Earlier today, I was asked a simple question: what tools am I most excited about? It took a while, but I narrowed it down to a list of 5 answers.
Here are the tools I’m looking forward to at the moment:
Craftsman Tools!!
Advertisement
I am extremely excited about a lot of the new Craftsman tools that are coming to market, and perhaps even more excited about what will follow.
Craftsman was my once-favorite tool brand, and at that time I couldn’t fathom buying anything else. They provided good tools at affordable pricing.
There are lots of little things that I’m excited about, such as the new lock-together power tool accessories cases.
I also can’t wait to get my hands on the new Craftsman brushless drill/driver. I’ve been excited about pre-Stanley Black & Decker Craftsman cordless power tools before, but not quite this excited.
Advertisement
I’m also really excited about the Craftsman hand tools coming out. That’s where all my past love for the Craftsman brand comes from – the hand tools – and I think that the new offerings will do that sentiment justice.
Dewalt Cordless Sander
I tell myself that I prefer using a corded sander together with a dust collector, but then a task will come around where I’ll need cordless freedom. With my Festool dust extractor now rocking a wireless remote, perhaps it’s time I took cordless sanders more seriously.
Dewalt’s sander is coming soon. Their new brushless jigsaw hit the market, and their barrel grip jigsaw and router are launching soon. I’m excited about all of the new offerings, but I forced myself to pick just one.
See Also: New Dewalt Cordless Woodworking Tools
Milwaukee Rover Magnetic Flood Light (2xAA)
Milwaukee has a new Rover magnetic LED flashlight coming out. It’s smaller than the RedLithium USB model, and the fact that it works with standard AA-sized batteries could increase its appeal with anyone who doesn’t want another rechargeable battery device in their tool bag.
I really like the RedLithium USB Rover pocket flood light, and I think I’ll feel the same about the new smaller AA version.
I requested a test sample from Milwaukee, but I am pretty convinced that I’ll be buying a couple of these. I might pair them with NiMH rechargeable batteries, or maybe (non-rechargeable) lithium AA batteries.
Bosch 1617 Router Kit
I have my Bosch-made Craftsman Pro router in my router table, and it can be a hassle if I need to remove it for a quick task. While not a new tool by any means, I’m eagerly waiting for holiday sales to snag a new Bosch 1617 router kit combo at good pricing.
Right now it’s $219 via Amazon. Years ago when I shopped for accessories for the Craftsman base, there were reported incompatibilities with Bosch accessories. So rather than risk having to buy a motor and then spend a lot more on Bosch bases, I’ll pick up the kit.
Makita Cordless Multi-Cutter
While Makita’s cordless multi-cutter isn’t a new release, it hit my radar again recently, when I was stuck cutting rubber sheeting by hand, and then a whole lot of large cardboard panels.
It’s only $62 for the bare tool…
Yep, this will likely be another item on my “be on the lookout for deals” radar.
Ben
I 100% in regard to the Dewalt Sander, i’m buying that as soon as it is released!
chad Brink
Same here. I’ve been waiting for this product for ages. Tired of fighting the cord while sanding.
Herb Britt
Lowe’s here in Central North Carolina already has them for sale.
Austin
Lowes in central PA has it and the cordless craftsmen sander
Robin Anne McKinley
I’m a professional fabricator. Their flexvolt grinder changed my life.
Philip John
It’s the best grinder. Milwaukee 9 ” is nice but it’s not something anyone needs all the time. Makita 7 ” is horrible. The dewalt is perfect!
Matt
ToolNut already has it. I preordered mine from them and received it about a week ago.
fred
My wife had a Skil 3352 that used a fixed battery – now 10 years old the battery will not hold a charge – so its time to upgrade.
I had my eye on a Bosch cordless cutter for Christmas:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005P9A3AI/
But it looks like it may be a grey-market import – and is way more expensive than the Makita.
Thanks for the post – I may have to do some – even though I have some Bosch batteries and charger.
BTW – Amazon lists the Worx WX081L as an “Amazon Choice” – sells for $35 – and comes with a fixed LiIon battery
fred
Meant to say “I may have to do some comparing”
Tim E.
The new AA rover and new version of the usb rover lights are probably my top pick.
Craftsman tstak equivalent products would be number 2, I’d like to see some more offerings than DeWalt has though, but I can’t complajn about the supposedly better prices.
Milwaukee Fuel brushless barrel grip jigsaw would be number 3, flexvolt dust collector #4 (though I’d like to see a “regular vacuum” version of it with the same good specs but lower cost, no hepa filters or filter cleaning or dust collector-y stuff). Can’t think of a 5, but I’m planning to get a thermal imager to use for the robotics team, just can’t figure out which one to get, don’t want to spend over 500.
RWS34
I cant wait to get my hands on a 18V Makita battery pack that uses 21700 cells. Anybody got any insight on that one?
Philip John
I think you may be waiting a long time… If they were to use that cel… All the 2x 18 v tools they made don’t have the room!
They would have 2 different sys with no compatibility… Unless they come up with a different form factor on the battery… But even that’s not as desirable as all cells in one back for heat.
Really bad idea they chose not to follow dewalt or milwaukee.
Altan
DeWALT has made the same accessory cases like Craftsman ones, in yellow and green colours.
Stuart
For things like screwdriver bits? I’ve seen larger cases for things like socket sets, but not smaller ones for power tool accessories.
Nate
What about this?
DT7969QZ Screwdriver Bit Set 32 Piece https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007MMG4YK/
Stuart
Nope. That case has no means to connect to others.
Altan
Yes, you are right, because they are the smallest ones which can fit inside the ones that can get connected to each others. even Craftsman has these ones, let me google them for you.
Altan
And this is kind of four times bigger than the previous one
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DEWALT-DT70702-40-Pc-Screwdriver-Bit-Set-TSTAK-Compatible/312228494339
Altan
No, this is the smallest one
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Latest-DeWalt-DT70556T-QZ-PZ2-25mm-Extreme-Torsion-Bit-Set-Tic-Tac/273457912768
satch
Altan, thank you so much for the links. Hang it all why can’t we get this stuff in the States? I know it goes the other way round as well. Some items we take for granted here are hard to source in Asia or Europe.
