Lowe’s recently discounted the newly launched Craftsman 4-drawer metal tool carts, from $399 to $299.
Great deal, right? Meh.
4 out of the 5 colors are no longer available – all you can buy now is the grey color at this sale price.
Advertisement
Made in USA, right? Wrong. It’s made in Asia. So much for Stanley Black & Decker and Craftsman’s commitment to USA manufacturing.
When’s the last time Craftsman launched any hand tools that were made in the USA??
But at least the price is good, right?
Harbor Freight’s 30″ 5-drawer US General mechanics tool cart is $280 – before any coupons or discounts which they still offer on occasion – and it’s available in 9 different colors.
8 out of 9 of the colors are available at my closest Harbor Freight store, and the one that isn’t can be ordered in-store for pickup.
I used to be so excited about the latest Craftsman tools and storage products, and Harbor Freight was too cheap and flimsy to pay any attention to.
Advertisement
Harbor Freight launched their Icon brand a few years ago and have really built something with it, where the tools are great quality and in high demand.
Craftsman had some great tools too – V-Series. But they discontinued them last year.
Ah well. Maybe there’s a chance things will go full circle and Craftsman starts to impress everyone again?
A tool cart is just a tool cart, but I feel there’s more to it.
When is the last time Craftsman was a leader in any regard?
Craftsman has been touting this “award-winning” “best mechanics tool set” in email marketing newsletters.
See also: Is Craftsman’s New $99 Mechanics Tool Set a Good Deal?
It’s an imported tool set with less value than last year’s. It’s not a terrible bargain, even though 100 of the 242 pieces are cheap screwdriver and nut driver bits. What’s award-winning about this? What’s to be proud of?
I think that Craftsman lost to Harbor Freight and other competing brands, and they’re just going through the motions.
They slashed the price of the tool cart to $299, but all you can get right now is grey. Does that mean the sale will end and the other colors will then be available again? Why bother when Harbor Freight has 9 different colors at lower pricing? Both are made in Asia.
Lowe’s apparently also has Kobalt tool carts in a range of colors, but with lower storage capacity.
I had this same feeling before, a few years ago when Sears stopped caring about Craftsman and were just going through the motions. Back then, Sears started discontinuing their USA-made hand tools. It wasn’t long before Craftsman became a price point brand rather than an innovator.
I really thought that Stanley Black & Decker would do great things with the Craftsman brand. It looks like I was wrong.
A new USA tool factory? Oh. Nevermind, was too hard. See Craftsman’s Failed USA Tool Factory – What Really Happened?
Milwaukee Tool can successfully launch a USA hand tool factory for the production of pliers and screwdrivers – to start with – but the world’s largest toolmaker CAN’T?!
To me, the tool cart is just one more sign of Craftsman’s failure.
Lowe’s has been putting more energy into their Kobalt brand, and that’s looking like a good call.
There could be meaning sprinkled in the details.
Lowe’s has Craftsman magnetic trays at 2 for $18.98. I doubt Craftsman makes this, they presumably went with a 3rd party OEM. I used to find these in Lowe’s holiday deals gift center.
It looks like Lowe’s went to the OEM directly, and they’re selling 3 for $11.98.
I tried searching for Craftsman cordless power tool deals, as Lowe’s holiday promos just started, and couldn’t find much there either.
My Lowe’s has a Craftsman 4Ah battery for $119, or a 2-pack for $149. And how much for the Kobalt 24V 4Ah battery? $39 each right now.
Ryobi is launching a bunch of new 18V cordless power tools. What’s happening with Craftsman V20? Apparently not much.
The tool cart led me to think about how Craftsman lost to Harbor Freight. But with everything going on, I’m now thinking that Craftsman simply lost. Lost their vision, lost appeal, lost competitiveness, they just lost.
I don’t feel bad for them either, and that’s because I feel duped by their promises. Innovation! USA production! It’s been over 8 years now, since Stanley Black & Decker bought the Craftsman brand. Are how things are now just how it’s going to be for Craftsman?
There are many mechanics tool brands, hand tool brands, and cordless power tool brands eager to push into Lowe’s stores, as Klein has done in the pro space. I wonder if or when Lowe’s will finally give them the chance to take over some of the space still occupied by Craftsman.
Things looked bleak for Craftsman before, and Stanley Black & Decker swooped in to acquire and rebuild the brand.
When’s the last time that anyone was excited about Irwin tools? Lenox? Porter Cable? Maybe this isn’t about Craftsman, but what happens to tool brands under Stanley Black & Decker.
