What happened to Sears tools?!!

[JunkYardDawg]

Made in China...just like everything else. Craftsman will never get my money again. If my tools break, straight to the garbage. Not dealing with junk

Ahh, I see that you have awakened, my friend. Many here still quaff the Craftsman Koolaid.

I've been a mechanic all my life, and never saw a reason to waste my money on expensive tools. Men get together and puff out their chests, and squirt testosterone out of their ears and belly-buck each other around and around and in the end, its the tool that does the job - not our wallets. My personal tool collection is a mishmash of Snap-On, Mac, Cornwell, Craftsman, Hazet, Gedore, and Harbor Freight filling in the blanks. I buy what I need and when it breaks it gets tossed or repurposed into a handle or something.

My slant on the present offering of Craftsman tools is that they are chinese **** like the rest, however, they are an unusually ugly and lower form of said chinese ****. The "innovative" tools they advertise on TV are the **** - anyone who works on ANYTHING mechanical can take one look at those and say nah nah no thanks.

 

[Tellingthem]

Like the title, wht did happen to all of these tools? Maybe we, the US ran out of metal frm making all of these tools for over a hundred years. Maybe they got lost, or are in a barn somewhere, or were neglected and broke and ended up in a landfill........i just dont understand why we still need to 'make' as many tools as we currently do? Are we amping up the disposable **** assembly line- so you dispose of it when a fifty cent part needs replacing???

Have to remember that the population is continually increasing. We've added about 130 Million people just in America in the last 50 years. Worldwide about 4 billion. That a lot of tools to sell. So even If every Grandpa/Grandma passed their tools on to their kids. The increase of population alone requires Billions of tools to be made. Add improvements and upgrades in tools, warranty replacements, finding garage journal...lots of reason to obtain new tools today.

 

[SuperXero]

Kobalt from Lowes is fine for home use, that's what I have and have been pretty happy with them for the price.

Some of us have higher standards even for home use.

 

[PJNJ]

I think you got part of that wrong. The problem with Sears as a retail store today is that the stores do still look like what they used to look like. Eddie Lambert doesn't care at all about the retail business that Sears used to be. He's just like the guy that buys a classic car or motorcycle and parts it out. The real estate goes here, the Craftsman name goes there, etc.

Actually the stores don't resemble the Sears of my youth. I shopped at Sears for a few decades (since the 1960's). My father used to take me until I started going by myself in the '70s. The store I used to shop in still exists but bears no resemblance to what it was then. Back then part of the store actually had nice wood paneling - removed about 20 years ago as part of a "modernization". Clean aisles and floors. Some areas were even carpeted. Decently dressed associates. Now it looks like a bargain basement version of Walmart. It carried nice clothes at a good price. Now mostly garbage with a few "namebrands" thrown in. Appliances competed with the name brands and if you bought Kenmore there was no shame or embarrassment. Now I'm waiting to see how long before they slap "Kenmore" on sneakers and toothbrushes. The tool section carried good Craftsman tools along with some name brands such as SK at reasonable prices. Now the tool section is turning into a bunch of gimmicky tools and low quality tools branded with the name "Craftsman" - cheapening what's left of any goodwill still associated with it. Who wants to buy a keychain mini multitool with "Craftsman" on it? How about some Craftsman earrings that are philips screwdrivers for that special someone? How about a tie clip that doubles as retractable razor knife? It's all going to **** and gimmicks with the basic tools being turned into a poor man's delight (since all he cares about is price not quality). Rant off.

 

[mjoekingz28]

.....there's a time to live and a time to die......

 

[ibedayank]

If your local store has very little made in USA then go to a better one, retailers generally don't send more expensive merchandise to poorer areas. In my travels I see them vary from mostly USA to mostly PRC.


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if this is true then why is there more USA made stuff in my catalog store then in the CoolSprings store that has $4,000,000+ homes

 

[Bluedodge]

These were the days:

 

[franzdom]

I like this thread. Very quaint!

 

[creativecars]

Sears has ruined themselves from the top down for well over 20 years. I am most surprised by people that think this is new. Apparently the Craftsman, Kenmore, DieHard, Toughskins names carried them with groves of ignorant (lack of knowledge) people who thought they were the same company from the 60's and 70's. Not a rant, but saddened by the leadership that has ruined an American institution.

 

[kythri]

Sears outsourced their tools?!!!