This is actually a fairly robust ecosystem of containers. It may make me take a look at TSTAK or the Craftsman versions when available.
Altan
You are welcome, I hope you get them in the US soon and we get the DeWALT wall scanner in the UK as well!!!
Altan
You can see a green one here,
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/51298883240379382/
Altan
I normally buy DeWALT accessory sets just for their cases and mostly (not always) replace the content with Wiha, Athlet, Wera, Wekador, Elora, Snappy, Famag, Festool, PB Swiss and Hazet bits.
Alex
The tstak version DT70716 is only available in Europe.
satch
I noticed the form factor as well. I actually like the Craftsman version with the clear lid. Easy to see what you have stored inside. The yellow DeWalt versions they sell at Home Depot are handy sized and look plenty durable but I do not care for the solid colour lid. It is another reason I like the new Bosch modular bitmcases.
I have switched over to them for all my bit storage. The Milwaukee cases are nice too and I have one butmagain, the solid red lid is a bit aggravating. Not a huge issue but enough to make me switch permanently to the Bosch. Even if eventually all the bits are not Bosch. Wiha, Wera, and hopefully some PB Swiss will reside threre too.
satch
Altan, I think maybe this is the one you were referencing?
https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW2190-Heavy-Medium-Tough/dp/B000CNO72W
I know itmdoesn’t have the bit holders in it but I believe the ones from the pre-made kits will fit into it.
Stuart
I have that. But the Craftsman latch together, the Dewalt doesn’t.
satch
Ah, I see that now. Kind of a neat organiser system. Will definitely look at that when it arrives.
David
If you Google TSTAK 2018 additions that system is coming to the Dewalt line as well. It even has a holder for all the little boxes. DT70716
satch
Good to know. Thank you.
Altan
The new DeWALT ones are currently sold in the UK, I bought one of each of these sets to check the quality, I would say as a fussy person about the quality I liked them, the clear lid is a bit different than other ones, I would say a bit soft and when you touch you feel a bit leathery feeling, I am not sure if there is such a word like “leathery” in English I just hope you understand what I meant 🙂 and this lid looks like it won’t break easily. Previously I asked Stuart to actually write about these new DeWALT cases, they are called Toughcase+. There are bigger sizes as well, as you can see in the photos in the links I have sent, one is kind of twice bigger than this one and one extra big one which looks like a thinner version of DS100 kind of. First I found about them in Danish and Swedish DeWALT catalogues, I have noticed that I have to dig DeWALT catalogues in every languages to find out about their products, I called DeWALT UK and they did/could not provide almost any information about these new cases and I don’t know how these cases are sold in the UK if DeWALT itself does not have any info about them and how these sellers could get them!!! Sounds quite annoying and extremely unprofessional! It pushes me to not take a brand like this professional even though they do produce quite a lot of good tools. They have to study their lessons more if they don’t want anyone like me to put them down like this!
Stuart
That sounds vaguely familiar – an email from you about ToughSystem+, but I can’t easily find it in my inbox.
I do have an email from you from earlier this year about a pipe soldering tool to follow up on. Sorry, I am waaaay behind on things.
Altan
No, I did write in one of the pages here on toolguyd.com, I forgot which page it was, I even provided the link for PDF file of Swedish DeWALT catalogue which you could see a huge line of these cases. But about the email you are right, I did send you one email and that was about a soldering tool for plumbers which I wish DeWALT would make one of these as cordless tool and NOT JUST FOR USA!!!
Altan
No, This is the one
https://www.tooled-up.com/dewalt-tstak-caddy-for-tough-case-connectable-cases/prod/377652/
satch
That, is pretty neat. If we get the assortment in red(Craftsman, that is), I may have to look into it.
Altan
Both DeWALT and Craftsman have these new accessory cases (which I call them the third generation of their accessory cases and are called Toughcase+) with clear and coloured lid, they can get connected to each other, the TSTAK caddy can accept these and also the second generation of DeWALT accessory cases (I am not sure about the first generation of their cases), the differences between second and third generations are:
-the third generation has a bit better plastic racks which you can keep the 25mm bits a bit angled and it would be easier to pull them out when you need.
– you can place the plastic racks on the lid as well.
-they are connectable to each other.
-the rest is exactly the same, even the size and shape, you can use the racks from the old version in these new cases.
Altan
You can have a black version of this with red dividers from Porter Cable but very rarely available, in some US and Canadian websites, I wish I could have one of this.
https://www.lowes.ca/screwdriver-bit-sets/porter-cable-30-piece-drillingdriving-utility-set_g1439215.html
A W
The 1617 router is fantastic. You won’t be disappointed.
Gordon
I’m pretty deep in Makita right now, but I’m looking forward to the Hitachi Multivolt tools. I saw a 1/2in impact that I would love for working on cars. I see Lowe’s has it listed for $450 as a bare tool. I’m hoping that it drops, because that is significantly more expensive than competitors for similar specs.
Paul K
Why are you so continuously excited about the craftsman brand relaunch? It’s now, even more than before, just a name a company, who already makes tons of similar tools of varying levels of quality, is sticking on some tools that are very similar to tools they already offer. AND brands already make numerous ratchets and socket sets, they’re now adding another. I know everyone wants the mythical made in the USA premiumish set at slightly more than Husky pricing, and who knows, maybe one day you’ll get it and more mechanics tools to match. But everything else…well there may be some good stuff, and clearly SBD is excited about the brand in a way the never were about the Porter Cable stuff it’s replacing, but ultimately this is all gonna be Ryobi level, or more likely somewhere between Ryobi and Ridgid. And that’s good news for Joe DIY homeowner. But, nothing branded Craftsman is ever gonna be premium or pro grade. So, why all the excitement?
Paul K
I dunno why, but my tablet always wants to correct SBD to AND.
Stuart
Because there’s been a big hole in the market and there’s a ton of potential as to what SBD can and will do with the brand. Plus I’m sentimental.