Can anyone argue that Craftsman hasn’t lost to Harbor Freight? Are they winning in any regard? Chime in if you feel good about the Craftsman tool brand these days, I really need some convincing.
John
Harbor Freight has had excellent tool cabinets for a very long time. Even before their tool brands redesign (or copies of main brand tools), the US General products have been well built and best bang for buck over most any other company.
TomD
Harbor Freight in general NOW has decent tools at decent prices – they used to have insanely cheap prices but 7-11 discount tool bin quality.
So much of storage like this is the shipping and labor which likely is about the same whether you build it flimsy or strong.
The US General tool carts have been a wonderful purchase; no regrets. And (I believe) starting the color craze was absolute brilliance.
Matt_T
I think Snap-on were first with colored boxes. Definitely started on the tool trucks about 30 years ago. HF were probably the first to bring colors to the consumer level boxes.
Grant Owens
Harbor freight has come up. However, craftsman still honors the lifetime warranty on their ratchets.
I contacted craftsman about a 3/8 & 1/2 inch ratchets. All they wanted was the serial number and my address.
No receipt required.
They sent me 180 tooth ratchets, very nice quality, and I’ve used and abused them and their holding strong.
If I hadn’t had this experience I probably would not have purchased new.
But now I will recommend and willing to take a chance if the price is competitive.
Stuart
If they have it. A reader complained to me that Craftsman was unable to replace a V-series tool they purchased a year ago, and wouldn’t give them SBD’s closest equivalent, only a lesser grade Craftsman.
JC
I had a similar situation, I had an older USA ratchet that had already been rebuilt once. SBD sent the entry level replacement. I emailed back pointing out the original USA ratchet was v series (stamped with V). They told me to keep the first ratchet that was sent to me, and they sent me a new V series ratchet. I believe that v series ratchet has now been discontinued. Either way, their customer service has been excellent for me when I’ve needed it.
Grant Owens
My experience was about 5 months ago.
Did they contact craftsman online?
That’s how I did it, no receipt , from tools I inherited.
Rock Justice
Ditto, same for me Broken Pliers set was replaced under warranty by an inferior set as they discontinued it
Allen Hardison
Harbor Freight honors replacement too & most r lifetime.
OldDominionDIYer
SB&D is NOT a tool company! They are simply investment brokers dealing in companies that once made tools and now just copy each other and their competitors! Sad but true! Not one brand acquired by the SB&D conglomerate has improved since acquisition, go ahead and change my mind. Dewalt, probably their flagship brand has done well, no doubt but innovated? I don’t think so. Again DeWalt make great tools but they are not leading edge or full of innovation. Porter Cable?? Cub Cadet? Craftsman! no chance! Sometimes I think they purchase brands just to not have to compete with them. Others literally die out a slow painful death.
Brad
If my radial arm saws are any indication, DeWalt quality is well below where they were when Black & Decker bought them. Then again, back in those days all they really produced were the industry’s best radial arm saws, whereas now they produce a fairly diverse array of mostly decent, prosumer-oriented tools.
GW
I had similar thoughts as I read this. The original cast iron arm Dewalt saws were so well built. Once Black & Decker brought them out, quality suffered and an inferior product was sold. Dewalt obviously has shifted their focus over the years, but B&D seems to be the death knell for any quality tool brand. It’s just a race to the bottom with B&D.
David
Agreed! I worked for the B&D side during the Stanley merge and completely different priorities regarding both companies! I left a year later. I really enjoyed working for the B&D company and was proud of the heritage of B&D, Dewalt, Porter Cable/Delta etc.
Wes
God, I miss Porter Cable of the past 60’s-90’s or so, they were amazing. Like an American answer to Festool. Hell, they could have been the American Festool. Double down on quality and innovation. Forget Appealing to everyone and only focus on the Pro’s….hell if Festool and Snap-On etc… can make it work… what could have been.
fred
I bought my first Porter-Cable tool (a router) in 1959. They were still an independent company then. Through the following years – while they were owned by Rockwell (the Aerospace conglomerate – not the tool folks who now use the Rockwell name) and then Pentair – they produced many fine tools that garnered my tool-buying dollars both for my home shop and businesses. During the Rockwell years – some tools under the PC name and more with the Rockwell brand were DIY quality – and they also tried branching out – making tools like rotohammers and others way beyond their woodworking roots. When Pentair owned them – they seemed to move back to more woodworking tools. When Pentair sold PC and Delta to Black & Decker – it was downhill from there on. Not wanting to have PC compete with Dewalt – and not having the vision to make something else out of the PC brand (like a high-end woodworking tool purveyor) – B&D moved the PC brand down-market – and now SBD has moved it into irrelevance nearing oblivion. To be fair to B&D – when they acquired PC and Delta in 2004 – the Festool success model may not have been apparent.
