Draftpick1
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2018
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It maybe nostalgia, but a lot of people don’t shop around and compare prices or know other quality USA tool brands. They know craftsman USA is decent stuff and cheaper than Snap on.
Craftsmanomania?
- Thread starter qqzj
- Start date
Precisely. I agree with that
I own plenty of tools from other brands, USA or not… SK, GearWrench, Carlyle, Napa Danaher, even some MAC stuff… but that’s all within the last few years. Before that, 99% of everything I had was Craftsman.
My Craftsman tools have fixed countless cars, golf carts, lawn equipment, home and appliance repairs. Everything from easy jobs to flat out abuse. I’ve only broken two tools that I recall and both times I was stressing them more than I probably should have been.
I know all about other tool brands, mostly thanks to Garage Journal. I know how much people love their SnapOn Dual 80’s, Wright Grips, Knipex, Tekton Tools and German screwdrivers. I can afford all of it, but I don’t want it or need it. Those old USA Craftsman are what a lot of us (myself included) have come to know, love and trust and it gets the job done. That’s a big reason why the tools have a cult like following and bring such big $$$$.
I think it’s difficult for some people who own/use the higher end tools to wrap their mind around.
Mark in Indiana
Well-known member
I'll chime in:
From my point of view, Sears & Roebuck tool department was a magical place for a kid in the 1960s. They had all of the hand tools, metal working machinery and woodworking machinery that was of industrial quality.
My Dad bought Cman tools from the 1950s - 1970s. I bought Cman tools from the 1970s - early 2000s. Dad used them with care, doing DYI jobs on the house & car. I used them professionally in an industrial maintenance career. Although I took care of them, I was on a first name basis with the Sears & Roebuck tool department clerk, as often as I exchanged them.
Now, I have 3 complete sets of vintage USA Cman tools; my Dad's, my job set and my home set. I'm just as happy with them as if they were any other quality brand. No plans to part with any of them until I'm physically incapable of using them.
From my point of view, Sears & Roebuck tool department was a magical place for a kid in the 1960s. They had all of the hand tools, metal working machinery and woodworking machinery that was of industrial quality.
My Dad bought Cman tools from the 1950s - 1970s. I bought Cman tools from the 1970s - early 2000s. Dad used them with care, doing DYI jobs on the house & car. I used them professionally in an industrial maintenance career. Although I took care of them, I was on a first name basis with the Sears & Roebuck tool department clerk, as often as I exchanged them.
Now, I have 3 complete sets of vintage USA Cman tools; my Dad's, my job set and my home set. I'm just as happy with them as if they were any other quality brand. No plans to part with any of them until I'm physically incapable of using them.
From all the stories like yours, we can roughly deduce how long the Craftsman fad will last. Suppose a 20 year old got addicted to Sears in early 2000's, and he started liquidating or gifting his tools away around 70 (2050). Currently it is 2021, so the fad still has about 30 years to go on.
Mark in Indiana
Well-known member
I’ll add to my story:
In the later years, after 1990, I found disappointment in the quality of some tools and machinery. Seemed like gimmicks like laser track and other unnecessary accessories (my opinion), we’re added.
One experience I had: I took in a Cman 8” c-clamp, with a broken spindle foot, for an exchange. The new c-clamp, same SKU# as my old USA made c-clamp, was made in China. Quality was noticeably lower. So, I took back my USA made c-clamp, made and installed a new spindle foot.
In spite of that, I’ll still enjoy working with my vintage Cman tools and machinery.
In the later years, after 1990, I found disappointment in the quality of some tools and machinery. Seemed like gimmicks like laser track and other unnecessary accessories (my opinion), we’re added.
One experience I had: I took in a Cman 8” c-clamp, with a broken spindle foot, for an exchange. The new c-clamp, same SKU# as my old USA made c-clamp, was made in China. Quality was noticeably lower. So, I took back my USA made c-clamp, made and installed a new spindle foot.
In spite of that, I’ll still enjoy working with my vintage Cman tools and machinery.
didit
Well-known member
I inherited a lot of Craftsman (all USA and Canada made) hand tools. socket sets, screwdrivers, etc. from early '80s and up. I've had them over 10 years now and just got around to sorting them today. I like everything except the ratchets which are a bit funky. I am going to start using these tools and semi retire my Mastercraft and Gray sets. I have a good smattering of Snap-On, Proto and several other non-set pieces that I can't part with but will keep separate. I just find it easier to work from sets, without unnecessary duplication and the Craftsman are my only complete/unmodified sets.
As far as value or collectability, that doesn't matter a bit to me. If I like them , I'll use them, if I don't, I divvy them up amongst the kids.
