Sears and Craftsman Want Your Feedback!!!

[Mgnu]

As others have said, your website stinks. If you are going to offshore your website work (and it's clear you do), at least hire ONE, JUST ONE native english speaking person to PROOF READ YOUR WHOLE WEBSITE! I've never seen engrish on amazon.com, have you?

 

[defektes]

As others have said, your website stinks. If you are going to offshore your website work (and it's clear you do), at least hire ONE, JUST ONE native english speaking person to PROOF READ YOUR WHOLE WEBSITE! I've never seen engrish on amazon.com, have you?

Probably the same people that make the tools.

 

[AceofSpad3s]

On its own, or by your hand hitting it?
Because the 20 or so I've used don't "automatically" switch direction.

Mine does it on its own, it does not necessarily switch direction, just slip into neutral so it moves freely in either direction.

 

[Limegreen70]

I would like to see more Craftsman Pro stuff in my sears

 

[mtnkid85]

Please put a stop to the gimmicky tools! The Mach wrenches are the absolute worst tools Ive ever had the displeasure of using.
Go back to producing your upper end tools in respectable countries, that doesn't necessarily have to be USA, but it can not be China. If the company must produce cheap tools, keep them in a separate line such a evolve.

 

[3baygarage]

Dear Sears,

Please bring back Companion brand tools. Sears needs a premium tool line once again.
Just kidding. Just kidding.

The guys have said most of what there is to say already. Except, where have the flex sockets gone? None at the location I just visited. No sets, no individuls for warranty. Guess no need for universals?

 

[DC73]

I hate what's happened to Sears and Craftsman. My Dad was a Craftsman tool junkie. My Mom retired from Sears. Most of my hand tools are old school Craftsman. I want them to be successful and hopefully they are making the changes necessary for that to happen. Making tools overseas may be unavoidable but at least make sure they are equal quality to USA made tools.

DC

 

[thor]

Get Quality U.S. made tools!

I was a pretty loyal Sears customer for over 20 years and bought a LOT of tools, I also hate going shopping enough that when I was there we would buy my family clothes, appliances, and other things needed right there at Sears. Now as you should have gathered your tools no longer draw middle aged people with disposable income into the store.

The quality and customer service were both on a death spiral before the Chinese tools. I bought the long handled full polish professional ratchets and the SAE set of the full polish professional wrenches the first time I saw them in the store. I was excited as a kid at Christmas, then I got home and noticed the PLASTIC selector on the 3/8 ratchet was broken off, brought it back to the store the next day only to have the associate offer to "warrantee" it out with one that had engravings ground off. I had to have the store manager paged, and wait about 20 minutes for him to show up to get a new ratchet. that was not the Sears that I grew up with, and that experience was the end of my patronizing your brand. In the last 10 years I have replaced most of my Craftsman hand tools with JH Williams, Wright, and S-K now that they are on the right track.

PS. Your tool boxes need to get better, I have a 13 year old 52" combo. I bought it new, It's never been a great box by any stretch, at around the 2 year mark I was moving it on concrete (loaded) when one of the swivel casters folded under. The box you sell now make this one look like a Cadillac.

 

[Jim C.]

Quality over Quantity

Made in USA

The country is awash in China made junk.

Pretty much my thoughts too.

 

[PugetDude]

Sears-
You have three courses of action as I see it:

1. Fix your image problem. Hire knowledgeable, friendly employees to sell quality, US-made tools in the stores you have left. Step up and quit hassling your customers on warranty, or thinking we won't notice the difference in quality when you hand us Chinese junk in exchange for granddads prized Craftsman ratchet. Stop offering gimmicky tools, phony sales and fix your damn website.

2. Buy Harbor Freight and rebrand them Craftsman. Most of what they offer is equal to or better than what you're offering these days. (The toughest part of this option would be deodorizing the stores, since Fast Eddie Lampert already thinks his **** doesn't stink.) At the rate you're both going, they'll be bigger than you in a few years anyway.

3. You've been standing on the ledge for the last ten years. Go ahead and jump.

BTW, I basically quit shopping at Sears for tools when you switched my decades-old Sears Credit Card to a Visa without my input or consent. It was the first credit card I received when I got out of college, and allowed me to get my first shop set up. It was one of the reasons why I supported Sears for many years. (the others are outlined in option 1 above.)

My 2cents worth for free.

