Sears tools made in U.S.A.?

[hogdaddy]

I received a Summit magazine flyer with a recent order and they have many Craftsmen made in the U.S. tools listed.
I thought Craftsmen no longer carried U.S. made tools. Last time I was in Sears store looking at tools not long ago I don't remember seeing any either.

 

[Tellingthem]

Sears doesn't carry the craftsman industrial line which is still mostly if not all us made still. They are basically the same as regular Craftsman before they moved overseas. Just with the extra industrial stamp. Sold through various places online like summit.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Just can't take that as a blanket statement... Being the Craftsman branded tools are sourced from various manufacturers located in the USA, as well as overseas, it is best to do some research on any planned purchase..

 

[gdocktor3]

Craftsman carries USA made tools that are rebranded with their name. Pliers, channelocks, adjustable wrenches, pry bars, screwdrivers, hammers, punches, chisels, 6 point ratchet wrenches, some hook and pick sets, crow bars, awls, some snap ring pliers, plus some other stuff. Then some stores still have random left over sockets and wrenches here and there. I found a 21mm USA deep impact socket the other day and grabbed it.

Most of these tools are made by very reputable brands and in my opinion, are the best bang for your buck if you want USA made stuff. Wilde, Mayhew, Western Forge, Pratt Read, etc.

I have 3 different size hook and pick sets from them, all my ball Pien hammers are craftsman, numerous screwdrivers, a bunch of pliers, a few channelocks, a few adjustable wrenches, the professional pry bar set, snap ring pliers, and I think I have one 6 point ratchet wrench. Almost all have been purchased within last year or two and I love them all.

 

[1982fxr]

Catalogs often show one product and send another. Most regular cman tools are now made in China. The industrial line is more US

 

[nikerret]

Craftsman carries USA made tools that are rebranded with their name. Pliers, channelocks, adjustable wrenches, pry bars, screwdrivers, hammers, punches, chisels, 6 point ratchet wrenches, some hook and pick sets, crow bars, awls, some snap ring pliers, plus some other stuff. Then some stores still have random left over sockets and wrenches here and there. I found a 21mm USA deep impact socket the other day and grabbed it.

Most of these tools are made by very reputable brands and in my opinion, are the best bang for your buck if you want USA made stuff. Wilde, Mayhew, Western Forge, Pratt Read, etc.

I have 3 different size hook and pick sets from them, all my ball Pien hammers are craftsman, numerous screwdrivers, a bunch of pliers, a few channelocks, a few adjustable wrenches, the professional pry bar set, snap ring pliers, and I think I have one 6 point ratchet wrench. Almost all have been purchased within last year or two and I love them all.

This post pretty well nailed it.

I enjoy buying Wilde (and Wilde made stuff), as they are fairly close to me. Wilde makes the Craftsman pry bars that are very popular, among other things.

 

[KEH]

Went into the local Sears last week. Sad. The wall of power tools was empty. The Craftsman low profiles were Chinese.

OTH, the hammers were USA made. They also stocked Vaughn and Estwing. The Channelock pliers were US made, but they didn't have a very good selection. Some Craftsman branded pliers were US. I think I remember US axes being stocked, but I may be mistaken.



KEH

 

[M6erfan]

I went into our local Sears about a month ago and it was depressing.

 

[mmack66]

I went into our local Sears about a month ago and it was depressing.

Earlier this evening, I went to what used to be my local Sears, that is now the only tenant in the entire shopping mall, and there were only about 8 cars in the lot. I can't imagine they will be open much longer. Pretty sad, as I am 50, and had been going there, for one reason or another, for most of that time.

 

[The Fall]

Same here in Austin, TX. There's a Sears Grand and three other locations within twenty miles, plus an outlet. Almost always dead. Very depressing. Some (certainly not all or even most) of the folks who work in the tool sections actually know their stuff, the history of the Craftsman tool line, and are disappointed by the state of things. Incidentally, I picked up a bunch of the old Craftsman Professional screwdrivers recently at the local Sears Outlet. The Pro prybars are excellent and I picked up a Cman Industrial breaker bar off Summit (Danaher?). Still great deals.

 

[anndel]

I went into our local Sears about a month ago and it was depressing.

Same here, I went 2 months ago and saw that all of their tools are made in china. The only thing I noticed that was made in USA was the plastic grocery bag they put your stuff in after you paid and checked out.

 

[DMAR]

Because most of their tools are made-in-China **** now, I just don't bother going into Sears for tools, or anything else. The good Craftsman tools used to get me into the store, then I'd find other things to buy... Its a real shame, but the corporate vultures that now control Sears made their decision to cheapen the products that they carry to increase margin, and I've made the decision to not spend money in their store anymore. That is the only say that consumers have, vote with your feet!

