As some of you have started seeing on social media, Craftsman has publicly announced their August event, where they will be showing off more than 1200 new tools.
So… what do you think they’re coming out with?
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I think that we’ll see a broad range of products, from cordless power tools to “core” hand tools, with most first-wave offerings out in time for holiday season promotion. I am also hoping to get a glimpse at some of the 2019 releases.
At this time, I would expect to see USA-made or USA-built products, where possible. IF Stanley Black & Decker is continuing to work with some 3rd party suppliers, that should be easy. Perhaps Vaughan is supplying the first wave of Craftsman hammers? Maybe Wilde or Western Forge the first wave of pliers? Pratt Read the first wave of screwdrivers?
There will absolutely be Waterloo-made tool storage products.
See Also: 10 New Craftsman Tool Storage Products for 2018
Will there be USA-made mechanics tools? I don’t know. Stanley Black & Decker certainly has in-house capabilities of making Craftsman Professional tools here in the USA – if they resurrect the Craftsman Pro brand – but can they do it at price points that customers are willing to pay?
I bought a couple of Dewalt USA-made screwdrivers a few months ago, but I don’t think I saw them in stores yet. They seem to be aimed more at industrial or commercial users, rather than contractors or DIYers. We’ll have to see what they have planned for Craftsman.
Cordless power tools? I would definitely bet on it. There’s no Dewalt media event this year. There haven’t been a lot of Dewalt cordless tool developments recently. Why? I’d bet that it’s because the cordless development team, as well as the innovation team, are working on new Craftsman products.
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If I were helping to establish a new cordless power tool lineup, I would seek to create several cordless power tool kits – a competitively priced cordless drill kit positioned at $99 (maybe even a little less, such as $89 or $94) to compete with Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Ridgid, Bosch, and Ryobi holiday offerings, a drill and impact driver combo kit, a competitively-priced combo kit, and a more premium-priced combo kit bundled with a new Craftsman tool box.
Similarly, for hand tools, we will likely see tool sets, with open stock (individual screwdrivers, sockets, accessories, etc.) to follow after the holiday season.
We should also expect some power tool accessory sets, such as a drill bit, impact screwdriver set, and so forth.
Consider all of the types of tools that are hugely popular during the holiday season. The new Craftsman brand is going to want to get in on that action.
Lowes, and perhaps the other Craftsman-carrying retailers, will want to make November and December memorable, for both the Craftsman brand and customers.
Father’s Day saw a couple of mechanics tool sets, some tool storage, and LED flashlights. We’re going to see a lot more for Q4 2018.
Will we see corded benchtop tools? Maybe. Woodworking tools? I sure hope so.
Outdoor power tools? Possibly. Snow blowers? I’d bet a little extra on that. OPE is a category that Craftsman has always done well with. Stanley Black & Decker would be smart to offer competitive OPE offerings in time for next winter and then early 2019 for lawn care products.
A few years ago, Sears had an incredibly vast selection of Craftsman tools, benefiting from years of experience and build-up. Neither Husky nor Kobalt, or any other private label brand comes close. Harbor Freight perhaps comes closest, in terms of the quantity and variety of in-store SKUs.
See Also: So, the First Wave of New Craftsman Mechanics Tools Are Made in…
With that in mind, there are two questions – what kinds of tools and products will Craftsman be coming out with? How many and what types of Craftsman tools and products can Lowes support with in-store placement and promotion?
Not to mince words, I consider Lowes to be considerably behind Home Depot with respect to holiday season tool deals and promotional appeal. Craftsman branded offerings, if strategically promoted at Lowes, could be vastly beneficial to both companies.
With this upcoming wave of new tools, they need to appeal to everyone. Budget shoppers, intermediate DIYers, and even pro users, alike. Capturing everyone’s attention or interest now will be important when such shoppers plan out their later tool purchases. If a user feels that Craftsman isn’t targeting them as users, they’ll be less inclined to look at Craftsman offerings later on.