 

[PugetDude]

Mine does it on its own, it does not necessarily switch direction, just slip into neutral so it moves freely in either direction.

We get it. You don't understand or like Craftsman raised panel ratchets. This isn't about your personal pet peeve. Quit crapping on this thread.

 

[Manny2_0]

simple!!

bring back usa pro line an screwdrivers too and Charge what you need to

you can not compete selling china tools,
Harbor freight is making a killing

home depot is on every corner and lowes isn't far behind
why would I go to sears for china stuff

you will go the way of circuit city

There is a market for you and it is Made In USA on an sk level

Tool quality has improved China wise and Snap on level
Craftsman has decreased, and just living of it's name and unsuspecting customers

fyi There is no premium line selling imports that make it
USA is a must, and a true advertising point

 

[CD1]

Sell American made Craftsman branded tools including the Professional line.

The lifetime warranty is forever!

Train your tool Dept. employees!

My first Craftsman tools were purchased over 30 years ago, and I also have my grandfathers Craftsman socket set from the 40's. All of these are far quality tools than Sears sells today.

Sears today needs to get their $hit together or lose this valuable portion of their business!

 

[royesses]

Dear Sears,

The quickest way for you to turn the Craftsman name around while still providing good quality is to have Armstrong make all your tools to the same specifications as Armstrong and then rebrand the tools as Craftsman. Done.

+1

 

[mrvm]

Mine does it on its own, it does not necessarily switch direction, just slip into neutral so it moves freely in either direction.

If thats whats happening with your CM RP thats very annoying. The only ratchet I had that happen to is the HF 1/4 in, 3/8 in. Drive Long Reach Dual Flex Head Ratchet. Wanted that special long wrench but that got returned ASAP. Just donate/exchange that CM RP and move on to a better version. My CM RP may not be the GO-TO but they work just fine and are great as lenders/beaters.

 

[sleepy127]

Here's my 2 cents;

1. Just like most here, I want a tool made in the United States for a reasonable price. The prices right now would be fine if it was for a US made tool. I could maybe even tolerate a slight increase. With that the quality standard has slipped with the move to overseas sourcing. There are a few exceptions, one example being the knipex made craftsman labeled cobras. Love them and that is probably my favorite purchase in a while from Sears. If you must sell china thats fine, label them as the sears brand like the cheap line sears used to carry and sell them as such to those who want the choice.

Right now my opinion is why buy a craftsman and pay your price when i can get a similar product down the road for a considerably cheaper price if I am not concerned about COO.

Some products could use a redesign or maybe a phase out (raised panel). I never had a problem with them but others do. Maybe produce the old profesional series (polished) in a satin finish as well for those more of a budget but still wanting the made in the USA tool.

2. Toolboxes; The quality has suffered enormously over the years but the price hasn't really went down in comparison. To me as a consumer I see what must be a huge markup from what they must cost to produce. Especially when there are other boxes that could be considered double the quality for close to half the price per cubic inch.

3. I can't complain about customer service. Yes there have been a few problems over the past but I come to expect a certain level of experience from the young croud that you would expect to see working the register as long is there is at least one more experience salesperson on duty at any given moment for the appropriate department and the younger employees know to defer to that person. My experiences have been fair anyways, only one problem recently with the store not having a ratchet rebuild kit in stock and not knowing when one would be available.

 

[ATK305]

1. Everyone has already said it. Bring back a full US built line of tools.
2. Train the people in the tool section to understand what they are selling. I get these 19 year old sales associates male and female that don't know anything except how to operate the cash register.
3. Keep the pricing reasonable. A U.S. made, Western European or Japanese made tool is going to cost more to manufacture which results in a higher retail price. We all understand that. We are wiling to pay more for a higher quality tool. Just don't get too greedy. If Armstrong, SK , Channel Lock and Williams can do it so can Sears. The sheer volume of distribution and sales should create a favorable economy of scale in order to accomplish this.

 

[bczygan]

It's a little too late.

Like asking how to avoid the iceberg.........after the sinking.

 

[Hojin101]

honestly i dont care where craftsmans are made. yes the usa would be nice but mainly just make a good quality tool. one that doenst have the chrome chip after a couple uses, ones that wont start rust pitting after couple months, complete sets nothing worse than skipping sizes. i did like craftsmans tools years ago. was nice when i needed something on a weekend i could just run over to the store and pick up the piece or return the broken piece and not have to wait till the box truck showed up couple days later.

