Craftsman v Penncraft quality

[WilliamT081423]

Hello everyone,

Until I bought the Penncraft 1/2" drill (made by WEN) and the small tool box I recently rescued on the marketplace, I had never owned any Penncraft-branded tools. I worked at JCPenney many years ago, though it was after the time when they stopped selling tools and doing auto service, so I wasn't aware they sold items like that until deep into adulthood. Most of the tools I bought or received as gifts were Craftsman. Same goes for my dad. Pretty much everything tool-wise he's ever had was Craftsman.

So, how do the two brands compare quality-wise? It appears that Penncraft came to the party a little later, though they seem to have been manufactured by reputable companies. Personally, I think Craftsman tools have a nicer appearance, but appearance isn't everything.

Is anyone out there partial to Penncraft over Craftsman?

I'm thinking about filling that Penncraft tool box up with some Penncraft tools, but not if it's not a worthwhile endeavor.

Thank you,
-William

 

[Private Lugnutz]

You might want to visit the J.C. Penney thread.

You can find it in the A-Z Index of Threads in the Sticky at the top of this forum.

Excerpt...



...and quickly peruse the list for other topics you may also be interested in.

But here is the link...

J.C. Penny tools

Anybody else got any? I bought a 15/16 X 1 inch box end wrench waaaaaaay back in the late 60's from J.C. Penny. It was branded Penncraft is made like the old Craftsman. It has been put through the wringer many times over and has never let me down. I guess the same folks that made Craftsman made...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[RTM]

Both brands used Wen as a manufacturer, if that's any hint. Other hand tools in the Penncraft thread are our standard great tool manufacturers.

 

[WilliamT081423]

Both brands used Wen as a manufacturer, if that's any hint. Other hand tools in the Penncraft thread are our standard great tool manufacturers.

The challenge may be just finding the tools. Craftsman may have been the more dominant brand around here even though my city had both stores going back to when you went downtown to shop instead of going to a mall. Kind of makes me think that Sears may have had the more generous credit terms and had a line of tools going for a longer period of time.

Someone has a Penncraft saber saw on the marketplace for $20 along with extra blades. All metal and claims to still be working. But other than that and the toolbox I got earlier in the week, I'm not finding anything.

I didn't even bring up the lines from Montgomery Ward, Western Auto, or any of those stores. I don't recall my family doing any business with Monkey Ward, and my childhood tricycle came from Western Auto, though the first bicycle I had was from Sears.

 

[WilliamT081423]

You might want to visit the J.C. Penney thread.

You can find it in the A-Z Index of Threads in the Sticky at the top of this forum.

Excerpt...



...and quickly peruse the list for other topics you may also be interested in.

But here is the link...

J.C. Penny tools

Anybody else got any? I bought a 15/16 X 1 inch box end wrench waaaaaaay back in the late 60's from J.C. Penny. It was branded Penncraft is made like the old Craftsman. It has been put through the wringer many times over and has never let me down. I guess the same folks that made Craftsman made...

www.garagejournal.com

The people posting in there seem satisfied with their Penney tools, so maybe a search for some would be worthwhile.