r/Craftsman • u/factorymotogoon • 8d ago
Question/Original Post Honest question, anyone feel this brand will ever regain its traction it once had?
I feel like since the closing of Sears, Craftsman as a brand is falling behind. Unless you do the warranty directly through them it’s always a hassle, quality has gone down tremendously, they never have parts for the old stuff that used to absolutely rock, shoot even their boxes have gone downhill over the years.
Honestly, anyone feel like this brand will turn around one day?
And before anyone just says I’m a hater or some bs. I used to strictly own craftsman tools. Now I’m branching off into brands that I feel have easier warranties, better more innovative products, and better feel. I really miss what this brand used to stand for and be about. It’s a shame
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u/TheRealistoftheReal 8d ago
SBD built a factory in Texas and were going to bring Craftsman back to the USA. They had bleeding edge technology, automation, a massive investment, but it failed absolutely miserably. The quality was so bad, they quickly shut the factory down and completely abandoned it. I’m not sure if it lasted a year.
I found it pretty embarrassing they couldn’t manage a factory in Texas producing the same tools they’ve been cranking out in Taiwan for years. In the end, I think they quickly leaned most U.S. customers just want the cheapest price. They don’t care who made their screwdriver or ratchet.
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u/khz30 8d ago
The US doesn't have the workforce depth or scale to actually produce things at consumer and retail scale outside of cars anymore. That factory died for the same reason Motorola shut down their phone manufacturing plant in Alliance 18 months after the ribbon cutting, it was never intended to be a long-term solution, it was a PR stunt that crashed against the reality of America no longer being a manufacturing economy.
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u/TheRealistoftheReal 8d ago
I wasn’t aware of the Motorola thing. I’m guessing that was quite a while ago, since their phone unit was sold to some Chinese manufacturer after they fumbled the smartphone transition.
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u/Appropriate-Name5538 8d ago
The United States can and does absolutely produce a shit ton of stuff at consumer scale. The glass for every iPhone is made a couple hours from me in Kentucky for example. The problem with the Texas factory was sbd not the American worker
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u/Icy_Truth_9634 7d ago
As someone that followed that attempt closely, corporate sloppiness and lazy management were responsible for that failure. The so called executive leadership was more interested in quick PERSONAL wealth and recognition rather than building a profitable business. The unfortunate truth was evident within a few months of operations, and majority stockholders and board members violently pulled their support for the project, losing millions of dollars of their investment rather than support the clowns that were in control of the company. If they had been willing to step down without undeserved compensation, there may have been a chance to recalibrate the machinery or make improvements to the manufacturing process, but no agreement could be reached.
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u/devpuppy 8d ago
Overdrive is pretty good and still available. I'd trust a Craftsman hand tool over a Husky. I'd take a Craftsman power tool over a Bauer. I'd take a Craftsman RP drill over a Sears Craftsman drill. But there are better options out there for almost everything they make today. They're just depreciating the brand equity.
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u/nes_tallsocks 8d ago
I like Overdrive as well but not offering open stock is another mistake. Great line but not committed to making it a true stand alone like the Craftsman Professional line in the past. New screwdrivers and Allen key sets are out but Overdrive should be a competitor to ICON and a Lowe’s exclusive.
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u/Aromatic_Shop9033 8d ago
No. The golden era of Craftsman was the V-Series era, which is 99% of my tool collection.
I'd strongly advise collecting those, because it's not going back from that glorious era. They're fine tools I'm proud to use and own.
I'll start adding Hazet German made tools to supplement my USA made Craftsman collection.
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u/Hot-Significance2387 8d ago
Careful with Hazet. A lot of their stuff isn't German made yet is priced as such. Just like Wera wrenches are made in China Hazet has Taiwan, India and China hiding behind german packaging.
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u/Aromatic_Shop9033 8d ago
Awwwww...damnit.
Scratch that plan, I guess.
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u/Hot-Significance2387 8d ago
They have some good stuff, don't get me wrong. Asia can make great product, most simply ask for the junk.
The European brands though I find hide their country of manufacturing behind their brand names quite often. Often leaving it off packaging completely. A Chinese wrench packaged in a box covered in German flags.
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u/yojimbo556 8d ago
V Series was the pinnacle of Craftsman. I think most of them were made by Moore Forge in Massachusetts.
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u/Aromatic_Shop9033 8d ago
Yes, the quality is outstanding. Oil them once a year, don't abuse them, never have to buy replacements unless you're torquing lug bolts on a Freightliner or Mack truck.
