Yup...I noticed this too a couple weeks ago. It kinda felt strange seeing them there...
Craftsman is getting around
- Thread starter NUTTSGT
- Start date
Yup...I noticed this too a couple weeks ago. It kinda felt strange seeing them there...
bobsled_time
Member
I was skeptical of the Craftsman stuff when Lowes rolled out their full lineup, but everything I've bought from them thus far works great. Still hate the Lowes layout where they put the Craftsman stuff in a different spot than the competitor's same/similar products.
King Nothing
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2016
- Messages
- 98
Loves truck stops are selling some Craftsman hand tool sets
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
jseymour
Active member
I did not know that. Good to see!
The vast majority of my automotive-type hand tools are Craftsman. Acquisitions spread out over... gee... must be forty years or more? Most purchased. Some received as gifts at Christmas time or for my birthday.
caseywheels
Well-known member
Just heard today... NAPA sells CRAFTSMAN tools now
King Nothing
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2016
- Messages
- 98
Went to Lowe’s, Menards, and HD yesterday. 2 of the 3 were selling Craftsman, and Lowe’s was pushing it so hard Kobalt felt abandoned
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'm sorry but craftsman just isn't selling like it was, In the last two years I have been having a hard time selling Craftsman on ebay no matter how old it is. I opened my ebay store in 2014 and I couldn't sell it fast enough, if I listed it buy it now it would sell as fast as I could get listed, if I listed it auction style there would be bids within an hour of listing it, now I almost give it away and it still takes a long time to sell. The last public auction I went to nobody wanted anything craftsman they were buying anything but even Harbor freight, in fact Harbor freight has been selling like mad lately. Craftsman is getting harder to warranty and now Stanley is now talking about numbering the amount of warranties per tool your allowed. Before long Craftsman will be just another throw away tool with a life time warranty. Harbor freight keeps going the way they are crafts man is doomed. Harbor freight now offers free home delivery of their new Icon line of tool storage and coming in 2020 0% financing on all tools and tool storage plus full life time warranty on all Icon hand tools and a limited lifetime warranty on all Icon tool storage 
You aint getting that from craftsman. Most people don't care about coo anymore all they care about is a hassle free unlimited life time warranty. Some people care where their tools are made but they don't give a rats behind where there cars, clothes and tv are made.
You aint getting that from craftsman. Most people don't care about coo anymore all they care about is a hassle free unlimited life time warranty. Some people care where their tools are made but they don't give a rats behind where there cars, clothes and tv are made.I'm sorry but craftsman just isn't selling like it was, In the last two years I have been having a hard time selling Craftsman on ebay no matter how old it is. I opened my ebay store in 2014 and I couldn't sell it fast enough, if I listed it buy it now it would sell as fast as I could get listed, if I listed it auction style there would be bids within an hour of listing it, now I almost give it away and it still takes a long time to sell. The last public auction I went to nobody wanted anything craftsman they were buying anything but even Harbor freight, in fact Harbor freight has been selling like mad lately. Craftsman is getting harder to warranty and now Stanley is now talking about numbering the amount of warranties per tool your allowed. Before long Craftsman will be just another throw away tool with a life time warranty. Harbor freight keeps going the way they are crafts man is doomed. Harbor freight now offers free home delivery of their new Icon line of tool storage and coming in 2020 0% financing on all tools and tool storage plus full life time warranty on all Icon hand tools and a limited lifetime warranty on all Icon tool storage
Icon hand tools are basically the same as old Duralast but more expensive. I don’t see that as the factor here. I personally wouldn’t buy them unless heavily discounted there’s plenty of other options once things get more expensive.
What is killing Craftsman is a multitude of factors. Sears has liquidated 1200 stores full of it and was giving it away with SYW for a decade. This takes a lot of market away over time. People have filled out the oddball stuff in their sets they probably wouldn’t have otherwise bought. Then people don’t necessarily want Chinese Craftsman. Then Lowe’s starts selling it and it’s far more expensive than Sears was. Then the SBD craftsman isn’t necessarily ether than the Sears stuff and is sometimes worse, it’s different than the Sears stuff too. Now people will get confused about warranty. Maybe this changes once they start making stuff in the USA.
Unless something differentiates it when it’s everywhere it’s everywhere. The only issue is the license agreement allows Sears to continue to make their own version so long as Sears exists in some form. So nothing would prevent them from closing all the B&M stores and continuing to aggressively peddle the cheaper stuff online.
giants
Banned
Respectfully, Sir...…….I do. I very much do. COO means as much to me as the quality/price ratio. When I joined the Carpenter Union, I took a pledge. I'm a man of my word. The union continues to send me my monthly pension and I continue to strive to live up to my pledge.
This does not mean I will not buy foreign made goods. It means I honor my pledge unless I just can't. And 20% price difference isn't "can't".