This

 

[CobraChevelle]

For me it is the fact there tools are made in china now.

I grew up learning how to fix things from my uncle and dad while Using there 1970-90s Craftsman tools with some sk and snap on tools. So when I got older I bought my own craftsmen USA set 11 years ago because of those 2 men. They worked fine other than some of the chrome whearing away.

Fast foreword to today, bought a 309pc set for working on the road. The ratchets are junk, the sockets dont fit as well as sockets that older than me (30 years old)..

Here is the kicker. Why is my 1/2 usa made ratchet that is maybe 20 years old which has been hammered and beat on, used with a cheater pipe and drove over have less play and still work better than my BRAND NEW CHINA Ratchet lol. Oh yea, better wear gloves with that new ratchet if you dont want to cut your hands. little sharp on the edge in some areas.

I bought the Harbor freight 301pc set to replace this set. Can't find a made in the usa set anymore without taking a loan out. The sockets and ratchets are better vs crapsman. On the bright side, I did sell the craftsman set for more $ on ebay. So that worked out good. People still pay for the name I guess.

I am done shopping @ sears for tools. For now on, if i have the $ I am going sk or snap on. If I dont maybe hit up menards with there USA masterforce line they have now. Or settle for gearwrench or harbor freight.. Done with Craftsman

 

[rednotch]

What they need to do is make the full craftsman industrial line available threw sears, the dealer network ***** and no one knows if its still alive or dead.

 

[sparc]

honestly i dont care where craftsmans are made. yes the usa would be nice but mainly just make a good quality tool.

exactly this.

Even the chinese Gearwrench tools seem better built compared to the more recent USA made craftsman because someone at Gearwrench is at least insisting on some minimum quality.

The harbor freight stuff could easily match or beat Craftsman now. Where exactly do you think people will go if they can get better stuff for cheaper?

You can't command a higher price if you're not making a better product than the competition. Especially now that Craftsman is essentially a homeowner brand and not a professional tool line.

Sticking the words "Professional Use" on lower quality tools isn't going to get you anywhere. It does the exact opposite for the brand and continues to alienate your customers because they feel mislead.

 

[tube_guy]

I have quite a bit to say to Sears, but I'm just not going to waste any more of my time doing it. I hate to say it Stuey, but I doubt very much that your contact is going to be able to shake things up, unless Lampert ends up leaving. Lampert is a money guy and with the way he's running Sears, I just cannot see any upper level manager telling him that their strategy should be to increase costs to improve quality and move production back to the United States. Any manager that comes up with that sort of strategy is probably going to just end up replaced. A perfect example is the latest change to the Chinese wrenches that no longer have the lobster claws. Sears is obviously monitoring people's opinions, otherwise they would have never known the lobster claw was a problem to some people. So I'm sure they already know how some people feel about the Craftsman brand and the choices they've made with the brand lately. It's obvious to me that they just don't care about improving the quality or bringing production back to the United States. Even though it should, it really doesn’t matter what some guys on a tool group think.

 

[Triple macs]

If Sears/Craftsman did implement the changes suggested here, are we as tool consumers prepared to not patronize Harbor Freight with 20% off coupons, Amazon with Amazon Prime shipping, discount tool websites with coupon codes, etc... We all like the concept of having a brick and mortar US made tool store, but ultimately most people will test drive in the store, then end up purchasing online.

 

[03protege]

As bad as the USA tools were at the end I welcomed the shift to Chinese made tools, I have some Chinese made Gearwrench tools that I am very satisfied with. I thought Sears was going to use that opportunity to increase the quality and give it's customers more "bang for the buck", instead Sears just widened their profit margin.

That may be good for you, or so you think, but it is not good for me so I have taken my business elsewhere.

After the switch to China I started buying Craftsman Pro tools (various screwdrivers, picks, and prybars) and I am really enjoying using them, it's unfortunate that they are now gone aswell.


With all that being said I doubt any changes for the positive will take place and I am ok with that. As my Craftsman tools wear out over time I will be replacing them with cost effective alternatives of higher quality. Gearwrench, JH Williams, Bahco, Sunnex, Proto, and Blackhawk to name a few.

 

[-Brent-]

Best feedback, join up and spend a work day or two reading about the membership's views on Craftsman.

