Y00PER
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Wonder if Craftsman is discontinuing their V series, or is Ace no longer carrying them, or is it just my local Ace hardware, because all their V series stuff is on clearance. 1/4" flex head ratchets are $25
Craftsman V-series clearance
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Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
How much V Series stuff have on a shelf? I feel the Craftsman V Series is poorly marketed by Lowes/Ace Hardware. I've never seen any of it in a store, only online.
Although the V Series has some gems, I don't feel their ratchets are one of them. Not serviceable, too thick headed, and super high back drag. The comfort grip handle in 1/4 is too small to be useful but, that's just me.
Although the V Series has some gems, I don't feel their ratchets are one of them. Not serviceable, too thick headed, and super high back drag. The comfort grip handle in 1/4 is too small to be useful but, that's just me.
dclark2171
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The v series tool boxes looked decent but too shallow depth IMO
They had different size ratchets, torx sockets, socket rails, wrenches and stuff, but it's all been moved to, and marked down in the clearance section. 1/4' flex heads and some torx sockets was about all that was leftHow much V Series stuff have on a shelf? I feel the Craftsman V Series is poorly marketed by Lowes/Ace Hardware. I've never seen any of it in a store, only online.
Although the V Series has some gems, I don't feel their ratchets are one of them. Not serviceable, too thick headed, and super high back drag. The comfort grip handle in 1/4 is too small to be useful but, that's just me.
CHI_Tool&Die
Well-known member
My Ace just had a complete remodel and they basically dumped all their non-Milwaukee tools into one small 1/4 of an aisle. Maybe yours is doing the same? It’s basically just like the HD by me…all Milwaukee all the time.
Mine did the same a year ago.
Chrome Vanadium Cody
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None of the Lowe’s or Ace locations near me ever stocked the V series stuff although weirdly enough Lowe’s had ads in store telling you to buy it online. A brick & mortar store launching a mostly special order/ online only tool brand always seemed like a doomed plan to me. If they were available in store I actually would have impulse bought some V series tools like the rbrt-lite hex bit sockets that would have been useful for me *that day*, but as soon as I have to special order it, you’re competing with the whole internet and unless your prices are super aggressive you’re going to lose.
The V-Series is such a limited line. I'm not sure if even SBD knows which direction it's supposed to be going . Some nice looking offerings but no chance to build on their sets. There's a ton of potential in the US market for a brand that can dip into European designs, IMO.
CGarage
Well-known member
My grandpappy bought Craftsman!
So did my daddy!
I still remember going on up to a Sears on a Sunday!
I MUST do the same! It’s the only way!
I will happily pay $55 US for a 1/4” ratchet, and will be happy with this purchase, because of a legacy brand name!!! Even if it’s made in Taiwan these days.
‘Merica!
So did my daddy!
I still remember going on up to a Sears on a Sunday!
I MUST do the same! It’s the only way!
I will happily pay $55 US for a 1/4” ratchet, and will be happy with this purchase, because of a legacy brand name!!! Even if it’s made in Taiwan these days.
‘Merica!
shakenfake
Well-known member
Northern Tool just had a massive clearance across a lot of things in store, even items like Bondhus marked down to $5 for the entire set. I would not be surprised if Ace is going through something similar.
Something about change of COO recently.
Something about change of COO recently.
toolenthusiast
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My grandpappy bought Craftsman!
So did my daddy!
I still remember going on up to a Sears on a Sunday!
I MUST do the same! It’s the only way!
I will happily pay $55 US for a 1/4” ratchet, and will be happy with this purchase, because of a legacy brand name!!! Even if it’s made in Taiwan these days.
‘Merica!
CGarage
Well-known member
CGarage
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Please correct me if I am wrong.
I do not think there is a direct analogue to the Craftsman V-Series line offered by Facom or USAG.
Your comparison is not fair.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
@Fedwrench
Have you noticed some of the regular Craftsman reversible ratcheting wrenches are similar to Expert?
Unfortunately, its a small set with skips. I grabbed the metric.
Have you noticed some of the regular Craftsman reversible ratcheting wrenches are similar to Expert?
Unfortunately, its a small set with skips. I grabbed the metric.
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
No. There are several Craftsman V series tools that are USAG/FACOM clones. Screwdrivers, flush cuts, pliers wrench, compact socket sets (minus the ratchet), combination wrenches are all USAG/FACOM copies. Some items made in the same French Factory. The biggest area in the Craftsman V Series lineup that is quite different from USAG/FACOM, would be the ratchets. I feel that was a huge mistake by SBD Craftsman. The V series ratchets are too thick, not serviceable, have the highest back drag on any ratchet on the market today, and don't get better with use. I feel the V Series ratchets and skipping metric wrench sizes 15 & 18mm to be the biggest fail of the V Series line.
