I received the new Sears tool catalog earlier this month, and it’s got me wondering about what’s going on behind the scenes at Craftsman.
Over the past few months, Sears has been selling Craftsman Industrial and “Professional Use” mechanics tools at closeout prices on their site. Just about all the tools and tool sets have already sold out. Okay, so no more Craftsman Professional or Professional Use mechanics tools at Sears, got it.
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Then comes the news that Dewalt’s mechanics tools, mainly socket sets and wrenches, are to be sold exclusively at Sears.
But didn’t Sears already have an exclusive mechanics tool line? What was the brand name again? Oh yeah, Craftsman.
It’s not unusual for Sears to carry other brands of mechanics tools, but it is unusual for them to carry an external brand’s exclusive line. What’s more, Dewalt and their parent company are direct competitors to Crescent and other Apex Tool Group brands.
The new Dewalt mechanics tools are priced close enough to Craftsman’s offerings that there’s going to be competition. Sears no longer carries Craftsman Professional or Industrial tools, so it makes sense that they would seek to carry an exclusive line that’s marketed as a line of tough heavy-use tools. Some of the Dewalt sets are priced higher than comparable Craftsman tools, giving the sense that the Dewalt tools are a level up in quality.
But wait, what’s this – the new 2013-2014 Sears catalog lists “new” Craftsman Professional full polish wrenches. Taking a look at the catalog photos, the “new” wrenches look very different than the older USA-made Craftsman Pro wrenches. So I guess they are new after all.
After Craftsman rebranded their USA-made Craftsman Professional wrenches as Craftsman “full polish” wrenches, sales almost certainly dropped. My feeling is that this has more to do with how the wrenches are made overseas (China or Taiwan, I forget which), without there being any changes in retail pricing.
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The new rebranding effort (unrebranding?) is likely an attempt to reverse the slump in sales. But, in my opinion, sales won’t fully recover, as more and more Craftsman fans and former fans look at the COO (country of origin) labels for every tool they buy. No doubt getting of “Craftsman Professional” branding was a mistake, but I also feel it was a mistake to shift production overseas.
It was widely believed that Craftsman Professional wrenches, at least some of the styles, were rebranded Armstrong wrenches. This meant that users got industrial-grade wrenches at bargain prices. Not anymore.
Looking at the product photos, I believe that the new “Professional” wrenches are still made overseas. You can tell by how the wrenches in the product photo (above) appear have much more metal around the open ends – a sign that suggests the metal is weaker and in need of additional mass for reinforcement. Forum communities describe this as a lobster claw effect, something they first noticed on Craftsman’s now-imported raised panel wrenches.
Holding my USA-made Craftsman Professional wrenches up to the paper or online catalogs is not exactly a fool-proof way of determining that the new wrenches are made overseas, but it is reasonable to believe that if the new wrenches were USA-made, this would have been shown in the product images or at least in text as in the past.
So… Sears now carries an exclusive line of Dewalt mechanics tools, but they’re also bringing back their Craftsman Professional branding. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.
I contacted Craftsman and Sears and asked what’s going on with all of this, but they never got back to me. I suspect that maybe Sears execs are toying with the idea of courting Stanley Black & Decker as their Craftsman mechanics tool OEM, but there doesn’t seem to be any real indication that this is what’s happening. Except for how Sears is now the exclusive distributor of Dewalt mechanics tools.
Whenever Sears starts promoting tools that heavily compete with Craftsman offerings, I wonder whether the affected Craftsman tools will eventually be discontinued. This is what happened to Craftsman’s tape measures and Professional pliers. Craftsman tape measures disappeared from shelves and were replaced by other brands. Their pro pliers disappeared from shelves and were replaced by Knipex. Maybe it was a coincidence, but there are few coincidences when it comes to retail giants like Sears.
So now that Sears has an exclusive line of Dewalt mechanics tools, what’s to become of Craftsman mechanics tools?
Craftsman tools still have a dominating presence in the new Sears tool catalog, but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s less emphasis than ever before. (Is it me, or are the 12V Nextec cordless power tools nowhere to be found?) My hope is that Craftsman is eventually spun off as an independent entity, but will there ever be a time when Craftsman and Sears aren’t joined at the hip?
Jason
I used to buy tons of craftsmen tools and lawn equipment when we had a Sears hardware store nearby. I haven’t been into a store in years I just cant justify it the prices are not amazing, and I hear way too many horror stories about customer service
Stuart
Online customer service can be frustrating, in-store custom service is usually great. My last return took at least an hour to process (I would consider that a horror story), but my in-store experiences have never been what I would consider bad.