Hi every one. I'm saying I have seen a lot of things change over the years and yes there's a lot of factors to the Craftsman demise, one being the unlimited warranty, back when I was still using Craftsman I would cut them up and modify them every way imaginable then take them back and they would warranty them, my brother in law used to work for Stoughton trailers and they got tired of buying 1/2 drive stubby ratchets from Snap on and having them go missing, so they started buying Craftsman 1/2 ratchets and cutting the handles off and his boss would give him the cut off handles and he would take them in and they would exchange them, then he would sell the ratchets. The last statement Stanley made in an interview I saw was that changes in the warranty are coming and one change may be limiting the number of warranties per tool. I was at my local Ace hardware a few weeks ago and asked out of curiosity if they are warrantying craftsman now and they said yes, but it takes two weeks to get the item. Craftsman will never again be what it once was, even in the 30's and I'm so glad I got rid of all of my Crapsman (that is not a type o) tools.
Hi every one. I'm saying I have seen a lot of things change over the years and yes there's a lot of factors to the Craftsman demise, one being the unlimited warranty, back when I was still using Craftsman I would cut them up and modify them every way imaginable then take them back and they would warranty them, my brother in law used to work for Stoughton trailers and they got tired of buying 1/2 drive stubby ratchets from Snap on and having them go missing, so they started buying Craftsman 1/2 ratchets and cutting the handles off and his boss would give him the cut off handles and he would take them in and they would exchange them, then he would sell the ratchets. The last statement Stanley made in an interview I saw was that changes in the warranty are coming and one change may be limiting the number of warranties per tool. I was at my local Ace hardware a few weeks ago and asked out of curiosity if they are warrantying craftsman now and they said yes, but it takes two weeks to get the item. Craftsman will never again be what it once was, even in the 30's and I'm so glad I got rid of all of my Crapsman (that is not a type o) tools.
I don't understand the 'crapsman' stuff. I can't say I ever have. I have friends who have said that for years. It's become like the government motors nickname for GM.. Somewhat childish, trendy and frankly old. I also wouldn't blame Stanley for doing some sort of limited warranty. They're a business. Do you honestly think cutting up tools and returning them for new ones is ethical? Or chopping the handles short and exchanging them for new tools to resell is right? If a tools breaks then sure, I expect a good warranty behind it and for the company to do the right thing. You're not talking about that though. What you're suggesting is just wrong. It's precisely the reason a good thing like an unlimited warranty becomes ruined for the honest folks. And I don't know where you're at but at auctions around here, Craftsman always sells. The old stationary power tools are always in high demand.
I'm waiting with great anticipation for the USA hand tools as most are. I have no interest in what's on the shelves now. I will say I have used the new Taiwan ratchets and found them to be really nice but that's about it. The new line of OPE is excellent however.. I own several V60 tools and my understanding is a new generation of V80 brushless is in store for 2020. Their tool storage line is fantastic thus far.. Their weak spot that continues to worry me is their V20 line. I expected something more along the lines of Rigid at least. More Prosumer and premium brushless. I've only found that to be the case with the USA drill and impact and it's somewhat frustrating as I invested into the line. That's not to say there shouldn't be a lower tier on the basics for the DIYer, there should. I just expected a higher end option for the rest of us.
The Sears era is over but I'm hoping the Stanley era brings the best Craftsman tools yet.
n8n
Well-known member
Wow. Surprised they're giving up store space. Unless it's online/order only.
I'm surprised they (NAPA) would carry them at all, unless they aren't carrying Carlyle anymore? I don't know, I have enough tools and haven't been in a NAPA in probably 2-3 years. Not that they're a bad store, they just aren't convenient and I don't do a lot of serious work anymore.
thesilverone
Well-known member
Lowe's can sell the Craftsman tools at 50% off and they're still too expensive
Yes Craftsman hand power and stationary power tools are still selling well, but their hand tools, sockets, wrenches, ratchets and such are not. Craftsman's biggest selling point was also one of their biggest downfalls, the unlimited warranty, sorry but I'm not the only clown in the circus that was modifying the tools and returning them, more than 60% of the people buying Craftsman were buying then because you can do whatever you want to then and return them, so yes they need to limit their warranty but not so much that it's useless. All Stanley wanted is the name that's it, all you are going to get from here on out is, made with global materials or maybe made in USA with global materials.