Jim Felt
@MeToo.
Brian M
I’m with Paul, I don’t really see it. They’re just old SBD tools right now. There’s already a brand that is doing what SBD is trying to do, Ridgid…and even Ryobi is adding brushless lines. The USA thing isn’t a guarantee of greatness, go look at the old Kobalt USA Danaher ratchets, they’re on par with the Chinese Craftsman.
Craftsman is going to have to sit in the spot of a Ridgid and Husky/Kobalt. You’re not going to get a super cheap Proto ratchet, you’re not going to get something to compare with Dewalt equally. I might be a little pessimistic but I think expectations are waaay too high and the rose tinted glasses are a bit dusty. We all want good, USA tools for cheap but it has to remain profitable and I find it hard to believe in a brand catering to the masses.
I’m also wondering if SBD are going to start killing some brands (finally), the amount of SKUs they have is astounding.
TonyT
I don’t want to get excited about anything – I’ve already spent too much on tools this year. But if there are some smoking hot deals (like on Ryobi 9AHr batteries) I’ll probably be spending more
Smitty258
I’m curious about the new Craftsman as well. I gotta say I was in Lowes the other day and it was odd standing in a tool department full of red and black instead of blue and grey. Are Kobalt tools now dead? because it sure seemed that way. Craftsman has pretty much taken over the Lowes tool department.
I know what you mean about the nostalgia for Craftsman. My first real job was in a Sears Hardware store. from about 1998-2000 before their downfall. I got a soft spot for them too!
Alex
I hope kobalts not dead, they are the brand I went to when I left craftsman. I dont think I can go back to craftsman.
JFS
https://www.craftsman.com/products/20v-max-brushless-hammer-drill-kit
https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-V20-1-2-in-20-volt-Max-Variable-Speed-Brushless-Cordless-Hammer-Drill/1000595667
I don’t get it, the last photo (Craftsman website) shows an auxiliary handle, yet its not included, not even sold separately.
Was this just a money saving decision? The photos from the reviewers also don’t show an auxiliary handle.
I wonder if this could work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qYN1Wn4LqY
Auxiliary handles should be a feature that every modern cordless/corded drill should have, if they improve performance and safety.
Stuart
The photo could be wrong.
Generally, compact cordless drills don’t come with aux handles. Higher power ones do. Here’s why: https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/drill-handle-torque-guidelines/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Gary
Which of the Craftsman hand tools are you so excited about? Aside from the new gunmetal ASD wrenches (with all the skipped sizes) … I’m somewhat unenthusiastic about the offerings.
Dewalt has new Duratek-looking screwdrivers coming out that I sure wish were labeled Craftsman.
Stuart
These? https://www.instagram.com/p/Bci0xGxl1vZ/?taken-by=toolmag
They’ve been out at least a year. I bought a Phillips #2 to sample, and it has been great.
The new Craftsman screwdrivers look to be an evolution of the Dewalt MaxFit. They also had what looks to be FatMax and Dewalt cross-bred hammer, a new simply stud finder, and on the power tool side the brushless drill and impact seemed quite capable at the event and I want to see how they hold up in real world applications.
I’m also hoping that SBD takes the opportunity to make some better wire strippers, USA pliers, and maybe even mini or precision hand tools. I really hope they come out with USA-made combo wrenches too.
Gary
I was familiar with these: https://www.dewalt.com/products/hand-tools/screwdrivers-and-hex-keys/10-pc-screwdriver-set/dwht62513
But I thought these were new: https://www.dewalt.com/products/hand-tools/screwdrivers-and-hex-keys/6-piece-combination-screwdriver-set/dwht60117
Nothing on the Craftsman website would suggest that the new pliers are made in the USA. I’m not all that concerned with COO, but is there anything to suggest that the new Craftsman tools offer an upgrade to what I can get from Gearwrench or Tekton? (As an aside, Gearwrench Tekton offer wrench sets with no skipped sizes.)
Stuart
Yeah, that second style has been out. Dewalt hasn’t really promoted them – I believe they’re more aimed at industrial users. That’s the Phillip’s I tried out. I might pick up a set during the holiday season too, if the price is right.
No, I don’t think the new pliers are made here; I’m more hopeful about what might come after.
Matt
I’m excited about Craftsman too. Their 3000 series boxes are on my ‘to buy’ list. Especially that one with the lid on top you can raise to reveal the storage shelf. A few others as well. Craftsman yard & power equipment in on my ‘to buy’ list of next spring/summer. My first purchase will be the brushless drill & brushless impact driver whenever our Lowe’s gets them in stock. I could buy them online but that takes away the fun for me. I really wish the rest of their V20 line was pro level brushless. It kind of sucks I want to want the drill/impacts but the rest of the line is IMO homeowner crap. The saws and large impact wrench just aren’t up to par. They need to be brushless and more like Dewalt. I like the little sander though. I’ll add that to my list. I will say I’m a bit hesitant to buy into V20 just for 2 tools (maybe 3 with the sander), however, I’m pretty confident higher end brushless saws and the rest are coming. No way would they just do 2 premium brushless tools and call it good. Guys like me won’t be coming back.
I’m also interested in their USA hand tool line when they get to it.
John Patel
I’m glad there is something positive stated about Craftsman. I often read very bitter and judgmental comments here. I am not a pro, but all of my learning with tools as a kid was with craftsman. Most of my adult tools are Chinese craftsmen bc I can’t find U.S. stuff ( in the last many years). They have never failed. They gave saved my from needing to call a pro and spending hundreds of dollars. I get wanting the best, but homeowners who pay for tools rightly appreciate “good enough “. Personally, I think the craftsman brand is more than good enough.
Redcastle
Getting behind Craftsman as part of SBD I fully understand, I just wonder given that they seem to be trying to be all things to all people in each of their ranges whether they risk making life too complicated.
When your product range includes Stanley why would you seek to try and create an alternative high level hand tool brand in DeWalt just focus on making sure that Stanley stays on top of its game.
