Craftsman tools are now available at CPO, with the tagline Time-Tested Quality Products.
As you might know, Stanley Black & Decker acquired the Craftsman brand name from Sears a couple of years ago. Not too long after that, Craftsman and Lowe’s announced a new partnership.
Craftsman tools have been predominantly available at Lowe’s, with smaller selections of tools also available at Amazon and Ace Hardware stores.
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Looking at Craftsman’s list of online retailers, you can also find their tools at Blain’s Farm & Fleet and Atwoods Ranch & Home.
Craftsman has not yet added CPO to their list of online dealers, or NAPA Auto Parts, which comes up in their search for local stores.
We also know Menards carries select Craftsman tools.
Putting everything together, here’s the current list of Craftsman tool retailers:
- Ace Hardware
- Amazon
- Atwoods Ranch & Home
- Blain’s Farm & Fleet
- CPO Tools
- Lowe’s
- Menards
- NAPA Auto Parts
Do you know of any other Craftsman tool retailers we might have missed?
Lowe’s still looks to be Craftsman’s predominant partner, with exclusives, the latest products, and the broadest and most complete selection of Craftsman tools.
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At the time of CPO’s email announcement, there are only 15 Craftsman Tool SKUs listed so far – cordless nailers, a tool cabinet, and a mix of mechanics hand tool sets.
From the landing page, CPO will also be a source, as well as new mowers, cordless and gas-engine outdoor power tools, corded and cordless power tools, and a broad range of hand tools. CPO also says they will carry reconditioned Craftsman power tools.
x lu
Hmm. Well the first thing that comes to mind is whether this is the start of the long kiss good night for Craftsman at Lowes. Which manufacturer has dangled a new shiny object in front of the Lowes buyers that have them dreaming of sugarplums, higher margins, buybacks of all that unsold Craftsman and yet another new, even better more value line to toot. Not if, of course, but when. So BD is doing the right thing in diversifying. Buying the Craftsman brand was a foolish decision as nearly all the brand equity was gone despite its strong consumer recall but having done so, i credit them for trying to rebuild it. America has long moved on from Craftsman. Perhaps i’m wrong but all it conjures up for me is memories of Sears demise.
Matt the Hoople
Yeah. One thing that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me is that SBD bought Craftsman but now they heave been selling Dewalt branded mechanics tools. Either they like to compete with themselves or they need to fill up some capacity at their tool manufacturing facilities. Lowe’s is pretty big into Dewalt power tools so maybe SBD plans on moving the Dewalt mechanics tools in there to displace the Craftsman or something.
IronWood
I had that thought as well. Trying to rebuild a damaged brand by being Lowes’ flavor of the month seemed like a strange idea. I would think the expansion of distribution to more online vendors and home improvement centers is essential. Still no love or forgiveness from me for Craftsman (yet), but at least it looks like a real strategy.
Tomonthebeach
Lowes’s Craftsman stock here is so Low-zzz, that I now go straight to Ace for Craftsman accessories and expendables. There is really not much difference in quality between tools these days anyway – just features – especially tool colors LOL . That is probably why HD does not carry Craftsman – looks too much like Milwaukee.
Steve
I think Menard’s bailed on Craftsman or SBD made the call, but the stores near me have been clearing Craftsman all year with nothing new. Craftsman is almost totally gone in store and online everything Craftsman is clearance or sold out too. It’s not something I can confirm but maybe someone has better info.
MT
Same around here. The only Craftsman to be found in my local Menards is on the clearance shelves.
Randy
eBay. And since companies like CPO use eBay as a sales channel, I would consider eBay a legitimate retailer and source of current Craftsman products. eBay may not have an exhaustive selection at this time, but, they will. Walmart online also has a wide selection of current Craftsman products
Norm M S
This is not supposed to be a got ya but tools are heavy and ebay can hardly be considered an outlet. Or Amazon for that matter hand tools break and I really as a matter of practice won’t buy tools at a place where i can’t return them. Others have mentioned craftsman power tools. I would never buy any of them again. The disk grinder. I bought had a trigger failure just as it ended its 1 yr warranty and a little high speed grinder i got just failed at about 18 months. I could have got a used millwakee grinder at a pawnshop 10 years old and it would last another 10 years or more. as for as the high speed grinder. I didn’t know that most mechanics used pnumatic ones. But now i would get miller dewalt or makita. Live and learn
Joe E.