I also grabbed the V series metric set on sale despite it skipping 15 & 18 mm. I don't think the Craftsman V Series look like Expert. I think the older Dewalt ratchetting wrenches may be a closer match to the Expert line
I don't have any of the current Craftsman ratcheting wrenches to compare. I only have the older US made Craftsman ratcheting wrenches and those were quite good back in the day. Some of the Expert line seems pretty good. I wonder if SBD will replace Blackhawk with Expert.CGarage
Well-known member
No. There are several Craftsman V series tools that are USAG/FACOM clones. Screwdrivers, flush cuts, pliers wrench, compact socket sets (minus the ratchet), combination wrenches are all USAG/FACOM copies. Some items made in the same French Factory. The biggest area in the Craftsman V Series lineup that is quite different from USAG/FACOM, would be the ratchets. I feel that was a huge mistake by SBD Craftsman. The V series ratchets are too thick, not serviceable, have the highest back drag on any ratchet on the market today, and don't get better with use. I feel the V Series ratchets and skipping metric wrench sizes 15 & 18mm to be the biggest fail of the V Series line.
I also grabbed the V series metric set on sale despite it skipping 15 & 18 mm. I don't think the Craftsman V Series look like Expert. I think the older Dewalt ratchetting wrenches may be a closer match to the Expert line
That was my understanding, also.
$55 US for a ratchet with these inherent problems is a lot of money.
In years past, I was able to buy my new Facom 1/4” ratchets for under $50 on sale with shipping included in this amount.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
@Fedwrench
I didnt explain very clearly. I didnt mean the V-Series, just the plain CM.
Heres a pic from ebay. The ratcheting end is identical AFAICT.
They are solid wrenches. Just wish it was a complete set.
I didnt explain very clearly. I didnt mean the V-Series, just the plain CM.
Heres a pic from ebay. The ratcheting end is identical AFAICT.
They are solid wrenches. Just wish it was a complete set.
You are correct. They are different mechanisms. My mistake. I do like them though. I am holding my breath on the non-serviceable aspect. Hope grease has improved over the decades.
CGarage
Well-known member
In fairness, I bought some of the sealed head Facom ratchets because they are thin, small form factor, and sweet mechanism.
When I bought them a few years ago, I was paying in the low $40s range per ratchet.
At that price, if it goes belly up, I don’t mind buying another one down the road.
I will still keep my palm-drive ratchets on hand since they are rebuildable and I have kits for them.
milky2k
Well-known member
V Series on the clearance rack??? I’m in the Los Angeles area and I have never seen any V series tools at my local Ace or Lowe’s! Maybe they’re getting stolen the minute they hit the shelves but honestly I’ve never seen any V Series tools in person.
Honestly, guilty as charged. I have an Ace Hardware about a mile from my house and the idea of walking there on a weekend afternoon to buy a craftsman tool to do some automotive work is so quintessentially Americana to me.My grandpappy bought Craftsman!
So did my daddy!
I still remember going on up to a Sears on a Sunday!
I MUST do the same! It’s the only way!
I will happily pay $55 US for a 1/4” ratchet, and will be happy with this purchase, because of a legacy brand name!!! Even if it’s made in Taiwan these days.
‘Merica!
The problem with Craftsman under SBD's reign is that they don't play on the legacy or nostalgia of the brand. They rebrand whatever low quality tools they pick from their portfolio, slap the Craftsman name on it and put it in a bright red box. They don't have to make it in America, that ship has sailed. They just need to provide better quality tools in their lineup.
The DeWalt hand and mechanics tools look like better quality than the **** at Lowe's.
The DeWalt hand and mechanics tools look like better quality than the **** at Lowe's.
The V-Series tools fill that role, as well as playing on nostalgia a bit with the name.
-V- Series was never a special series of Craftsman tools. It was a manufacturer marking that ran from the 50's into the 70's or later. It never signified a special series of tools offered by Craftsman, just a stamping on sockets, wrenches and ratchets from that era.
The current V- Series tools offered by SBD offer absolutely no nostalgia or nod to the heritage of the -V- series tools from decades ago. Craftsman might as well offer a G-Series, G2 or G2D then, why the hell not.
Now, had they called this this V-Series nonsense "Craftsman Professional", then maybe they'd be on to something. I think that would have enticed a lot more people to buy them.
Steel_Rain
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Since the other thread is locked...I guess it's official now...SBD officially axed the V-Series lineup:
Dunno if they will circulate anything "official", but I trust what is said in the above.