The Craftsman brand gives them an ideal platform for tier 2 tools across the board of both power and hand tools for those who are not everyday users (I am not going to play that “professional” game anymore) if they get it right than it makes it easy if someone asks you to recommend tools that they need to carry out work but they are not in the everyday category and that would be nice.
In the absence of such a brand life is complicated. Over here the recommendation for power tools is easy, Bosch, for hand tools it is difficult to the point where I normally recommend starter kits from Magnusson and other house brands of the big box retailers. I do not recommend purchasing from the internet for beginners.
While it is of academic interest to me I hope they do succeed with Craftsman and then perhaps they can put the Black & Decker name to rest, the number of people such as myself who can remember when that name meant both quality and innovation declines every year and now when I come across something labelled Black & Decker I flinch.
fred
We are indeed getting old – but I’m reminded that its a good thing to be a septuagenarian – looking forward to being a octogenarian. I think that the issue with B&D – was that the folks in marketing were lured into making low end mass market tools to sell at discount and cheesy home centers – back in the 1970’s. They saw profits – but not what it would do the their valued brand name. So you could buy a $19.99 orange plastic cased circular saw – guaranteed to burn out or a Supersawcat – with electronic brake with top-tier pricing and performance. If they had owned Porter Cable back then – along with Dewalt – they might have figured out how to best position the brands. But Rockwell International – while making jet aircraft and rockets – decided to put their name on Porter Cable tools – along with pale green plastic cased junk that they were selling to compete with B&D’s orange tools. It must have been some common thinking back then or something they thought they learned in business school. Anyway B&D made out a bit better – at least when they got bought up by Stanley – the B&D name was melded in and some of their branded items survived. Behemoth Rockwell (once #27 on the Fortune 500) – like some other conglomerates – broke up into pieces – and in a twist of fate the Rockwell name on tools is now being used by Positec – a Chinese company.
Redcastle
Fred
I am almost sixty however I had a very early start in regards to tools and the construction business, there are family photographs of me about five years old carrying tools to the employees carrying out work so sometimes I feel that I am old before my time.
I do find it disheartening sometimes to watch companies which genuinely were innovators and made a contribution to their industry slowly expiring under the death of a thousand restructurings and to use the phrase so popular now “reboots”.
I remember ITT and the other conglomerates where financial engineering overtook real business and suffer no pangs at their passing. One of the reasons I was less surprised than many people I knew at GE’s travails was my experience in dealing with the “charmers” at GE Capital who made it clear the finance subsidiary tail was wagging the industrial company dog and it reminded me of those earlier versions.
fred
My partners and I were reasonably successful sticking to our knitting so to speak. We expanded and/or bought out some other companies that were aligned with what we knew and would fit with our management style. Of course we were not anywhere near the size to be noticed by the likes of Forbes or Fortune magazines. What I found odd about the ITT and Rockwell thing was the fact that investors liked them (at least initially.) My take was that if I wanted to personally invest in a portfolio of businesses – why buy the stock of a conglomerate – when I might better spread the risks by buying a S&P500 mutual fund? I prefer to be invested in a batch of companies that focus on what they do best than a hodgepodge.
Redcastle
Fred
Purchasing companies in related fields is to my mind a sensible strategy if it is a strategy although there is a high correlation in the UK between companies purchasing scaffolding firms and shortly thereafter going broke no logical reason just a quirk.
You also need the depth of talent to properly manage the operations you have and provide the incentives required. My father is the epitome of “does not play well with others” only his wife and children are allowed to own equity (collectively 40%) and throughout fifty years of incorporation there has only been one non family director (referred to not always affectionately when The Godfather first came out as his Luca Brazzi). He has been by any standards very successful however the question remains how much more he could have achieved if he had been prepared to share.
With regards to the investing angle I would agree with you and so would most of the fund managers I know (although they might not say it in public).
I am reminded of a comment by a CEO of Exxon who when asked why he did not permit hedging said that investors purchased Exxon shares to gain exposure to oil prices so hedging defeated the purpose. Sadly in the end even Exxon succumbed quoting the usual PR balderdash about acting in the best interests of shareholders, etc, whereas truth be told they did not want to be seen to be different. The Evil Empire suddenly wanting to join the good guys.
The moral hazard of senior management with other people’s money to spend part of whose compensation is based on short term share price performance is also not to be underestimated.
fred
We had a couple of fleeting debates about how we might raise the capital to expand – grow the business or buy out others. Going public was put on the table – and had the appeal of using OPM (as Danny DeVito called it in one of his movies. But the thought of being beholden to those other people (shareholders et. al..) always sobered us up.
Redcastle
Fred
The expression Other People’s Money and other less polite versions were common in the finance business before Danny DeVito used it. Access to OPM is akin to access to narcotics it distorts your decision making process.
There is a UK stockbroker which since 1987 has sold itself and then repurchased itself from the new owners on a number of occasions and the behaviour of the management is completely different depending on which phase they are in.
I thought Woody Allen hit the nail on the head when he defined a broker as someone who invests your money until it is all gone.
Probably the happiest time I had at work was with a Chicago based partnership which was the largest options market maker in the world at the time and then were purchased by a large bank and within two years nearly all the original personnel had left, the speed of decision making in a partnership is immensely faster than a corporate with external shareholders so in my experience you made the right call. If you do not need the funds organic growth is best.
Redcastle
That Makita shear reminds me that Bosch produced an IXO version of this years ago which was with most of their other IXO tools dropped and I was amused to see it reappear at a significantly higher price as part of their 12v line up.
The Craftsman clear topped storage box reminds me of sets Hitachi produced with clear lids and different sets of bits and sockets within, with big claims about how they could be stacked. Very clever, one small problem each of the boxes was a different size so like could only clip with like, nice idea, rubbish execution.
One of the tradesmen orientated chains over here had a one day special on a zip case with hex titanium bits, it would have been a case of buy the set and donate the bits which would have made it expensive however the parent company of this chain in their main stores sold zip cases with elastic banding to hold individual drill and screwdriver bits for years and then they just vanished.
