know, it came out to over $600! What was interesting is that the comparable Craftsman grinder today is still priced at $119.

We're so used to cheap import prices, that although the USA-made stuff really doesn't cost more today, it sure seems like it does!

 

[Spudland_Dave]

Thanks for that...its something I've long suspected but never calculated.

Have you thought about doing the same for a truck or industrial brand from 1964 compared to its 2014 price list? I'd like to see if the same holds true?

 

[Scout Driver]

Very interesting! Thanks, Conductor!

Scott

 

[Conductor562]

Thanks guys. This is the first "catalog study" I have done, but if this one proves popular I'd be happy to do more.

I've been trying do more non-review type stuff and I thought this would be a cool idea.

 

[Westly]

"Noticeably absent from the 64 sets are metric tools. Metric was around in 64, but for most, they weren’t the everyday items they are today"

That reminds me that there was a brief period around '70 when if you asked a garage to work on your Japanese car, they were liable to decline, saying they didn't have metric tools. You young wippersnappers.

 

[larryq]

Wonderful writeup, thanks for doing it. If you have other catalogs to compare against today I bet you'd get more thanks still.

The most interesting thing for me regarding the 1964-today comparison you have at the bottom is the house prices. At least where I live, $156k today gets you nowhere near a condo, much less a house. That makes up for a lot of $7.27 gallons of milk...

 

[BK13]

Thanks for that...its something I've long suspected but never calculated.

Have you thought about doing the same for a truck or industrial brand from 1964 compared to its 2014 price list? I'd like to see if the same holds true?

Yep. It did seem to me that CM stuff has gotten more affordable since I started buying tools in '87-'88.

 

[Bill Ramsey]

...We're so used to cheap import prices, that although the USA-made stuff really doesn't cost more today, it sure seems like it does!

Excellent point.

And to those who say the Chinese Craftsman lineup of 2014 doesn't make a fair comparison to the USA-made 1964 versions, the 2014 prices have changed little from the mostly USA-made 2009 hand tool prices (power tools have been mostly Chinese for 10+ years now).

I have a couple of the King-Seely made Craftsman drill presses, both from the 1950's. I remember running a similar inflation comparison a couple years ago, finding they would be around a thousand dollars today (I paid $85 and $50, and they both have the multi-speed attachment). I wonder if I would spend a thousand dollars for a new drill press for my home shop today.

And finally, since I was manufactured in 1964, I wonder if I've held up as well as some of Grandpa's Craftsman tools.

 

[joel63]

Thanks guys. This is the first "catalog study" I have done, but if this one proves popular I'd be happy to do more.

I've been trying do more non-review type stuff and I thought this would be a cool idea.

Thanks.
It's a real eye opener to look back and see the real cost of tools back then.



I'd sure like to see a "catalog study" on Snap On tools. Might make many folks pass out.

 

[Cab037]

I really enjoyed the read. I've been curious about the lack of noticeable price changes in craftsman tools since I've been using them.

 

[cherokee140]

That was a good read.

We have metric but we don't need whitworth.....some of my OLD british cars had them but I sold all that stuff off long ago.

 

[Conductor562]

Glad you guys enjoyed it. The problem with comparing professional brands is that they are typically sold through distributors meaning the catalogs usually don't have prices. Some have price sheets I can work from, but most do not.

I chose Craftsman because it's a brand everyone over 20 can identify with, but I will happily do more.

 

[BJ42LX]

The table at the end of the article is pretty interesting. It shows some things are more expensive and others less than 50 years ago.

There's some evidence right there for indexing the minimum wage to inflation rather than arguing about it every election cycle.

 

[Conductor562]

The table at the end of the article is pretty interesting. It shows some things are more expensive and others less than 50 years ago.

There's some evidence right there for indexing the minimum wage to inflation rather than arguing about it every election cycle.

I just used the national median home price from 64. It works out just about right (possibly a tad high) here, but I can see where it would be way low in some areas.

 

[Garage Junky]

Thanks for the write-up. As a finance guy I find stuff like this really interesting.

 

[sonvolt]

Great read and thank you !

 

[north]

Excellent read. Many thanks for your time.