Hi every one. I'm saying I have seen a lot of things change over the years and yes there's a lot of factors to the Craftsman demise, one being the unlimited warranty, back when I was still using Craftsman I would cut them up and modify them every way imaginable then take them back and they would warranty them, my brother in law used to work for Stoughton trailers and they got tired of buying 1/2 drive stubby ratchets from Snap on and having them go missing, so they started buying Craftsman 1/2 ratchets and cutting the handles off and his boss would give him the cut off handles and he would take them in and they would exchange them, then he would sell the ratchets. The last statement Stanley made in an interview I saw was that changes in the warranty are coming and one change may be limiting the number of warranties per tool. I was at my local Ace hardware a few weeks ago and asked out of curiosity if they are warrantying craftsman now and they said yes, but it takes two weeks to get the item. Craftsman will never again be what it once was, even in the 30's and I'm so glad I got rid of all of my Crapsman (that is not a type o) tools.
I do admire your gall.
giants
Banned
I just checked napaonline.com and no Craftsman hand tools showed up.
Please provide a link or two.
Please provide a link or two.
Hi every one. I'm saying I have seen a lot of things change over the years and yes there's a lot of factors to the Craftsman demise, one being the unlimited warranty, back when I was still using Craftsman I would cut them up and modify them every way imaginable then take them back and they would warranty them, my brother in law used to work for Stoughton trailers and they got tired of buying 1/2 drive stubby ratchets from Snap on and having them go missing, so they started buying Craftsman 1/2 ratchets and cutting the handles off and his boss would give him the cut off handles and he would take them in and they would exchange them, then he would sell the ratchets. The last statement Stanley made in an interview I saw was that changes in the warranty are coming and one change may be limiting the number of warranties per tool. I was at my local Ace hardware a few weeks ago and asked out of curiosity if they are warrantying craftsman now and they said yes, but it takes two weeks to get the item. Craftsman will never again be what it once was, even in the 30's and I'm so glad I got rid of all of my Crapsman (that is not a type o) tools.
I don't know why you have such a bad feeling towards Craftsman. You abused their warranty... basically stealing tools. They are still warrantying their tools... just preventing the abuse. Seems like a good move on their part.
My grandfather has C-man (circle H I think) and I have some from the 80's that are used all the time. They are great and I wouldn't trade them. If SBD can get close to the quality of those tools I wouldn't hesitate to buy.
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app
Ton ton
Well-known member
Lowe's does limit their Kobalt warranty . They ask for your driver's license and then once you break a certain tool so many times they stop giving you new tools.
MarvinBerry
Well-known member
Huh. Must be a regional thing..? For all the times I've been in my local NAPA I've never seen tools of any sort on display. Not even the Carlyle everyone talks about on the forum.
If they do stock any tools it's gotta be behind the counter...cause it sure as hell ain't on the floor I'd have seen them at some point.
If they do stock any tools it's gotta be behind the counter...cause it sure as hell ain't on the floor I'd have seen them at some point.
Forddrivinman
Member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2017
- Messages
- 16
I've been seeing Craftsman tools showing up at Northern Tool lately. Even been selling WF screwdriver sets. I'm not sure but looks like it could be Sears leftover stock? Some of the Craftsman power tools look like the older models and not what is sold at Lowe's.
I'm sorry..... I I'm not trying to be bold and impudent and I certainly don't mean to be, I just find it hard to believe that SB&D owns the following brands MAC, Proto and Blackhawk all of which are proudly made in the USA and now there going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars building a new facility just for manufacturing Craftsman. Nope I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid.
chaosracing
Well-known member
I have to agree with this somewhat. When SB&D bought Craftsman, Sears was already having the tools made in China. SB&D said that they were going to bring the Craftsman line back to the US. Its been almost 3 years now and still no USA made Craftsman tools, at least none that I have seen. Yet they can make others here in the USA??? Its not that hard to change tooling for tools in this day and age.
SB&D essentially have ruined this brand. I was a die hard Craftsman tool guy, but not now, especially with their current line of pricing, plus as mentioned before, it being difficult to buy just one socket, screwdriver, etc. I have broken many tools over the years. Some I have warrantied, others not because of how it broke, even though I knew Sears would have replaced it.
But how do stores like Lowes and the others warranty individual stuff like a screwdriver or socket now? I have no clue because I have not taken anything back since Craftsman went out into the world. But if they do not sell individual tools, does this mean you have to return a whole set just to get one tool warrantied?
I looked at Craftsman tools the other day at Lowes and was less than impressed. The feel is different and the cost is astronomical for what you get.
Hopefully SB&D does revive the brand, but I am not holding my breath. They have to much invested already into Chinese made junk, do you really think they will abandon that? Doubtfull as they have shareholders to please.
Exactly! and the stamping is all done after the tool is made so the only tooling to change is the tooling for the brand, model and part number not cheap but fairly inexpensive compared to the cost of a new facility. As for the warranty.... Well like I said in a previous post I checked with my local ACE hardware a few weeks ago and was told yes they do warranty them but it takes two weeks to get the item, that's two business weeks/ 15 days, then recently I found out that if you say that's ok, that's when you find out that in order to do the warranty they have to send it in which requires postage that somebody has to pay, guess whos gonna pay. You take a 13mm socket place it in a padded envelope pay the postage on it and between the cost of the envelope and postage you got 6-7 bucks rapped up in it and you can buy a new one for that or less so you might as well throw out the broken one and buy a new one.