I still own and 19 Porter Cable tools from the era when corded tools ruled the workshop. Most of my PC routers still get decent use and soldier on despite their age. I’m not sure if any of their tools designed after the B&D acquisition would stand that test of time – and since I stopped buying them, I have no way of finding out
Stuart
If you don’t mind my asking, does your recollection about the 1959 purchase come from an excellent memory, or impeccable record-keeping as some of your comments regularly suggest?
fred
I’ve kept an inventory for what I considered major purchases since I was in my 20’s. Those were kept as a paper record in a composition notebook. Then in 1996 – I decided to inventory my shop – tools and to a lesser extent small parts, By, that point I had made myself familiar with the inventory systems we had in use across our businesses. Rather than adopt one of them – I decided that my then PC hard drive was large enough to accommodate a database. I started with something called DB-IV – but soon moved on to an easier to navigate Microsoft product called Access. I started populating the database from my notebook – so have better records for what I might call my capital tools. As I moved through my shop, I decided to list things by locations, then toolboxes, cabinets etc. It took over a year – working at it on and off. I have many items on my database with acquisition dates described as “before 1996” – many of these I know were tools that I inherited. As time moved on, I added new fields to the database to include such things as UPC (GTINs).
In 2002 – I started keeping records of what I was gifting away. I just looked – and my primary database of tools, parts and consumables has over 42,000 records. Having the database – especially for parts helps a lot to find parts that I might have bought years ago – put away in some obscure closet, garage attic, house attic or shed – for a future project that is now ready to go. Before I start a new project, I also look at what consumables I need versus what I have on hand.
Stuart
Thank you! That’s extremely impressive.
JC
Regarding just hand tools, IMO Craftsman (made in Asia) is still better than Harbor Freight Pittsburgh and probably Quinn as well. I have no experience with the HF Icon brand so I can’t say. The Craftsman Overdrive line (formerly Gunmetal Chrome) seems particularly better than the standard Craftsman hand tools. And in my experience, the warranty/customer service provided by SBD has been top notch. It seemed like to me, that Lowe’s went overboard slapping the Craftsman name on everything from weed-eater string to lunchboxes. I’m sure Sears was guilty of the same, but it felt like Lowe’s just made Craftsman their house brand, and this had the effect to water down Craftsman hand tools as “high end”. This branding also went along with less and less Kobalt items as Craftsman branding appeared on everything. I’m not sure if it’s more tradition than brand loyalty, but I hope SBD doesn’t give up completely and can make something out of the name Craftsman in hand tools again. And Lowe’s can help by stop naming everything Craftsman.
Stuart
Lowe’s didn’t slap the Craftsman name on everything. Lowe’s is the customer, and are only buying what Craftsman is selling to them.
TomD
I’m sure that Lowe’s moves enough Craftsman that they can pretty strongly influence the brand.
What are they going to do, sell at Ace only?
David
I remember the Lowe’s Craftsman transition also. Seems everything went from Blue to Red overnight and I thought the same thing ie Craftsman is going to become Lowe’s main tool line and they will be discontinuing Kobalt as I saw the Kobalt line of tools wither away, especially the hand/mechanic tools! Then Craftsman started appearing at ACE Hardware and other outlets which further diluted the name IMO.
Stuart
Kobalt did fade away, but I’ve seen signs Lowe’s is trying to reinvigorate their brand.
Grant Owens
The impact grade sockets have held out better than I expected.
Those are Pittsburgh i believe.
The power tools are durable, I bought one of the 25 dollar ones and truly used it for things it was not meant for.
It finally gave to after drilling holes in the 5th cinder block.
Battery still good.
The other power tools are underpowered and can get better deals elsewhere.
But over all, they have improved.
Kyle
Craftsman fully transforming into a zombie company just in time for Halloween. 🎃
Bonnie
Craftsman was never a company to begin with. It was always just a brand slapped on other people’s tools.
People need to stop caring about what Craftsman is or was, just let it die.
TomD
It’s literally a testament to how strong that warranty was; it continues to exist solely on the legacy from that.
mikedt
those collapsing nut cups need more or bigger magnets. The last Craftsman versions I bought had a dime size magnet in each corner – not near enough magnetic field in my opinion.
