Evolv Tools

[bmxr4life87]

Has anyone tried the evolv tools at sears yet? they had a nice looking set of wrenches that were way longer than the craftsmans for a 10 piece set of metric or standard was $17. The chrome on them seems nicer than say pittsburg and they dont seem cheap so i was wondering what you had heard/experienced with these???

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...me=Tools&cName=Mechanics+Tools&sName=Wrenches

 

[HandyManny]

They are not longer than the Craftsman Professional full polish combo wrenches.

I think it's their new line of tools intended for the metro-****** segment of the market. You know the guys (fancy boys) who've never picked up a hammer or turned a wrench, and are too afraid of getting their hands dirty, but still want to feel usefull around the house and pretend in front of their dominant wives that they are real men. Just kidding!

There is just something about the brand name and that bright lime green color that just turns me away and makes me not want to take those pretty evolv tools too seriously. They just seem like their marketed towards a non-tool using crowd. Like something you'd find as a novelty at Crate & Barrel, or Williams Sanoma. Besides, they're made in China.

Why doesn't Sears focus more on getting back the quality of Craftsman, rather than introduce a new novelty brand of tools?

 

[bmxr4life87]

those wrenches have no lime green on em.... i was just curious cause i need a nice long set of wrenches to compliment my craftsmans and the only long set i can find decently priced is pitsburg but im kinda eery of that stuff but damn are they loooong

 

[crashbumper]

Marketing and PR to sell "Green" eco-friendly products.

I looked at those and had a very "Harbor Freight" kinda moment

 

[The Muffin Man]

I was just looking at some of their stuff today when I was at Sears. I don't have any experience with the Evolv line, but the fact that they are replacing the Companion line rasies some questions in my mind about the quality.

Some of the Evolv pliers do resemble Harborfreight's Pittsburgh Pro pliers. I wouldn't be surprised if they were being made out of the same factory.

Edit: Evolv has been brought up a few months ago if I remember correctly, a search may give you more information.

 

[kythri]

The "big deal" about the Evolv stuff is that it's got a lifetime warranty on it, but you have to have the receipt to warranty-exchange stuff.

Since most people don't save their receipts, this translates into more sales/less returns. People are going to buy Evolv over Craftsman, because it's cheaper, and it has a lifetime warranty, but they're going to lose/toss their receipts, so there's not going to be as many warranty claims.

 

[HandyManny]

those wrenches have no lime green on em.... i was just curious cause i need a nice long set of wrenches to compliment my craftsmans and the only long set i can find decently priced is pitsburg but im kinda eery of that stuff but damn are they loooong

Take a look at the rest of the evolv line. Eco-friendly lime green color.

Oh, I really miss the days when you could walk into a better auto parts store and buy Proto tools and New Britain tools. Why aren't companies getting great tools like those into stores these days?

 

[billymade]

One of the main downsides of the brand; they have a "limited lifetime warranty" with proof purchase (original receipt).
We talked about these in the past here:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23194
The combo wrenches, actually don't look too bad; I thought the pricing was pretty good, especially during sales... I would buy the Craftsman bare minimum; having to keep track of receipts for warranty returns is just counter intuitive, I guess it is to keep the number of returns down. Who will keep track of their receipt, after purchase? Not many and we had to turn away customers for warranties on these tools, they didn't have their receipt! My feeling is: if your going to offer a "lifetime" warranty, don't require a receipt or just don't have a warranty; ultimately, your just ******* off and losing customers with that policy. IMHO... ***** telling a customer to walk on a tool warranty like that... Customers have been trained by the lifetime warranty that the Craftsman tool line offers; I always emphasized this, when someone would purchase the earlier Companion or Evolve line of tools!

 

[jumpyg]

Marketing and PR to sell "Green" eco-friendly products.

You hit the nail on the head. They are supposed to be packaged in a more eco-friendly way. Yeah, whatever.

 

[ImportTuner]

I was in Sears about a month ago, looked at the 3/8" adjustable length Evolv ratchet, and bought it. It is well made, finish and quality is equivalent to some of the MAC ratchets .. Applied 100 ft lbs of torque onto it using the nifty torque tool I bough from bmwpower and it works great

 

[autoace]

Evolv tools are the same thing as Performance tool Co...I would stay away from them, unless you need junk yard tools/Harbor freight type beaters...That green color is cheesy to the cheap&cheesy max.