They’ve had enough time with the Covid delays. Let’s get this dog and pony show on the road and get the new USA mechanics tools in stores.
SB&D had been alienating us with this brand and their promises long enough.
We’re tired of waiting.
Mike
When Sears sold the Craftsman name to SBD, Sears was able to continue to sell their line of Craftsman tools for a period of time. Are there retailers, other than Sears, who sell the Sears line of Craftsman tools or are they limited to just Sears?
Stuart
I don’t think Sears Craftsman tools are can be sold outside of Sears. Sears’ use of the Craftsman name is licensed.
Sears tried some new marketing tactics and were promptly sued by Stanley Black & Decker.
https://toolguyd.com/stanley-black-decker-sues-sears-craftsman-ultimate-collection-tools/
The lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed a month later, presumably because Sears backed down on what they were doing.
Mike
I remember the SBD filing the lawsuit over Sears’ marketing claims. Assume SBD purchase would include restrictions on Sears selling their Craftsman tools through other retailers as a way to protect, and control, the brand.
John
Is sears still making any craftsman tools?
Nathan
I was going to ask is the “other” craftsman stuff still out there?
I don’t really even look at Craftsman power tools – since I’m on Dewalt at the moment and there is no cross over for the batteries, I see no need. Yes I could get an adapter.
Meanwhile and you posted this earlier but there are other stores that are competitors of what you show here that now carry new Porter Cable stuff. Odd.
Bill
Ok, silly question but I am going to ask anyway. Will the tools sold a different locations be compatible in battery formats, etc?
Stuart
I don’t see why not.
Craftsman V20 is Craftsman V20, regardless as to where it’s sold.
It’s good to ask. Sears came out with Craftsman 20V a few years ago, and that absolutely caused some confusion because it was not compatible with Craftsman V20.
OldDominionDIYer
They’ve been selling them at our local Navy Exhange for quite some time along with Dewalt.
Ope Geeze Sorry
Fleet Farm sells them as well. From gas outdoor equipment to tools and tool storage, Fleet Farm has lots of Craftsman products. And no, I don’t mean Blain’s Farm & Fleet. I’m talking about what used to be Mill’s Fleet Farm.
Jaycob P.
Blain’s actually carries them also.
Stuart Y
Craftsman is dead to me. I’m no longer interested in this dead horse. I was hopeful to add some US-made Craftsman to my large collection of older U.S.A. made Craftsman tools.
I’ve moved on to Dewalt for cordless power tools. At this point, I’d rather buy Ryobi, at least I know what I’m getting.
IronWood
Same. Only way I’ll buy back in is if they really bring the quality/value back up. Maybe “Craftsman by Proto” could replace the Blackhawk branding on those tools. That would get me back, but I suppose it would blow the Lowes/Menards price points. I’ve pretty well settled on the fact that Craftsman is equivalent to a Harbor Freight or generic, but with a brand history that irritates me…
Matt the Hoople
Harbor freight equivalent? If you are referring to the Pittsburg line, I don’t know as they are that bed. Craftsman certainly doesn’t seem to be quite up to Icon standards however. To me, craftsman seems to be about the same as all the other Chinese/Taiwanese made stuff out there by Tekton, Klutch/Gearwrench (their newer Chinese stuff), etc. They seem to be a step up from all the generic Amazon/Ebay stuff. The big selling points in the past were USA made and one of the most trouble free warranties around (was into Sears, hand them a broken tool and walk out with a new one – even Lowe’s process is lengthy by comparison). Even when USA made, the tools weren’t great but at least you knew that you could get them replaced easily because they made the same tools for years and Sears had them all in stock for the most part. I’ve had to replace countless cracked sockets, broken ratchets and wore out screwdrivers over the past few decades. That’s out the window now and the prices are not that great outside of holiday deals on sets. I still buy the occasional set because the price is too good for what is basically a spare for me now anyway. Usually adding a set of screwdrivers for the shed or basement or some additional socket extensions or basic socket set for the boat. Beyond that, I find myself looking more at other brands now based on reviews of actual performance and reasonable pricing.