This thread may partially sum it up but man oh man... has Craftsman fallen a long way by real tool users.

For me, I look at Craftsman of old, fondly. I bought a lot of tools from Sears, mostly Craftsman, early on when tools earned me money. But, now I've got some Craftsman Professional hand tools that cannot be warrantied. I get that product lines change but to remove professional line and killing part of what made those tools valuable was almost the end of the line, for me.

I will agree that those raised panel ratchets are archaic and should be replaced with a better functioning piece. They're ****.

This is daydream-type of stuff BUT I'd love to see Craftsman team up with someone to produce some rebuild kits for old ratchets. I've got one handed down to me (the one with the V selector) that I'd love to have a few rebuild kits for.

Lastly, if Toyota can build 75% of a vehicle here in the US, I think Craftsman can do the same with a tool product line.

Sorry, this is lastly... Separate Craftsman from Sears/Kmart some more. I don't know what or how it could be done but I think it should be done. Those stores aren't doing anything positive for the brand.

 

[rednotch]

As bad as the USA tools were at the end I welcomed the shift to Chinese made tools, I have some Chinese made Gearwrench tools that I am very satisfied with. I thought Sears was going to use that opportunity to increase the quality and give it's customers more "bang for the buck", instead Sears just widened their profit margin.

That may be good for you, or so you think, but it is not good for me so I have taken my business elsewhere.

Gearwrench, JH Williams, Bahco, Sunnex, Proto, and Blackhawk to name a few.

The coo kick is way too, two faced when it comes to brands and the bad rap craftsman has will be hard as hell to beat... Most people hate on the craftsman evolve line worse then the basic craftsman stuff... Yet some of the hand tools are the same as gearwrench under a private label, but since it has craftsman in the name and the packaging looks like trash its junk to most people. Put a gearwrench label on it and its some how better?

 

[n8n]

The coo kick is way too, two faced when it comes to brands and the bad rap craftsman has will be hard as hell to beat... Most people hate on the craftsman evolve line worse then the basic craftsman stuff... Yet some of the hand tools are the same as gearwrench under a private label, but since it has craftsman in the name and the packaging looks like trash its junk to most people. Put a gearwrench label on it and its some how better?

Gearwrench didn't build their name on made in USA tools nor did they ever make a big deal out of COO like Craftsman did.

I don't really hate on Evolv because it should be obvious it's budget priced tool shaped objects, with maybe a gem or two in the lineup. I *do* hate on Chinese Craftsman because I am old enough to remember when Craftsman was not just made in the USA but they advertised it as such every chance they got. If you're going to bring in offshore products at least try to make it look like it's not all about the dollar, get some good stuff from Germany or Spain (e.g. Irega) or even Taiwan but for the love of all that's good and holy going straight from USA to China just screams "I'm selling out and the whole point of this exercise is to sucker as many people as I can into buying this cheap Chinese **** thinking it's as good as the old stuff before everyone catches on."

Gearwrench is an unpretentious Taiwanese brand, although the fact that they've been moving production to China doesn't make me really happy. I don't know that a lot of people really know or care that Gearwrench is the old K-D Tools (seems they thought that creating a new brand was the way to go) so the offshoring doesn't hurt that much.

 

[n8n]

If Sears/Craftsman did implement the changes suggested here, are we as tool consumers prepared to not patronize Harbor Freight with 20% off coupons, Amazon with Amazon Prime shipping, discount tool websites with coupon codes, etc... We all like the concept of having a brick and mortar US made tool store, but ultimately most people will test drive in the store, then end up purchasing online.

Good question. The socket sets and wrenches that I remember using with my dad and grandfather when I was a kid were probably 50% Craftsman and 50% SK or Kraeuter. Most of my recent tool purchases have been SK... Craftsman has a lot of work to do to get me back as a customer (and I used to be one; before I even graduated from college I bought a starter Cman mechanic's tool kit, and still have/use pieces of it today) they have to prove to me that they are not "as good as" SK but better and/or better value. I've already switched...

