In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.

CRAFTSMAN TOOLS

EVILDR235EVILDR235 Member Posts: 4,398 ✭✭
edited October 2006 in General Discussion
Went to Lowe's today to check out DEALS on Craftsman tools. Every one was made in China. Another great brand gone to H..L. What a shame?

Comments

  • EVILDR235EVILDR235 Member Posts: 4,398 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have been seeing ads on tv for the last couple of days for Craftsman tools that are now being sold at K-MART.
    EvilDr235
  • LaidbackDanLaidbackDan Member Posts: 13,143 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Kmart bought out Sears, they also sell Kenmore appliances.
  • dcon12dcon12 Member Posts: 31,935 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by LaidbackDan
    Kmart bought out Sears, they also sell Kenmore appliances.


    Sears bought K-Mart. Don
  • 2-barrel2-barrel Member Posts: 1,253 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Yep the anti gunners own both.
  • nyforesternyforester Member Posts: 2,575 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    And they give you a very hard time when you bring back broken Craftsman tools. Greed is overcoming everything !!
    Abort Cuomo
  • toolsforfoolstoolsforfools Member Posts: 1,285 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    SUCK !!!!!!!!!!!!! buy (SNAPON) [:D][:D][:D]
  • slipgateslipgate Member Posts: 12,741
    edited November -1
    When my screwdrivers get too dirty, I just put them in a vice and snap the tips off and go get new ones from Sears. [:D][:D]
  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by toolsforfools
    SUCK !!!!!!!!!!!!! buy (SNAPON) [:D][:D][:D]
    I quit buying snap-on years ago because all the snap-on dealers are jerks and act like you will never get the tools you need without them.

    I switched to Mack! Thier dealers are a pleasure to work with and most of the time the tools a little cheeper in price with the same quality.
  • spanielsellsspanielsells Member Posts: 12,498
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by *_r_done
    quote:Originally posted by toolsforfools
    SUCK !!!!!!!!!!!!! buy (SNAPON) [:D][:D][:D]
    I quit buying snap-on years ago because all the snap-on dealers are jerks and act like you will never get the tools you need without them.

    I switched to Mack! Thier dealers are a pleasure to work with and most of the time the tools a little cheeper in price with the same quality.
    I prefer Neighborhood Tools. The dealers are great -- they never bug you about what you need and try to sell you junk you don't want.

    The price is right, too. What's even better is that they've got millions and millions of locations around the country. The only bad thing is that sometimes the hours are a bit weird.

    Yep, when I need a tool, I just wander around the neighborhood looking for open garage doors... [:D]
  • toolsforfoolstoolsforfools Member Posts: 1,285 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    To * r done Sorry you had a bad experience with snap-on.I was a dealer for 27 years and retired from it i had a great relation with my customers.Some i had done bussiness with for those 27 years.No problems.My customers were the ones who told me craftman tools were not up to par.I saw alot of scars from tools that did not work well craftman tools were the worse.Price is high on snap-on but the quality is there.I did not get complaints offten.
  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by toolsforfools
    To * r done Sorry you had a bad experience with snap-on.I was a dealer for 27 years and retired from it i had a great relation with my customers.Some i had done bussiness with for those 27 years.No problems.My customers were the ones who told me craftman tools were not up to par.I saw alot of scars from tools that did not work well craftman tools were the worse.Price is high on snap-on but the quality is there.I did not get complaints offten.
    I don't disagree about the craftsman tools.

    And my problem with snap-on was never with quality.

    Before I drove truck, I was a mechanic. And every snap-on dealer I met was a total jerk. I'm sure there are some very good ones as well, I just never had met any.

    With the Mack tools dealers it allways seemed to be the oposite. They were very pleasent and truely seemed to want my buisness.

    I agree snap-on makes a good tool. But I am the type of person that won't give my buisness to some one who belittle's me and act's like I owe them something when I'm buying from them. And that was my only problem with snap-on dealers that I delt with.
  • sig232sig232 Member Posts: 8,018
    edited November -1
    I love Craftsman Tools. Have used them all my life. They are much cheaper than Snap-on. I do understand that Snap-on is a higher quality tool and they are stronger, thinner and easier to work with. But their pricing is like a Rolex Watch, it is beautiful, but a Sieko tells the same time and is 1/10th the cost.