Isn’t that what happened to Craftsman under Sears ownership? Classified as a “sophisticated enthusiast” in SBD marketing speech, Sears stopped caring about me and other such customers. To say “hey, we’re different,” the new Craftsman brand will have to launch their spearhead wave of tools towards multiple user types. I think they can.
For all those reasons, I believe Craftsman will announce the launch of many “core” tools, with certain SKUs aimed at holiday season bargain hunters like us.
It’s going to be an exciting time, to be sure. We’ll be there at Craftsman’s launch event, asking tough questions, assessing the new products, and pressing not-so-subtle hints about what we want Craftsman to come out with next.
Back to the question I asked at the top of the post: So… what do you think they’re coming out with?
Levi
Most of those cordless tool shadows look just like the 20v Porter Cable line. Which are actually pretty decent for the pricing (have pretty much the whole line), great for small home owner projects but not up to my Milwaukee.
James
All of the silhouettes in that picture are Dewalt cordless tools. I would guess most items are going to be the same version of Dewalt, Bostich, and FatMax that they currently sell. Having the Craftsman name allows them to sign shelf space exclusive contracts with the box stores.
Stuart
We cannot rely on the art to be any indication of what’s coming out.
Yesterday, Amazon started promoting a new ahosch $20 off $100 deal, using an image of the price-fixed and non-eligible Flexiclick set as the image in 2 places.
99.99% of the people who see this will not recognize the specific tools.
Cr8on
The silhouettes are spot on Porter Cable, makes sense to use that line of tools for the as the starting block for Craftsman.
Gordon
I don’t think anyone would notice, or care, if the Craftsman name took over all of the Porter Cable 20v tools. PC just isn’t what it used to be. They should go back to being the great woodworking tools that they used to be.
Tom
At my local Lowes this week, Porter Cable power tools and batteries were all on discount. Perhaps they are clearing them out.
Brian
It will probably be a few large mechanics tool sets…that would equal 1,200 tools. Gotta get those piece numbers up by including 50 #2 Phillips bits.
Jim Peterson
It is about time they announced something 18 months after buying the name. I hope the power tools use a battery already being sold in the SBD family and not create yet another battery type.
TGRRAG
What date in August is this event? I checked their twitter, insta, and fb accounts and didn’t see anything. Anxious to see one of my long owned brands come back.
J.B.
I for one would like to see Craftsman be a better quality and styled Ryobi with the same wide spectrum of unique tools for Lowes/SBD. A niche that both are lacking in. I really enjoy Ryobi’s innovation, but for the life of me can not get past the design and branding. I had hoped that Porter Cable would be the one to step up. However, with all of the focus on CM I’m thinking they are being positioned to do such. We shall see.
Aaron
I think you’re right on the money. Porter-Cable and to a lesser extent Kobalt cordless tools seemed primed to fill the Ryobi niche. I’d bet that Craftsman is going to ably fill that void since there seems to be stagnation from the others.
Nicholas
Personally am very thankful ANY time to see made in the United States products or at very least USA built products, as for FAR too long, we’ve been in a decline with that. Glad that Black and Decker Stanley was the company to buy Craftsman brand instead of TTI or another foreign brand. Granted so called “American” companies aren’t in some cases so American anymore.
I’ll say this much, talking about Craftsman online can be either entertaining, frustrating or informative about company information. However, let’s be blunt here, the “glory” days of Craftsman and virtually most brands are long over. Brand loyalty is a relic of the past as a good portion of the population only cares about price. Supporting domestic manufacturing while pivotal to the success of any nation doesn’t factor in with some people, they could care less. That is until this is them that loses their job or reaps the consequences of companies outsourcing labor.
While there is a middle ground and some companies are able to make domestically made products at reasonable prices/good quality control, either you want “cheap” or you want quality built. Harbor Freight is cheap and case by case, the quality is spotty. Nothing there is truly made to last decades though and along with bottom of the barrel pricing, you often get what you are paying for.
In short, I am optimistic and truly hope to see more USA made/assembled products. Being nihilistic and overly cynical does nothing but create a narrative of hopelessness. Not productive in the least.