 

[1950mercury]

These were the days:

That's what it's like now a days too....empty parking lots

 

[drink]

From what I understand Sears used to make a lot of the stuff they sold until the government made them stop and have others make it for them. As time passed a lot of things from availability to customer service were affected. Tools going offshore to cheaper labor and hopes of increased profits sent a lot of USA workers to the unemployment lines. It was saddening to talk to people who had lost their jobs and it was upsetting to have paid more for USA tools only to have them replaced by cheaper tools. Once again, Sears still sells some tools that are made in the USA and I do not know how many other retailers in the USA that sell as many USA tools as Sears.

 

[creativecars]

From what I understand Sears used to make a lot of the stuff they sold until the government made them stop and have others make it for them. As time passed a lot of things from availability to customer service were affected. Tools going offshore to cheaper labor and hopes of increased profits sent a lot of USA workers to the unemployment lines. It was saddening to talk to people who had lost their jobs and it was upsetting to have paid more for USA tools only to have them replaced by cheaper tools. Once again, Sears still sells some tools that are made in the USA and I do not know how many other retailers in the USA that sell as many USA tools as Sears.

Some would like to say the government made them...

Take a look to see what they paid their CEO's while they were laying off workers, selling off names and using offshore manufactures?

The people in charge were making some big $$$$, and everyone else sucked hind teat.

 

[TomB19]

Some would like to say the government made them...

Yeah. Holy cow. That's a long way to go to blame the government when other tool manufacturers are thriving.

If you want to get political, I would suggest the manufacturers have killed themselves. They have lobbied government to allow them to offshore everything, then did, then learned that their re-branded generic Chinese garbage is worth a similar amount to unbranded generic Chinese garbage.

It would be difficult to say the offshoring was entirely wrong because domestic manufacturers are not necessarily doing that great, either. A few of the domestics seem to be doing well, though. I think that's fantastic.

As long as it is possible to do a good job and and be rewarded with a reasonable level of success, life isn't all bad.

As for Sears, who cares? The company is just the carcass that reminds us of fond memories of a former friend.

 

[drink]

Some would like to say the government made them...

Take a look to see what they paid their CEO's while they were laying off workers, selling off names and using offshore manufactures?

The people in charge were making some big $$$$, and everyone else sucked hind teat.

I was discussing the changes to Sears back in the 1960's that involved antitrust issues. Overpaid executives have been doing a lot of damage to people at many places since then.

 

[kythri]

Do you have any cite for this?

I'm failing to grasp how the government could force a company to stop their own manufacturing and license out manufacturing, save a possible wartime situation where whatever being manufactured was considered critical to the war effort - and even then, it wouldn't be a "you can't manufacture this anymore, only other people can!" it would be a "we need additional people to manufacture this to meet our demands." (Or, perhaps a situation of "those items are not critical to the war effort, so we're not allowing rationed raw materials to be used for those items, only these items.")

That's all moot, anyways - has Sears EVER manufactured their own tools, under any brand name? My understanding was that brands like Craftsman have always had their manufacture contracted/licensed out - that Craftsman has always been a brand, not a manufacturer.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

From what I understand Sears used to make a lot of the stuff they sold until the government made them stop and have others make it for them.

I'd like a cite for that, as well.

You may be interested in a book called "The Big Store" by Don Katz. It was written in the mid 80s as Sears was facing up to it's increasing troubles to that date. Half the book is full of now uninteresting trivia about the Searsmen of that time and half of it is a fascinating history of Sears. The book was a good seller and is available for a few bucks from online used booksellers such as abebooks.

I don't remember mention of antitrust action among the factors contributing to the Sears malaise of the 80s, but my memory might be faulty.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

That's all moot, anyways - has Sears EVER manufactured their own tools, under any brand name? My understanding was that brands like Craftsman have always had their manufacture contracted/licensed out - that Craftsman has always been a brand, not a manufacturer.

Not tools but Sears used to own a company called Workman Electronics. Workman made many or most of the Sears TV sets of the 60s and 70s. Maybe radios and record players, too. I don't know if they relabeled their products for anyone else.

Met a guy in High School whose Dad worked for Workman. He told me his Dad worked for one of the biggest electronics companies in the US and that I never heard of it. I didn't. Anyway, these are old memories and if someone knows I have it wrong, I'd like the real story.

Of course, Sears always had stuff made to their own spec from outside manufacturers.

 

[drink]

I'd like a cite for that, as well.

You may be interested in a book called "The Big Store" by Don Katz. It was written in the mid 80s as Sears was facing up to it's increasing troubles to that date. Half the book is full of now uninteresting trivia about the Searsmen of that time and half of it is a fascinating history of Sears. The book was a good seller and is available for a few bucks from online used booksellers such as abebooks.

I don't remember mention of antitrust action among the factors contributing to the Sears malaise of the 80s, but my memory might be faulty.