As far as value or collectability, that doesn't matter a bit to me. If I like them , I'll use them, if I don't, I divvy them up amongst the kids.
joel63
Well-known member
I talked myself into believing this for a few years. That was a long time ago.
I've moved on, but I know what the Craftsman name means to many.
They are (were) relatively inexpensive, mass produced, average quality tools.
No one is ever going to showcase them on the "antiques road show"
Most of the money paid for Cman tools, is for speculation, IMO. If it's sold for $60 today, it should be worth $160 in a few years, right?
That's what they thought about beanie-babies and while there is a few out there that are still valuable, there are way more that are worthless.
southalabama
Well-known member
Askin ain’t gettin.
Exactly!! My dad worked at Sears for several years, so not only did he buy Craftsman tools, but he also got an additional 10% employee discount on everything he bought. As a kid, I couldn’t wait to walk up and down the aisles of the Sears tool department. And when the annual tool catalogs came out, I went page by page through them like they were a good book you couldn’t put down.
Jim C.
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RandyRanderson
Well-known member
I see a lot of replies mentioning nostalgia in this thread. I guess that's the best reason I can think of as to why Craftsman is so popular.
For me? Not so much. I'm 42, and I grew up with my dad using Powr Kraft that he started buying in the early 70s. Sure, he has Craftsman. Most people do, but it wasn't his go-to brand.
For me? Not so much. I'm 42, and I grew up with my dad using Powr Kraft that he started buying in the early 70s. Sure, he has Craftsman. Most people do, but it wasn't his go-to brand.
I concur, from a very similar experience; all of my Dad's Cman tools were from the 1950's & 60's. I used to love going to Sears with him—throughout the 60's—on Saturday mornings while he browsed the tool dept. Perhaps, for me, because I mostly loved the aroma and taste of the popcorn.
I also inherited my Dads' Cman tools, then added my own additions/collections (during the late 70's & early 80's).A small aside: I just wish I wouldv'e known about the release of the Cman Professional tool line in or around 1994 !=(( As I would've likely replaced all of my late 70's/early 80's Cman... with the Pro sets &c. Alas, from 91'~95' I was being drug through hell so many times by my ex—I lost count how many times; but so much that after-a-while it kinda bored me—and the last thing I was thinkin' about—during the early-to-mid 90's—was visiting a Sears store or tool dept, or buying any more Cman mech tools. Not that I would've definitely replaced all my late 70's/early 80's stuff, but I think I might've, notwithstanding it turned-out for the best that I didn't, as most of my Cman tools were stolen in the autumn of 95'. . . (and to add to this sad country song about love gone bad, and separation and loss...during the same time period my most incredible 'dog of my life', the Greatest Grouse & Upland Llewellin English Setter in the history of planet earth, died =(( ; then my Mother died early from Alzheimer's; I could go on, but surely y'all have heard endless such songs
) . . .And while I considered purchasing some 'new old stock' Cman Pro mech tools over the last several years—I passed on most sets—as the prices were/are through the roof.
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My dad bought me one of those blow molded USA made 200 piece sets when I turned 16. Still keep them around but I dumped the case a long time ago. They aren’t THAT great, and my current go-to Tekton sockets and ratchets are better (the ratchets for sure). My dad got them for me though, and they did just fine for YEARS.
BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
At least Craftsman is still living up to their warranty with no questions asked. Lowe’s won’t do it in my area so I just email them. I filed for warranty yesterday today they said they were sending stuff. I have been doing warranty about once a month with them I’ve got several broke things. The things they are replacing this go around have chrome coming off of them and the pliers bent at the end so they said they would replace them. I also wanted some universal joint sockets replaced but they said they won’t have those in stock for awhile and to email back in two weeks. That is a disadvantage there and I’m still waiting on my back ordered ratchet also. I broke a pick and they sent a whole set I was more than happy about that. I’ve turned everyone in my shop on to the newer stuff it’s not bad and will be back in the USA soon I’m sure. At least they are like other companies and you don’t have to send the others back anymore either.
finn
Well-known member
You sound like my wife’s 87 year old uncle, who has accumulated around four thousand beer cans.
Nice collection, I guess, but it will all go to recycling within the next five or ten years.
There is pretty big money in beer cans. If you haul them to the scrap yard, you're the fool, not him.
Draftpick1
Well-known member
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- Mar 22, 2018
- Messages
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Craftsman had good branding, I bought a 200 pc set when I was 18 and added some more as I got older, SK was a lot more expensive did not see the the added value. It was a long time before I ever heard of Proto,Williams, Cornwall, Matco,Mac people have that nostalgia because Sears was in almost every city and with catalogs and flyers and good advertising. That how you build generational nostalgia. There tools were not bad for the average homeowners I would say the minimum level every man should have.