IronWood
Yeah the old zero-hassle Sears warranty was the big draw in their made in USA days. I agree Craftsman was never the best, but they were very good value with that warranty. I’ll stand by my Harbor Freight comment. Pittsburgh has come way up in quality and Craftsman has gone way down. Likewise HF’s warranty has gotten better and Craftsman’s has gotten worse. Not picking HF over modern Craftsman, I won’t typically buy either one.
Like you, I’ve also seen Gearwrench quality slipping, although I do have some of their newer stuff that’s decent for the sale prices I got it at. I still think they’re better than Craftsman, but by less each year. Meanwhile, Tekton has gone way up in quality, much better than any of the other “value” import stuff currently available in my opinion. I’ve picked up several things (chrome sockets, punches, extensions) from Tekton.com this year and been very impressed for the price. I’d say they’re at least as good as GW was at their best. Plus increasing their USA-made offerings, buying direct with fast shippping, and 10% back in points for later. I don’t care for the look of their ratchets or ratcheting wrenches, but haven’t seen them in person. No Tekton affiliation here (most of my existing hand tools are Proto, Klein, Williams, Channellock, Knipex, old Gearwrench), just not used to being impressed by quality/value/service these days so thought I’d give ’em a plug…
And as for the generic no-name Amazon and eBay “brands”, I don’t consider those tools because I’m a snob 🙂
Matt the Hoople
I see your point on the Pittsburg stuff. I bought some of that about 25-30 years ago and ended up ultimately throwing it in the scrap metal recycle at work as it was sooo bad. Turned me off on them forever. I do see a lot of good reviews on a lot of their stuff now but don’t plan on ever buying any as the taste left in my mouth was just way too bad.
Dominic S
You’re absolutely right HF’s Pittsburgh line has come way up in quality. I still won’t buy it out of principle but they are very good Snap-On clones for dirt cheap prices. Craftsman on the other hand may as well be a no-name these days as far as I’m concerned.
Tekton is above both of those, in my opinion — big fan of their impact sockets and other mechanic’s tools, especially for the money.
Fyrfytr998
An interesting study I saw done by Den of Tools showed a spread sheet that broke down each tool lines offerings for HOME OWNERS and ranked them across the board. Not on quality, but on the sheer numbers offered.
Out of that list, Craftsman came in 4th behind Ryobi, DeWalt, and Makita. So it seems that one reason that Craftsman doesn’t seem to get itself over the hump is, because SBD clearly doesn’t want it to cut into DeWalts profit margins.
Now clearly TTI is not concerned with Ryobi selling more than Milwaukee or Ridgid. They have a defined identity as to what tool brand fits what demographic. Hell, even their Hart line comes in fifth behind Craftsman.
So to me, SBD needs to have a heart to heart with itself and figure out if it wants DeWalt to be their every brand Ryobi. Or make DeWalt their Milwaukee, and put some cash into developing Craftsman into a proper contender for the DIY market.
If Ryobi had broken it’s promise early on and quit it with the stem batteries. They might just be the best brand on the planet right now.
Big Richard
I agree with you on the idea that Craftsman could/should be SBD’s go-to homeowner brand. I always felt like SBD was kinda testing the market when they first launched Craftsman. Not wanting to step on DeWalt’s toes too much, soo they didn’t offer premium brushless tools. But they still wanted to be somewhat of a “professional” brand, based off name recognition. And that never really happened, for many reasons.