Thom
I have the Makita multi cutter. It’s great for opening 40lb bags of pellets
Framer joe
Crafsman hand tools made in the USA …that’s what pros want. When will they be made here,that’s the question…right now it’s the same crappy China tools….Craftsman cordless tools ,are the same as every other brand,HF,Kobalt,Ryobi, PC,..the tools are large, the plastic looks cheap, the batteries look like a toy.
Milwaukee Rover USB ? What a piece of crap. Returned two, because BOTH magnets suck…maybe the much smaller one will have a better magnet…even with the stick light ,you had to buy a magnet from Milwaukee….wish it did work.
Actually SBD Craftsman sells a USA made rotating head flashlight, that has a powerful magnet ,it’s quite good.
Bosch 12v rocks, hopefully
Milwaukee will make some of those Bosch 12v tools…
Redcastle
Bosch failing to make a 12v SDS (which actually makes sense for some roles) led me into a small foray into Milwaukee which stopped with Bosch bringing out their Multi Clix as I was just on the verge of buying the Milwaukee version I have not yet seen the innovation flow going the other way.
ktash
I took a look at the Craftsman boxes with drawers. They look like the same ones that Dewalt has. My main criticism of both brands of boxes with drawers is that they have fixed dividers in the drawers. While these make the drawers more rigid (stable), they are also rigid in what you can store in them. I’ve never liked this style storage box, and got rid of most of mine long ago.
I have some Bosch L-boxxes and got the drawer units for a couple of them. The main advantage of them is that they can store anything as wide and deep as the inner measurements of the drawer. Very handy.
Because both the Dewalt and Craftsman boxes with drawers are considerably cheaper than the L-Boxxes, they would be a good substitute, but only if the drawers didn’t have any fixed dividers. One way I’d use them is to build a unit or even a tower with only drawers in them.
Lots of things, like measuring tools, screwdrivers, drill bits, etc. could be stored and easy to access. Or different categories of things by job: Electrical hand tools and supplies; cabinet drawer installation tools, jigs, and supplies. This beats building your own and is cost effective. Any of these could be attached to power tool storage boxes to grab and go.
The Dewalt tstak has two units, one of them is a deeper drawer that doesn’t have dividers from what I can tell. But I’d use the slim drawers more than the deep ones. They should expand the line and make some slim ones with drawers that don’t have fixed dividers. I’d give these a try.
ktash
I take it back, it looks like the DeWalt has removable drawer dividers. Off to Home Depot to see if I can get my hands on one. . . 😀
Altan
This is exactly the red version of it
https://www.craftsman.com/products/craftsman-r-15-piece-2-in-phillips-2-screwdriving-bits?taxon_id=6571
Altan
A better photo to understand the story fully
http://forum.toolsinaction.com/profile/44394-midogrumpy/content/?type=forums_topic_post&page=2
glenn
I have the Makita Multi cutter and it really is handy. I bought it initially just fo cutting fleece for fibreglassing but it gets used most days for cutting up cardboard for recycling. It almost makes the job fun.
Much safer than using a knife, but in saying that, I have been using a knife for the last 40 years for this and I don’t recall cutting myself.
JoeM
I’m somewhat apathetic when it comes to Craftsman. Regardless of the sentiment for the name, THOSE Craftsman tools are long in the past. These SBD-Craftsman tools won’t be them. Sentiment won’t magically turn back the clock to the “Good Ol’ Days of Craftsman Tools” so why bother?
They’re an SBD brand, so 100% of their current release lineup are going to be recoloured/restamped copies of the Porter Cable, Bostitch, DeWALT, Stanley/Stanley FatMAX, and MAC branded tools. If you have the money to burn on first-generation self-knock-offs, then why are you sitting here thinking about work tools? Go put that money away for a vacation, or for your kids/grandkids’ education. You obviously have money to burn, why not make better use of it?
Now… If SBD ever gets their Marketing Divisions to pull their heads out of their rear ends, and ban the drugs from the office… Maybe they’ll be capable of restoring Craftsman to what it was, with the original (or local) sourcing power, with original designs of their own. But that time isn’t now, even if people are sentimentally hoping for it.
In the mean time, it would be nice if they could take the trivial and custom stuff, like tool storage and carry cases, and take ADVANTAGE of their multiple lines. Same models, every brand they make, that way you can actually get 100% compatible storage across the SBD spectrum. That’s the only part I really don’t mind when SBD makes its own knock-offs in the brands. Brand-Styled storage solutions help identify what’s IN them, and that helps organization. But DeWALT tools should not be copied out to Bostitch, Porter Cable, and now Craftsman. They need their own designs, to focus on what each brand does best. And in reverse, the Power Tool brands should not be making or branding HAND Tools. Hand Tools BELONG to Hand Tool companies.
But, SBD doesn’t do any of this correctly. I love my DeWALT tools, but I’m deeply ashamed of their Parent Company, and how horribly they’ve treated DeWALT’s siblings in all this. Now Craftsman is a sibling? I’d feel more shame than pride that Craftsman is getting the SBD “Throw everything at the wall, and see what sticks” marketing treatment. Craftsman is just going to be a colour. There isn’t going to be any PRIDE in these tools. There isn’t a magical time reverse button that will make Craftsman THE OLD Craftsman. Sentiment is really damning when you invest that kind of money in a tool system.
William Adams
Yeah, I need to fill out my Craftsman 6-point combination wrenches, and was very disappointed in the casting of the 12-point combination wrench sets I saw at Lowes today.
JoeM
Yeah, they’re first-gen Stanley copies, NOT Craftsman. You can’t fill out those old Craftsman sets anymore. Either you’re going to have to wait for SBD to develop more Craftsman, or start a whole new direction with 6 point wrenches from a higher end brand.
