Craftsman at Lowe's and Ace

[Ole Anderson]

Anybody else get the tinglies now when walking into Lowe's and seeing row on top of row of red Craftsman tools, chests and equipment? Not that I am such a fan of their stuff, just that it brings back good memories of trolling through the Sears tool department years ago. Even my local Ace carries the basic tools. Good move. I am more of a Home Depot kind of guy, but Lowe's is starting to spark my interest.

[George Bokros]

Craftsmam has been at Lowes for around a year and ar Summit Racing Equipment for about 5 yrs. Sears sold the Craftsman name quite while ago.

[lowell holmes]

I think they probably worth a try.
I am glad the name survived Sears.
First Monkey Wards (Montgomery Wards) and now Sears, sad, sad, sad.

[Günter VögelBerg]

I have bought several small hand tools (pliers, a ratchet set, tape measures, screwdrivers) branded as Craftsman in the past year or so and am happy with all of them. The machining is accurate, the finish is good and the steel seems to be of decent quality.

[Chris Schoenthal]

Actually, Stanley Black & Decker bought the Craftsman brand in 2017. They're building a plant here in DFW to manufacture some of the Craftsman mechanics tools. I'm glad to see that they will be once again made in the USA.

[Kev Williams]

About 20 years ago Sears received my postmarked-a-day-early-but-a-day-late-in-their-hands payment of $29, that for the first time since the mid '70's was able to pay my preferred customer card down to zero. Because it was a day late, they dinged me a $35 late charge. Regrardless of my 'good customer status' or the postmark they wouldn't drop the late charge. I vowed that day to never buy another Sears product. I never have, and I still consider Craftsman a Sears product. And from what I gather from other's opinions, not the top-tier products of old. But I'll never know.

[Ole Anderson]

Sorry Kev for your experience. That is a long time to carry a grudge. I generally wouldn't buy Craftsman corded or battery hand tools, but I have certainly bought my share of Craftsman hand tools. Not because they are the greatest, but because Sears was the tool store in my area for a long time. It is where you went, not a lot of other choices. Only problem I ever had with them was their 1/4" ratchets, which didn't seem to hold up, but then you probably shouldn't put a cheater bar on them. Always covered by a no-question warranty as are most name brand wrenching tools these days. If Snap On and the like is your tool of choice and you can afford them, by all means go for it. I did buy a Craftsman Pro 15" band saw, looks a lot like a Rikon. Saws as well as any other band saw. And I just retired my 35 YO Craftsman compressor, still working. And I am about to put my 1/2" 600 ft-lb IR rattle gun to the test on my MH brakes. Bought it at Sears. I do need to put the pulley back on my King Seeley (Sears) 6" jointer, probably from the 1950's. Sad to see Sears decline along with the malls. Not their fault, a sign of the changing needs of consumers and Amazon.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Industrial supply houses have been selling both Craftsman hand tools and Jet power tools for years. Jet really came on strong when B&D bought the Delta brand.

[Kevin Beitz]

At one time Craftsman was my go to tool. Sears ruined that....

[Bruce Page]

I get a little nostalgic when I see it. There was a time before the internet that Sears served people like me very well. I would scrutinize their catalogs page by page. I have only a couple of their tools left, a 3X21 belt sander, a ½ inch drill motor, and a full set of mechanics tools that I bought as a teenager.

[Bill Dufour]

Lowes does not sell individual screwdrivers so they will not trade out a worn craftsman screwdriver. they did exchange my 4' craftsman level.
Bill D

[Ole Anderson]

While Lowe's may have been selling Craftsman for a while, it seems they really ramped it up lately, it seems like half of their tool department is now red.

[Mike Cutler]

I have a set of Craftsman tools I bought some 40 years ago. They were good tools when I bought them, and still are. Never really bought anything else from Sears, even though I tried. (I did have some poor transaction with Sears as a company. ;))

[Roger Feeley]

Ole, I don’t consider it a grudge. It’s just a reason to choose another store. I had my own bad experience with Sears and it opened my eyes to better stores that I had always ignored because I grew up in a “Sears family”. Once I got a taste of the non Sears world, I never went back. My problem wasn’t a grudge against Sears, it was being blindly loyal to Sears in the first place. But I digress.