I think they finally seem to be committing more to the homeowner/Ryobi type of buyer. They have some more niche Ryobi-esque tools coming out, like the new V20 soldering iron, V20 rotary tool, and V20 glue gun. They even offer a first home bundle kit, which is clearly targeting the young homeowner market:
https://www.lowes.com/collections/CRAFTSMAN-First-Home-Starter-Kit/GR_3115
Fyrfytr998
One other thing…….that CPO announcement is misleading. It’s mostly hand tools and two v20 nailers currently.
Todd
Lowe’s is clearly behind Home Depot and Menards in presence and key locations in my area. They are not convenient or relevant to me even if there prices or service is better.
Harrison
I don’t understand what SBD is trying to do with their brands. Every time you think they’ve got a niche or an exclusive figured out, they go off in a different direction, or start selling a brand somewhere else. Every other year you can expect an all-new lineup of core tools from one of their sub brands. Or is this Lowe’s problem? I honestly can’t tell.
Meanwhile, they have Dewalt positioned as everything for everyone. They even licence out the brand for random household crap like propane heaters, and car battery trickle chargers. Personally, I could understand keeping the other brands around to hawk those one-off items without diluting the Dewalt brand, but seeing as they don’t seem to even care, why bother?
Is it really so desirable for every retailer to have it’s own battery platform?
Maybe what we’re butting up against here is the reality that the market is saturated. The time for creating retailer exclusives was 15-20 years ago, and those product lines required some heavy dedication since then. The only exclusives I would bother with are Rigid and Ryobi, even if Craftsmen or Kobalt may sell some superior items. The consistency speaks for itself.
Fyrfytr998
Creating another Ryobi is what I sometimes think was what SBD was gonna do with Craftsman name plate until they realized it would hurt their DeWalt sales.
Gonna have to see what direction they take this new Craftsman RP badge when it drops.
Brian M
SBD is like one of those people that are ambitious but doesn’t follow through because of their ADHD. They think “I can make money off this” so they buy a brand like Porter Cable and then they sort of forget about it and it just sits. They start going in one direction then they see something shiny and go off on something different.
Joe Schmo
Craftsman was once a unique brand where Joe Schmo could go hang out at Sears while the wife was shopping at the mall. This was the largest collection of tools, that Joe Schmo had ever seen in his life and they were good tools guaranteed for life. Of course Sears is almost dead and it almost took down the Craftsman name down with it. Then SBD buys the Craftsman name and kept selling the same China tools that Sears was, thinking they would make the Craftsman name mean something again. What SBD did to Craftsman, is what GM did to Chevy, Pontiac, Buick Olds, Saturn and Caddilac, they sold the same car with 6 or more different brands on it, thinking they could trick folks loyal to those brands into buying the same car and now 3 of those brands no longer exist.
The 1st thing SBD needs to do with Craftsman is open up that Tx plant and build all of these tools in the USA.
The next thing SBD needs to do is pick 1 place to showcase these unique high quality USA tools such as Lowes and showcase them like Home Depot does Ryobi tools. Home Depot has isles of green Ryobi tools and while Lowes currently has a few Craftsman wrench sets and a few socket sets mixed in with some Kobalt’s that nobody really notices. The power tools are equally mixed up with a half dozen other power tools with 3 of those are SBD sister brands.
Then once the quality is what it once was, they need to have a professional line sold to mechanics thru independent tool trucks who currently sell SK and Gearwrench.
Joe Schmo
I forgot to add 1 more ting that SBD needs to do with this iconic name and that is Craftsman innovation. I want Robogrips baby! Craftsman had something new every year that no other brand had and Bob Villa would tell you it was the best thing since sliced bread!
Fyrfytr998
You also can’t ignore that Lowes themselves is part of the problem. They are suffering an identity crisis by not being able to choose between being an SBD house or a Chervon house.
They could easily make Flex, Kobalt and SKIL their version of Milwaukee, Ridgid, and Ryobi. All it requires is for them to lay off Craftsman, and either developing SKIL or Kobalt as their Ryobi. Both of those brands are surprising affordable and just lack a variety of offerings.
Eric
Just noticed the latest NAPA flyer 7/27/02022
Craftsman is in there. I do not see any Carlyle.
https://www.napaonline.com/en/flyers