You have to come to terms with the reality of this Craftsman-Without-Sears situation: There IS NO Craftsman anymore. It’s Stanley/SBD recoloured. And as such, you are going to have to put Craftsman at a lower end of quality than you are expecting. All the Craftsman devotees do. If Stanley had a China factory making that model, then Craftsman will come off the same line, with a different name stamped in it. If SBD was making DeWALT, Porter Cable, Bostitch, Black & Decker, Stanley, or Proto tools in Bangladesh, one or more of their lines got a new colour put in the system, and out came Craftsman tools or parts. They came back to North America, and were assembled here, but from foreign components.
The American Craftsman factories shut down 30 years ago. When SBD bought Craftsman, it doesn’t mean they fired up those factories, and hired back all the people who worked there. It means the name Craftsman is coming off lines that come out of the same buildings SBD currently has. It isn’t Craftsman. The tools and patents Craftsman had are now null and void, as Sears-Craftsman is belly up with Sears now. Not being made. Shut Down. What you got from the old stuff is all you’re ever going to get.
It’s really time to end the sentimentality and temper the enthusiasm. Take the new SBD-Craftsman line as it actually is, not as an extension of the OLD Sears-Craftsman lines. If they hit some out of the park first go, it probably means SBD was already hitting it out of the park with another brand, and now Craftsman gets to hit it out of the park too. Just mitigate the sentiment and enthusiasm over Craftsman joining the SBD family. It doesn’t mean the magical things people are expecting it to.
Redcastle
The only reason that makes sense for SBD to do the deal with Sears for the Craftsman name particularly pre Chapter 11 is that they have a fully developed plan to capitalise on the enthusiasm shown on this site for the name which has to include if the market will bear the cost actually making the tools in the USA to a high standard but this would mean putting DeWalt and potentially Stanley directly in the firing line from within.
Otherwise if they are just changing the colour of the case and cheapening the cost of the internals as much as possible, they already have enough tier 2 and 3 brands why add another one.
I initially thought maybe they could lose some of their lower tier brands and develop the go to brand for other than everyday users however that would not permit genuine made in USA product. Just think if they bit the bullet the advertising campaign could be really simple, the flag and MCGA underneath let’s face it there has never been a better time, it would not work if it had to have “some tools assembled in the USA from parts made elsewhere”.
The problem is and it has been graphically demonstrated again and again in UK elections where the party saying it will raise taxes to pay for better health care and education loses even though opinion polls show a substantial majority of voters agree with them.
Sadly I suspect the same would be true if you conducted a survey to find out if people would pay a premium for tools made in the USA with the equivalent “electoral” result. I suspect that the management at SBD know this too.
fred
SBD management may still be embracing the old General Motors thinking – that having more brands on the market sells more product. I’m not sure if its true in the tool business – but the market and competitive forces sure turned on GM – and they begrudgingly retrenched permanently shelving Oldsmobile, then Pontiac, then upstarts Saturn and Hummer – with Buick hanging on probably because of the brand’s appeal in China. SBD extends the GM mentality further by using the brand recognition of Dewalt to sell hand tools – and then trying (seemingly short-lived) the same trick with the Bostitch . At least when GM owned Frigidaire – we didn’t see rebranded refrigerators with the Cadillac name on them.
Anyway – from my mentality as a former small business owner – it doesn’t make sense to me. Unless SBD is stuck in some time warp – and afraid to loose market share to folks like TTI who are trying to make/sell hand tools under the Milwaukee and Ryobi brands – why not reinvigorate brands that they own that are better known for their niche markets? Proto, MAC and Facom could be the high end mechanic’s tool brands, Craftsman for middle ground – and keep the Stanley name on what’s on the shelves at Wal-Mart. They might similarly sort out their power tool brands – with Dewalt for the building trades, Porter Cable for woodworking, Bostitch for pneumatics and Craftsman for homeowners. Their hand tool brands (Irwin, Lenox, Stanley etc. might also be repositioned. I’m not sure how this will sit with the real tool buyers – not the buying public – but the folks who put stock on the shelves at HD , Lowes etc. and in virtual-internet warehouses. But it might help all of these individual SBD companies to focus on what they do best and up the ante on innovation.
Redcastle
Fred
The General Motors strategy is still trotted out by managements seeking to be seen to be doing something, even though I do not think it has much credibility any more.
In Europe Stanley has the best reputation for hand tools of the SBD brands and DeWalt for power tools I am not sure the DeWalt hand tools are seen as “necessary” also when you are competing with Wera, Wiha, Knipex, Hultafors, etc, etc I am not sure it is a good idea to have a muddled line up. Personally I think TTI ‘s Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 strategy is the right one for a high volume producer and they seem to stick to it whereas SBD has people wondering which bits fit where. TTI’s lack of DNA in hand tools would make me a harder sell when it comes to Milwaukee pliers or a Ryobi hammer.
Matt
JoeM, what are these mythical Craftsman factories you’ve been mentioning from 30 years ago? Sears never had any Craftsman factories. They had a tool department that designed things for what they wanted to sell in any given area. Then those ideas and designs were carried out and brought to fruition by contracted manufacturers. One of which was SBD and their affiliates for decades.
I agree that a return to fresh designs and original ideas from a Craftsman specific division of a company is what guys like myself are after. That said, in some areas I see no reason to invent the wheel. And in other areas it looks like there is real intent by SBD to make Craftsman the genuine article in a specific area. Regardless, the prospect of Craftsman specific factories is more real now than it ever was in history thanks to SBD. Look at what they’ve done with the tool storage line in Missouri.
fred
Here’s a link to a Wikipedia piece that talks about Easco Hand Tools – who once were the main USA supplier for Sears-Craftsman wrenches etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easco_Hand_Tools
JoeM
Much like the article fred has provided, Sears used to contract out to AMERICAN factories, as in American Owned Factories. SBD had some of their own once, yes. But they didn’t fire them up again until the “Made in the USA from Global Parts” campaign. And they’re no longer Manufacturing plants, they’re Assembly Plants.
Craftsman used to be 100% American, start to finish. SBD is NOT doing this.
I am truly bothered by the hope/dream that Craftsman from decades ago is exactly what we’re getting right now. We’re not, we’re getting recoloured SBD tools from across their current brand lines.