    I have never broke a Craftsman wrench. I broke a 100' measuring tape once and they replaced it. Maybe a couple of things over the years, but their tools are still the deal of the century.

    The "companion" tools they are selling that are made in China are cheap crap. Chrome plating peels off and cuts your hands. But real cheap stuff.
  • guntech59guntech59 Member Posts: 23,187 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Has anyone noticed the "made in china" on some of the new Craftsman tools. They always used to be made in America!

    Very disappointing. No more craftsman for me![:(!]
  • mrseatlemrseatle Member Posts: 15,467 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I like Craftsman tools, but I see a lot of chinese tools at Sears now. I've broken a lot of Japanese tools, and find some of the Chinese tools to be flimsey. Tool vans are cool but expensive. The only hard work my tools get is an occasional throw-out bearing replacement. If you get anything at the sears tire shop, you get a $5 coupon to use at the store while you are waiting.[8D]
  • LaidbackDanLaidbackDan Member Posts: 13,143 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by LaidbackDan
    Kmart bought out Sears, they also sell Kenmore appliances.





    The Kmart-Sears deal

    Two of nation's oldest retailers set $11B merger. Will lower prices, better merchandise follow?
    November 17, 2004: 6:13 PM EST
    By Parija Bhatnagar, CNN/Money staff writer



    NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Kmart is buying Sears, Roebuck & Co. for $11 billion in a deal that will marry two of the nation's oldest retailers that had trouble keeping up with the changes in American culture around them.




    The deal, announced Wednesday morning, will create the third-largest retailer in the country. The new company, known as Sears Holdings, will be based at Sears headquarters outside Chicago.

    While the new company will operate both Sears and Kmart stores, "several hundred" Kmarts will be converted to Sears, Sears Chairman Alan Lacy said at a news conference. The companies currently operate about 3,500 stores combined.

    "Sears has had a very different problem from Kmart," Lacy said. "Our service and products are as good as our competitors but they're not where our customers are. This now gives us the opportunity to grow off-mall locations closer to the customer."

    Kmart, founded as S.S. Kresge in Detroit in 1899, has long been strong in clothing and home accessories, and in recent years has added brands such as Thalia Sodi, Jaclyn Smith, Joe Boxer and Martha Stewart Everyday products.

    Sears, which started selling watches through catalogs in 1886, later became best known for its Craftsman tools and Kenmore appliances. And while it's struggled in clothing and other soft lines, it bought Lands' End and developed youth-oriented Apostrophe brand to try to fill those holes.


    For consumers, the deal means being able to get appliances and other hard goods at Kmart and more clothing at Sears -- and could mean lower prices as the two chains try to compete.

    "Imagine going into Kmart and buying a Sears Craftsman tool set, or buying Kmart's Martha Stewart home products at Sears," said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst with market research firm NPD Group. "To Kmart shoppers, Lands' End may not mean anything, but now it will."

    "We don't want two separate cultures but to blend it into one great culture." Kmart Chairman Edward Lampert said Thursday. "The idea is to make the stores more competitive while staying focused on the customer."

    From meager beginnings, Kmart and Sears both grew quickly to dominate the retail landscape after World War II. Then along came Wal-Mart and other big discounters like Target, newer chains that changed the face of retailing in America.



    "It's not so much that Sears and Kmart did anything wrong, it's just that they didn't change while the rest of the industry was changing around them," said Barbara Kahn, professor of marketing at the Wharton School.

    "Sears and Kmart did not differentiate themselves from the competition. Wal-Mart came along with its great service and low-prices, other retailers started to innovate more with products and service. Sears and Kmart simply trudged along and thought that was good enough," she said.

    Retail analyst Kurt Barnard said Kmart's low prices and Sears reputation for service should make a good fit. But he and other analysts said the combined company will still face stiff competition, and that store closings were likely.

    "One [name] will probably fade out of existence," Barnard said, adding, "Don't be so sure that Sears is the one that survives. Kmart is a discount store name and perhaps more able to compete with Wal-Mart on that basis than Sears."