 

[espyking83]

Craftsman was an American icon for good quality at a great price. My Dad supported Craftsman for over 40 years and eventually handed them down to me. The brand was as American as blue jeans, and now it's nothing. American made tools will be replaced with Chinese ****. They were once an American tool that everyone could afford/justify that could take a professional beating. If they start making them again, I will support them again. Yes, I am butthurt.


/Rant.


Thanks for the read.

 

[PFSard]

Nice job on this. I'm sure there has been plenty of hard-core research done on overall price inflation, quality, etc on baskets of goods. Nice to see something on tools. At this point in my life, most of my tool purchases are used tools, so I get U.S. made quality at bargain prices (best bang for the buck as far as I am concerned). (I assume that "used tools" was a very small market back in the 1960s, so the option was not widely available).

 

[WWIIjeep]

Nice idea and nice review.

My only comment would be about quality comparison then and now. For the most part, I don't think today's power tools will last as long as yesterday's power tools. Some of those power tools from 1964 are still around and running well. I doubt you'll be able to say that as easily in 2064 about the 2014 tools. Just my opinion, as an owner of a lot of power tools old and new.

The other thing would be a suggestion to add today's actual prices to your list at the end of the article.

For example, while $.30/GL gas in 1964 equates to $2.29 in 2014, the actual price in $2014 is somewhere around $3.50, or even higher in some states.

First class stamp is what, $.49 now?

And a new 2014 Corvette will cost a lot more than the 1964-2014 adjusted price. That was the new Corvette price about 20 years ago. Then again, a 1964 Corvette, restored or in very good original condition, is worth more than a new one now.

Granted, you're writing about tools, not Corvettes.

 

[Conductor562]

I was gonna add actual current prices, but seeing how some vary by area, I figured I'd just let the readers make the determination.

 

[Conductor562]

I have a 1928 and 1932 Plomb catalog with prices. Guess those will be next

 

[7th Kahuna]

Thanks for sharing. It is an interesting exercise. For me, it has also long begged a question. Quality aside, if cheap Asian imports weren't effectively underwriting our lifestyles, our economy, how would life here in the USA be different? How might it resemble America in 1964? Would we be making different demands of our leaders, ourselves? Just something to think about. Nothing stays the same.

Curios to see a comparison of the 1920's catalogs both to the 1964 and 2014 prices. I wonder if there was as much change 1928 to 1964 as say 1964 to 2000.

 

[thebeekeeper1]

Really, REALLY interesting! Thanks so much for sharing.

 

[Sonny2010]

Interesting i was in Sears looking around today, i still have a bunch of USA made Craftsman tools in my box.

 

[Cato]

American made tools will be replaced with Chinese ****.

Has Sears put out anything official that they are switching over to Chinese tools exclusively?

Lots of guys have been saying that Sears is getting rid of the last USA stock... for the past ten years!

Everytime I go to Sears (Pasadena), I find lots of Craftsman USA. My Sears is a highly profitable one...I think its called something like a "high product turn over branch." So, they are not sitting on old stock for years and years. It's located in a high density suburban area, so lots of middle class families who can afford something better than HF and pawn shops, but not wealthy or posh enough to pay to handy men to change light bulbs for them. Perfect demographic for Craftsman.

I still see shelves of rebadged Wilde pliers, Western Forge screwdrivers, SK (?) professional screwdrivers, Estwing hammers, Mayhew prybars, sockets, professional ratchets, and more. Those tools are made by smaller all American makers, and I'm glad to support them. With all the sales and promotions Sears is always having, these solid American tools are dirt cheap.

The power tools are all imported, but where you going to find an American made power drill or saw anyway?

I plan to keep buying Craftsman USA and avoid the imported stuff. Maybe Sears will get the message as their imported stuff doesn't move. Anyway, their Chinese stuff isn't exactly "****." For the price it works for all the homeowners who are just casual users.

 

[joejeep92]

Good job!

 

[Conductor562]

Thanks for sharing. It is an interesting exercise. For me, it has also long begged a question. Quality aside, if cheap Asian imports weren't effectively underwriting our lifestyles, our economy, how would life here in the USA be different? How might it resemble America in 1964? Would we be making different demands of our leaders, ourselves? Just something to think about. Nothing stays the same.

Curios to see a comparison of the 1920's catalogs both to the 1964 and 2014 prices. I wonder if there was as much change 1928 to 1964 as say 1964 to 2000.