It’s a Launch tactic. We haven’t actually SEEN any Craftsman tools yet. All we’ve seen is the recolour phase at launch. So… Why are all these Craftsman fans proud of this? It doesn’t make sense. SBD would have had to buy the factories and the companies that used to make the original Craftsman tools in the USA in order to get ACTUAL Craftsman tools. They haven’t done that. They’ve only bought the NAME. That’s it. No firing up of the old suppliers, most of which are gone now. No hiring of American, or CANADIAN employees in the process of starting up Craftsman. They didn’t wait to launch Craftsman-As-It-Was, and they didn’t Acquire any more companies to attempt such a thing… So what’s the excitement about?
If they’re banking on this excitement, then they’re making all of you into fools. This is very unbecoming of the intelligent, hard working ethics that I read and see every day here on ToolGuyd. Yes, some of you were using Craftsman for decades, and you have a deep, warm feeling for the Brand… But you’re SMARTER than this. To see a DeWALT drill in Red? To see the exact same models you’ve been seeing and talking about for at least three years on this site, in a new colour, with the Craftsman nameplate on it… suddenly you all go goofy, and jump up and down like excited Japanese Schoolgirls? This makes no sense. This ISN’T Craftsman at launch. The FUTURE Craftsman may benefit from the side stuff that SBD and DeWALT have developed, such as the TSTAK and ToughSystem boxes for carrying things around. But at launch, you’re just re-buying the Stanley tools that got re-branded DeWALT, Porter Cable, Bostitch, MAC, and so on over the years.
Honestly, I’d feel great shame being this excited over Craftsman, and so easily deceived into buying what you already own from SBD. Surely you’re all smart enough to see how foolish this is. I’m positive that SBD has the buying power to build and return many jobs to new factories in the USA for ALL of their brands, not just Craftsman. But they haven’t done that yet. Or, probably more accurately, they’re not DONE doing that yet. The Craftsman enthusiasts should probably hold off until they can get REAL Craftsman tools again. Go ahead, buy some tough boxes, and some Versastack red TSTAK boxes, because you INTEND to fill them with Craftsman tools. But, for the sake of dignity, and sanity, temper the enthusiasm for the current launch of Craftsman. They’re not the ones you deserve to be won over by. They’re just the business equivalent of macho chest-thumping being done by SBD to say “We can fill out an entire tool line for Craftsman, you can’t!”
So… REALLY… Come on now… You know what you’re buying into ISN’T what you want right now. Sentiment or not, these are NOT the Craftsman line you’ve been waiting for. Those are still to come, after SBD has actually brought some USA manufacturing back.
Altan
I actually like the compatibility between SBD brands like Craftsman, DeWALT, Bostitch, MAC Tools, Facom, Porter Cable, Stanley Fatmax and others, in some of them it is about accessory cases, in some it is about the tool boxes and in some it is about battery compatibility like Facom, Mac Tools, and DeWALT and also Graco paint sprayers, I can get fed up having a lot of different brands of batteries and chargers around me, I would like to have the tool boxes and accessory cases also compatible as they would have different colours and would be easy to recognise them and guess the content by their colour. I was waiting for DeWALT to make a cordless tile cutter and they did it with Porter Cable, if they were going to get the same battery I would not waste a few more years waiting for DeWALT to come up with cordless tile cutter.
JoeM
Hey, I think it’s great, personally, that there’s Brand-Pride versions of some very basic accessories that all the brands use. Those are worth investing in RIGHT NOW. Metal Tool Storage that is Craftsman now, but shares the design of the DeWALT or Stanley chests? Cool. TSTAK and ToughSystem tool storage and organization that is in the system colour of the new brand? Great, we know we’re going to fill those with products from their tool line as we buy them, so it doesn’t matter if we buy them at launch, or in 20 years. They work, they work TOGETHER, and they’re infinitely useful.
But, if we’re out buying the Drills, the Wrenches, the Screwdrivers, Bits, Blades, and out-of-the-blue Lawn Mower that got branded Craftsman at Launch… We’re being idiots. If we want to hold SBD responsible for such a beloved brand, refuse to buy their tools AT ALL until they bring back enough North American manufacturing as to make Craftsman every bit the quality, lifetime warranty worthy, brand that it was before Sears tanked the quality and defamed the name of Craftsman tools. If they can make even more by extending those same plants to Stanley/StanleyFatMAX, and Proto, then so be it. SBD will have more high-end brands than their competitors, and offer much longer term benefits to ownership.
But the tools they just released as Craftsman? We’ve seen them before. They’re just Red now. Look at the model numbers. They’re almost identical to the DeWALT, Porter Cable, Bostitch, and Stanley branded power tools, but now there’s this new “C” in front, or a “CM” in some cases. That isn’t exciting, or even interesting. If it was a DeWALT DCD796 Brushless Hammerdrill, then the CMCD796 version is probably going to perform pretty awesome, because the DCD796 does. There’s certainly nothing wrong with the tools being modeled and copied off the best of the best SBD tools has already made… what’s wrong is that Craftsman’s reputation is more than just a Clone company. And as long as they continue to be Clones, the older generations who Loved and have a deep Sentimental attachment to he company need to demand better of SBD, and completely pan the clones all together. Show an interest in the company with the universal cases and other accessories, but keep buying the originals wherever possible. Until SBD caves and brings back what you REALLY want of Craftsman. North American made Tools, and invert some of this Globalization of parts that has happened to hurt Craftsman’s reputation. Make the American versions so high a quality, they end up the Festool level tools overseas. The Imports that everyone wants for their quality and innovation. In a lot of ways, creating a Festool-shaped slot in our own market here in the USA and Canada, to rub in the face of Festool overseas.
And, on the upside, Factories in North America again! So some Craftsman tools come off the line? We could get a better Stanley/FatMAX/Proto lineup out of that, too! DeWALT and Milwaukee will still represent as specific rung on the ladder for tool users, but some new names will start showing up above and below them for specific users. And that can only be profitable for everyone.