Framer joe
Absolutely not true about most companies making tools here ,the glory days are not over
satch
Stuart, totally agree with positioning of tools. Lowe’s and Craftsman MUST give significant support to help make the intial ‘we’re back’ punch effective.
As to my wants? Well definitely USA made mechanics tools. If they fail this I am afraid they will be seen as Husky and Kobalt -some okay, some terrible. And it will do that part of the brand no good in the market.
OPE and bench and portable power tools? They were always sub’d out before so no one will be worrying too much about that. It’s the make or break for the brand with USA made mechanics tools.
Also, how will this affect Porter-Cable? SBD obviously repositioned P-C as their entry level version to compete with Ryobi. I think they were referring to it as upscale consumer or somesuch at one time. I think this is squarely where Craftsman should reside in their power tool brands. Return P-C to pro level woodworking power tools and quickly phase out their somewhat underwhelming(marketwise) coordless line or sell them under the Craftsman marquee. Not really sure how they will handle the handheld power tool lineup but there is little chance of selling both brands effectively atnsimilar price points.
Bryan
I want to be excited, but at the same time I’m expecting to be disappointed.
Steven
Here is what if I had to guess knowing Black and Decker Stanley, there will be some made in United States of America of global materials along with assembled, engineered, designed in USA with global materials products. Probably won’t be 50%, likely at most 10-25% potentially.
Naturally, anytime we aren’t funding other countries 100% and investing in our own country, I’ll fully support. For the sake of workers and their communities, these would be 100% made in USA products, yet given their (Stanley’s) run in with the FTC, I doubt they want another incident. Not because the investors, top executives suddenly realized what they did was wrong, yet because of the fines and how they cannot change the past so others would forget this ever happened.
If I remember correctly Sears sold the Craftsman brand for 900 million and I imagine Eddie Lampert made several million out of that deal. Wouldn’t be surprised if 100-500 he directly pocketed. Yet there are some that think Sears intentionally sold the Craftsman brand to Black and Decker Stanley as to preserve the heritage of some of their products made in USA by various companies. While I am sure there some individuals behind the scenes might think this was, they aren’t the majority.
If TTI, Bosch or any other company for that matter offered more money, in a heart beat Sears would have sold to them. Even if these companies would completely globalize and or shut down any opportunity for domestic manufacturers to be used. Not that is a negative as I’d do the same if I were in this position, all that mattered was making as much money as possible regardless of what happens after the company acquires the brand.
By the way in case anyone is wondering, I don’t have a horse in this race as I am not American. Wasn’t thrilled when Marples was sold to Newell Rubbermaid, i.e. Irwin as virtually every prediction I made came to fruition unfortunately.
Nathan
is porter cable meant to go against ryobi or ridgid? I see them more as lowe’s version of ridgid while carrying Bosch and dewalt While Home Depot carries some of everybody except Porter Cable.
I don’t see PC as entry level but just a bit above entry.
If they make craftsman cordless power tools they need to have battery commonality with Dewalt. I probably would look at one then.
Handtools – need to be made and america, cost a tick more – and be competitive feature and use wise. Otherwise I won’t even look at them. I expect them to cost a tick more because of the made in america and warranty thing.
Failing that it might should just go away
satch
You may be right. SBD may be seeing this as their Ridgid. While I am not over excited by my Ridgid cordless set I would not see the current crop of P-C as any better.
I have really not used them as personal owner but a few guys at work were supplied with them by our purchasing dept and I was none too impressed at build quality, power, etc.
I guess I cannot get used to this new identity of theirs. My experience was made from their corded routers, planers, saws, etc. One of the best reciprocating saws I ever used was a model they made in the early nineties(pre-SBD) with a rotating handle. Rugged, smooth, durable as can be.
Back to topic. I just hope this venerable old brand can make a proper comeback.
Stuart
A few years ago, I really thought Ridgid, but was told Ryobi.
satch
Thank you Stuart. My initial thoughts were correct. Wasn’t sure.
All the more reason to re badge P-C to Craftsman for cordless I reckon. At least I would like it. Again, the brand owners likely see this a lot differenty than I do.