I used to buy lots of Craftsman hand tools, and that’s what frustrates me. Most of the Craftsman tools I have from the past 2-6 years are no longer replaceable. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have made many different purchasing decisions. But if I were presented with the same purchased choices now, Craftsman would not be my first choice for many of the tool types. It pains me to say that, but it’s true.
scott curtis
chillicothe ohio store ripped me off on a rachet i did not look in bag until i got home if i would of know that replacement ratchets are not knew i would not bought the first one napa,mac tool,snapon gives you brand new tools on any tool that go bad watch what you take in to chillicothe ohio store you might not come out with the same thing you brought in store manager does not know what she is doing very rude sears does not have any numbers for anybody to contact about the store managers to fill out complaints very sad
Etienne
Craftsman is no longer the brand it once was, sad to say. I certainly used to look to Craftsman for my “good” tools, something I assume will outlast my lifetime, and may be handed down. Sure, they were not high end, but they were more than enough for shade tree mechanics and even professional users. I still see plenty in the tool bins of my workplace. Like others, I have noticed the slide in tool quality with the non-professional Craftsman lines, and now that the made in USA label is disappearing, the other big reason I chose the brand is gone. Guess I will keep looking at Epstein’s for my quality USA fix.
I never considered the lifetime warranty a selling point, but assumed that meant quality. Should you try to use the warranty, will they give the newer, non-USA line as a replacement? Not that I am bashing foreign made tools, as I have plenty of that, including some Harbor Freight stuff that serves its purpose (their flooring nailer and SDS drill have allowed me to do plenty at home I could otherwise not afford). It sure looks like Sears is not interested in keeping the Craftsman line up to its history.
Jason
I don’t know how much longer Sears will be around all you keep hearing about is how much money they are losing. Sears missed out in spinning off the Craftsman name into a home improvement style store. Like Craftsman Supplies or something. I think they will end up selling Kenmore and Craftsman eventually before Sears goes bankrupt.
Seth
Sears has tried, both with orchard supply and by selling its brand share to ace hardware. Orchard got spun off into an independant entity, and Ace is horrible at supporting the craftsman branded lines it carries. Both actions spread the craftsman brand further, but ultimately hurt sears.
Jason
Never heard of Orchard Supply before I guess it’s more of a west coast company I live in Michigan so I never heard about it. I just wonder what they can do to revive the brand, or is it just too damaged at this point?
Seth
I wouldn’t say the brand needs ‘reviving’ as it is still the market share leader among consumer hand tools. What it needs (and they seem to be moving towards) is profit flow via new or innovative tools. I don’t know how sears stays in business with the overly generous warranty they have – it is not like they make any money from replacing broken tools.
Maikeru
Yeah, Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH to most locals) is mostly a CA thing. Back before this valley’s fruit orchards gave way to Apple buildings.
Anyway, out here we’re seeing tons of Sears shut down. Those stores used to be one of the “anchor” stores of most malls. So I’m not holding out much hope for a revival of the brand.
Carl Sampson
Whenever I used to buy Craftsman mechanics hand tools I always left with the impression that I was getting good value and I always felt good that they were USA made. If I needed just one obscure socket or wrench I would always end up buying whatever set of 6 or 8 they were in as a result and many times I would also pick up something else I didn’t really need at the time. Now I don’t feel as good about Craftsman hand tools and as a result will be shopping a lot less at Sears.
James
I feel the same way. Often I go to replace a broken tool and get turned away like I’m trying to rip the dealer off. I’ve started flagging the Snap On guy down and may pay more but at least I don’t walk away angry.
scott curtis
i think if they had better store manager that know what they was doing better people skills and let people know that waranty on tools are not giong to be brand new tools they are refurbished people might buy more im talking about the chillicothe ohio store very sad place to shop
Dan Richards
I’d rather buy Stanley than Craftsman, at least with Stanley I know I’ll get what I pay for. At this point, I just plain don’t have time to deal with Sears. I still have a lot of Craftsman tools and use them to make money, but if one breaks or I lose it, it’s not getting replaced with another Craftsman tool.