 

[pauls_workshop]

I got another one too: The ShopYourWay site will list errors in points all the time. I recently made a purchase and was promised ** points will apply at the purchase time and you will then get yyy points back for a future purchase. Well I get through the whole checkout process and I did apply the ** points to the price and got that to work. The YYY points were supposed to apply. So I finish the transaction, no YYY points after the sale. EVER. I called the ShopYourWay number, and after 20 minutes, the nice person figured it out and said oh, well, Shop Your Way doesn't indicate correctly the points you will get back all the time. You had used points to make your purchase, so you would have had to buy other things above the level of those *** points to make up for it to actually get the YYY points. Well, strip me naked and tar and feather me, Sears! How hard is it to make the Shop Your Way purchases accurate? And reflect *ahead of time* the actual point you are going to be getting? And not fool the buyer into lies and deceits and withhold the points from them they are promised in the transaction? Do you think this leads to customer loyalty or happy customers? It is all a game that few have the time or devotion to play anymore. The points program isn't all bad but it has to be accurate and free of errors. It is a real mess. Fix it. - Paul

 

[Parrothead]

I could write a dissertation on this subject but I'll summarize for now...

I own a ton of Craftsman tools and all are USA made. I won't buy Chinese import Craftsman. If I want that I'll go to Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, Harbor Freight or any of the auto parts stores. At that point you're just shopping price and warranty, most of which are better/easier. Why is it that Harbor Freight sockets and ratchets are better quality and cost less than their Craftsman counterparts? I would recommend that the Sears corporate executives go to HF and look at the sockets and ratchets and compare. There's no comparison really.

To me, Craftsman used to be just below pro level, and now I don't even think it's better than many box store offerings, and that's sad.

What's really, really sad is you're getting beat by competitors using your suppliers. APEX makes a ratchet that annihilates the Craftsman RP and competes with the Craftsman thin profile, yet the full polish 72 tooth Husky is only a dollar more than the hated RP. The Craftsman thin profile is $12 more than then Husky, and has less teeth. All are imports, all have a lifetime warranty, why choose Craftsman?

And that's the real question...why choose Craftsman? You've basically made Craftsman just the same as everybody else...How's that working out for you?

 

[elmwood]

I'm not a gearhead or pro - just a regular DIYer. Having roots in the Rust Belt, I try to buy products made in the US, or at least first world countries where laborers make a decent lower middle/middle class wage.

The vast majority of my toolbox is filled with Craftsman gear, much of it inherited from my father and grandfather. Made in the US. It offered the best price/performance ratio for mid-end tools. Now, when I buy Craftsman tools, I'm paying the same "made in the USA" price I did in the past, but the tools are made in China. Not Mexico, not Taiwan, but China. Even if the tools are the same quality, it's just more profit for Sears, at the cost of jobs for American workers.

No more. I'll still buy Craftsman tools if the COO is USA, Mexico, Canada, an EU country, or Japan. (FWIW, the local Sears store closed last year, Kmart the year before, and the closest of either is an hour drive away. A local Ace Hardware store has a small selection of CM, but it's more expensive than at Sears.) China, though? I can buy made-in-China Husky tools for a third or half the price at Home Depot, or Taiwan-made Kobalt at Lowes for quite a bit less. Even Tekton seems like a viable option; decent reviews on Amazon, and good customer service.


I'll echo everybody's else's sentiment about Craftsman ratchets. The only reason I'm keeping mine is that they're inherited. Otherwise, they seem really "rustic", for lack of a better word. I've been upgrading to Proto pearheads.

 

[elmwood]

If Sears/Craftsman did implement the changes suggested here, are we as tool consumers prepared to not patronize Harbor Freight with 20% off coupons, Amazon with Amazon Prime shipping, discount tool websites with coupon codes, etc... We all like the concept of having a brick and mortar US made tool store, but ultimately most people will test drive in the store, then end up purchasing online.

It's tough to do when your local Sears and Kmart stores closed up shop, and the nearest location of either is now an hour away.

Ace has some CM, including open stock USA-made sockets, but it's priced higher than Sears. Otherwise, the only stores around here that have open stock tools are Home Depot, Lowe's, True Value, AutoZone, and NAPA. Try finding any hardline made-in-the-USA tools at any of them. No pawn shops, flea markets, or indie tool stores.

 

[t4runner]

Quality is the number one selling point. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel stick with what works in the real world. Stay away from gimmicky tools that fail or just don't work. Update the design of the ratchets and wrenches. Believe it or not there are much better designs out there. Stop swapping broken ratchets for used beat up ones that have been repaired and make repair kits available.