When we have many options, sometimes we use any excuse to narrow the field. A single bad experience with a store can be such an excuse. We are under no obligation to give stores a second chance. We also don’t owe them our loyalty. That has to be earned through excellent customer service and personal relationships. Sadly, those two traits aren’t part of today’s business model as businesses have abandoned domain knowledge and customer service. Businesses have sterilized the customer relationship down to just making the financial transaction. In doing so, they opened the door to online competition. After all, if all you get at a brick and mortar store is a competent checkout, why bother going there?

[Jim Becker]

While Lowe's may have been selling Craftsman for a while, it seems they really ramped it up lately, it seems like half of their tool department is now red.

That is true. They reached a deeper marketing/sales agreement with the brand and have been more or less making it the "house brand". That's not really boding well for Kobalt...although a lot of the stuff likely comes from the same factories. ;)

[Dave Lehnert]

With the sale of Craftsman to Stanley, Whatever you thought of craftsman tools in the past (Good or bad) is all kinda out the window.
One should form their opinion on the quality of the new stuff.

[Frederick Skelly]

Businesses have sterilized the customer relationship down to just making the financial transaction. In doing so, they opened the door to online competition.

Roger, this is a good insight. There are also other factors, but "opened the door" is certainly accurate. Thanks for pointing it out to me.

Ole, FWIW, I've bought some craftsman hand tools at Lowes recently and thought they were fine. They aren't SnapOn, but they do what I need.

You folks have a good day!
Fred

[Mike Cutler]

. After all, if all you get at a brick and mortar store is a competent checkout, why bother going there?

Roger
I'd actually settle for that these days.
I try to do what business I can with locally owned business. There's no avoiding the chains, or online, but I try to find local businesses to support whenever possible.

My two negative dealings with Sears were many, many, years ago. I realized then, that they were doomed. They were a mess, and this was in the 90's. It's to bad really, they were once an icon brand. They just wouldn't adapt to the times.

[Stan Calow]

I was sad to see my local Sears close. They at least had older salespeople who could make change and give advice based on experience. People say they want good customer service, but the reality is 90% of shoppers only care about getting the best price. Not long before you have to go to Amazon for everything.

[Jim Koepke]

Businesses have sterilized the customer relationship down to just making the financial transaction. In doing so, they opened the door to online competition. After all, if all you get at a brick and mortar store is a competent checkout, why bother going there?


the reality is 90% of shoppers only care about getting the best price.

A major problem for brick & mortar is of their own making. Good help is hard to find. The problem is when keeping the 'good help' there has to be an incentive like increasing salary or other perks.

In the '90s many large stores felt their biggest overhead cost was their long term employees. They didn't see this as an investment or as one of their greatest assets. Many of the B&M stores in my area had great floor staff to answer my questions. They had obtained this from years of experience. Often the schedule of my favorite sales peope was known and my trip to a store would be based on being able to find a person of my acquaintance at work to help or just say hi.

One large chain, (Circuit City if my memory is working), in effect committed suicide by firing all of their long time help and hiring all new sales staff at a much lower pay. It may have saved them some money, but not enough:


Corporate leaders who think they can slash expenses without customers noticing might want to give Circuit City Stores Inc.'s top brass a call. The electronics retailer is living the nightmare of cost cutting gone bad.

The Richmond, Va., company has been in a downward spiral since it said last spring that it would lay off thousands of experienced workers it candidly said it could replace with cheaper new ones.

Too bad that service matters in that corner of the retail market. Shoppers quickly noticed and fled - leaving Circuit City's sales and profit plunging. Its same-store holiday sales, reported on Monday, fell 11.4 percent.

Yes there is a class of customer who will go in to a store to ask all about a product and then look elsewhere for the lowest price. Many times if there is a problem after the sale, they have only themselves to blame.