I also wonder about yet another battery platform if they decide to resurrect the C3 ecosystem. I think this more than anything will tell a lot. I don’t know how they would handle a fourth battery system. Actuallt a fifth with the B&D 20v stuff. But isn’t the C3 platform over ten years old? I fear they will take Craftsman more toward that line for power tools and that is most certainly not a good idea. It will be interesting.
Stuart
Seeing as the C3 tools were made by Chervon and TTI, SBD would have to redesign everything from the ground up. So why stick to an outdated battery form factor?
It’d be in their best interest – and possibly users’ too – if they come out with an adapter to help users bridge over from C3 to a 20V Max slide pack form factor or similar.
Tom
What do you think the chances are of them coming out with a 12v line? I’d love to see Nextec come back, but I am actually considering selling mine on Ebay now that they are going for ridiculous prices.
Stuart
I’m hesitant to speculate, but I will say this – what have we seen from SBD brands in the 12V-class tool space in recent years? Dewalt? Porter Cable?
Does Ryobi have a 12V cordless tool line? Kobalt?
I’m open minded, but I won’t let myself be too optimistic.
satch
Thanks Stuart. I was not aware of the Craftsman/Chervon/TTI relationship. OF course I was not really aware of Chervon til I read here about their purchase of Skil. One of the readons I keep coming back here. Great information!
Indeed, SBDC needs to put C3 to rest. Agree, a 20v max adapter and charger system would be great for those with legacy tools in good shape but no real need to re-purchase new tools. Again, thanks for the nice response.
Stuart
To be fair, there’s no reason for most people to be aware of private label brands’ OEMs.
It will be interesting to see if SBD maintains the same Craftsman 20V Max line that they built for the Bolt-On system, which seemed to feature full Black & Decker 20V Max battery and charger compatibility.
But, I would hope that they’d intend for any new Craftsman lineup to perform at least a level or two better. The B&D battery system doesn’t give them much to work with.
Jalopy_J
I really hope they make the cordless line C3 compatible. I mainly use M12 now, but still have all my C3 stuff. Seems smart to me to tap into the millions of users who already have them versus starting from scratch. My guess though is it’ll be a new line. It’s a lot easier and cheaper to just phone it in with some rehashed dewalt/Porter/Stanley cordless tools they already have. If they do make new C3 compatible stuff, I will be out a lot of money, haha. The last new Sears C3 tool was released fall of 2014.
Stuart
Realistically, I think that the best one could hope for is a 20V Max to C3 adapter.
OldDominionDIYer
This big tool “reintroduction” will set the tone and establish Craftsman going forward and I hope they don’t go with a cheap “knockoff” style tools but rather go upscale a bit and offer good value along with good quality. Quality over quantity will carry them further towards success for sure. Right now I will not even consider purchasing a Craftsman tool, for me they’re cheap Chinese junk. It’s sad really how far that brand has fallen and how long consumers gave them the benefit of the doubt until there cheap quality tools were so poor, they had a decade or more to do the right thing but instead kept cutting quality to up their corporate profits. Needless to say I am very disappointed with their previous leaders decisions, hoping for better but expecting the same old “new” junk frankly.
Big Adam
1199 new drill bits?
KokoTheTalkingApe
Other people have said that Craftsman could create a niche for itself in well-made and well-designed hand tools that are one notch above entry-level.
I think that they could go further, and use branding, designs, advertising, etc. that are explicitly retro, “traditional,” ‘authentic,” back-to-basics. For that, they could charge a slight premium.
That is hot right now in other realms, like stitched welt boots, selvedge denim and cast iron skillets, and sometimes it gets some ridicule. But unlike some other brands, Craftsman has some street cred (or at least it used to) to back that image up.
That might appeal both to the young bearded crowd who is learning to hand-forge steel, and the older set, who my old girlfriend used to call “The Grumpy Ones.” The tools would be made “how they used to make them.” Like Bridge City Tools, but cheaper and simpler. Like Black and Decker, but less about cheap coffee makers.
