Another nosedive for Craftsman tools.

[eugene thomas]

I stop in at a ace hardware today to exchange a craftsman locking pliers that broke. I was told that black and decker is really rigid about exchanges now and serial numbers have to match. I have feeling that in few years will not be able to exchange any old craftsman tools because they will change serial numbers on all new tools.

[Matt Meiser]

Now that they've ruined the Stanley, Black & Decker, Porter Cable, and Delta names they have have a new project. Sears already gave them a great head start.

[Doug Garson]

I don't understand why Black & Decker would want another brand name to add to their stable. It's not like Craftsman has any unique patents or reputation that's worth buying. Plus the lifetime warranty is a liability, if they honor it it cost $ if they don't just another hit on their reputation. Why not just let the Craftsman brand die?

[Harold Balzonia]

I don't understand why Black & Decker would want another brand name to add to their stable. It's not like Craftsman has any unique patents or reputation that's worth buying. Plus the lifetime warranty is a liability, if they honor it it cost $ if they don't just another hit on their reputation. Why not just let the Craftsman brand die?

Black and decker are in a solid enough financial position to acquire craftsman and keep it on life support in perpetuity. What they've done is buy a well known brand name in order to keep anyone else from ever having it. Simple as that. At some point they might decide to put some r&d behind the name and come out with a line of "new and improved" craftsman tools (perhaps even made in the USA) but more likely they will hold the name until some other company wants to buy the craftsman name from them and they get to make a nice profit....

My guess is this was never about reinvigorating craftsman... just a chance to own something so no one else can have it without paying b&d a nice profit.

[dennis thompson]

I think that we on this website are all a little crazed when it come to tools. We spend far more time thinking about them than the average do it yourselfer who just goes to Sears or Ace hardware for an occasional tool to complete some job around the house or the car.

[Mike Cutler]

I've bought my first and only set of Craftsman Tools almost 40 years ago. It was the larger Mechanics Set at that time. I bought them when I first went into the Navy and was driving across country to my first duty station out of bootcamp. I still use them all the time.
I never bought them for the warranty, and certainly wouldn't sell them because they may not still have the lifetime warranty. My opinion is that if you are buying tools/equipment for the warranty, you're buying the wrong tools/equipment.
It's a shame to see them, and Sears, go by the way.

[Matt Meiser]

I've bought my first and only set of Craftsman Tools almost 40 years ago.

This is the key sentence. Mine were all of 20 year old vintage. I had to replace several pieces and the replacements got progressively worse.

[Bert Kemp]

I inherited my first set of Craftsmen tools from my Grandfather in the early 70's. They were well used then and I took all the worn out tools to sears and replaced them, no questions asked.As the years passed by and I wore out tools they keep getting harder to replace, but I don't use them a lot these days and if something wears out or breaks I just go buy a cheap HF replacement, good enough for the limited use it will get now. Sad I can't go to Sears and get a decent replacement now days.

[Mike Henderson]

I've bought my first and only set of Craftsman Tools almost 40 years ago. It was the larger Mechanics Set at that time. I bought them when I first went into the Navy and was driving across country to my first duty station out of bootcamp. I still use them all the time.
I never bought them for the warranty, and certainly wouldn't sell them because they may not still have the lifetime warranty. My opinion is that if you are buying tools/equipment for the warranty, you're buying the wrong tools/equipment.
It's a shame to see them, and Sears, go by the way.

Yeah, I've gotten very cynical about "warranties". A warranty is only as good as the company standing behind it, and too many go out of their way to avoid honoring the warranty, especially if it's a year or more down the road. Some even ask for a copy of the original purchase receipt, and I don't keep all my receipts. Now days, I look for a product with good reviews and don't worry about the warranty.

As a side note, I inherited my father's Craftsman tools - mostly sockets and handles. I don't know the exact age, but they must go back to the 30's, I suppose. At one time I used them quite a bit but now, they just sit in my tool box.

Mike

[Stephen Tashiro]

Ten years ago when it was obvious that Wall Mart, K Mart, and Target could not co-exist, and one would eventually close

Ten years ago, it also seemed obvious that WalMart, K Mart, etc. could copycat what Amazon was doing and compete online. However, even today, they have not developed web sites that come close to Amazon's in sophistication. I wonder if that failure is due to "corporate culture"? - brick-and-mortar management being unskilled at doing things on the internet. The brick-and-mortar businesses have the advantage that they can also sell for at-store delivery. (Well, perhaps at-store delivery brings up images of long lines at the customer service counter. The local WalMarts separate the product delivery counters from the customer service counter so product pick-up usually doesn't take long.)

[Bert Kemp]

I see Amazon has opened a brick and mortar store and more coming, might put a real dent in wally mart

Ten years ago, it also seemed obvious that WalMart, K Mart, etc. could copycat what Amazon was doing and compete online. However, even today, they have not developed web sites that come close to Amazon's in sophistication. I wonder if that failure is due to "corporate culture"? - brick-and-mortar management being unskilled at doing things on the internet. The brick-and-mortar businesses have the advantage that they can also sell for at-store delivery. (Well, perhaps at-store delivery brings up images of long lines at the customer service counter. The local WalMarts separate the product delivery counters from the customer service counter so product pick-up usually doesn't take long.)

[Mike Cutler]

Yeah, I've gotten very cynical about "warranties". A warranty is only as good as the company standing behind it, and too many go out of their way to avoid honoring the warranty, especially if it's a year or more down the road. Some even ask for a copy of the original purchase receipt, and I don't keep all my receipts. Now days, I look for a product with good reviews and don't worry about the warranty.

As a side note, I inherited my father's Craftsman tools - mostly sockets and handles. I don't know the exact age, but they must go back to the 30's, I suppose. At one time I used them quite a bit but now, they just sit in my tool box.

Mike

I view warranties as a sales gimmick. I've just never had much faith in them. Once you're outside the timeframe of infant mortality, they generally have a lot of hoops to jump through.
I remember a co-worker and I were re-doing our bathrooms at the same time, and he went for the Delta, or Moen fixtures for the "lifetime warranty" That's all well and good, but if you have to do redo a couple hundred dollars worth of work, and all the time, to replace a $60.00 dollar fixture. It's not worth it. I went with Grohe fixture and haven't touched them in 20+ years. he was replacing those cheap fixtures every 3-4 years. ( It was kind of funny when the standardized to 3/4" pipe, from 1/2" pipe . He was a little "tight".)

[Kev Williams]

Warranties, lol...

Last June I bought 2 Craftsman adjustable pattern lawn sprinklers, which are rainbirds with an adjustable plastic ring below the head, the ring can be raised/lowered in about 10 places around the ring, raising the ring raises a collar that blocks and shortens the water stream. Works really well on my rectangle lawns.

'Worked' really well I should say. First try a month ago, I push the ring up, and-- it broke. Pushed it up in a second spot, it broke. Both sprinklers rings broke at all 10 places. Less than one year old...

I passed on the Gilmour and Melnor versions of this sprinkler because this was a Craftsman. Ads state "new for 2015", and already it's "no longer available". And it actually had a 'limited lifetime warranty'. Whoopie.

[Stan Calow]

So, as far as handtools go, what is the brand to go for these days?

[Mike Henderson]

So, as far as handtools go, what is the brand to go for these days?

Snap-on has been good for my use. I'm sure there are many other good tool makers.

Mike