    The merger should help the new company compete against Wal-Mart , the world's largest retailer, as well as Home Dep, the home improvement chain, and Target , which will lose its place as No. 3 to the combined Sears-Kmart.


    On Wall Street, investors applauded the deal, sending Sears (up $7.79 to $52.99, Research) stock up 22 percent while Kmart jumped 16 percent in afternoon trading.

    The complex cash-and-stock deal is worth about $11 billion, the companies said. (For more on what the deal means to investors, click here.)

    The companies said they expect cost savings and additional sales of $500 million a year after the merger is completed. It's subject to approval by shareholders and regulators.

    Moving too slowly?
    Sears has been too slow to expand away from mall locations, industry analysts said.

    "If there are indeed hundreds of Kmart conversions into Sears, the company will dramatically accelerate its off-mall presence, a category which has been its downfall," said Lois Huff, retail analyst with Retail Forward.


    Sears opened a new store concept, Sears Grand, last year in a bid to battle back against Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy, which have moved rapidly into free-standing stores in cities and suburbia.

    "The benefits to Sears consumers is more product choice and shopping convenience. Kmart's apparel brands like Joe Boxer and Thalia Sodi have lower starting price points, so consumers could see some downward movement in prices in the apparel category." said Huff.

    "The Kmart stores that continue to exist will be the ones that Sears passed on," she said, adding, "If the company keeps them, they could be converted into value stores in the same category as Dollar General."

    Industry consultant George Whalin went a step further, saying the merger could signal the end of the Kmart name.

    "This is more a real estate deal than anything else. I would be very surprised if Kmart doesn't completely go away in the two to three years, or become something completely different," he said.
  • shoff14shoff14 Member Posts: 11,994 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by sig232
    I love Craftsman Tools. Have used them all my life. They are much cheaper than Snap-on. I do understand that Snap-on is a higher quality tool and they are stronger, thinner and easier to work with. But their pricing is like a Rolex Watch, it is beautiful, but a Sieko tells the same time and is 1/10th the cost.

    I have never broke a Craftsman wrench. I broke a 100' measuring tape once and they replaced it. Maybe a couple of things over the years, but their tools are still the deal of the century.

    The "companion" tools they are selling that are made in China are cheap crap. Chrome plating peels off and cuts your hands. But real cheap stuff.


    I bet you don't use tools every day. If you did, you would have broke some stuff. I have seen 3 cracksman breaker bars break in about 15 minutes without using any extension on them of any sorts.
  • catpealer111catpealer111 Member Posts: 10,695
    edited November -1
    My "junk" tools that I carry around in my truck are craftsman. For my good tools, I have mostly NAPA Professional. It's made in America, has a no questions asked replacement warranty, and just about every town in the country has a NAPA close by. The quality is on par with Snap-On and Mack, definitely higher than Craftsman. As for specialty tools, I have a mix of Snap-On, Mack, and Matco. Plus some K-D for those really odd-ball tools.
  • Locust ForkLocust Fork Member Posts: 31,617 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I hate tools
    LOCUST FORK CURRENT AUCTIONS: https://www.gunbroker.com/All/search?Sort=13&IncludeSellers=618902&PageSize=48 Listings added every Thursday! We do consignments, contact us at mckaygunsales@gmail.com
  • LaidbackDanLaidbackDan Member Posts: 13,143 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Locust Fork
    I hate tools

    Then why do you interact with some of the folks on this forum.[;)][:p]
  • dcon12dcon12 Member Posts: 31,935 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by catpealer111
    My "junk" tools that I carry around in my truck are craftsman. For my good tools, I have mostly NAPA Professional. It's made in America, has a no questions asked replacement warranty, and just about every town in the country has a NAPA close by. The quality is on par with Snap-On and Mack, definitely higher than Craftsman. As for specialty tools, I have a mix of Snap-On, Mack, and Matco. Plus some K-D for those really odd-ball tools.



    Napa and Craftsman are made by Easco Tools. Don
  • CaptplaidCaptplaid Member Posts: 20,296 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I am partial to the THORSEN USA. The THORSEN Tiawan does not count. THORSEN is an old name and I keep an eye out for them on e-barf. I am looking for an 8,10,and 12 cresents. I've got 1/4, 3/8/ and 1/2 inch sets, plus a set of combo wrenches.