Hand tools, clothing, boots, and a baseball hat might be all they can manage. Maybe they could do a few basic power tools, like table saws, circular saws, maybe power drills with all-metal housings. Cordless tools might be impossible for them.
satch
That i actually a great idea. I looked at the new/old looking Skilsaw reciprocating saw at Menard’s the other day. Definitely an old school vibe and the price is right. Feels reslly solid when hou hold it too. None of that stretch armstrong pkasticky feel like their cheapola drills that used to be sold at Wallyworld and other places.
Stuart
“Like Bridge City Tools but cheaper?”
Be careful what you wish for. Bridge City Tools is now owned by a company that’s based in China.
Starting a few years ago, Bridge City Tools partnered with the company that now owns it, for making licensed copies of their tools for international markets. And so those were technically Bridge City Tool designs, but cheaper because they were made overseas.
fred
And the owner has a – to my way of thinking – a rather disingenuous western name (Harvey Industries) rather than having a name more aligned
to its location.
I also get a chuckle at the brand names used on tools by folks like Harbor Freight – possibly to obfuscate their COO. I suspect that HF’s Chicago Electric tools have little if anything to do with the windy city.
fred
In this interesting world we live in – not everything is what it seems to be. That B&D coffee maker you mention is not made by Black & Decker – but by a company called Spectrum Brands that licenses the name from SBD. Spectrum Brands also licenses other brand names like , Farberware, George Foreman and Toastmaster to put on some small appliances. Spectrum also licenses the Stanley brand name to put on hardware and locks – but their Kwikset and Weiser Locks are probably bigger sellers.
Flotsam
I was eager to see the new Craftsman Tool Boxes at my local Lowes despite the fact I had recently gotten a Husky box. It looked nice but upon closer inspection I was very unimpressed. Not a terrific price either ($ 349 upper $449 lower) for the features and quality I saw. No drawer lines and my biggest peeve was how horrible the drawer slides felt. And this is without anything in the drawers! I checked most of the drawers and each seemed to exhibit severe drag pulling out and returning. Supposedly according to ad copy on the web site it is supposed to be 18/19 gauge steel but the drawers felt very flexy. The top of the Craftsmen is a little ragged too with its gas struts.
My Husky feels real smooth while I realize it is not a top of the line box it is solid with all the tools i have stuffed in there. Really I was a bit disappointed.
I remember Porter Cable from 20 and 30 years ago, they were considered more of a professional brand. Today SBD has kind of ignored them and they seem like a cut rate brand. Sad.
fred
Probably a case of too many brands doing the same thing in a market that may be growing but not exponentially. If Dewalt was only power tools – then maybe there would be a better slot to slide Craftsman back into for hand tools. But with SBD having brands like Proto, Mac Tools, Facom, Dewalt, Bostitch, Irwin, Lenox, Vise Grip and Stanley – all applied to some tool or other within mechanic’s tool market – slotting Craftsman back in would seem tricky. Then putting the Craftsman name on power tools – with SBD brands: B&D, Bostitch, Dewalt. and Porter Cable – and it gets to be an even more interesting challenge. The only sure fit I see is for Craftsman toolboxes – coming out for Stanley’s Waterloo Industries factory in Missouri.
Kent
I think Craftsman would be crazy to try and compete against Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, and other high end companies that make pro grade tools.
Craftsman’s reputation is in the toilet. Without even looking at the tools, I would assume they are Rigid, Ryobi and HF levels of quality.
Can’t we just let Craftsman and Harley die? How long should a failing company stay on life support and live off of reputation only?
MonkeyFun
Harley? As in Davidson? How is that a failing company?
