I’m not sure how they’re distributed through industrial channels, but I imagine that Ace stores will receive shipments from Craftsman/Sears warehouses. Ace already has affiliation with many Craftsman OEMs; the point of the partnership is to promote the Craftsman brand outside of Sears. I imagine that if distribution were OEM-direct and not through Craftsman/Sears, the logistics will be a nightmare for Ace Hardware store owners.

If I’m right, the decision to distribute Craftsman tools beyond Sears’ own channels must be a Sears decision. Ditto for the decision to de-emphasize Craftsman in their retaill outlets.

A justification for this decision may be that Craftsman is the only Sears brand that has any equity outside a Sears store. The brand may be worth more to Sears and its suppliers in other channels than it is just within Sears. Especially if Sears is upside-down with some of their suppliers. I can imagine somebody like Danaher pushing this because Sears hasn’t delivered the volume they were expecting and doesn’t look likely to do so in the future.

I wonder how Craftsman tools have been distributed to the industrial channel and how they will be distributed to Ace. Do/will the orders go through Sears? Or will the manufacturers of Craftsman tools use the name as another one of their own brands?

If we do get a new catalog that emphasizes Craftsman with minimal Sears or Sears Blue Tool Crew mention, that will probably be the final red flag before Sears and Craftsman make their move.

1. Only part of the craftsman lineup was offered. For example, notice how the craftsman pro compressors are missing? How about that super useful 2 gallon wet/dry vac?

2. Craftsman branding has been minimized, but the Sears Blue Tools crew brand is all over the place. This definitely suggests that Sears wants to emphasize Sears and tools in general, not just Craftsman tools that can be found at Sears.

3. There are tons more tools from other vendors.

I wouldn’t be surprised if I get a more complete Craftsman catalog later this year, with minimal Sears branding and all of the Craftsman lineup. As for the Craftsman tools made in China, I think we will see a lot more of them coming under the new, standalone Craftsman brand, at the expense of the Made in USA. I think the black, universal combo wrenches they just released are but the first of many hand tools to be made in China (or elsewhere), yet carry the normal, forever Craftsman warranty.

I’m told that mailable items are shipped for free if an associate helps you order them from an in-store kiosk. This requires waiting a few days for an order, but is a decent alternative for when time isn’t an issue. For urgently needed tools, there are sometimes better alternatives, such as industrial suppliers.

Stephen, I’ve noticed that in the past two catalogs, for the Craftsman warranty information , it says that Craftsman hand tools can be returned to any Craftsman tool outlet. Previous Craftsman catalogs explicitly say to bring those tools to any Sears store. This may not mean anything, but it may suggest that either the Sears-Ace partnership has been in the making for a while, or that it is only the first such arrangement.

As for the new Craftsman tools that are made in China, that’s a rant/editorial for another time. I tried to address the issue in this reply comment, but it got out of hand fast and threw things in an entirely new direction. We’re soon taking a hands-on look at the new [non-USA-made] Craftsman ratcheting wrenches, so you can expect some commentary about the issue at that time.