These are pretty much the same thoughts that ran through my head while I was writing it. It certainly sparks one curiosity doesn't it?

 

[7th Kahuna]

Has Sears put out anything official that they are switching over to Chinese tools exclusively?

Quite the opposite, a year or so ago there was an announcement that lead some individuals to believe they were looking for ways to maintain or even expand stocks of USA made tools. At about the same time there was talk of spinning Craftsman off into it's own entity. Last week my dad purchased a Craftsman multi-bit screwdriver. I flipped it over expecting it to be Chinese but it was USA made. I forget exactly what the package said but it lead me to conclude that Craftsman has now been spun off. If it has, perhaps that will provide a reason for them to protect what's left of the reputation.

It appears to me Sears is in a hard place. Their current owner is so focused on fractions of pennies that when it comes to contracts, I'm sure they're not easy to work with. At the same time there are so few tool manufacturers left in America. I doubt many of them are really interested in jumping through hoops to enter a new relationship with Sears. They have their own reputations and price points to protect. Danaher I suspect has been a thorn in Sears' side. A quick look at the history suggests they keep buying Sears' manufacturers and shifting production overseas. Then of course, they are operating in a market that for the most part (members of this board excluded) can't understand why Sears would try to sell tool 'x' for $30 when they can buy it at Harbor Freight or Home Depot for $20, or in the case of Home Depot, for $4.99 on clearance.

 

[Sonny2010]

Good read thank you for the time.

 

[4xdog]

I remember well being a little kid looking at the Sears catalogs from that period. The tool layouts were amazing -- hundreds of pieces, many new to me, laid out in such organized ways. The prices for the big sets were way out of range for my schoolteacher father's means, but we had lots of Craftsman stuff and I still have most of it.

The stores were a treat, too. It was on the main street downtown in the little Southeastern Ohio where I grew up. The tools were all laid out on pegboardmhooks or especially in wire racked shelves right at the level a kid could find them. That section and the outdoors sections were my favorites. The miniature tents were always fun to see as well.

There's still a Sears store -- pretty good sized one -- at a mall in south St Louis county, and their tool section is more complete than many I've been in over the last few years. It took me back to the store from fifty years ago. I fully expect there are little kids today visiting those stores with their dads (plus the big box orange and blue stores) and creating the same memories.

They won't have many old catalogs to look through nostalgically in fifty years, alas.

Nice article, Conductor562.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

I'd sure like to see a "catalog study" on Snap On tools. Might make many folks pass out.

Without looking anything up, my total BS Feeling is that SnapOn/MAC/Armstrong/Etc tools are actually the opposite...more reflective of "true value" then & now. As someone on here coined the phrase, Sears/Craftsman started the price & quality "Race to the bottom" while the pro & industrial brands have been priced accordingly...quality/performance/service at a fair price.
The bean counters at Sears said here is the price we want to sell it at...do what you gotta do to meet that. VS the pro brands said here is the quality we need to maintain and let the pricing cards fall as they may.

So I'd almost want to say that instead of making people pass out, it may actually turn out to be more of an illustration of those pro guys were actually doing it right all along.

My only comment would be about quality comparison then and now. For the most part, I don't think today's power tools will last as long as yesterday's power tools. Some of those power tools from 1964 are still around and running well. I doubt you'll be able to say that as easily in 2064 about the 2014 tools. Just my opinion, as an owner of a lot of power tools old and new.

I don't think power tools should be included....just like anything else there are still some high quality tools out there, just don't be shopping at Home Depot for them. Also, in my mind, power tools are almost in the same category as technology items these days...you garbage them long before they die (if you buy the good ones) because you want/need the newer, more powerful, lighter versions.

To make a fair comparison we should use items which "haven't changed"...hardline items like ratchets, sockets, extensions, pliers, screwdrivers, etc..

 

[7th Kahuna]

These are pretty much the same thoughts that ran through my head while I was writing it. It certainly sparks one curiosity doesn't it?

It does. Glad to know I'm not the only one thinking about such things.

 

[Askme42]

I've heard the argument a few times. For craftsman going over seas. We have driven prices down to the point lots of manufacturing has had to go overseas.

 

[jcfields]

.

 

[d.mcfarland]

That's why our parents and grandparents took care of their stuff!!