I'm a Craftsman but...and it's absolutely nostalgia. I focus more in the power and automotive side of things....but in the end it's the same..
They were tools made for men who did things on their own. They were an affordable way to for a man of limited means to get tools he would never before be able to. Every time I fire up my Craftsman lathe, I wonder what garage it was originally delivered to, and what they made...
They were tools made for men who did things on their own. They were an affordable way to for a man of limited means to get tools he would never before be able to. Every time I fire up my Craftsman lathe, I wonder what garage it was originally delivered to, and what they made...
joel63
Well-known member
Me too.
The mind can be a complex and funny
thing, Not to mention irrational to boot.
I'm sure psychologists may be able shed some light on tool envy.
finn
Well-known member
Life’s too short, at this point, to become an expert in beer cans just to make a few pennies. I did however, take a peek at eBay a month or so ago to see what the market looks like. Maybe not as bad as Beanie Baby’s, yet… but it’s apparently descending to that level, based on fifteen minutes of casual “research “.
Again, you have to look at sold items, not asking prices.
Just like tools.
Well that's really good to know!
By 'email them', are you emailing Sears or Stanley Black&Decker directly?BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I just go to the Craftsman website and fill out the request form and click the warranty option and it sends them an email then they email you. Really convenient and handy.Well that's really good to know!
Submit a request – CRAFTSMAN
support.craftsman.com
Thanks Blake!I just go to the Craftsman website and fill out the request form and click the warranty option and it sends them an email then they email you. Really convenient and handy.
Submit a request – CRAFTSMAN
I'll try and remember that if I ever need to replace any, as I've heard trying the same at the Sears tool dept's (if you still have one anywhere nearby) is hit & miss.BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Oh yeah anytime fellow GJ’er. They will take care of you for sure. My Sears closed in October 2019 man I miss the place. I went to one down in North Carolina a few months ago and got some stuff but didn’t want to turn loose of my broken USA stuff for China because they don’t sell the SBD Craftsman at the Sears they only sell at Lowe’s and Ace and a few other places. Sears has the regular Chinese Craftsman that is no good. Plus I like the idea of not turning it in so I can tell the stories of how the old one broke lol.Thanks Blake!
Nobody every thought Magic the Gathering cards would be worth anything back in the mid-90’s, now my buddy Jon sits on an estimated $20,000 fortune.
Same goes for those little Micro Machine cars I used to play with in the late 80’s and early 90’s. My parents would pay $3.99 for a 5 pack at Kmart. You want those same tiny little cars now in the original package from 1993? Cough up $100 on eBay.
The collectible toy store down the road from my work has a 2ft. tall Robocop doll in the original cardboard box.. $1,150. The Toys R Us price tag from the 1987 on the box says $29.99.
Some beer cans bring good money. I’ve seen it. You never know…
Around here there are several folks that buy/sell Craftsman USA stuff at a premium. Pretty crazy at times. I have a good amount of Craftsman stuff, but almost all of it was from my Dad when I went to college, inherited after he passed, or bought myself at Sears. I could never afford the Snap Ons of the world - Sears was local, affordable and accessible damn near anywhere in the US.
I miss Sears. The other stores just don’t do it for me. I’ll keep my old Craftsman, and it will go to my son when I can’t do my own repairs anymore. Now when I need to add a tool to the mix it is usually Husky/Kobalt, although the newer SBD Craftsman stuff has started getting much better. In fact I even got me a set of 6 pt sockets in all drive sizes from Craftsman, and have been pretty happy with it. My old stuff was that typical mix of 6 pt and 12 pt sockets they always gave you.
I miss Sears. The other stores just don’t do it for me. I’ll keep my old Craftsman, and it will go to my son when I can’t do my own repairs anymore. Now when I need to add a tool to the mix it is usually Husky/Kobalt, although the newer SBD Craftsman stuff has started getting much better. In fact I even got me a set of 6 pt sockets in all drive sizes from Craftsman, and have been pretty happy with it. My old stuff was that typical mix of 6 pt and 12 pt sockets they always gave you.
BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I tell you I’m happy with them again. So I emailed to inquire about my ratchet that I asked over a month ago now for a warranty since it doesn’t ratchet now. Actually bought it from the pawn shop that way which I explained to them. They looked into it said they are actually discontinuing the raised panel stuff so they would happily send me a gunmetal one in its place if that would be one with me. I told them absolutely. Another long time customer satisfied again. Plus I have the sockets on the way that the chrome was peeling on.
consti2tion
Well-known member
Man I completely forgot about this this.
