While checking for some new Craftsman tools, we came across these… man cave accessories. Decorations? I don’t know quite what to call them.
There’s a wall-mounted logoed mirror and coat hook fixture, an entry floor mat, socket-shaped shot glasses, pint glasses with coasters, a cast iron drill-shaped corkscrew, and a wall-mounted bottle opener.
The socket-shaped shot glasses look pretty cool. Impractical, but cool. There’s not much I can say about the other items, at least not with a straight face.
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This logoed mirror – yes, that’s a mirror – features a shelf and 4 coat/hat/whatever hooks. You could probably even just use it as a tool rack. Or… check your hat hair before leaving the garage or workshop.
Price: $24
Wipe your shoes all over the Craftsman logo and a couple of different screwdriver head shapes.
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Price: $16
These shot glasses look pretty cool – they’re shaped like shot glasses with hex-shaped insides.
They look hard to clean, and a Sears.com reviewer mentioned a possible issues with the seeming double-walled construction and air gap.
The set comes with a bar mat and decorative storage tin.
Price: $8
This set comes with 2 16oz glasses, 2 PVC coasters, and a decorative tin.
The pricing isn’t great. Last year, you could get 4 glasses, 8 coasters, and an ice bucket, for $20, although the glasses in this set look better.
Price: $16
How do you pop open a open a bottle of champagne, wine, or whatever, in the manliest way possible? With a cast iron Craftsman drill-shaped corkscrew.
Price: $6
There are plenty of wall-mountable bottle openers on the market, but this one is bigger (easier for guests to spot), and is Craftsman-logoed (hopefully it’s just the Sears photo that’s blurry).
Price: $8
Or get one of these tried-and-true handheld bottle openers:
Craftsman Screwdriver-Handle Bottle Opener
Craftsman Cap Wrench Bottle Opener
mikedt
on one hand some of this stuff is pretty neat, on the other hand it seems like they’re polishing a turd while the rest of their lineup goes to crap.
fred
I’m not sure what to make of personal-use items that have manufacturer brand names emblazoned on them. Some seem to have some sort of status cache (I’m thinking about things like designer handbags, golf shirts, jackets, sneakers etc.) – and maybe some folks are willing to pay more to show off that they can afford a Hermes handbag – just an example. Other items may be bought with logos – with the hope that they will become (or already are) collector’s items that will appreciate in value (like some od advertising posters have.). If you are doing this – I’d guess it pays to look for small run items that will have some lasting appeal. Finally – I guess some folks just like having logo-art as decorative items (I’ve seen lots of beer plaques adorning home bars).
Many business folks get offered “freebees” – mostly cheap advertising giveaways – with tool manufacturer’s names all over them. Some are moderately useful (pocket screwdrivers etc.) – others junk – and still others bordering on the offensive. For most things – I’m just as happy not to have to advertise a manufacturer’s logo – so unless Craftsman wants to bundle their bottle opener (like Milwaukee and Klein used to do) in with something more appealing – I’ll pass .
Dennis
I think the shot glasses are meant to look like a socket set. And on a side note whatever you put in the shot glass should have a high enough alcohol content to kill any germs, so cleaning should be relatively simple.
Overall I don’t think I’d pay money for this stuff (especially Craftsman branded), but if it was part of some package tool deal it might end up in my shop.
Jim Felt
Hah! Glad I read this. I just looked on eBay for similar older tool branded stuff and wound up buying some… Oh. Wait. Christmas isn’t really for old people? Darn.
My bad.
Allen
They should have a corkscrew bit for their cordless drill.
It could be two piece, a screw within a tube that would engage the bottle when down far enough and then the cork would come up into the tube.
You’re welcome.
That one looks horribly clumsy.
schill
The corkscrew looks more like a Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers era ray gun than a drill to me.
Toolfreak
It’s actually really sad to look at this stuff, along with the retro-looking Craftsman graphic T-shirts/Sweatshirts Sears has been selling for some time now.
It’s sad because these items evoke the distant past of Craftsman tools (and other various brands) when they had various items to use in the garage, except that was back when those items and the tools were made in the USA, and these items are all made in China.
This made-in-China-psuedo-retro-Americana is something you expect at Walmart, Target and the various craft/hobby/gift stores, but it’s pretty crude for Sears to do it with the Craftsman brand. Even if they do make a lot of the core Craftsman tools in China now, it’s a bit much to fabricate nostalgia-ish stuff in China and pass it off over here. It’s like they are twisting the knife even more.
I’m actually surprised there hasn’t been more online backlash against Sears for stuff like this, but then I guess people are exhausted from going after Sears for the tools being made in China, and stuff like this isn’t worth bothering about.
Of course, the reason most of this stuff sells at all is ignorance, people just see the Craftsman name and figure it’s always Made in USA.
Diplomatic Immunity
What’s sad is that Craftsman (or Sears) didn’t think to just make a crappier economy Craftsman line while keeping the good tools regular Craftsman made in the USA tools. Like the way Snap-On has Blue-point as their economy line. If Craftsman had done that they wouldn’t have damaged the brand name to what it is nowadays. When I think Craftsman nowadays I generally think of them as a crap brand (for the most part) just like Black & Decker. Both brands did it to themselves.
I can’t imagine kids growing up nowadays that are using tools are going to look at either as quality.
Toolfreak
They DID make a crappier economy tool line called Craftsman Evolv to sort-of replace the Companion brand. Apparently it sold so well and they made so much profit off the cheaper-to-produce-in-China tools they decided to close the USA production facilities and make the regular Craftsman wrenches, ratchets, and sockets over there too.
Brands selling out is pretty much an accepted thing these days. There are plenty of once-legendary brand names that have just been bought by an obscure overseas firm and are now selling cheap junk under the old name. Likely that Craftsman will be thought of the same way, especially if it gets bought by a cheapo tool company when Sears goes away.
John
Does anyone seriously consider Craftsman tools these days? And their cheapo promo crap isn’t worth diddly squat…..well except for the door mat!