Doresoom
I’ve had the Bosch 1617 router for a few years now, you won’t be disappointed. I just need to get around to reviewing it…
ToolOfTheTrade
Very well said Joe M. You hit the nail on the head with that one. I couldn’t agree more myself. To add to that, it would be very surprising to see sbd craftsmans hand tools in full scale US production within the next 10 years. As long as sbd is allowed to continue manufacturing in China and elsewhere with very cheap labor rates, full scale US production won’t be coming back here anytime soon. They have had the means to make it happen for a long time and they have yet to produce any results other than a few assembly plants within the last few years. I highly doubt that James Loree shares the same sentiment that others are hoping for in that craftsman, aside from all of the other brands that sbd owns, will have their own US production facility. Plus I would think Dewalt would have their own facility before craftsman since the majority of their attention is focused on the brand. Yes, he pledged to bring craftsman back to the US, but he didn’t say anything about full scale production. He was smart enough not to be specific about what he was pledging. And so far he has delivered on what he said because sbd craftsman tools are currently being assembled in the US. But full scale production is a pipe dream in this day and time. Sbd craftsman tools shouldn’t be compared to Sears craftsman tools in any capacity. They are 2 completely separate entities with the name being the only similarity. Especially now that Sears has folded. Which means that the original Sears craftsman is gone. But hey, if you want to keep hoping for a miracle, by all means do so. I’m curious to what hole in the market you are referring to for sbd craftsman. If I’m not mistaken there’s quite a few high and low end diy brands currently available. What I don’t get is why they never showed this much initiative when they bought porter cable. I think that is one of the reasons they are pushing craftsman so hard and forcing Lowes to take the pc tools off the shelf. They just need to own up to the fact that they ruined the brand and admit that craftsman is replacing them and they are going phase porter cable out permanently.
JoeM
On a lot of this, for once, You and I totally agree, ToTT. Though, I still hope that a push back in sales from those buying Craftsman does initiate some sort of movement toward actually buying or building factories in North America. And, yeah, it may pain some of you Americans, but I’m Canadian, and I think if it can save SBD some money to build the plants in Manitoba, Alberta, or Ontario, in Canada, it would be a lesser evil than plants devoted to being in Asia. So, I am leaving a Canadian option on the table for this kind of thing. North America is North America, and it wouldn’t be so bad to manufacture things in Canada, with easy trade between our countries.
I would be incredibly angry at SBD if they got rid of Porter Cable. In my heart of hearts, if I had the money to just spend willy-nilly, I would have a totally separate set of tools powered by Air, and they’d be Porter Cable. I’ve never touched Porter Cable before, but I’ve also never had Air-Driven tools before. Porter Cable, despite my relative young age in the Tool world, still holds a quality meaning to me. The purchase, and the tendency to just throw clones of DeWALT and Stanley tools at all the different child brands of SBD, may well have been a giant screw up. But, as uncharacteristically hopeful as it might sound coming from me, SBD just stepped on a brand that has some serious emotion tied to it. It very well could be OUR chance, the people like you and I, to protest what they’ve done, and actually buy with some strategy to break their plans, and force them to do better. Cross-compatibility of this TSTAK system for all the brands would be great. SBD working as a FAMILY of tools, rather than a Clone factory, that would be ideal. Start putting the right tools back to the right brands again, for example. Porter Cable probably did the best Air Powered tools of all the brands, and Bostitch did Staplers (And Staples) on an Industrial level. DeWALT power tools were always ideal for Construction and Contractor work, and Stanley was always the Hand Tool-DIY level tools. Craftsman always did Hand Tools that were worth Lifetime Warranties. Perhaps those are the ones that should be pushed to Hand Tool-Trades and Industrial level, and perhaps take down MAC tools until we can find a Niche for them.
If you’re going to be a company with multiple brands, they should be NICHE Brands, not CLONE Brands. They should do an entire ecosystem PROPERLY, and leave their Sibling brands to fill some of the overlapping, or related, Niches. Building stuff with Air Tools? Porter Cable is a POWERFUL candidate for pros. But, once that crosses over to assembly, and electric tools? Brother DeWALT tools take over. Hand Tools? Stanley/FatMAX/Proto, and now Craftsman.
Forgive me if I’m overstepping here, ToTT, (Including my abbreviation of your screen name, it’s just easier to type.) but I think you and I agree that Niche tools are the solution to all these ugly problems we see with Tool quality these days. Instead of fighting for shelf space, they should really only be fighting for customers’ desires. Where customers truly want the tools, they will order them, off the shelf, or special order with Online or the Service Desk of any store that sells them. The problem isn’t how many Customers see, it’s in providing enough to provide for the demand. Make the Customer want it, and it doesn’t matter who sells it, or by what method, the tools will be shipped out, and profitable.
Nathan
I’m torn on the dewalt cordless sander – don’t know I really want to pay that but I am in the market for a new 5 inch VS ROS. I’ve been thinking bosch for the cost and the reviews.
I have dewalt batteries though
Cordless dewalt barrel grip jigsaw has my full attention. – I have to put hands on it before I burn the card but I think that will be on my peg board soon.
ALso looking that that bosch router – while at the same time looking at a dewalt model. so again hand on will push me one way or another but the bosch top down adjustment base for tables is nifty too.
craftsman storage bits I might need to look at – if cheaper it might make me get a few. Their power tools I won’t bother – I already bought into Dewalt no reason to trade there. (battery and charger investment). But I might look into making an adapter one day.
Offbeat
I just picked up the Bosch Router Combo kit from Amazon on sale for $189. Not sure if it will be any cheaper during Black Friday/Holiday sales, but I needed a router before then so $30 off was nice surprise.
Altan
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bmi6CFXggUD/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjAIcQEOmkI
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvjFyz4gZMa/
In the first link you see the new Craftsman large accessory case and you can see the bits placed in vertical position, in the second link you see in the video that the DeWALT version is the same as Craftsman one but in the third link you can see that the bits are placed in a horizontal position in the case, so I am confused what is what.
Altan
In the third link you can see some nice dividers also which has separated recip. blades.