 

[autoace]

They are not longer than the Craftsman Professional full polish combo wrenches.

I think it's their new line of tools intended for the metro-****** segment of the market. You know the guys (fancy boys) who've never picked up a hammer or turned a wrench, and are too afraid of getting their hands dirty, but still want to feel usefull around the house and pretend in front of their dominant wives that they are real men. Just kidding!

There is just something about the brand name and that bright lime green color that just turns me away and makes me not want to take those pretty evolv tools too seriously. They just seem like their marketed towards a non-tool using crowd. Like something you'd find as a novelty at Crate & Barrel, or Williams Sanoma. Besides, they're made in China.

Why doesn't Sears focus more on getting back the quality of Craftsman, rather than introduce a new novelty brand of tools?

As Meatloaf said, you took the words right out of my mouth!

 

[Merkava_4]

Just more fake tools......I saw them at Sears the last time I was there, but I sure as hell didn't touch them.

 

[autoace]

Just more fake tools......I saw them at Sears the last time I was there, but I sure as hell didn't touch them.

Come on! You have touched other fake things for sure!

 

[Merkava_4]

Come on! You have touched other fake things for sure!

I was looking at Kerry Marie last night........dang........

 

[Fedwrench]

Why doesn't Sears focus more on getting back the quality of Craftsman, rather than introduce a new novelty brand of tools?

Oh, I really miss the days when you could walk into a better auto parts store and buy Proto tools and New Britain tools. Why aren't companies getting great tools like those into stores these days?

It's all about money. Most people buy Craftsman for the lifetime warranty, and it's the place where you can get a 200 piece tool set for pennies on the piece. Quality isn't a priority. However, there are still those customers that think Craftsman tools are too expensive, hence the new Evolve line to offer a cheaper alternative for basic tools.
I too miss the days when you could walk into a parts store and buy better tools. In my neighborhood when I was a kid, SK was everywhere. Unfortunately, people don't want to pay money today for quality auto parts let alone tools. We have become a disposable society to China's benefit.

 

[kythri]

It's all about money. Most people buy Craftsman for the lifetime warranty, and it's the place where you can get a 200 piece tool set for pennies on the piece. Quality isn't a priority.

Oh, come on!

 

[Fedwrench]

Oh, come on!

I'm not saying Craftsman isn't a decent tool. I have many and use them daily. I'm saying from a marketing standpoint, alot of Sears customers equate value with a high piece count and a lifetime warranty, quality is secondary to quanity. I think for the money, Craftsman puts out a great tool. They're not Snap on but, they're not trying to be and you're only paying a fraction of the price for a servicable product.

 

[Tennesseepowerstroke]

They are not longer than the Craftsman Professional full polish combo wrenches.

I think it's their new line of tools intended for the metro-****** segment of the market. You know the guys (fancy boys) who've never picked up a hammer or turned a wrench, and are too afraid of getting their hands dirty, but still want to feel usefull around the house and pretend in front of their dominant wives that they are real men. Just kidding!

There is just something about the brand name and that bright lime green color that just turns me away and makes me not want to take those pretty evolv tools too seriously. They just seem like their marketed towards a non-tool using crowd. Like something you'd find as a novelty at Crate & Barrel, or Williams Sanoma. Besides, they're made in China.

Why doesn't Sears focus more on getting back the quality of Craftsman, rather than introduce a new novelty brand of tools?

With the Evolve tools you must keep the receipt for warranty replacement. Could this be the way of the future for Craftsman tools as you evolve to a green tool when and if the Craftsman variation is not available anymore? I have had Craftsman tools [ie: tape measures and putty knives] replaced with newer tools that specificaly do not carry the lifetime warranty as they did years ago.

 

[RRmech]

Sears has REALLY turned me off the last couple of years.
The quality of Craftsman ratchets is similar to buying a Yugo.
Plus when I went to exchange one, the girl handed me a rebuilt ratchet that someone had obviously used a hammer!?
I remember buying good quality SEARS-branded tools back in the 60's?
Makes my stomach churn, every time I drive past a Sears store today.

Steve

 

[rhandwor]

I was at sears and the salesman told me they have a warranty but you have to have a receipt.
I used to use Sears sockets and still have a set of US impact which are twice the present day impact sockets.
I cracked three metric twelve point on one Ford head gasket. I bought new metric impact sockets Cornwell.