The following tells a little about some of the manufacturing businesses Sears owned. You will have to use Google a while to find information on the antitrust issue with the government. Sears had factories that made outdoor power equipment, appliances, and other stuff. Some of the old riding mowers had a David Bradley brand name until they sold the Sears brand. Roper made the tractors with the Sears brand for a while also. If I remember the antitrust issue occurred in the 1960's and they mention how Sears made tractors until 1968 so that was probably the end of Sears owning the factories.

http://www.asecc.com/data/engines/david-bradley.html

 

[PJNJ]

From what I understand Sears used to make a lot of the stuff they sold until the government made them stop and have others make it for them. As time passed a lot of things from availability to customer service were affected. Tools going offshore to cheaper labor and hopes of increased profits sent a lot of USA workers to the unemployment lines. It was saddening to talk to people who had lost their jobs and it was upsetting to have paid more for USA tools only to have them replaced by cheaper tools. Once again, Sears still sells some tools that are made in the USA and I do not know how many other retailers in the USA that sell as many USA tools as Sears.

I may be getting old and forgetful but I have no recollection that the government "made them stop" manufacturing. To my recollection, Sears always contracted out manufacturing of products sold through their catalog and in-store under Sears brand names. For example, the original Kenmore supplier was a predecessor of Whirlpool corporation. Here's a link to a brief history of Whirlpool.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Whirlpool_Corp.aspx

Craftsman tools have been produced under contract by different companies over many decades.

If you have any evidence to the contrary please post it.

Not tools but Sears used to own a company called Workman Electronics. Workman made many or most of the Sears TV sets of the 60s and 70s. Maybe radios and record players, too. I don't know if they relabeled their products for anyone else.

Met a guy in High School whose Dad worked for Workman. He told me his Dad worked for one of the biggest electronics companies in the US and that I never heard of it. I didn't. Anyway, these are old memories and if someone knows I have it wrong, I'd like the real story.

Of course, Sears always had stuff made to their own spec from outside manufacturers.

Are you talking about Warwick Electronics which was acquired by Whirlpool in 1966 and which supplied electronics to Sears under contract. Again, it was a company which contracted to provide items such as TVs to Sears.

And again, I don't believe Sears ever had any ownership interest in Warwick which Whirlpool later sold to Sanyo.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Frankly, we do not need Sears.

Sears is // was a mail order / department store that sold everything from tractors to tools, house kits to kites, auto parts, toys, clothing, and anything you could imagine...

Was any of this actually produced in a Sears factory???
These goods were made by different companies, and labeled with various Sears brand names..

Craftsman is a blue sky assortment of tools from many different manufacturers made in various countries..

So,,,,,, If you actually need a certain "Craftsman" tool,,,, you are in luck.

Using your Microsoft Works; start with a blank spreadsheet; type out the name 'Craftsman" in the letter size, style, and color desired....
Print the page, trim to the proper size, and glue in onto a tool..
Presto.............basically the same thing Sears has done from the beginning,, only on a smaller scale

 

[drink]

I may be getting old and forgetful but I have no recollection that the government "made them stop" manufacturing. To my recollection, Sears always contracted out manufacturing of products sold through their catalog and in-store under Sears brand names. For example, the original Kenmore supplier was a predecessor of Whirlpool corporation. Here's a link to a brief history of Whirlpool.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Whirlpool_Corp.aspx

Craftsman tools have been produced under contract by different companies over many decades.

If you have any evidence to the contrary please post it.



Are you talking about Warwick Electronics which was acquired by Whirlpool in 1966 and which supplied electronics to Sears under contract. Again, it was a company which contracted to provide items such as TVs to Sears.

And again, I don't believe Sears ever had any ownership interest in Warwick which Whirlpool later sold to Sanyo.

Oh, I just realized it looks like I was talking about tools when I was only briefly discussing how Sears used to own some factories. To my knowledge Sears has been supplied with tools by tool factories. I have no idea if Sears owned or partially owned the tool factories.

 

[shanny19]

Did you really just say Microsoft Works?????? What else is happening in 1992??

 

[PJNJ]

The following tells a little about some of the manufacturing businesses Sears owned. You will have to use Google a while to find information on the antitrust issue with the government. Sears had factories that made outdoor power equipment, appliances, and other stuff. Some of the old riding mowers had a David Bradley brand name until they sold the Sears brand. Roper made the tractors with the Sears brand for a while also. If I remember the antitrust issue occurred in the 1960's and they mention how Sears made tractors until 1968 so that was probably the end of Sears owning the factories.

http://www.asecc.com/data/engines/david-bradley.html

You're right. Apparently Sears did have an ownership interest in David Bradley and later Roper for some time but it I still haven't found any anti-trust violations. And it seems they may have contracted with them as separate concerns rather than as a subsidiary. Some good information here under post #2 -
http://www.mytractorforum.com/14-craftsman-sears-forum/85413-roper-tractors.html

Thanks for the info. and my apologies for any misunderstanding.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Did you really just say Microsoft Works?????? What else is happening in 1992??