Often though a good sales person will also be a good source of help if a problem develops after the sale.

Yes, many of my purchases are made via the internet. Very seldom is it done to save just a few dollars.

jtk

[Frederick Skelly]

Yes there is a class of customer who will go n to a store to ask all about a product and then look elsewhere for the lowest price. Many times if there is a problem after the sale, they have only themselves to blame.

+1. If I go into a brick and mortar store to get advice on what to buy, or to compare several items, I will buy it from them up to 20% higher. If I go to a car dealership and drive multiple models when deciding what to buy, I always give the salesman a chance to beat the best price I found. Both are my way of paying them for the service they provided.

[Bill Dufour]

Several year ago CalFire decided to get rid of experienced fire fighters since they cost too much. At least one strike team died by sheltering where they should not have because of inexperienced leadership on the ground.. Claim was a more experienced team leader would have either not gone there or got out to a safer place. No idea how the state was able to fire anyone with more then 20 years experience and not lose a discrimination lawsuit.
Bill D.

[Greg Parrish]

If you want SnapOn quality but at Craftsman like prices, look at the Williams line from JH Williams (SnapOn parent). It’s their industrial line but they are basically the same tools as the SnapOn in many cases. Also the service is just as awesome as SnapOn. I found a great dealer online for them at a place called Tools Delivered. For me, it was an easy switch for hand tools like wrenches and sockets.



Roger, this is a good insight. There are also other factors, but "opened the door" is certainly accurate. Thanks for pointing it out to me.

Ole, FWIW, I've bought some craftsman hand tools at Lowes recently and thought they were fine. They aren't SnapOn, but they do what I need.

You folks have a good day!
Fred

[Tom M King]

I'm still using some Craftsman wrenches, and sockets that I bought in the 1960's. I forget when I stopped buying their stuff, but there are some later made ratchets that are in about 45 feet of water, along with an assortment of other things that were put in the "only good for seeing how far you can throw it" category.

Greg, I had no idea about the Williams connection. I recently bought some 3/4, and 1" drive impact sockets and extensions that were Williams. I bought them because the price seemed reasonable, especially since they will very rarely get used, but was really surprised with their quality the first time I used them.

[Greg Parrish]

I love them. Made in USA. Same great materials as SnapOn. In many cases I find the only difference is the finish quality or maybe the Williams design is the prior SnapOn model. Regardless the machining is crisp and accurate, the metal is good quality and the service is unreal. Everything I’ve ordered has shipped quickly and any backorders are shipped as they come available. It’s crazy but I’ve received boxes with one socket at a time as they came off backorder. Also had new ones replaced simply because I commented about a smudge or scratch on the finish. And lastly the rep called one day and offered me a free tool of my choice just for making a bunch of online purchases when upgrading my sockets. I chose and they sent me a 1/2” swivel head ratchet, like a $55 item, for free.

Anyway, I love their tools including their super combo wrenches. Back in the day, they made the Kobalt wrenches for Lowe’s (around 2001). They were awesome and that’s where I first found out about JH Williams. Still have my set and use them often.

Sorry to be be a fan boy but think they are great value and quality for the price.




I'm still using some Craftsman wrenches, and sockets that I bought in the 1960's. I forget when I stopped buying their stuff, but there are some later made ratchets that are in about 45 feet of water, along with an assortment of other things that were put in the "only good for seeing how far you can throw it" category.

Greg, I had no idea about the Williams connection. I recently bought some 3/4, and 1" drive impact sockets and extensions that were Williams. I bought them because the price seemed reasonable, especially since they will very rarely get used, but was really surprised with their quality the first time I used them.

[Tom M King]

The only reasons I bought them were because I didn't want Chinese junk, and the prices were reasonable. Using them on large Grade 8 bolts on a tractor, they took the bolts out with an air wrench, and I reinstalled with them using a torque wrench. They didn't get stuck on the bolt heads, or nuts, and no marring of the flats, or corners on the bolt heads, or nuts.