 

[HandyManny]

Don't get me wrong. I think that the basic Craftsman hand tools, i.e. wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers, nut-drivers, pliers, etc are still pretty darn good quality tools for the money. I've just seen a lot of inexcusable defects in some new Craftaman tools on the shelf lately that makes me think Sears should be focused on reducing those defects, not introducing a new line of tools. At least Craftsman tools look and perform like serious tools.

No sure how anyone could compare the new evolv ratchets to a Mac ratchet. We're talking a world of difference there.

 

[48548]

I was looking at Kerry Marie last night........dang........

I thought those were real, not fake?

 

[HandyManny]

The problem I see with Evolv is the same problem I see in a lot of newer products on the market these days. Every new product's selling point these days seems to be all about how eco-friendly it is. That's all you see in the advertising and the products package nowadays. Instead of selling and marketing a product based on "Merit" - the products quality, durability, and functionality. It all seems to be about the environment. I see it in all product lines these days from shoes to bikes.

When I choose a tool, it's for a few good reasons, none of which have anything to do with it's packaging or how eco-friendly the tool is. I look for quality, functionality, practicality, useability, and durability. How is this tool going to help me do my job better? Thats what I ask myself

I'm sitting here at break reading the print on my starbucks paper coffee cup and seeing how it's telling me how this cup is made with 10% recycled material and how it helped save 100,000 trees from being harvested. Who cares? When I buy coffee I buy it for the taste and quality and don't want to read about how an industry of hard working loggers is suffering because I bought this coffee. Seeing the print on my cup kinda ticks me off, because it tells me that those 100,000 trees that weren't harvested is a lot of work lost for loggers and lumber mill operators. I don't feel good about that. Time to stop buying starbucks coffee.

Is evolv's aim to provide a tool to fix and build things? Or is it to just make this new generation of fancy boys feel good about their purchase for the wrong reasons??

 

[mkdive]

My lowest of tool standards is Cman, I just dont think I could drop down to the evolv line. But heck I have been know to buy HF from time to time. So I guess anything is possible.

 

[UK Steve]

Has anyone tried the evolv tools at sears yet? they had a nice looking set of wrenches that were way longer than the craftsmans for a 10 piece set of metric or standard was $17. The chrome on them seems nicer than say pittsburg and they dont seem cheap so i was wondering what you had heard/experienced with these???

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...me=Tools&cName=Mechanics+Tools&sName=Wrenches

"and they dont seem cheap"
are you aving a laff.. average $1.70 each,
sears will be making at least 30% the importer another 30% the manufacturer
again at least 30% Oh and there will be some taxes involved somewhere....
I reckon they are being made for around .40 cents or less each......You would struggle find cheaper.

The packaging is worth more than the product.
But I suppose you could take the silver paper off and eat them.. as it's close to Easter

 

[Chris Adams]

"and they dont seem cheap"
are you aving a laff.. average $1.70 each,
sears will be making at least 30% the importer another 30% the manufacturer
again at least 30% Oh and there will be some taxes involved somewhere....
I reckon they are being made for around .40 cents or less each......You would struggle find cheaper.

The packaging is worth more than the product.
But I suppose you could take the silver paper off and eat them.. as it's close to Easter

Um, tools don't cost anywhere near 40 cents a socket. They ain't hand forged by old craftsman.

They are slammed out by machine.

When I retail-sold tools the margin was 65% for the retail outlet.
The jobbers made a very decent living. And so did the shippers and the maker.

The packaging does cost more, so does the transportation from Asia.

A nickel apiece would be way more than actual cost.

By the way, this is not a 'cut' on this brand, this is just economics.

I used to pay 1.17 cents average for fan belts for my stores, till I found a cheaper supplier of the same brand. Then I made a decent margin...

 

[jerk_chicken]

See, they know what people shop for, and it's also prevalent insome of the cheaper stuff we buy. These companies analyze the market and they know people look at the appearance and presentation to determine quality. Unfortunately, this gets exploited too much. These guys know to just make it look nice and don't worry about what's underneath.

 

[Merkava_4]

I thought those were real, not fake?

Oh those are real - nice and soft and sumptuous.

