Just curious: has any one else noticed the downward slide of craftsman tools over the years? I first began purchasing craftsman in the 1980’s and noticed the first real decline in the early 1990’s when some of their pliers began to bear the made in China or Japan stamp. Then in early 2000’s they purchased Kmart and began selling craftsman at Kmart! Then craftsman changed their lifetime warranty ( in 2005 or so) to one time replacement or some terms I really do not completely understand. Finally in 2012 all craftsman are made in China bringing them down to the level of all Chineese made tools. Oh, and this year they sold the name “craftsman” to Stanley black and decker so now a “craftsman” tool can be virtually any body’s tool with a “ craftsman” stamp on it. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this frustration and disappointment with craftsman and is there a good replacement tool store? Is northern tool a good replacement for craftsman? I mean they have brick and mortar stores locally and I have purchased a few tools and so far they have not broken. Is this really what has happened to the USA? Craftsman used to be the greatest thing around. You could mail order or just walk in to any town store and have full selection available all day every day with full warranty too.
Northern tool vs. craftsman tools
- Thread starter Jim c
- Start date
buffalobill
Well-known member
You're beating a dead horse here, search and you will see....
Empty Pockets
Well-known member
This is the funniest post I've read all day. He has to be kidding
Hard to say. Only a fairly small slice of the population reads tool forums and considers heated debate about tool efficacy and quality to be worth any of their leisure time.
Either we have a particularly uncreative troll or someone who is about to have his eyes opened.
jdlong
Well-known member
Craftsman. The brand people love to hate. Craftsman, Klutch, Husky, Gearwrench, Kobalt. They're all basically the same to me as far as quality goes but you have to be selective. In a nutshell, they are inexpensive tools for the home mechanic doing light repairs and they get the job done. Often times they pay for themselves after a one or two repairs they are that cheap. If you want quality, spend the money on the likes of Wright, SK or the tool truck brands. Still, you have to be selective because more than often, you're paying for the name. Some of it is rebranded stuff you can buy at Sears.
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d.mcfarland
Well-known member
NEW POSTER ALERT. 1st time post.
jdlong
Well-known member
:d:d:d:d:d
PelicanPines
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Maybe we should all trade our Craftsman tools at Home Depot for Husky brand...
jdlong
Well-known member
Maybe we should all trade our Craftsman tools at Home Depot for Husky brand...
No. The SnapOn tool truck!
Empty Pockets
Well-known member
I was probably a little out of line, but let's hope that he has an eye opening experience.
apollo11
Banned
lafester
Well-known member
My take is that with points you can get Craftsman stuff much cheaper then any other option which makes them perfect for at home wrenching. Nothing is built like it used to be but that doesn't mean the new stuff is worthless.
I do think Craftsman/Sears would be in a much better position today if they had kept an all american tool line in place. They could have easily just had the evolve brand be the Chinese budget line and kept Craftsman at a premium level.
I do think Craftsman/Sears would be in a much better position today if they had kept an all american tool line in place. They could have easily just had the evolve brand be the Chinese budget line and kept Craftsman at a premium level.
kythri
Well-known member
It's never been any different, and this won't be the first time Stanley has made Craftsman-branded tools.
As far as Norther Tool goes, I've bought a few things from them. Hasn't seemed any worse than HF, and I don't have a problem with HF.
Welcome to the forum.
Back to the question. I have a good many Kutch chrome sockets since I started with them then finished the set. I have found them to be correctly broached and mostly well finished. One reason I vastly prefer Northern Tool for sockets is they have a huge selection of singles. If you have one nearby they have a good warranty and good prices. They also have some large sets that are all 6 point unlike most sets which switch to 12 point in the larger sizes to save money.
mudflap
Well-known member
Welcome to GJ.......Dont feel bad...i still get told to use the search function once in a while....lol. But to your question.. Craftsman has never made a single tool..they have always been manufactured by the lowest bidder...Thats why the quality has been slowly declining for decades...at some point somebody in China became the lowest bidder..next it could be Cambodia....who knows.. And our youngsters dont seem to care where anything is made. They grew up with all of our electronics and clothes being made somewhere else...so why should tools be any different..... As for Northern Tool... They sell a house brand that is comparable the HF...all the way up to top tier brands..so i guess you get what you pay for there...
four.cycle
Well-known member
Welcome to the site, Jim.