Michaelhammer
1200 new tools. *sigh* There you have your tone set. They’re going low brow, bottom rung. As others have alluded to, one has to include drill bits and sockets to get to that astronomical number of tools. Either that or they could just stick the name on anything and everything. I will try harder to be optimistic, for original Craftsman quality has a special place in my heart, but the last couple decades have been atrocious. That’s an entire generation that has no idea what we’re talking about when we speak of Craftman quality and made in America. When it comes to tools, there are those that are price driven and they have an abundance of choices. On the other hand there is a large and lucrative market that demands the highest quality and superlative engineering. Most often this is referred to as German Engineering. HOW ABOUT AMERICAN ENGINEERING?! I would very much like to see an American company compete with Fein or Festool. Perhaps a total remake of the brand is far fetched, unrealistic, a daydream. Maybe the brand should be taken behind the barn and dispatched. Seems like someone has to go. How much low end crap can fit on the shelves? I said I would try harder to be more optimistic. I fear it is proving too challenging. So, to answer the question, what do I think they are going to come out with; nothing. Nothing we haven’t seen, nothing new, nothing exciting, nothing that four other brands aren’t already doing well enough. My optimism has faded.
Scott
When / If they make their hand tools in the U.S., They should get Bob Vila in a commercial again, saying his “Because it’s a hand tool made in America, it’s guaranteed forever” line
Eric McCormick
Funny how [your favorite tool brand] fans are more and more the Apple snobs of the tool world.
Stuart
There, I fixed it for you.
Kyle
Can we all agree no “fandom” “community” or genre has individuals you might not always agree with? Granted, from what I’ve noticed here, most are civil here. Can’t really say I am surprised with those being skeptical here. I’ve been in several over several decades and no “community” is 100% perfect.
Decades ago, Craftsman was truly a brand that was a proud American symbol. Sears mostly used companies that produced items in America and had knowledge employees that took pride in their job. Retail was so much different then, for the better in my opinion. Times have changed for better and worse, so you either adapt or risk being stuck in the past.
Brian M
I wonder if they’re just going to kill off Porter Cable. It seems like they were trying to push them with the tool box offering and then some brushless tools but I see no advertising, not even in store. It seems to make sense to kill PC, maybe even Stanley hand tools. I don’t know anyone that is brand loyal to anything other than Stanley Fat Max (Specifically tape measures and hammers). You’d think Craftsman would be a bigger name than Stanley but obviously both are recognizable.
It seems that SBD are either going to have to kill some brands or they’re wasting money competing with themselves in a lot of categories. Meanwhile Ryobi and Ridgid are gaining marketshare from advertising on TV, radio and in-store and have a clear idea of who’s their customer base.
satch
Big question and one I have asked too. Put me in the camp of P-C was ruined by this repositioning of somehow entry level/upscale homeowner(whatever that is) classification. With Craftsman under their belts it will compete where P-C has been shoehorned. At least in cordless tools.
I understand the guys who say tradesmen want their cordless tools all in one brand for battery compatibilty and so forth. Yet there is still a major market for professional grade, corded handheld woodworing tools like routers, jigsaws, planers, circular saws, etc that will likely never be filled by battery power. Not for hardwood tasks like one off cabinet making, hardwood flooring, stair railings. These tasks still need corded power. And I wish P-C could be moved back to that purpose.
Dreaming on that one I suspect. If the Craftsman reboot takes off, I really do wonder if Porter-Cable will be out out of its misery? Other than a couple of tools at my old workplace, I don’t know anyone who uses them. Must be out there though. They keep the brand alive at Lowe’s and Amazon.
Neighbor Joe
SBD has a huge task on their hands. One thing for sure, SBD likes to own the companies that supply its tools. They bought Waterloo and Lennox. More USA made Craftsman tool boxes, new saw blades and drill bits for hole saws will be offered soon. Overall, I hope SBD is not inclined to continue using Apex Tools. Bain Capital bought out Danaher, created Apex and shut down most of their US plants. Much of the Chinese Craftsman tools come from Apex plants. Time will tell.
Steve
As mentioned, the number 1200 is pretty doubtful, and while it’s a cute advertisement, I don’t think it really helps. My bet is that they just restyled the entire line with a common color scheme or logo style…then just used existing tool producers to churn them out. Probably just rebadged stuff. If Craftsman could offer an all-USA made lineup and stick to it, while keeping prices below Snap-On, they might get my business. Milwaukee has some very strong entries in the hand tool market these days…made offshore but affordable and high quality. At present, I avoid buying/using Craftsman tools unless they are vintage. Why would I buy a restyled Dewalt or Stanley tool when I can go to HF and get the same thing for half the price? This price point is pretty much all the same and probably only matters if you want to coordinate. If I want a well made tool and am willing to spend the money on it, it’s going to at least be American or German made.