Jerry
I thought Craftsman kind of filled a niche. Where else, but at Sears, and what brand other than Craftsman, used to mean decent quality US made tools, at decent prices? I own at least a couple thousand dollars worth myself. I have a few industrial/pro grade tools, for when I really needed the best, and a few cheapos for loaners, or to ‘Frankenstein’ a tool (this usually involved heating the wrench with a torch, and bending it to some odd angle to get around an obstruction) but the Craftsman wrenches were the ackbone of my tool set. To be honest, I’d rather they would quit warranting abused tools, but keep production in the US if I had the choice.
steve fritz
Funny how u noticed about the 12v nextec line too…….they sell a lot of them at Menards who usually buys lots of discontinued or slow moving tools from manufactuers to sell at their stores at a discount
Jordan
I’ve been disappointed with Craftsman’s quality for a while now. Unfortunately, it seems like we have to be in the minority here. Consumers have been railing against Craftsman in order to keep the manufacturing domestic since longer than I can remember, but that doesn’t seem to have changed anything.
I’m not sure that Sears is entirely to blame on this one. They don’t manufacture any of their tools – they’re all sourced out. It may be that they’re hard pressed to find domestic manufacturing that will stay within the price point they’ve already set. Moreover, they’ve seen firsthand that consumers generally choose the cheaper alternative if they have a choice, regardless of the COO.
How are their tools supposed to compete with Harbor Freight and the other bargain barrel tools?
My best guess is that Sears has backed themselves into a corner. They probably believe that they can’t raise the price on their tools to maintain or improve quality domestic manufacturing because the consumer will just go elsewhere and buy cheaper alternatives.
But, they probably can’t lower the price either. Sears is in enough financial trouble that slimming any of their profit margins is a no-starter. So, they made the decision to outsource. It’s understandable but still unfortunate.
And as much as I don’t like the seeing Craftsman quality decline, I’m not convinced they could have stayed afloat if they were to raise the prices on their hard-line tools. Some of us truly care about quality, but more and more I feel like we’re in the minority. We may have enough purchasing power to keep some tool manufactures afloat, but Craftsman? They have a huge customer base across the entire nation. They’re most likely the biggest tool brand in the US. If the majority of their customers are unwilling to pay additional money for what they’ll see as the same product, then they have very little choice.
I used to think I was upset at Sears and Craftsman, and, to an extent, I still am displeased with them. However, Sears and Craftsman are simply emblematic of our culture in general.
After thinking about this all morning, what really bothers me isn’t Chinese manufacturing. What really bothers me is the change in our culture. It bothers me that we as a nation care more about a low price than we do about domestic jobs or workers rights or product durability or anything else. It bothers me that we’ve become a throwaway culture.
RKA
On one hand I don’t blame Sears. Home Depot and Lowes expanded their hand tools extensively in the last 10-15 years. Sure Sears still has them beat in terms of selection, but 95% of what I might need for the house and car can be found in any of them. So that leaves Sears competing for the average joe’s $’s in a marketplace where the prices have already been set by the competition (who sources their product from overseas).
The thing that irks me is I’ve never perceived craftsman as particularly inexpensive. Sure you can get a good value if you buy sets rather than individual tools and wait for sales. But I always felt like I was still paying a premium for a good tool (and I was happy to pay a little more for craftsman). But now that product comes with the Made in China label, the prices haven’t dropped and the value equation has turned upside down. Furthermore they have set a precedent that they are willing to compromise the quality of the tool, and in the future if you need to use their lifetime warranty, the tool you get replaced will be whatever quality they have decided it to be. This warranty meant something to me, even if it was rare that I would ever use it. Soon there won’t even be the convenience of a Sears on every corner, further devaluing their lifetime warranty.
They can’t compete in this marketplace without doing something to cut costs, however, they are devaluing the brand and within a generation it won’t mean a damn thing. The secret to their existence is the perceived value in their brand. Fix that and there is hope, otherwise you may as well bury yourself under a pile of HF 20% off coupons.
Javier
I have a question, if they are of equal quality, why does it matter where they are made? I remember a client that made a big fuss about foreign cars so instead of buying a foreign car made in the usa he bought an american car. After purchase he found out his american car was made in canada. Boy was he upset. I looked at my dewalt power tools and they say they are made in mexico and the batteries from japan. You know what I thought? I couldnt care less as I know I own a solid quality product. Then I hear all this negative talk about “made in china”. Do you know the most succesfull american smartphone and tablet brand are made there?
Stuart
I can only speak for myself, but it bothers me because it is uncertain whether newly imported versions are of equal quality.
With respect to the wrenches, there is a noticeable difference in tool geometry and design. Craftsman reps have always said that made in China tools must meet the same standards as formerly made-in-USA tools. With the new wrenches, there is much more metal around the open end areas, indicating to me that the metal is weaker and in need of added mass for reinforcement.
Some companies can do an equally good job manufacturing overseas as they can domestically, but this seems to be the exception and not the rule.