    The only snap on I have is my grandfather's 1/2 and 3/8 wratchets. I like the 1/2 wratchet, but I would use the THORSEN or S-K before the Snap-On 3/8.

    I used to be partial to the old Diamond cresent wrenches and plyers. For some reason I don't care for the Cresent name, but where else are you going to go. At work I use a NEW BRITIAN 10 inch adjustable wrench. It was my grandfathers. It is both tight and smooth! I love the THORSEN 16 inch adjustable. It is tight but a little stiff.

    For locking pliers, VISE-GRIP is the only name. Anything else is import crap and not to be trusted. Vise-Grip made some nice tin snips before Irwin screwed them up.

    Craftsmans combo wrenches are a classic and OK. There screwdrivers are good. I like there high end reversible wrachet wrenches, but their medium and low end are ca-ca. There gimick wrenches are a traditional Christmas season joke!

    My main rule is it needs to be USA. There are very few import hand tools in my boxes. Wright and Williams are some old names that my dad has. They are OK. S-K is good stuff but they have gotten exspensive. I love their fine tooth long handle 3/8 ratchet and the wrachet where the head is on a u-joint is original. The old Husky before Home Depot WAS a good classic name. They made a nice heavy duty 3/8 ratchet. It would work in any environment.

    I have two complaints for USA wrenches. Most Craftman ratchets are ca-ca. Allen's teardrop 3/8 ratchet is junk in a high dust environment. It will last maybe 2 months in a grain elevator, but it's great and smooth in a clean factory.

    NEVER TRUST AN IMPORT 3/4 INCH WRATCHET! If you are going to put your back in a wrachet, you do not want it to skip. Trust me on this one.

    My father-in-law thinks I have spent too much on wrenches, but I don't think so.
  • bpostbpost Member Posts: 32,664 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If it ain't made in China; it ain't Anerican.
  • CaptplaidCaptplaid Member Posts: 20,296 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by bpost1958
    If it ain't made in China; it ain't Anerican.


    My AK is made in China.

    My wrenches are made in the USA. There is still a difference in quality.

    Truecraft, made in Japan, is the best import wrench I found, but I can't think of an AMerican comparision. I think the brand is now defunct.
  • cowdoccowdoc Member Posts: 5,847 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Craftsman st least the new ones are junk.....i had to use a 3/8 drive deep well to drive out a bushing on my air seeder and the damn thing is mushroomed so bad on each end that it is totally junk....i am going to take it back and see if they give me a new one! hehehe [}:)]

    S&K tools are 1000 times better than craftsman.....anyways i dont feel to bad when i plant a craftsman tool out in the field and it doesnt grow[:D]
  • shoff14shoff14 Member Posts: 11,994 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by cowdoc
    Craftsman st least the new ones are junk.....i had to use a 3/8 drive deep well to drive out a bushing on my air seeder and the damn thing is mushroomed so bad on each end that it is totally junk....i am going to take it back and see if they give me a new one! hehehe [}:)]

    S&K tools are 1000 times better than craftsman.....anyways i dont feel to bad when i plant a craftsman tool out in the field and it doesnt grow[:D]


    The problem wasn't the 3/8 socket, it was the green paint on the seeder.
  • cowdoccowdoc Member Posts: 5,847 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    now now shoff14 be nice[:D]
  • CaptplaidCaptplaid Member Posts: 20,296 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by shoff14
    quote:Originally posted by cowdoc
    Craftsman st least the new ones are junk.....i had to use a 3/8 drive deep well to drive out a bushing on my air seeder and the damn thing is mushroomed so bad on each end that it is totally junk....i am going to take it back and see if they give me a new one! hehehe [}:)]

    S&K tools are 1000 times better than craftsman.....anyways i dont feel to bad when i plant a craftsman tool out in the field and it doesnt grow[:D]


    The problem wasn't the 3/8 socket, it was the green paint on the seeder.


    What other color is there? When my wife was asked what my favorite color is, her response is John Deere Green.
Sign In or Register to comment.