Framer joe
Craftsman should be made in the USA and only the USA…
A craftsman 12v line to rivel m12 would be awesome, forget more 18v tools…
All hand tools made here…not some , not most…All…you pick up a craftsman tool and you Know where it’s made, period.
Quality tools must be built, not one POS tool…I see one chance to make this happen…do it right , people will follow.
Do it wrong and the people are gone.
There are enough of us “craftsman ” guys left to rebuild the name again…but not without made in the USA on everything…
ToolOfTheTrade
I agree with you 100 percent framer Joe about where craftsman tools should be made and the materials to make them. And the worst part is that they have the means to eliminate the use of global materials to manufacture every one of their brands tools, but unfortunately Stanley b&d has no interest in doing so because they only care about greed and profit margins and have absolutely no values or principles whatsoever like the men who started Sears & Roebuck, Black & Decker or Stanley Works. If those men of principle were alive today, none of their tools would be made from Chinese hands nor would there be any global materials being used to manufacture their tools. I knew sbd was full of shit when they “pledged” to bring craftsman back to America. I guess it’s a good thing that they didn’t pledge to do the same thing with Dewalt because they’ve been pulling that same shit with Dewalt for a few years now. And I’m willing to bet that the “new” craftsman tools are nothing more than porter cable tools (which sbd has done all but ruin the brands reputation) with a slightly different color scheme that were merely assembled in America with all Chinese parts (global materials). So instead of owning up to the fact that they absolutely ruined porter cable, they’re going to attempt to rebrand pc with craftsman in some sort of bullshit rebranding /reintroduction. I doubt that sbd’s ownership of craftsman will be much different than Eddie Lampert with the exception of sbd actually putting money into the brand for imported Chinese manufactured parts to be assembled in America. What’s to keep craftsman from suffering the same fate as porter cable? Release some rebranded power tools and change the color around a little bit and call it new. Pc never made hand tools, but what I’ve seen at Lowes is what I expect it to be unfortunately. I’m sure those of us that were expecting sbd to bring back home America’s most famous tool brand will have no interest in the new, yet still made in China sbd version of craftsman tools.
Michaelhammer
I wonder if there are any American investors left that have patience for the slow roll. If they care that investing in a brand for long term growth and stability is better for the brand and the nation. We used to understand this, we used to care. It’s not all about price. The Germans prove this again and again. The global market will pay top dollar for long-lasting, high quality products that are well thought-out and executed. Somewhere along the line we Americans have abandoned those principals for abject consumerism, where everything is so cheap that it becomes disposable. Warranties are a joke, we don’t even stand behind our products anymore. We as consumers are as much to blame as anyone. I bet most of the readers of this blog don’t own any Lie-Nielsen planes or Starrett combo squares. Craftsman should have gone higher in price, not lower. We want American made with American materials, we have to pay. “Put your money where your mouth is,” all of us. Seek out and buy American.
fred
You (or Pogo) have said it: “we have met the enemy and he is us!”
Wal-Mart being the biggest retailer in the world – tells the manufacturer’s something about what most consumers seem to want: low cost and where its made or how long it will last comes in a distant second or third.
Even the Germans are moving production out of Germany. Wiha is sourcing some items from Vietnam, Wera making most items in the Czech Republic – and the last 2 Bosch tools that Stuart posted about (cordless planer and router) haif from a factory in Hungary – with batteries from Malaysia and chargers from China.
To be honest with ourselves, Craftsman was never a small production-run top of the line brand. It was a mass market (when Sears was a major force in the retail business) brand that you could count on for long lasting good quality – with a good return/replacement policy should something break. Before the Internet – the Craftsman Catalog was not a bad place to look for tool buying options and innovations – particularly for the DIY buyer. What I lament is that mismanagement at Sears – let a well known and respected brand slide into near irrelevance – probably not unlike some auto brands (anyone for Oldsmobile or Mercury) that are no longer manufactured.