Stuart
I feel that the magnets on this type of product are only strong enough to keep the parts cups in a handy spot on the side of a steel cabinet (collapsed flat) until you need to use them.
These are good for grouping parts together, but no, the magnets are not very powerful.
TomD
Harbor Freight used to give away metal magnetic parts holders (with coupon) and the magnets on those were strong enough to outlast the glue, often.
Rod
A little spot of J B Weld, and your back in business.
Steve Jones
If you want Snap-On USA made quality but for a quarter of the price. Go to a CAT store. Caterpillar and Snap-On have a partnership.
Matt
They’re making the same mistake Sears made with the brand. Margins and profit over all.
Then lose customers, lose profits – cheapen and offshore products to improve profit on lower sales – the cycle repeats.
This tool box is the perfect example. I do like the drawer config better than the others you compare. But in this category there are lots of options and this one doesn’t even have USA going for it.
Wayne R.
Craftsman hand tools still have cachet at flea markets & garage sales. Those Craftsman/Facom wrenches from last year, they were good & a good deal.
I’m with you.
ElectroAtletico
Well at least Kobalt gives you a “Ryobi”-like color for your tool box if you’re invested in the plataform.
JH
The Harbor Freight Green goes well with it.
I’m a TTI tester, so I don’t pay for tools. If I need something, I call my contact and ask.
That’s why 95% of my shop is Ryobi Green.
Jerry
Sears/Craftsman made a lot of mistakes. A few years back, when Sears still had a fighting chance, they put out what I still consider to be one of the most user-UNfriendly websites to take online orders. How ironic that the store and brand that made themselves a household name by taking orders by mail, and delivering to your home (or local store) shot themselves in the foot when setting up their online portal to have things delivered to your home. I still have that feeling in my gut that if they could have gotten that right, they would have had a fighting chance. As it is, they are (in my opinion) just hanging by a thread.
Joe E.
I was a diehard Craftsman guy when they were owned by Sears, even after production of mechanics tools shifted to China. I have never once been impressed with any Craftsman tools sold at Lowe’s. They look cheap, feel cheap and are cheap. Couple that with their empty promises over the years… sorry, but there are many other options available to the average DIY’er, and today’s Craftsman offers nothing that gets me excited.
Also, the line is looking a bit dated. It’s the same style pliers with chunky handles and boring ass screwdrivers. They need to come out with something new. The Overdrive tools look nice and people rave about them, but they’ve done nothing to expand the line. Every idea of theirs is half baked.
MTB-2025
Agree with you on the non flashy appearance of all Craftsman tools Ive ever owned. Have never really been working on any car or truck and had a sideline of tool fans admiring the tools I was using for appearance reasons though.
When I was 12 yrs old I got a Craftsman mechanics tool set with 3 drawer tool box included. At 16 yrs old I went to work as a mechanic at a rental yard. I worked on every size truck and piece of heavy equipment you can imagine with that ugly looking bunch of tools. 5 yrs at the rental yard then rest of life to this point. I had to exchange 4 flat head screwdrivers and a few broken sockets as well as picked up some serious carpel tunnel syndrome from the 12 point ratchet gears but I believe cobalt sells an exact same set with same tool box and updated ratchets for 79.00 on the holidays.
Craftsman was competing with Mac tools and Snap On by giving the people that dont care how a tool looks an affordable and complete set of tools. The people who ran Sears and Craftsman all got old and died. The replacements came in with no retail education and sunk both brands shortly after. In my opinion it wasn’t the mechanics tools that sunk Sears. It was the construction tools with the lifetime warranty. I myself am guilty of exchanging the right hand cut aviation yellow handle snips once a week or whenever in the store. The entire carpenter union was doing the same. Wasnt just those snips either. The never ending tape measures. Chisel. Even diamond blades. As for this rolling tool cart. Buying it for the color is a huge mistake..If it is portable, you better get right down on the ground. Check the wheels. That harbor freight cart will be stuck in the garage after two or 3 small road trips to the driveway.
Rog
If HF and Craftsman were my only choices to invest in tool-wise, I’d go with HF. Ten years ago it would have been a different story but here we are.
fred
Ten years ago, I would have said that TTI and Milwaukee was trying desperately to compete with SBD and Dewalt. Now I’m wondering if Dewalt is going to be able to catch up with Milwaukee – or is more likely to slide into being only a minor player. My thought – still – is that SBD has too many brands and needs to get back to focusing on fewer and reinvigorating them.
Jim
“ don’t feel bad for them either, and that’s because I feel duped by their promises”
I agree completely Stuart.