 

[bmxr4life87]

by seem cheap i meant they didnt sound hollow when i tapped my wedding ring on them like some of the cheapest wrenches they felt decently balanced and had a nice finish. I was just looking for a set of long metric wrenches to go with my normal craftsman set. Im far from a pretty boy i work on u-haul trucks all day long doing major component replacement/repair so im not some fancy *** who's never got his hands dirty before. I was just asking opinions of the quality, kinda like the HF breaker bar i wouldnt expect much outta it but according to most of the people on this site its a great tool FOR THE PRICE

 

[Tlag]

Marketing and PR to sell "Green" eco-friendly products.

I looked at those and had a very "Harbor Freight" kinda moment

Speaking of a "HF" moment....

In my local Sears, they sell the same laser marked (bronze colored) sockets that HF sells. They're in the cardboard display with other things priced at $5-12. (nowhere near the tool section) They had the 3/8 metric or SAE on sale yesterday for $9 ($12 regular). I think they were 10 or 11 piece sets.

 

[kartracer23]

I bought two sets of Evolv hex drivers a while back. I've finally had the chance to use them.
They look fine...however...the sizes are off. I can take my somewhat worn 6mm Craftsman and put it in an allen bolt and it's a nice tight fit. If I put the 6mm Evlov in there, it has a lot of play - like it's about half stripped. Shouldn't size be kind of standard?
I'll use them for spinning things on and off, but not for final tightening-feels like I'd strip the head.

 

[Gecus]

I liked them until I broke the socket wrench! The no receipt- no exchange policy they have is "Baloney". I WILL NEVER BUY THESE AGAIN!! OR SHOP AT SEARS FOR THAT MATTER! Do not buy these- they are not like Craftsman! You must have your receipt to exchange them! (and keep your receipt in a place you can find it for life!!???) I'm a mechanic, not a seceratary. I've now got $150 of tools that I'm afraid to use in case they break! Buy Kobalt from Lowes for a no-hassle, no-questions asked lifetime warranty.
Christmas is coming- buyer beware!!!
They're better than Harbor Freight, but the warranty is about as good.

 

[tj90]

Why in the hell did you spend $150 of your hard earned money on evolve? Seriously. Its like buying $150 of lottery tickets and complaining that you didnt win! If you were strapped for cash and you needed to build a starter set, I could see that too, but come-on - be realistic!

Use your evolve tools in good health, make sure there not used on mission critical application and dont lean into them. Chalk it up to experience.

 

[duke5572]

I was looking at Kerry Marie last night........dang........

She's ALL REAL!

 

[airdale]

by seem cheap i meant they didnt sound hollow when i tapped my wedding ring on them like some of the cheapest wrenches they felt decently balanced and had a nice finish. I was just looking for a set of long metric wrenches to go with my normal craftsman set. Im far from a pretty boy i work on u-haul trucks all day long doing major component replacement/repair so im not some fancy *** who's never got his hands dirty before. I was just asking opinions of the quality, kinda like the HF breaker bar i wouldnt expect much outta it but according to most of the people on this site its a great tool FOR THE PRICE

Doesn't sound like many here have had the intestinal fortitude to try them out (me neither). Personally, I figured Sears has them to appeal to the fairer *** when they are shopping for gifts for husbands/boyfriends.

Most of my Craftsman are from the 60's and 70's. When I look at the new Craftsman pliers they look an awful lot like the former Companion ones. Too bad most consumers buy primarily by price - we all suffer the consequence.

 

[HandyManny]

This is a 6 month old thread.

 

[48548]

I liked them until I broke the socket wrench! The no receipt- no exchange policy they have is "Baloney". I WILL NEVER BUY THESE AGAIN!! OR SHOP AT SEARS FOR THAT MATTER! Do not buy these- they are not like Craftsman! You must have your receipt to exchange them! (and keep your receipt in a place you can find it for life!!???) I'm a mechanic, not a seceratary. I've now got $150 of tools that I'm afraid to use in case they break! Buy Kobalt from Lowes for a no-hassle, no-questions asked lifetime warranty.
Christmas is coming- buyer beware!!!
They're better than Harbor Freight, but the warranty is about as good.

Well obviously they aren't as good as HF because HF wouldn't ask for the reciept and would stand behind everything, because they don't make the best tools and can't afford to, but they can have the best warranty!!!!

 

[norry]

With the Evolve tools you must keep the receipt for warranty replacement.

Is there any purpose to this policy, other than to decrease warranty coverage? I mean, this is a Sears house brand that nobody else sells, right? In other words, wouldn't Sears know instantly that such a tool had come from their own stores?

 

[WSMC633]

Ignore this post.