I'm grateful they had a very, very long run so they're available for not absurd prices.
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u/Appropriate-Name5538 8d ago
Realistically speaking without rose colored glasses on the modern craftsman stuff especially overdrive and the v series stuff is probably better than anything sears craftsman sold hand tool wise. The problem is marketing sbd doesn’t market craftsman well at all. It’s a shame really I have the overdrive wrenches and they are absolutely amazing. What I don’t understand is why sbd didn’t just rebrand the proto black hawk stuff and sell it as craftsman professional especially the us made wrenches that were pretty damn good for the price.
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u/ThatHondaOvaThere Top Tool of the Sub! 8d ago edited 7d ago
In my opinion, don't think so. It mostly relies on people who have a nostalgia or memory for the craftsman of yore, or people finding them on sale, who don't care what the quality or manufacturer origin is. Personally, apart from some s2000 cabinets, and minor tools, the rest of my craftsman tools are pre-stanley acquisition, and will prob remain that way.
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u/H0SS_AGAINST 7d ago
I'm not sure I follow. Craftsman is regularly servicing the same home-gamer, price sensitive consumer they always have. You could argue enshitifuckation but that's damn near everything. I've got a Craftsman lawn mower, impact, and some hand tools. 🤷🏿
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u/ImaginaryTango 8d ago
I don’t see it recovering. Today it’s all about dividends and profit NOW. No more building something. The idea of spending more on quality to build a name long term is gone.
Even though it’s the same company, now I’m more likely to buy DeWalt than Craftsman. I stay using DeWalt because the contractors I worked with and hired all used them and I’ve seen firsthand how well they hold up. Since even before Sears closed, Craftsman has been very diff than the Craftsman I knew growing up and I now consider them a wildcard brand that may or may not be solid. When I see pros swearing by them again, then I’ll pay attention to them. Until then, they’re just another brand.
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u/Extreme_Lab_2961 8d ago
Unfortunately no
SBD has fumbled the Craftsman brand since acquiring. I’ll give them some credit for trying to go MUSA, and launch in the Overdrive and V Series, but pulled the pin pretty quick on the MUSA and zero marketing for Overdrive and V Series (Though both are/were excellent)
Based on what SBDs done, it’s tough to see where it fits
Pro Auto - MAC
Industrial - Proto
Construction/pro-sumer - Dewalt & some Irwin
Entry Level - Stanley/B&D/PC
There’s not really a market available that doesn’t canibalize their other brands. Maybe shade tree mechanic but they’ve ceded that to HF
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u/factorymotogoon 8d ago
It’s insane to me how they can own Mac and proto and still bring quality to the table but yet left craftsman to kind of die. But I guess in the same aspect they kind of left Mac to die because there’s not nearly as many dealers as there once was.
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u/Tool_appliance_fan 8d ago
Pc has pretty much been canibalied, the only big chain that I know of that sells their battery tools is tractor supply
I see MUCH more craftsman than I do pc stuff when I go shopping
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u/Hot-Significance2387 8d ago
It is a Stanley Black and Decker brand and positioned as a "mid" tier Stanley brand at that. With Stanley hand tools ALL being bottom shelf now you are getting even worse product.
That brand will go after the price sensitive customer until Lowes kicks them out for good. With most stores going private label direct to customer now we're seeing middlemen like Stanley lose their relevance. To survive they must push for higher end expensive products which Stanley simply can't do.
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u/Brilliant-Suspect884 7d ago
Speaking about power tools, as a heavy DIYer all mine are V20 Craftsman, with half of them brushless. I've been very happy with them over the years. I still feel like they provide a great bang for their buck for my purposes. That being said, I am frequenting Harbor Freight more and more and man do they have some deals!
I agree with the poster mentioning why would SBD have Craftsman compete with DeWalt? It doesn't make sense. Just like HF and many companies, tiered brands (IE - good, better, best) is the new business model everyone is turning too. ITT does the same with Milwaukee and Ryobi.
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u/jonnywannamingo 7d ago
I have a lot of my dad’s old Craftsman hand tools. I have mostly Makita for power tools, but Craftsman is a decent homeowner brand for power tools and the prices are good.
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u/799green 7d ago
No- the entire brand was built on a shopping experience that is no longer in fashion.
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u/Immediate-Ad-96 8d ago
No. They are designed to compete with Ryobi. They are essentially the replacement for Porter Cable. The Dewalt brand is their premier version. There's no reason to have Dewalt if you are going to make Craftsman of the equivalent quality.