[Brian Elfert]

You have to be careful with Williams if you care about about buying USA items. They carry stuff made in the USA and also stuff made in Taiwan.

[lowell holmes]

I buy from Lowes and Home Depot. Home Depot seams to have a broader selection, but both are good stores.
I've had adjustments at Lowes with no questions ask.

[fritz eng]

A Lowe's salesman told me that there are 2 lines that bear the Craftsman name: the Lowes line and the Sears line (stores that remain opened as SEARS). The 2 are NOT the same. I was told the Craftsman line sold at Lowe's is the better/original quality line while the other line is not. Cannot verify. I also read there is a law suit by Lowes claiming that SEARS is violating a branding infringement. Cannot verify either. Good luck

[Greg Parrish]

You have to be careful with Williams if you care about about buying USA items. They carry stuff made in the USA and also stuff made in Taiwan.

Good point. The items I’ve bought were the USA made items and they are the ones that tend to mimic some of the SnapOn items.

[Jim Koepke]

A Lowe's salesman told me that there are 2 lines that bear the Craftsman name: the Lowes line and the Sears line (stores that remain opened as SEARS). The 2 are NOT the same. I was told the Craftsman line sold at Lowe's is the better/original quality line while the other line is not. Cannot verify. I also read there is a law suit by Lowes claiming that SEARS is violating a branding infringement. Cannot verify either. Good luck

Finding information on such things is all in how one searches. Using as few variables as possible and narrowing word construction, this > lowes sears lawsuit < finds a few stories. Using 'suit' instead of 'lawsuit' will bring up a lot of superfluous articles, mostly advertising.

It looks like Lowes name is involved due to Stanley, Black & Decker is using them as one of the major markets for their Craftsman tool sales.

Sears is marketing a different line of tools using the Craftsman name in the brand:


But two weeks after Sears emerged from bankruptcy Feb. 8, the reorganized retailer “launched its own new line of professional-grade mechanics’ tools under the sub-brand ‘Craftsman Ultimate Collection,’” states the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-md-sears-craftsman-lawsuit-20190307-story.html

Further along in the article:


After Stanley acquired the Craftsman brand, the company “invested heavily” to rapidly expand sales, in part, through a strategic alliance it announced in May 2018 with Lowe’s to carry certain lines of the product. And in September, Stanley launched a full line of Craftsman tools, “including the introduction of over 1,200 new tools and products” to be released through an expanded network that includes Lowe’s, Ace Hardware and Amazon.com.

If Stanley wins the lawsuit the Craftsman Ultimate Collection tools may be pulled from the market. This could make them the ultimate collectible.

jtk

[Stan Calow]

I just saw Craftsman brand power washers at Menards*. Didn't notice anything else.

*Menards is a midwest big-box competitor to Lowes/Home Depot.

[lowell holmes]

I lived in Kansas City 70 years ago, both Missouri and Kansas side.
I remember those years fondly. Maybe I will plan a trip to visit.

[Rollie Meyers]

Craftsman is a tarnished brand thanks to Eddie Lampert, and Black and Decker is another company that I have no use for, for that reason do not own any DeWalt power tools, when Craftsman was domestic I used to buy their sockets, price was decent & the warranty was better then Snap On, who I like, just don't like their prices, while Stanley Black & Decker is to be commended for removing production from the ChiComs and returning it to the US, for me it's too late.

[Tony Pisano]

Sears was with me throughout my childhood, and who didn't love getting the Christmas catalog. Our local store had a few appliances, but was mostly catalog orders. I got my first craftsman tool nearly 50 years ago. It was a Craftsman circular saw from the catalog. I wanted to learn how to make stuff. I still have and use it. In my early 20's (I'm 66 now) I bought a 3rd hand Craftsman table saw, and one at a time ordered a bandsaw, drill press, and belt disc sander at the local catalog store. All of these are still in operation along with a large collection of hand tools. I always got good use out of my Craftsman tools.
I was introduced to other tool brands when I went to trade school to be a machinist. Our shop did a lot of work for Stanley Tool's Shaftsbury Vt division, where they made framing squares, levels and utility knives.
Well, that's my nostalgia for the morning.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

No tingle here, just disgust. My local lowes used to have the best "only tool store open on a Sunday" selection. They carried Bosch, Dewalt, Crescent, Estwing, Bessy, etc. Now it's just kobalt and craftsman and I no longer even bother stopping by on our weekend runs to the big town.