If a wrench set previously made in the USA and priced at $60 starts being made in China at the same $60 retail price, there is a feeling of far less value for the money. At that price point there are better values from other brands.
For me it’s not an absolute feeling of “made in China is bad,” but relative and different for certain brands. If the choice is between a $100 USA-made Craftsman wrench set and $100 imported Gearwrench wrench set, my money would go towards Craftsman (and it has). If it’s the question between imported Craftsman or Gearwrench for that same $100, I would go with Gearwrench.
Steve
What IS certain is that Sears’ choice to source the new tools overseas is based on cost considerations, not their relentless pursuit of products of the highest quality possible. The change wasn’t made in order to provide you with BETTER tools, but rather to provide you with CHEAPER tools. It doesn’t really matter whether they were made in China, Brazil, Italy, or just a different part of the US. The bottom line is, they have changed manufacturers for the cheaper, not for the better… and if the retail price is still the same, there’s reason to be upset.
This will probably not work out well for Sears. Imagine if tomorrow Snap-on filled its tool trucks with made-in-China gear, without changing their prices. I’d bet that the pros who make up their customer base would stop buying immediately, and the brand wouldn’t survive the year. Yet that’s what Craftsman is hoping to get away with.
It may be unfair to single out China as representative of poor-quality manufacturing, and there’s no doubt that there are high quality manufacturing facilities in China. It would surely be incorrect to say that “all tools made in China are of poor quality”. However, pay a visit to Harbor Freight, Big Lots, or the local dollar store, and take a look at the COO of the tools there. You’ll find it hard to argue against the claim that “very many poor quality tools are made in China”.
Javier
Those are all valid points. It just seems from my perspective many consumers are upset not because certain products are made in another country, it seems that they are simply upset they arent made here in the usa, leaving no importance to quality even if it as good or better than usa made. Ive seen it too often where many are biased only on coo and dont consider or care that imports are just as good. I will use Dewalt as an example. Ive read many reviews on retail sites and comments on tool news sites where some are simply put off due to the fact that this brands power tools arent made here without even considering any other factors. I think that is just foolish as many contractors swear by those tools yet some will never know themselves because all that matters is usa made or not. Well sorry Stuart about getting off topic.
Stuart
I would by lying if I said I didn’t have a preference for USA-made, European-made, and Japanese-made tools much of the time. But that doesn’t trump quality considerations, nor should it.
Some people like to dismiss imported tools without giving them a chance. If I dismiss an imported tool without giving it a chance, it’s because of a lesson learned from a closely related past experience.
My feelings sometimes depends on corporate behavior. I will more warmly receive a new product that is produced outside the country from the start, compared to those that are produced in the USA, England, EU, etc., and then produced elsewhere without a price change.
Some brands have strong connections to their overseas manufacturing partners, others don’t.
Craftsman remains one of my favorite companies, which is why I follow their activities with such interest. But more and more I find myself unhappy with the changes they’re making.
J brown
Here’s one reason jackass , because it puts Americans out of work , that’s one big reason it matters . All this made in China , mexico and Canada today can be traced back to 1992 , remember , North American free trade act , that has run more businesses out of this country than anything else . ” what difference does it make if it’s good quality ” really ? You can’t see beyond your own self importance .
Luke
I have a hard time believing someone would actually say this…but given that ‘javier’ did, my best guess is that reason will be lost on him.
Yes, we’re all aware that ‘smartphones’ are made in red china ; this has NOTHING to do with their abilities or quality, and everything to do with politics. This industry was taken from us and given to those mass murderers [ the red chinese govt ADMITS to murdering 45 million of their own…] for political reasons, all to do with hatred of Americans, Europeans and the ‘west’. TPTB are setting up red china as their next host as theyve just about sucked all the profit out of America. I could go on for hours discussing this and proving my point, but i guess at the end of the day, youd just shrug your shoulders and say ‘so what?’ Ive got MY bread and circusses…
Craig
I think Craftsman is trying to market themselves separatly from Sears already with Craftsman Industial “http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-industrial/nb-120000000108320” they only sell through “industrial” (not listing any Sears) distributors all made in the USA with the lifetime warranty. Doesn’t seem to be to many distributors around,the tool store I manage was approached recently to distribute the line.
Stuart
Craftsman Industrial tools have been available for quite some time now, but it does seem that they’ve been more vocal about them in recent months.
Justin
Stuart,
Any chance you can find out the scoop on the NexTec line?
Thanks
Stuart
I can ask, but probably won’t for two reasons: 1) there’s a good chance the question wouldn’t be answered in any capacity, 2) there’s little chance of a satisfying answer.