I don’t need many hand tools anymore. I fact I’ve been selling or giving away some of my duplicates.
However, I gave up on Craftsman SBD when they quit so early on the USA factory.
I’ll spend my $ on Tekton or Icon if I’m going to buy something from overseas.
Also, I haven’t gotten over being pissed about what SBD did to Visegrip and the town of Dewitt Nebraska .
Stuart
Rubbermaid outsourced ViseGrip and abandoned Dewitt. SBD acquired Irwin from Rubbermaid after all that happened. Can’t blame them for that.
fred
The Petersen manufacturing story is almost an allegory akin to the big fish-eating little fish tale. Petersen had been acquired by American Tool Co. Sometime later American Tool also acquired Irwin. On a different track Newel and Rubbermaid were fierce competitors. Rubbermaid hitched their star to sales at Walmart – and price reduction pressures were attributed to their downfall. Rubbermaid was acquired by Newell – and the overall company changed its name to Newell Rubbermaid. That company continued on a buying spree – and acquired American Tool. Likely the cost of that acquisition “required some economies” to be undertaken – and one of those “economies” was the closing down of Petersen and outsourcing the manufacture of visegrips. Ultimately – Newell-Rubbermaid may have found that all of their acquisitions were not as profitable as they had expected – and American Tool was sold off to SBD.
NoDak Farming
I remember once reading an online tool forum that had been archived from years ago. And the discussion was the same as what is being discussed in modern day tool forums. “What cordless power tool brand is best to start investing in”? The Craftsman name was steadily mentioned as being the brand with the most thorough line of cordless tool options. And good quality power tools were part of their reputation. I don’t remember what year this discussion happened. But I don’t think the Milwaukee name was even brought up much. And it was most likely before Ryobi’s first cordless tool. Which all just helps to drive the point home, that Craftsman has had many opportunities handed to them, that they were willing to give up on.
TomD
Milwaukee was almost late to the cordless game, and was better known for the sawzall and some other corded tools.
Craftsman had a real chance but being coupled to Sears and then under SBD was too much; there’s no incentive to make them competitive against other brands from the same company.
mark w
Accurate. That’s how I remember it going down. Craftsman needed better distribution options to have not been part of sears decline.
mark w
Craftsman was the go to. Mostly made in usa, good value, dependable tools. My earliest tools were USA craftsman. But by the time I was old enough to be buying tools for my own home needs craftsman was already gone. Thankfully now I know about places like harry j Epstein and eBay haha
NoDak Farming
And as far as Harbor Freight, they just keep steadily upping their own game. Sometimes as quality goes up, prices go up. But they have steady coupons, promotions, & sales. And one of my favorite parts of their business, is that if it’s online, it’s also in store. Touch and feel anything before buying. It’s great.
Bonnie
Their tool quality is definitely getting better, but as it does I feel like their value proposition gets steadily worse, at least for my needs. I have no use for another mid-range tool brand, there are dozens of them already that are quite good. What I do need is either the best bang-for-my-buck of a cheap tool, or a disposable tool, and it seems like there are better options than HF these days.
TomD
In my experience the store brands have also greatly increased quality; it’s hard to justify going across the street to HF when Husky or Masterforce is basically the same thing, for basically the same cost.
They are still a decent source for things you may never need again, like a dirty water pump.
Rob K
I bought the orange tool cart last month at Harbor Freight for $200. It’s nice, but I absolutely hate the drawer latches. I’ve since removed them and it’s better, but the soft closing drawers on the Craftsman are much nicer and probably explains some of the price difference.
Tom327cat
When a tool company is reduced to a “brand” its days are over. A tool company is engineering, people, tradition and skill.
mark w
Amen
William
Why would you expect anything else? This is what SBD has done to dozens (hundreds?) of quality tool manufacturers. Buys them, chews them up, and destroys them. Hoping SBD does anything positive is foolish.
Kev
May not be usa made but its heavier duty that’s for sure weighs more than their big tool chest (works at lowes)
mark w
I’ve come full circle on harbor freight as well. Feels like that’s where the value is these days.
Needed a set of offset wrenches for a car strut job. HF was the ONLY nearby store with a cheap set in stock. Like $30 I think. Full set. Got the job done. Where else can you get specialty tools like that, which finish a job no others can, for a price like that these days?
PW
You make an interesting point. In this day of internet-focused sales for just about anything, having something physically in stock and available can be a big advantage.