Well there is always the Durabuilt warranty from Target, call 800 number new socket arrives in the mail a few days later. Sure the stuff is junk but the warranty is great...
Stanley isn’t hurting for money. So building a new facility is a no brainer. Makes the brand seem valuable again. Can churn out completely different product don’t have to retool anything once it’s set up so they can produce completely different looking tools than their other brands, allows them to produce them in quantity to cover warranty.
Edit to clarify not all Durabuilt was always all junk, before Target started paring the line I got offset wrenches which were Taiwanese and very well made. It’s kinda like that nice Companion wrench set I've brought up that Sears had at one point, sure it was their budget line but there were some gems.
Last edited:
If SB&D already has brands that are already being made in the USA they wouldn't need to build a new facility in the USA to bring Craftsman back to, they could bring it back to an existing facility.
True but if the designs are different they’re investing in tooling for it anyway. Building a new facility creates a special aura for the brand. Sales benefit from it could well outweigh the cost of the facility.
LB-1911
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Cut from a previous thread
And banner add top of pg 3 @ https://realdeals.napaecatalog.com/Real-Deals-4Q-2019/3/
Last edited:
chaosracing
Well-known member
Yeah I saw that as well, but SB&D promised right after buying Craftsman that they would bring production back to the USA almost immediately because they had space in other plants. Yup, they sure did, they sent more stuff to China to be made. Noe ask yourself this. Why did they invest so much time and money on redesigning the tools only to be made in China instead of the US? They thought they could get away with it for a while and line their pockets. But now that more DeWalt is being made in the US because of demand, they finally (after 2 years) decide to build a factory in the US, but again, why when they have existing plants making similar tools, just under other brands?
Plus has anyone tried the warranty yet since they are selling at Lowes and others? I am interested to know because the last Sears in my area is closing now. I have yet to see Lowes selling individual stuff that can easily replace individual tools from sets.
No NAPA's in my area sell Craftsman either, TSC does not. ACE does, but they have a very small selection. I already asked there and they said they would honor the warranty, but only if they stock and sell that tool, or the newer version of it. Again, not a big help.
SB&D owns MAC tools and if they bring Craftsman back to the USA how long will it be before American workers are going to want MAC tools wages and benefits for working at Craftsman?
I know Menards don't honor the warranty and they are telling customers that they have to go to sears or mail in the item or items them selves to warranty them, as directed by SB&D.
As for Ace I talked to one Ace and got told the same as I did by Menards, Then I talked to my local Ace and got told oh yeah we warranty them all but it takes two weeks to get it. Here's the deal my local ace is family owned and all the employees are owners, so once your looking to buy something they warranty it all, but once you are looking to warranty something they don't warranty anything.
By the sounds of it sears is the only retailer doing the warranties, what's left of sears anyhow... and sears just announced that they are in financial trouble again and another almost 200 stores are going to be closed. So... Sears is dyeing again, and this time are they going to end up closing all the stores and go on line only? or they going to fold altogether? either way without sears to do the warranties its not going to be any different buying Craftsman tools than it is going to Walmart and buying Stanley tools. Sorry but mailing tools in for replacement is going to cost more than the tool is worth.
rijndael
Well-known member
IMO, it's not on Menards to "honor" a warranty. It's not their warranty, it's Craftsman's. Your warranty is with the manufacturer, not the reseller. Why is this different from someone with a Weber grill that had an issue 11 months and they need warranty support? You call Weber, you don't go to the reseller. If you're inside of a magic window, perhaps <= 30 days after a purchase, then a reseller will often take it back since they often have their own satisfaction guarantee. Craftsman is no longer a house brand.
Last edited:
Retailers like Menards warranty products all the time.
It depends on whatever deal they have set up with a product vendor.
They might ship the defective product back to the manufacturer for further processing or they might pitch it in the trash
Wife worked at ACE hardware they do it all the time with a variety products
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app
Last edited:
So when you buy a new Silverado from a generous motors dealer and it breaks the dealer should tell you to take it to the manufacturer because, Your warranty is with the manufacturer, not the reseller. rofl
rijndael
Well-known member
Nice try, but new car dealers are the franchises. They're an entirely different industry with state regulations that control much of their business, including from where you can buy a new car. That's nothing like a typical retail item.
They are franchisees, but that doesn't mean they get free vehicles to sell, they have to buy those vehicles which makes then a reseller, I believe your point was a warranty is through the manufacturer not the reseller.