When I would bring a new master carpenter on or promote one – I would give him or her the choice of a Lie-Nielsen block plane as a welcome gift. My message was that we expected that their work would be something we could all be proud of with USA-made quality and consistency commensurate with that of the plane they were being given.
John McDougald
I would really like to see them bring back the Craftsman Tool Catalog with this big event. I really miss that thing. It was my Christmas wish list book since I was about 13 years old.
charles
the only way I see the Craftsman name redeemed is if they plant a flag in the ground and say “all made in the USA”. otherwise it’s just another production run batched out to an overseas contractor. if the world has changed and no tool brand can survive like that, time for Craftsman to die.
closing all the Sears stores near me, after several years of putting the cheap Chicom junk in Ace, etc, built pr momentum that’s going to take a lot of effort to change direction. who is going to provide the “lifetime warranty” on my screwdrivers and wrenches? when Lowes bails out of the poor selling Craftsman brand in 3 years?
ToolOfTheTrade
We are indeed to blame for the acceptance of poorly made disposable products, but the companies that make these products are at fault even more so along with our government for getting into bed with China and putting us in a very compromising position. We owe China so much money that it’s enough to declare war on the US. But instead of ww3, our government abandoned trade policy to communist countries and made a deal to help china’s economy by moving 99% of the American manufacturing industry to China. And as soon as the owners of these companies found out how much money they can save by using Chinese labor and materials, they turned their backs on American workers and never looked back. And being that 99% of Chinese labor has absolutely no skillset or any sort of education or experience in industrial manufacturing, they’re making maybe a dollar/hour. Every American manufacturer that has a factory in China is profiting from the exploitation of Chinese labor and the fact that labor laws don’t exist in China. I doubt they’re losing any sleep over it. Why pay a few skilled educated laborers more money when you have an endless supply of inept laborers that can be exploited for a lot less money? Modern day Chinese slavery with American slave owners and Chinese slave masters. It’s not on American soil, so US emancipation laws don’t apply. And of course the government makes sure that the media doesn’t expose it or even mention one word about it. In turn this has ultimately caused quality depletion across the entire industry due to the absence of quality control. They don’t know what quality control is. This unfortunately makes it impossible for a brand using these methods to be able to stand behind their products and even worse, they don’t have a problem with it because they’ve accepted that their once quality product is now a disposable piece of shit and they figure why make a little bit of profit with a couple of quality products when they can make a bigger profit by making an abundance of disposable pieces of shit. This is now the mindset of the entire overseas American manufacturing industry. Sbd along with everyone else is guilty of this and its the very reason that proudly made is now a thing of the past and is why brands like craftsman can no longer be trusted to be considered a proudly made brand that a company can stand behind. Thanks uncle Sam. No, better yet, f you uncle Sam and f you for what you’ve done to America!
Neighbor Joe
Agreed. But SBD released their US Craftsman manufacturing footprint and it looks like a wide variety of Craftsman hand tools will be returning to the US. Possible either the Cherwa Proto plant retooled for Craftsman or the old Craftsman Apex plant in Sumter SC is back in business among many others. https://www.craftsman.com/whereitsmade
Patrick H.
As far as I’m concerned, this is too little too late. They lost me several years ago and it would take nothing short of a miracle to lure me back. The damage had been done. I’m not sure these manufacturers realize how hard it can be to get someone to switch cordless lines.
Matt
Lowes has Craftsman Flashlights as well as the mechanics toolsets and garage gear. Will consider the rechargeable flashlights. Please review when/if you get some samples Toolguyd!
JC-Garcia
The new Crafsman power tools are listed in the Lowes web site already. 20V Max system made in USA.
James
Lowe’s has on their website a mixture of USA made power tools, and imported cheaper ones, do not know if they were supposed to put them up before the 16th of august
Donald Victory
Might need to start working on a gps device to find the nearest sears?
Greg
Craftsman socks!!!!!
Stuart
SBD has not yet come out with Craftsman-branded socks.