I guess nobody else noticed this makes two GJ members using the handle "Jim c" (the other being "Jim C.")
Jim, if you go up to the top of the page, click "search", and then click "advanced search", a window will open. Type "Craftsman" in the little "keyword" box, and just below that click the drop-down menu and select "search titles only". Then go down to the bottom and click "search now".
You will find there are no fewer than 500 "Craftsman" threads here, any number of which may or may not include long-winded dissertations about the flaws and foibles of Craftsman, Sears, and the deservedly maligned Eddie Lampert.
I guess nobody else noticed this makes two GJ members using the handle "Jim c" (the other being "Jim C.")
Jim, if you go up to the top of the page, click "search", and then click "advanced search", a window will open. Type "Craftsman" in the little "keyword" box, and just below that click the drop-down menu and select "search titles only". Then go down to the bottom and click "search now".
You will find there are no fewer than 500 "Craftsman" threads here, any number of which may or may not include long-winded dissertations about the flaws and foibles of Craftsman, Sears, and the deservedly maligned Eddie Lampert.
buffalobill
Well-known member
Hey, at least people are finding this forum, if you ask the average guy with haphazard scattered tools, he still thinks craftsman is the holy grail...
Back in the 1980’s when I used to work as an auto mechanic, craftsman was prett. Much the standard for most guys. Maybe we would get our impact sockets from the tool trucks, but hand tool ( not including screwdrivers) we would always get from sears. You could go there after work oron sunday and they would swap out any broke stuff no questions asked. Plus , you could buy decent stuff without signing a credit application on the “ tool truck”. Just seems it has turned to garbage over the years and there is no real demand for these tools anymore. It is almost like there are no yo7ng kids out buying tools anymore to work on stuff. ?
PelicanPines
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I remember the late 70's and thru the 80's going to sears just to get their tool catalog. It was great going to the store at Xmas to see their sales displays...
Good old days...
Good old days...
four.cycle
Well-known member
Jim c said:
au contraire, mon ami...
There is definitely a demand for older Craftsman, particularly the Moore Drop Forge made " =V= " and " -V- " coded stuff. Selling prices on Ebay for those (and later production items as well) defy all logic and reason, which is why I've been completely ignoring all "Craftsman" listings on Ebay for well over a year.
The demand for premium-quality, US-made hand tools is a small market niche in the big picture, and is being met by S-K, Proto, Wright, and Willams.
Bear in mind when reading the comments from members on this forum that in spite of the total membership being well over a quarter of a million members, it still represents less than one half of one percent of the total US population.
The majority of the "unwashed masses" out there still hold Craftsman in high regard as a premium quality line (presumably more due to brand recognition than any other factors.)
four.cycle
Well-known member
Jim c said:
refer to Mr. Lauver's list, which is generally considered fairly accurate:
http://www.thegaragegazette.com/index.php?topic=867.0
anndel
Well-known member
Maybe we should all trade our Craftsman tools at Home Depot for Husky brand...
Not again
MWEric
Well-known member
Wasn’t that long ago when they had the wonderful professional line. Sad days for easily accessible quality USA tools.
Mweric, that is exactly what I was trying to get at with my original post. Tools have to be easily accessible and affordable to be any use . I mean we all have our tools, but when something snaps or when you need a new type of tool nowadays I am finding that I cannot even go to a local car quest for their “jobber” house tools because advance auto purchased car quest and I have found myself actually buying **** tools from advance auto just to get by.
four.cycle
Well-known member
Jim c - that's not my list. That was done by Mr. Lauver, who usually haunts TheGarageGazette.com - apparently he's been working on it for years.