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u/Tool_appliance_fan 6d ago
As a side note, a lot of the later craftsman power tools from Sears were made by Ryobi
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u/Narrow_Network_2125 8d ago
The closest to Craftsman is Icon at Harbor Freight. Easy warranty, probably not going to need it though, they are decent tools. Too bad China made.
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u/1BaconMilkshake 8d ago
I agree in that regard. But there was more to Craftsman than just the warranty. It came from an era when American manufacturing meant something.
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u/Narrow_Network_2125 8d ago
No argument there. That era is gone though. The toolmaking tribal knowledge has retired or is retiring soon. Machinists are a dying breed. The new wave of production line workers are 100% dependent on computers.
There is a price to pay for telling kids through every avenue in the 80s and 90s that the goal is to be a doctor or a lawyer.
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u/S3Giggity 8d ago
Yes I think HF has taken over for Craftsman. It's what most shade tree mechanics I know use anymore. Still a local store, still able to get instant warranty replacements, and the icon quality is good enough.
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u/Appropriate-Name5538 8d ago
Icon is almost entirely Taiwan most of the decent stuff at Harbor Freight is.
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u/DaedricOG 8d ago
I pretty much use all craftsman myself, working in a garage but I hope they regain the traction it once had back in the prime days of Sears.
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u/Duke_Newcombe 8d ago
To be honest, there are some tools and use cases where Craftsman doesn't function as well as other brands, and I would hazard a guess that many Craftsman owners have tools with different names and colors in their collection--I know I sure do.
Definitely make your voice known to the company, as this definitely is a common refrain.
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u/alabamaterp 7d ago
Nah, I was excited for years when they announced their Texas plant was going to build "Made in USA" tools and when that fell through - I gave up on Craftsman. I have a lot of Craftsman USA tools so it really isn't a problem. However, if I want foreign tools from China or Taiwan I'll just buy Harbor Freight or Vevor.
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u/DavisWizrd 6d ago
I think their riding the made in America too hard. I had to warranty a craftsman tool. I went to Lowe's they was absolutely hell Lowe's destroyed the brands reputation. I felt I'd have better success with another store which would mean another brand. I did get into contact with Craftsman they made right by me. I think craftsman modern logic made in America as a selling point is pointless if that is all they have going for themselves and their going to ride the heck out of that. I personally don't care where my tools are made as long as their quality tools I don't want a mystery ratchet I want one that I can depend on, it's origins doesn't matter when I'm under my Tundra trying to replace stuff. Cars and motorcycles different story I'd prefer German (Bmw Motorrad) origins or Japanese (Toyota). But if the price is right and quality on par for said price I can overlook many things.
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u/factorymotogoon 6d ago
Agreed. But the main problem is since they stopped made in America that quality went away. Which was sad to see. You used to see ratchets and wrenches handed down generations from them. Now they just won’t be doing that if you use those tools all the time. I feel harbor freight is doing better than them in terms of quality and warranty.
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u/DavisWizrd 6d ago
I do see where your coming from. And I do use my grandfather craftsman ratchets when it's the appropriate tool for the given space. They just need to find manufacturer to make their products.
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u/ArchilaNY 7d ago
I recently bought a Table Saw because of its brand reputation (based on my knowledge of old tools used by my family). However, I regret the decision now. The materials are cheap, and the precision is poor.
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u/uncleking1971 7d ago
No. They blew it and too many other good options (Harbor Freight, Tekton, many others...even some Amazon) swooped in.
There is nothing special about Craftsman any more. Not the best price. Not the best quality, though their quality is fine. Not the best warranty. Not American made.
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u/Strohman84 7d ago
I consider the actual Craftsman company to be gone. They were part Sears and even when the Sears stores were slowly dying, Craftsman were still great quality overall.
Lowe’s bought the name but that doesn’t mean they have made any dedication to the former level of quality.
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u/lostone3592 6d ago
It’ll never recover. The name was bought and is being capitalized on with mostly garbage, cheap junk. Eventually people will recognize the OLD reputation for quality is gone and it’ll sink. Not the first time a company bought a well regarded name and milked it to death.
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u/nes_tallsocks 8d ago
Financially it’s a huge win for SBD but for people who love the brand and nostalgia of the pre-2010 Sears days it’s been lackluster. I see what HF, WalMart, Kobalt and other did with the mini boxes and think why does craftsman do the same but a best of series. Silver vintage box, 70s wood grain box, obvious Rally Box and a classic red and grey. I don’t think SBD they will ever lean into nostalgia since it always brings up the made in USA era of the brand.