 

[william.m.hamilton2]

In all honesty- few members of this forum will buy the current brands of craftsman products. I am one of them. That said- asking sears to go back to full US production of even thier entry level equipment would be financial suicide to the company. They would loose the cost competition with big named companies and I dont think any of us would pay 10K for a master set of anything labeled Craftsman. That was always thier selling point prior to going overseas. Sears was always the best choice of tools when you couldn't afford SK, Mac, Snap-On etc. So, our real complaint is they had an affordable and okay product, but since going overseas the quality has fallen and they now have an affordable but flawed product.

If they were to bring out a full 'professional' series- sockets, ratchets, wrenches, screwdrivers Etc. Etc. That were American made or atleast super high quality from foriegn sources they may have a chance. Yes- even China and other mega producing countries can for good money make a Great Product.

As an alternate- using thier store front to team with for example SK or Mac would be a delight as well. Sure it might in theory compete with the entry level stuff, but at the same time I know the average Pro level buyer wouldn't come into sears at all for tools, and they folks I know currently buying craftsman can't afford or wouldn't risk thier marriage to buy high dollar stuff.

My last thought- sell the federal government that sears is to medium sized to fail- worked for detroit they got billions. Perhaps sears can get shored up to the tune of millions. (PLEASE NOTE THE SARCASM OF THIS PARAGRAPH.)

 

[Tanro]

Also, bring back the round head fine tooth ratchets

Quoted for truth. I have a round head c-man ratchet. 1/4" drive. Sadly its the only left from my step dad's set. I always keep it in my work box. Use it when I can.

Seriously the c-man set I bought just after highschool was okay. I still have most of laser etched easy to read sockets, very few have ever broken, the ones that have have been replaced by inferior crappy version, and I have gone through at least 1 craftsmen 3/8 drive ratchet a month for 8 years now. I use them because I know no matter what I do to them I will get a free replacement. and that is all. As soon as the damn things start skipping I take em back and get a new one.

But you know what.... That is the problem. The 3/8 coarse ratchet is junk. It turned me off to ever buying another c-man product.

What I do have is mostly a mix of snap-on, matco, and armstrong with knipex pliers and OTC pullers and such.

 

[soj]

Sears, take a tip from J C Penney... get out of the tool/hardware/auto business. Penney's gave it up back in the '80s. Anybody remember Penncraft tools? They used to have auto service centers also. They sold them to Firestone. Their tools never had the reputation that Craftsman used to have, so they couldn't do this, but you could. Do what? Glad you asked. SELL the Craftsman brand to someone who will bring it back to what it used to be. I have no idea what it is worth, but you better sell it quick because the value of the brand is dropping like a lead balloon. You want proof? If anybody from Sears has read this thread they have the proof.

There is no sarcasm in the above suggestion. I am serious. Find a US based forging company and unload this brand before it becomes totally worthless. It doesn't have to be a tool company, it could be somebody making forged widgets for farm machinery.

Act fast, before you have to put it on sale, like you do everything else!
-jp

 

[bert1913]

When Harbor Freight can offer a better quality and lower price tool chest, you have a problem

 

[monster1]

If you have to do away with no questions asked lifetime warranty to make a quality and affordable tool, do it. Offer a one time exchange with receipt. Too many people abused the policy which I'm sure helped force production overseas.

 

[gearhead1]

I concur with what most everyone else had said, but maybe summarize a little differently.

Craftsman (USA made) was the niche for the serious DIY type guys. I don't turn wrenches for a living, but I rebuild my own engines for example. I do all my own car repairs, run circle track cars, and do demolition derbies. I hang my own siding, and replace my own roof. I do have the big name tools, but not a lot. Not because I don't like them but because they're not easily accessible for me as my job doesn't put in a place where the tool trucks come.

Many years ago the quality of stuff from overseas was terrible. If a tool didn't say made in USA, I didn't want it, not worth my time otherwise. Junk could be bought cheaply, but Craftsman could be bought at the next price level. Perfect, because I'm willing to pay more for the higher quality.

Things are much different now. The quality of tools from overseas is far better than it used to be. Leaps and bounds better. So from a marketing perspective, Sears needs to figure out what it wants, what's the direction. Is cost the only factor? Then continue to have the tools made in China and the serious DIYers won't buy them. If I'm going to buy tools made in China, then why not go to Harbor Freight and get them for a fraction of the cost? What's the advantage of buying Craftsman now? I can't figure out what niche Craftsman fills now since they're made in China.