I wonder if these will go on clearance at the Ace Hardware stores now? If so, I'll pickup another set of the XL long pattern , they have been good to me over the last 6 months.
Dunno if they will circulate anything "official", but I trust what is said in the above.
I wonder if these will go on clearance at the Ace Hardware stores now? If so, I'll pickup another set of the XL long pattern , they have been good to me over the last 6 months.
Andres26tnt
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Since the other thread is locked...I guess it's official now...SBD officially axed the V-Series lineup:
Dunno if they will circulate anything "official", but I trust what is said in the above.
I wonder if these will go on clearance at the Ace Hardware stores now? If so, I'll pickup another set of the XL long pattern , they have been good to me over the last 6 months.
It's official and also make sense why they sold the stock at ridiculous low prices. Currently what's on sale is the last of the stock they have. It will probably go on clearance as the months roll by.
Sad as this was a good line excluding the ratchets. Could have been fixes easy and relaunched. But knowing how retail works, and how the retail partner is the actual customer. It's almost impossible to do.
Steel_Rain
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Agreed. I was impressed with the socket quality along with the screw drivers/nut drivers. I experimented with several oils / dunking the heads of these ratchets in ATF and running them in a drill and I have them much better when they were new.
I picked up a bunch of this stuff last year when it was on clearance. Several socket sets, sockets, ratchets, ratcheting wrenches, screwdrivers, socket trays, etc. It's really very nice stuff overall.
Agreed that the ratchets are the weak spot, however as you say they can be improved. I dripped some light oil in through the selector switch and spun them with a drill and they improved dramatically. The 1/4" still has fairly high backdrag, but entirely usable. The 3/8" and 1/2" are just fine and I find myself picking up the long flex ratchets quite regularly. They're not as good as some of my really high-end ratchets (Matco, S-K, KTC, Ko-ken) but for $15-20 each they were a steal.
Who the hell still sells anything V-Series? Other than the tools (mostly on sale) we saw briefly at Lowes, I haven't seen them anywhere else locally or online.
Whenever I do see them online, they show out of stock/discontinued.
Whenever I do see them online, they show out of stock/discontinued.
neophyte
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This was the annoying thing.
You couldn’t just go into a store, and pick up some V-series while buying supplies or whatever.
It had to be custom ordered.
Steel_Rain
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I was at my local ACE hardware a few weeks ago and they had a few sets of the SAE ratcheting wrenches (standard pattern) in stock along with a single set of nut drivers (that I bought) on sale, but that was it.
Less the ratchets, these could have been some of the best, poorly marketed and inexpensive, handtools I've bought in years.
The BEST part about this entire situation is how Lowes completely dropped the ball on this line of tools. NOBODY at the three local Lowes stores in my area knew ANYTHING about Craftsman V-Series when asked way back when these were on clearance. During the holidays, they had moved these to the front of the store (unknown to me at the time) and every employee I talked to came back with the same answer..."What's V-Series?".
Yikes.
The same thing is happening to the FLEX brand at Lowes. Great tools, extremely poor marketing, training and support from Lowes directly. It's what killed that brand.
You must've really searched hard
And Zoro also carries some.
But yeah, part of the issue is that it's not 1990 anymore, Sears now essentially doesn't exist, and it's difficult to get shelf space in a big box store like HD or Lowes: with so many brands competing for that small hand tool section, they're not going to carry multiple brands. And although there are a zillion Ace Hardware stores, it's not exactly the first place people think of when they need a tool. So basically, Craftsman is a brand without a home today.
Steel_Rain
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I need to get a job for Lowes Marketing department with this new slogan:
"Lowes...where brands go to slowly die"
*cough* Craftsman *cough* Toughbuilt *cough* Flex *cough*
Professor Gascan
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I always wondered what happens when a retailer stops producing a line of guaranteed tools. If your v series ratchet goes pop, what do you do? Exchange it for whatever they happen to have on the shelf?
oscarsnapkin
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Can’t speak for that, but I do remember when I worked at Sears back in ‘98-‘99 and they started exchanging rebuilt ratchets for the broken ones people would bring in. The verbal abuse I endured was insane. I would try to explain that the only part that wasn’t new was the handle, which doesn’t wear. Not to mention, I’d say 3/4 of the warranty returns were people just looking to get a shiny new tool even though their old one was in perfect working condition. People ****. I miss the old Sears hardware department. I hated working there, but I sure loved browsing. They used to sell those gigantic sets of tools that were shown on a wall mounted display with every single piece mounted in plastic. The sets were a bargain. Craftsman is such an iconic brand and it’s sad to see it dying. I took so much pride and care in the tools I used to buy there when I first got into cars as a teenager.