Luckily we have the internet.

[Ole Anderson]

No tingle here, just disgust. My local lowes used to have the best "only tool store open on a Sunday" selection. They carried Bosch, Dewalt, Crescent, Estwing, Bessy, etc. Now it's just kobalt and craftsman and I no longer even bother stopping by on our weekend runs to the big town.

Luckily we have the internet.
If I need a real tool store I go to Performance Line Tools in Waterford Mi, just a half hour drive. They carry the full line of Makita, Milwaukee, Bosch, Dewalt, PC, Sawstop, Performax, Delta, Powermatic, Occidental Leather and so on. And case upon case of Bosch, Amana and Freud router bits. A tool addict’s candy store.

[Mark Blatter]

My mother passed away a couple of months ago and I wrote and gave her eulogy. I relied on her personal history a great deal. She grew up in Fairfield in the 1930s and 40s. She mentioned that it was a great place to grow up, on a farm with no running water, no electricity, or indoor plumbing. The had an outhouse and used a Sears catalog when doing the 'paper work' after each visit.

My impression of Craftman tools goes right in line with what they used the Sears catalog for, if you get my drift.

[Ronald Blue]

Snap On owns Williams not the other way around. Another lesser known but high quality tool is Armstrong. Williams was a common wrench in the machine shop on the engine lathe. It had the square box end for tightening the tool post lock bolt and an open end for loosening and tightening the compound slide angle adjustment.

[Ed Edwards]

We have an Ace Hardware store locally that now sells Crapsman tools. I took a cabinet screwdriver in for a "defect exchange", the first question was, did you buy it here? I answered no, their answer was no also, if you didn't buy it here we don't exchange it! Nice guys...
Ed

[Gary Ragatz]

We have an Ace Hardware store locally that now sells Crapsman tools. I took a cabinet screwdriver in for a "defect exchange", the first question was, did you buy it here? I answered no, their answer was no also, if you didn't buy it here we don't exchange it! Nice guys...
Ed

I asked at my local Ace, and they said they would exchange, regardless of where the tool was purchased, if it's a tool they carry. But they won't break into a set. Fact is, they don't carry a lot of Craftsman hand tools that aren't in sets - so, probably not so useful.

Doesn't matter much to me, at least in the short term. There's a Sears store in the same shopping center that still has a good selection of open-stock tools.

[Bill Carey]

Ole, I don’t consider it a grudge......

Back in the early 50's my Dad bought a washing machine from Sears that never worked, and they wouldn't repair it, and etc etc. So my Dad loaded it on the back of his pick up and backed up to the doors of the Sears store and pushed it off and thru the doors. (good thing he played golf with the Police Chief) From then on Sears was his go to term for anything that was a POS. Where'd ya buy that - Sears? Where did ya hear that - Sears? Who cooked this - Sears? Who cut your lawn - Sears? I remember my sister brought a guy home for the first time in high school. First thing my Dad asked him was You don't work at Sears do ya? Got to be quite the family joke. (wow - just writing this - I miss him)

[Brian Elfert]

Snap On owns Williams not the other way around. Another lesser known but high quality tool is Armstrong. Williams was a common wrench in the machine shop on the engine lathe. It had the square box end for tightening the tool post lock bolt and an open end for loosening and tightening the compound slide angle adjustment.

Unfortunately, Armstrong Tools ceased production in March 2017. The website was still up for a year or so, but now it tells you to purchase Crescent or Gearwrench as alternatives.

[lowell holmes]

When I grew up it was Montgomery Wards stores, we did not have Sears.

[David Bassett]

When I grew up it was Montgomery Wards stores, we did not have Sears.