Yes,, I have an Old disc application that works just fine.. A bit newer than 1992, however..
That came with a computer bought in 1999.. I have got my use out of that one...

 

[Bennylava]

With all this talk about craftsman, I have to wonder if Kobalt is becoming the new craftsman. They have a lifetime warranty, just like everyone was so proud of with craftsman. And Lowes is the Sears of today, with locations everywhere.

 

[drink]

You're right. Apparently Sears did have an ownership interest in David Bradley and later Roper for some time but it I still haven't found any anti-trust violations. And it seems they may have contracted with them as separate concerns rather than as a subsidiary. Some good information here under post #2 -
http://www.mytractorforum.com/14-craftsman-sears-forum/85413-roper-tractors.html

Thanks for the info. and my apologies for any misunderstanding.

The way I wrote it was likely the cause of a misunderstanding. Anyway I copied and pasted the following from your tractor website.

Hope this clears up who made the trannys for you........ It is a bit complicated, but basically all the buy-outs over the years were made to meet Federal guidelines and to keep Sears in a better financial state. It is all about money.......

They mentioned something about Federal guidelines and I am thinking it had something to do with the antitrust issue. Who knows?

 

[BDT/NWMN]

You're right. Apparently Sears did have an ownership interest in David Bradley and later Roper for some time but it I still haven't found any anti-trust violations. And it seems they may have contracted with them as separate concerns rather than as a subsidiary. Some good information here under post #2 -
http://www.mytractorforum.com/14-craftsman-sears-forum/85413-roper-tractors.html

Thanks for the info. and my apologies for any misunderstanding.

. That explanation from the Roper Exec cleared questions on the older Sears garden tractors.. I enjoyed reading it.

 

[welder4956]

 

[panknuckshovel]

These were the days:

Reminds me of Livonia mall store.

That's what it's like now a days too....empty parking lots

Ha, awesome.

 

[1foxracing]

For example, the original Kenmore supplier was a predecessor of Whirlpool corporation.

I can confirm that many of Kenmore branded vacuum cleaners were manufactured by Hoover in North Canton, Ohio back when Whirlpool owned Hoover. I was a delivery driver out of Canton, Ohio for many years and use to enter the Hoover factory a couple times a week.

 

[ChrisPace]

Frankly, we do not need Sears.



Sears is // was a mail order / department store that sold everything from tractors to tools, house kits to kites, auto parts, toys, clothing, and anything you could imagine...



Was any of this actually produced in a Sears factory???

These goods were made by different companies, and labeled with various Sears brand names..



Craftsman is a blue sky assortment of tools from many different manufacturers made in various countries..



So,,,,,, If you actually need a certain "Craftsman" tool,,,, you are in luck.



Using your Microsoft Works; start with a blank spreadsheet; type out the name 'Craftsman" in the letter size, style, and color desired....

Print the page, trim to the proper size, and glue in onto a tool..

Presto.............basically the same thing Sears has done from the beginning,, only on a smaller scale

This might be the most ridiculous concept of the day.

Sears didn't make any actual product but they were the vehicle for small American manufacture's to get their products to market. Without them these companies might not exist at all.

Grocery stores don't make any food or grow produce. Yet we need them to get the food to the market.

Best Buy doesn't make any TVs or electronics but they're the vehicle for multiple manufacturers to deliver goods to the consumer.

Walmart doesn't make anything but they bring products to local markets

Harbor freight doesn't make anything. They're just a vehicle to deliver products from overseas to American hands.

You can bet these small factories in these small American towns wanted these contracts.


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[Mechanical Noise]

The following tells a little about some of the manufacturing businesses Sears owned. You will have to use Google a while to find information on the antitrust issue with the government.

Didn't find any antitrust issues, but i didn't spend alot of time, either. I did come across a relevant quote:

Alongside the consolidation of others, the era of Sears` ownership of manufacturers also was coming to an end. In 1954, Sears owned all or part of 59 manufacturing enterprises. By 1968, the number was 31, and by 1983 the policy of reducing factory ownership below 50 percent in any company had reduced significant Sears financial interest in all but five of its suppliers. The buyers had also been told that Sears no longer wanted all of any company`s business.