I wonder how it's working out for them from a business standpoint. Have they lost so much market share from people like me giving up on them as a viable tool source that it's hurting their bottom line? Or, have they increased their margin so much with cheap, over priced Chinese tools and found more people that will buy them that they are coming out ahead? I'd like to see the case study. Either way, I'm done with them unless I need a good hammer...

 

[freddyford]

I checked out their new Chinese toolboxes and wow, did they cut corners again. They all weigh substantially less than the boxes they are replacing but added self-closing drawer slides. Metal was still super thin and casters were even cheaper. Now I know how they offered even greater sizes for reduced cost.

 

[rick carpenter]

Our local Sears has CM-USA, CM-PRC, Knipex, Greenlee, Channellock, Wiha, etc. Just make careful selections, and bring in online sales ads if they're cheaper to get the cheaper price.

 

[gdocktor3]

I don't think it's necessarily corporate trying to make more money, but rather trying to survive. How are they supposed to compete with Lowes, HD, and Harbor Freight and their cheaper Chinese tools that cost 1/3rd of what the USA made tools cost? That's probably why SK, Proto, etc have/will never open outlet/retail stores. Let's say 1/3rd of people, or 10 out of 30, actually care where their tools are made. Of that 10, how many actually go shopping for tools on a weekly, monthly basis? Not many I'm guessing. Not to mention, most of the real mechanics buy their tools right off the truck that comes to their job.

 

[Nick Danger]

Because most of their tools are made-in-China **** now, I just don't bother going into Sears for tools, or anything else. The good Craftsman tools used to get me into the store, then I'd find other things to buy... Its a real shame, but the corporate vultures that now control Sears made their decision to cheapen the products that they carry to increase margin, and I've made the decision to not spend money in their store anymore. That is the only say that consumers have, vote with your feet!

I wonder how it's working out for them from a business standpoint. Have they lost so much market share from people like me giving up on them as a viable tool source that it's hurting their bottom line? Or, have they increased their margin so much with cheap, over priced Chinese tools and found more people that will buy them that they are coming out ahead? I'd like to see the case study. Either way, I'm done with them unless I need a good hammer...

Sears has lost $8 billion in the last 5 years. At this point, it probably doesn't matter where they source their tools.

http://insidetrade.co/sears-holding...olossus-on-top-of-the-american-retail-market/

 

[The Fall]

From talking with other shoppers informally, I've found that people who do go into Sears looking for tools are acutely aware of the decline in quality with Craftsman. They're there either to warranty a few items or cherry pick the best of the remaining USA-made stuff. Why would they go into Sears otherwise? No one else does, and there are a few remaining gems to be found in the store. Sears threw away a great selling point with USA-made tools. It gave them a point of difference. I viewed that as a marketing/selling strength as opposed to a weakness. And there was the Evolv line (and the old "Sears" line) for people looking for cheap tools. I take automotive classes and a lot of the students there still buy Craftsman; they're aware of the drop in quality, and some have gone the Ebay route for old-stock USA tools. That's a shame. While I have a lot of S-K and some Snap-On, I still use Craftsman USA sockets. I actually like them and have no intention of upgrading any time soon (if ever).

The consumer was never consulted about offshoring. And it appears their CEO is completely incompetent, to the point where Forbes (who couldn't care less about Craftsman COO) consistently blames Eddie Lampert for Sears' decline. That's saying something. My wife goes with me to Sears and mentions the clothing line appears dated by a good decade, and many of the shelves are barren; signage on the exterior of the store is broken with no replacement in sight; the roof leaks heavily when it rains at the store down the street. It's all bad. Everyone bought tools at Sears. Generations of families. That's all gone and it took less than a decade. A real shame.

 

[rick carpenter]

Can we make another forum just for Sears/Craftsman bashing? And let's make sure that all other companies that once made their tools solely in the USA and now are (partly) offshored are prohibited from being mentioned on that board.

 

[stang2007]

lol Tons of threads about this some tools are still made here but at this point its few and far between.

speaking of depressing, walked in to my local sears in the mall this weekend. (wife went to macy's) was looking through the tools and when I walked out I realized that the area where they had Tv's was gone (with nothing to replace it) just empty space, was a little creepy.

I hope someone who gives a **** buys the C-man name...

 

[freddyford]

I don't think it's necessarily corporate trying to make more money, but rather trying to survive.

You hit the nail on the head with that one! I've read the financial reports over the past couple years after the media keeps reporting their demise, and it's a miracle they are still in business. Not for long according to reports this year, as they have liquidated most of their assets which is the only way they've been keeping the lights on. No more assets to sell off means no more Sears unless they turn a profit.