Recently, I had a water related incident in my home and needed some blowers ASAP on a weekend. HF was open, had several options in stock, and one “on sale”. Were there marginally better options elsewhere? Maybe. But I needed it now, not in a week after shipping.
HF has developed a pretty deep catalog at this point, with fairly comprehensive tool options, but most importantly – available same day, seven days a week, in stock, at thousands of locations. The quality is still variable, but it’s much improved, and almost always better than nothing at all.
Michael
Did Craftsman under Sears control where their tools were made or was it controlled by their supplier?
As an example Danaher which later became part of Apex made tools like sockets and ratchets for Craftsman. You can see it clearly on Craftsman’s 75th anniversary gold plated tools where they included a piece of paper that said, “Proudly made in the U.S.A. by Springfield, Massachusetts Danaher Associates.” In 2010, Apex Tool Group is created in a joint venture between Danaher Tools and Cooper Tools. In 2012 Apex is sold to Bain Capital. Around the time of the merger and sale, Craftsman sockets and ratchets start being made overseas.
So did Apex go overseas and Sears had no choice but to agree to keep getting sockets and ratchets supplied? Or was it a case of Sears wanted to get them at a certain price and the only way Apex could keep making them at that price was to move overseas?
In another example in the case of Western Forge, we know it was closed by Ideal after they lost Craftsman as a customer because they demanded more money.
Same could be asked about any Craftsman tool which used to be Made in USA.
Past articles for some reference:
https://toolguyd.com/apex-tool-group-shuttering-north-carolina-factory-in-june/
https://toolguyd.com/open-letter-to-craftsman-and-sears-why-ax-professional-and-usa-made-tools/
https://toolguyd.com/western-forge-usa-hand-tools-sears-craftsman-supplier-closing/
Stuart
Retailer customers can demand all they want. If supplier says no, they go to a different supplier. Sears always had a choice. Apex Tool Group always have a choice. Both seem to have chosen lower costs and greater profits.
Scottie
The Craftsman brand lost to Eddie Lampert not Harbor Freight…As soon as that guy got his claws into Sears he started chopping their assets up,piece by piece.And the Craftsman brand as we knew it was murdered by the hedge fund king.
Stuart
That was 8+ years ago. Everything since then has been under SBD’s purview.
Scottie
Yes,I know that…..I’m just saying that if Eddie Lampert was never involved in Sears, Stanley Black and Decker would’ve never gotten the Craftsman brand in the first place…..Craftsman might still be as good as it ever was and might still be offering as many tools as they ever did although made in Tiawan and China(thanks to their main supplier Danahar/Apex).
Daniel
This author is glazing harbor freight. They havent done the buy a battery pack get a free tool deal in a minute. Heck Dewalt, Milwauke, Rigid and Ryobi are doing it this year despite hard times.
Also Harbor freight has trouble keeping things in stock. Sometimes stores sell inventory before “new” tools are announced. As a matter of fact the die grinder has yet to restock in more stores. I like harbor freight but their lack of deals and inventory stops me from even going back.
Stuart
HF isn’t perfect either, but they have been making steady progress with the Hercules cordless power tool line. Unless you need something immediately, shop HF when you have a coupon in-hand.
Ervin Royall
I purchase a lawnmower craftsman zero turn from Lowes all Lowes would do is give me a number .It been in a shop four times
It was purchase in 2023 craftsman is not what it used to be and Lowes doesn’t care .
Dagoof
Tekton ended Craftsman for me.
Cheap, everything available, and awesome warranty.
David Quarles
I have always wanted the best tools . Proto was my first choice for sockets . Mack flex head ratchets . Snap on combination wrenches . Klein screwdrivers . Milwaukee corded drills . Makita circular saws . Estwing hammers . They cost more , but in my opinion , well worth the investment .
Jeff K
I find that most who criticize HFT really don’t know their full line…or use them that much. It’s hard to argue with their value proposition. I have 20+ year old Pittsburgh wrenches and tools I use a lot and are still good.
If you are in HFT during the weekday, you’ll see pros in there buying ICON and other high end tools vs SnapOn or MAC. Their cabinets from US General are very solid quality. Not even a question that they are the best value out their.
Besides the promos and coupons, Inside Track Club is a good value. On the few issues I’ve had (a Pittsburgh and Quinn torque wrench)…zero issues getting an immediate replacement (both working fine years later).
Charles
Lowe’s is really bad at handling Craftsman warranty I have found. Never tried power tools because I would never buy a craftsman power tool but random other things which are supposed to be under warranty always require a manager’s interference and 45 minutes