``Go beyond the Sears cocoon,`` Batogowski told the buyers now. ``A long- term relationship doesn`t mean a company deserves our business. Open it up. Every order should have competition.`




It seems pretty obvious that Sears changed it's policy and wanted to pick and choose among it's suppliers, rather than have captive suppliers. Makes good business sense to me. If an outside supplier is making a popular product, why market the less popular product or carry the costs of the less popular supplier?


http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-11-17/business/8703260897_1_sears-tower-screwdriver-telling

There's no author given for the article but I think it's an excerpt from the Katz book.

Here's an unnamed supplier I think most of us can identify:

Ed Telling traveled out to a screwdriver factory in Colorado during the middle of the upheavals to hear the chief executive of the company complain that he had built a new plant just to supply more screwdrivers to Sears, but Sears was suddenly ordering fewer screwdrivers. Telling observed that Sears already owned 40 percent of the screwdriver market in America and that bumping that market share up over 50 percent was going to be a hell of a task. ``It`s your money,`` Telling said, ``but I don`t think I would have built that new building if I were you.``

``Your own buyers told me to build it,`` the manager said.

``Oh . . . well,`` Telling managed. ``Now, that`s another game.``

 

[Mechanical Noise]

Are you talking about Warwick Electronics which was acquired by Whirlpool in 1966 and which supplied electronics to Sears under contract. Again, it was a company which contracted to provide items such as TVs to Sears.

And again, I don't believe Sears ever had any ownership interest in Warwick which Whirlpool later sold to Sanyo.

Yeah, that's it. Warwick. Intriguing quote from an article I mentioned in another post:


"Sears televisions had been produced, from the beginning of their mass distribution, by Warwick Electronics, a company the buyers in Chicago had drawn together and eventually arranged to move to the facility in Forrest City during the mid-1970s.

The buyers had already bullied Whirlpool Corp. into taking over Warwick


http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-11-17/business/8703260897_1_sears-tower-screwdriver-telling

I found Warwick on another discussion forum:

So who was Warwick Electronics? Anyone able to shed some light on this company?

I can answer your questions about Warwick having worked at the Zion Illinois TV plant as an repair man from 1960 until 1965. There were 2 plants in the Chicago area. The plant in Niles,Illinois made Silvertone radios and record changers. The plant in Zion made Silvertone TVs. We were told that Sears owned 90% of Warwick, I do not know who had the rest. Warwick employees were even given a 10% discount card good at Sears stores.They moved to Forest City, Ark. about 1967, mostly as a union busting ploy. Management could move to the new plant, but union members could not. I went through 2 strikes while I worked there.

http://www.videokarma.org/archive/index.php/t-246971.html

 

[dacan23]

Imagine any company today having a 40% share in any such product, its near impossible. Apple had it with iPods maybe, but iPhones are only about 15% of the market. Having such a large share of the market for a product and sustaining it now a days will never happen.

Telling observed that Sears already owned 40 percent of the screwdriver market in America and that bumping that market share up over 50 percent was going to be a hell of a task.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

Imagine any company today having a 40% share in any such product, its near impossible. Apple had it with iPods maybe, but iPhones are only about 15% of the market. Having such a large share of the market for a product and sustaining it now a days will never happen.

Windows OS

 

[dacan23]

Ah yes, but I was thinking about more of a physical product. Plus one that people have a "choice" in buying. Though I dont think any version of Windows has 40% share lol.

Windows OS

 

[kythri]

Ah yes, but I was thinking about more of a physical product. Plus one that people have a "choice" in buying. Though I dont think any version of Windows has 40% share lol.

Does it really matter if it's different versions? They're all owned by the same company.

That's like saying "Sears may have a 40% share of the screwdriver market, but that's only because we're counting Philips and flat-heads together..."

 

[drink]

I have to admit I was able to buy some made in USA tools at Sears recently with free shipping, and I added some clothing to my order also. Not all stores sell tools, appliances, outdoor power, electronics, kitchen stuff, clothing, and lots of other stuff. I still think Sears is a good place to buy stuff.

 

[four.cycle]

Imagine any company today having a 40% share in any such product

not only possible, but it happens all the time.
first one that comes to mind:

Power Service diesel fuel treatment. they have about a 90%+ market share.

(I was an independent factory agent trying to sell K&W Chemical's new diesel fuel treatment to the remaining 10% of that particular pie.)

I can't cite a number, but I would imagine that "Armor All" has the lion's share of the plastic/vinyl/rubber treatment market as well.

If you look around at different products you'll see that there are some companies who maintain a huge market share, regardless of price or new (or better) products introduced:

WD40
Gumout Jet-Spray

etc., etc., etc.....

probably doesn't hold true in the current day hand tool market.
a walk through your local supermarket would probably turn up a few more products.