I know very little about Craftsman compared to a lot of other members here.
I'm working on a completely different project.
I know very little about Craftsman compared to a lot of other members here.
I'm working on a completely different project.
crewchief888
Well-known member
i've never bought any hand tools from northern tool.
i did (in a moment of weakness) use a gift card i recieved and bought a AD welding hood, and several pairs of welding (vice grip type) clamps from them...
after the hood flashed me several times, i ran it over with a loader to make sure nobody else got flashed.
several pair of the clamps ended up in the scrap bin after just a couple uses...
i did buy my milwaukee 18v fuel impact kit from them. at the time they had the best price and free shipping...
i did (in a moment of weakness) use a gift card i recieved and bought a AD welding hood, and several pairs of welding (vice grip type) clamps from them...
after the hood flashed me several times, i ran it over with a loader to make sure nobody else got flashed.
several pair of the clamps ended up in the scrap bin after just a couple uses...
i did buy my milwaukee 18v fuel impact kit from them. at the time they had the best price and free shipping...
WittHay
Well-known member
I am probably in the small minority of people, who have never bought any tools through Ebay or from Amazon/ online retailers. I have never been in a Harbor Freight store.
If I had to relocate to anytown USA with no tools, my first stop would be the Napa for Carlyle tools. After that the box stores, a Channellock plier is the same no matter where you buy it.
Then search out small industrial stores or farm equipment places. Lastly stop at a couple of local repair shops and see what tool trucks stop in the area. You can get a lot of different brands off the trucks
Even if you don't own a computer or smart phone, you could have enough mechanics tools in no time to fix a variety of stuff
If I had to relocate to anytown USA with no tools, my first stop would be the Napa for Carlyle tools. After that the box stores, a Channellock plier is the same no matter where you buy it.
Then search out small industrial stores or farm equipment places. Lastly stop at a couple of local repair shops and see what tool trucks stop in the area. You can get a lot of different brands off the trucks
Even if you don't own a computer or smart phone, you could have enough mechanics tools in no time to fix a variety of stuff
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Coach James
Well-known member
I don't have any Klutch, but I do have a few "Northern Tool" branded wrenches. I have used them including hitting them with a mallet to break things loose and they have held up fine.
As to a decline in Craftsman, I had not heard of any changes in Craftsman or problems at Sears. I must investigate this in more detail.
Coach
As to a decline in Craftsman, I had not heard of any changes in Craftsman or problems at Sears. I must investigate this in more detail.
Coach
Well I may as well jump into this pool of knowledge.Yes Craftsman does use other brands. I have a Craftsman 1/2 impact wrench cordless.And do you know who makes it? Rigid.I also have a Craftsman 1/2 pneumatic impact wrench. Who makes it? Florida Pneumatic is what a member of this forum told me.,and it is a great product for my uses.580 lbs of torque is what the manual quotes.Anyway just my .02 scents worth.
I have a few random sockets from Klutch and a set of stubby wrenches and wobble extensions from there. One of the nice things to me about Northern is the ability to buy singles to replace lost tools or pick up oddball sizes. The tools that I have bought from them are decent quality, but not perfect as far as fit and finish go. I'll use them till they break, which may take a while with the amount I have been using my stuff at home lately, and try and replace them with the likes of Sk, Wright, and Proto when funds allow it.
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Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
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Pretty sure he's way ahead of you on that one.
Many casual tool buyers to be suprised yet. Some folks haven't been shopping tools in a good while and have not noted a change for it.
Some guy just bought a home or getting into a new tool dependant hobby will certainly be suprised. The tools today are not what dad bought so long ago.
Some guy just bought a home or getting into a new tool dependant hobby will certainly be suprised. The tools today are not what dad bought so long ago.