I found this one. The selector switch was stuck so I took it apart, cleaned it some and sprayed a little Kroil in it, seems to work well. Shoot me a PM with your address and I'll mail it out next week.
Mekks082
Active member
I had bought a huge set of craftsman tools + tons of extra stuff right before they moved to china. They worked and I used them for a little over 10 years but some did break and the quality was just not the same as old craftsman.
I decided it was time to upgrade, cleaned them all up and pieced them out on ebay. I was shocked what some of the stuff was going for, way over retail. I was able to replace everything with snap-on, vessel, wright, tekton, sk, nws, ect... with very little money out of pocket.
I will always miss going to a sears and walking the isles though.
I decided it was time to upgrade, cleaned them all up and pieced them out on ebay. I was shocked what some of the stuff was going for, way over retail. I was able to replace everything with snap-on, vessel, wright, tekton, sk, nws, ect... with very little money out of pocket.
I will always miss going to a sears and walking the isles though.
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consti2tion
Well-known member
I miss the trips with my dad going to Sears as well.
I'm just now finally ditching the blow molded case, same story here. My dad bought me the set around the time I got a license, and I still have the vast majority of them. For the most part, they are the only sockets I've ever used. I doubt I've used the majority of them, since I've only recently bought my first American made vehicle, and I'm not sure why there are so many 12 points. The ratchets are also subpar compared to the SK's I bought recently. Still, after many years of abusing them, hauling them to the track, etc, I'd say it was a pretty good value back in the late 90s.
I got into some of the mania today and picked up a set of stubby wrenches. Something I probably will never use. I have 1, 15/16, 7/8, 13/16, 3/4, 11/16, 1/2 and 7/16. The whole set is 11 pieces. Missing 5/8, 9/16 and 3/8. I have a feeling that getting them won't be easy or cheap ...
Does anyone know who made these vv wrenches for Craftsman? Much appreciated.
Does anyone know who made these vv wrenches for Craftsman? Much appreciated.
Brandon_Lutz
Well-known member
If I remember correctly, SK made that series of professional stubby wrenches for Craftsman at the time. I have the full set in SAE and have been looking occasionally to fill out my collection with a full metric set but people want way more than what I'm willing to pay.
Thanks guys. I never had any SK tools. Didn't expect to get an SK this way. Are these of the same quality as real SK tools, or are they cheaper version?
While looking thru eBay listings, a lot of sellers sell them as 'Craftsman Professional'. Is this just BS or they are actually part of the 'Professional' series?
While looking thru eBay listings, a lot of sellers sell them as 'Craftsman Professional'. Is this just BS or they are actually part of the 'Professional' series?
Brandon_Lutz
Well-known member
The polished, raised panel stubby wrenches were part of the Professional Line. I think they were also sold under the Industrial Series as well.
Cool. Thanks. It would be nice if they actually have professional on them. But this is great enough.
Hi. I was the ASM for all the home improvement departments at Sears back when these came out, which included the Tools Dept (div 9). I have this exact set, and the Metric equivalent that came in a gray blow-molded case. I know for a fact they were not made by Armstrong, who made the Craftsman Professional polished long handle combination wrench set as well as the Craftsman Professional polished offset box wrench set. I also don't think they were made by SK (owned by Facom at the time), who did make the Craftsman Professional flare nut wrenches at the time. All of the wrenches from Armstrong and SK were very different from the standard raised panel wrenches of the time in terms of thickness, length, fonts, and were stamped 'professional' on the tool.I got into some of the mania today and picked up a set of stubby wrenches. Something I probably will never use. I have 1, 15/16, 7/8, 13/16, 3/4, 11/16, 1/2 and 7/16. The whole set is 11 pieces. Missing 5/8, 9/16 and 3/8. I have a feeling that getting them won't be easy or cheap ...
Does anyone know who made these vv wrenches for Craftsman? Much appreciated.
And I only remember all this because when these stubbys came out, my tool guys were pretty curious about them because they carried the 'Craftsman Professional' name, but didn't really look like the other CP wrenches from Armstrong or SK. They asked me to look into the manufacturer, and the source code was different from the other CP wrenches, but only listed as Danaher and not the forge. Considering these had the same raised panel and font as the regular wrenches, and also had the same 'vv' forge stamp as all the other regular raised panel wrenches of the time (which also had Danaher as the source code), we figured they were likely made at the same forge as the regular raised panel wrenches in special low-volume runs and chromed.
edit: I also remember them being relatively expensive. We figured they likely got chromed and sold under the Craftsman Professional name to better justify the price, even though they were made at the same place as the regular raised panel wrenches.
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Hi thanks for the input! So they are indeed 'professional', but not made by one of the special providers? That's a bit sad. Guess I have to wait for the first SK tools!