Lowell, I hope you mean WHERE you grew up! :) (Sears was founded 127 years ago.)

[Art Mann]

The fact that "Craftsman" is prominently displayed on the tool or side of the box implies exactly nothing with regard to design, quality or durability. It is just a name that has been passed around from company to company. Towards the end, the quality of Sears stuff dropped off severely. I am not sure the brand has recovered from that yet. The brand may be first class now but I plan on waiting and seeing before equating them with brand name tools.

[Brian Elfert]

The fact that "Craftsman" is prominently displayed on the tool or side of the box implies exactly nothing with regard to design, quality or durability. It is just a name that has been passed around from company to company. Towards the end, the quality of Sears stuff dropped off severely. I am not sure the brand has recovered from that yet. The brand may be first class now but I plan on waiting and seeing before equating them with brand name tools.

The Craftsman brand has had exactly two owners so it hasn't exactly been passed from company to company.

Now, it is true that hundreds of different companies have made tools with the Craftsman logo on them. Sears never made a Craftsman tool themselves. Craftsman was just a brand name for them.

[Jim Koepke]

Craftsman tools were not the sexiest tools in the box, but they were dependable and easy to replace if something went wrong.

jtk

[Art Mann]

The Craftsman brand has been sold in several stores in recent years with Lowes just being the latest. Sears used to own the name and were the exclusive sellers. The name implied something good about the tool that carried it. In view of current circumstances, I don't see why anyone would assume that "Craftsman" means anything until the brand proves itself. The brand is apparently slowly replacing the "Kobalt" brand, which I respected to some degree. If I were in Lowes, I would select Kobalt over Craftsman hand tools until they establish a history. I wouldn't buy power tools of eithr brand. I did buy a Crafdtsman brand lawn mower. It was exactly the same as the Troybilt brand I already owned in every way. I know because I used salvaged parts from the old machine.

The Craftsman brand has had exactly two owners so it hasn't exactly been passed from company to company.

Now, it is true that hundreds of different companies have made tools with the Craftsman logo on them. Sears never made a Craftsman tool themselves. Craftsman was just a brand name for them.

[lowell holmes]

Your correct, Where.

[Kris Cook]

Back in the early 50's my Dad bought a washing machine from Sears that never worked, and they wouldn't repair it, and etc etc. So my Dad loaded it on the back of his pick up and backed up to the doors of the Sears store and pushed it off and thru the doors. (good thing he played golf with the Police Chief) From then on Sears was his go to term for anything that was a POS. Where'd ya buy that - Sears? Where did ya hear that - Sears? Who cooked this - Sears? Who cut your lawn - Sears? I remember my sister brought a guy home for the first time in high school. First thing my Dad asked him was You don't work at Sears do ya? Got to be quite the family joke. (wow - just writing this - I miss him)

I have to say Bill - your post made me laugh out load.

[Kris Cook]

For me, and I am guessing for many others the demise of Sears and Craftsman are an unfortunate representation of what has happened to the America we used to know...

[Jim Koepke]

For me, and I am guessing for many others the demise of Sears and Craftsman are an unfortunate representation of what has happened to the America we used to know...

Yeap, everyone wanted something cheaper. The big retailers told the manufacturers who then started making everything cheaper. After continued repeating of this cycle some manufacturing had to move overseas to make things even cheaper. This caused other manufacturers to follow.

The highway into this mess seems to have no off ramp.

jtk

[Brian Elfert]

For me, and I am guessing for many others the demise of Sears and Craftsman are an unfortunate representation of what has happened to the America we used to know...

If Stanley thought Craftsman wasn't a good brand name they would not have paid hundreds of million for it. Stanley is currently building a new factory that is supposed to bring some production back to the USA.

[Dave Lehnert]

If Stanley thought Craftsman wasn't a good brand name they would not have paid hundreds of million for it. Stanley is currently building a new factory that is supposed to bring some production back to the USA.


Stanley is closing down their tool box factory in southwest Ohio.

https://www.ripleybee.com/2019/07/11/stanley-plant-to-close/