Mike U.
That would stink if they’re gonna do away with the Nextec line. I own a few and have been quite satisfied with them. While obviously not for the contractor, their specs compare favorably with many of the 12v offerings from others (other than the 12v Fuel).
I agree that Sears will probably give the typical corporate-speak on their plans (or lack of) with Nextec. Guess only time will tell.
As for the Dewalt mech. tools, never understood the reasoning for this. It just creates more brand confusion and cross-competition on your own shelves.
Stuart
I don’t think that the Nextec tools are going to be discontinued, but I don’t get why they couldn’t even give their own compact cordless product line half a page in the catalog.
Justin
Stuart,
I am unable to find any NexTec products on the craftsman website, so I think they are gone already….
Justin
Stuart
Are you certain? I did a search on Sears.com last night and Craftsman.com just now, and they’re still there.
charles
Sears just closed the store nearest to me. So much for buying tires from their auto center so I’d have warranty support nearby no matter where I went. I saw the “Evolv” cheap tools a couple of years back and was unimpressed then. I have two big rolling tool chests mostly filled with Craftsman tools, and I’m wondering if their “lifetime” warranty means “just until we stop selling tools and go bankrupt”.
Don
I quit buying Craftsman 20 years ago. I just got tired of taking broken tools back to the store and dealing with bad attitudes from the staff at Sears.
Stephen
” I suspect that maybe Sears execs are toying with the idea of courting Stanley Black & Decker as their Craftsman mechanics tool OEM, but there doesn’t seem to be any real indication that this is what’s happening. ”
You know, I’ve wondered this, too.
I never thought I’d be looking to Stanley for USA made tools, but SBD still has USA production capacity for the Proto and MAC brands. And, they offer lots of USA made tools that are affordable in the Blackhawk brand. I was thinking they could be a good OEM for USA made tools now that Apex Tools has shifted so much production out of the US.
Dan
The Chinese don’t make tools. They make stuff that only looks like tools, destined for an early death. Lowest-grade metals used in critical areas; cheapest possible plastic, everywhere. A global-scale scam, it must be said, however, that it is not altogether their fault. Just about everything inside a computer, these days, is also made in China, and the failure rate with computer parts is low. That’s because the companies involved, like Intel, KNOW that the computer industry simply cannot survive a situation in which computer parts are as typically-badly made as most other Chinese manufactured products. As the result they have much more strict
Dan
(First half of message, above, cut off prematurely. Continues here):
As the result they (Intel, etc., etc.) have much more strict quality control. China, and its customers, both have the same lesson to learn, that you can’t fool everybody, all the time. If Western companies order their products made in China, then THEY have the responsibility of ensuring that the tools come up to scratch. It is, after all an American commercial adage, isn’t it? “Let the Buyer beware!”
Lynyrd
It is about reducing SKUs to lower inventory in warehouses and stores. The CEO Edward Lampert is all about online sales. If he can get a cut from tools warehoused by other “sellers” it supports increased “EBITDA.” Sears is run by two groups; Real Estate and Procurement. Profit and return to Shareholders are the only motivation. Building their brands and traffic in bricks and mortar stores is not a priority.
We can only hope that at some point he sells the Craftsman name to someone else and the new owners try to bring back the Craftsman name. As you all may know, made in the USA Craftsman wrenches, sockets, etc. are still sold under the Craftsman Industrial moniker, that is if you can find them. Interestingly, Lowes bought Orchard Hardware Supply from Sears Holdings in 2013, and still carries Craftsman. (Although what Lowes’ has done lately with their tool department is not a good sign).
Personally, I have spent the last year building a Made in the USA tool collection. The trade off, is that there are some great new and improved tool “designs” but they are made in China. If suppose if you can’t buy U.S. the metallurgy in Taiwan is better, but still not the same as “Made in USA.”
scott curtis
i just want my tools to work and not be bad mouth or cop an attitude against me i paid for the tools not them lifetime warranty means nothing in sears bunch of bad people run chillicothe ohio store and know body above the store manager has a clue what they are doing to there customers and the customers cant even get a number to let them know whats going on or send me the number
John Wright
If you want Craftsman tools, buy old ones on the auction sites , at garage sales, flea markets, etc.
The new ones are getting more junky all time and are not worth it.
terrence squier
CRAFTSMANS IS CRAP. DONT TRUST THEM. THEY ARE LOSEING 10 MILLION A YEAR. THEY ARE JUST WANTING TO PULL THE RUG OUT FROM UNDER US ONCE MORE.
I SWITCHED TO skhandtools