Chinese Craftsman tools

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Dec 25, 2015
Messages
44
Location
Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
The only reason I ever go to Sears is to get tools.

I guess I'm late to the party, but now their tools are made in China.

So why would I go to Sears instead of Harbor Freight and why do they think this was a good business decision? I don't shop at Sears for high fashion and somebody with that fancy business degree from Harvard sitting in the board room must understand this (you would think). This company has zero appeal outside of their tools and garden dept., and now that's gone??? I don't think there's a sane person steering this ship.
 
Last edited:
I think Craftsman tools were like middle ground and that's gone. You have Snap-on and China at the two polar ends of the spectrum with *nothing* left in the middle.

You would think there's a market somewhere there (Amazon??), but I guess that's why I don't run a retail empire...
 
a) no one smart enough to get a Harvard degree would be caught dead working for Sears
b) Lowes purchased the rights to sell Craftsman tools, and they have already begun exercising that right if my local Lowes is any indication.
c) I am a big fan of both Snap-on and Harbor Freight. I would love to have all Snap-on tools, but I have way more HF than Snap-on in my tool box. That being said, the Craftsman tools I have purchased from Lowes so far do appear to be of higher quality than the Pittsburgh, etc. tools I have purchased from HF. As of right now, I have not snapped any Craftsman tools while using them. Sadly, the same cannot be said for my HF items.

As far as Sears, the party is over, and they know it. They are not trying to pave a profitable path into the future, so they don't care if you continue to go to their stores. If you see a deal for something there, take advantage of it. Otherwise, you are better off saying 'goodbye' and patronizing another store for your hardware and gardening needs.
 
From my experience the best of made in China and the worst of made in USA have quite a bit of overlap. You really need to look at each brand and product on a case by case basis.
 
So what is happening when you use you use "Chinese made" tools? Get specific. I've been using the Mastercraft line of tools for years. ( made in China) Never had one break or strip. The sale prices on these tools are awesome!

Replaced a water pump lately with " Chinese made" tools. Also did some sway bar links involving some pretty high torque to get things apart. Everything went fine. Oh, the humanity!
laugh.gif
 
Last edited:
hard to find anything made in the USA anymore, I would think even china made tools have a high end and a cheap line of tools, myself I have had great luck with harbor freight tools...
 
Originally Posted by jharrison
The only reason I ever go to Sears is to get tools.

I guess I'm late to the party, but now their tools are made in China.

So why would I go to Sears instead of Harbor Freight.


Because you have read far too much American propaganda that falsely suggests that everything coming out of China is junk.

The average generic branded Chinese import is junk, but the quality of quasi-branded items from China has greatly improved over recent years. Those can be very high band for buck tools if you don't abuse them.

Even so, give me made in Taiwan, Western Europe, or Japan over Chinese, but 9 times of out 10 you're paying significantly more for that.

Harbor Freight has increased their tool quality a lot in recent years, but trying to make vague/ignorant statements that just contrast the two with the only commonality being made in China, is completely ignoring all the specifics relevant to fitness for any particular tool.

There are quite usable tools at Harbor Freight, though it depends on what it is and in my experience their quality control is terrible so you have to be diligent about testing a tool and not be shy about taking it back if it seems unsatisfactory. This level of trial and error is much lower at sears in my opinion. Their best may not be better than harbor freight (except their craftsman pro line which usually is) but the average quality of any specimen of the same tool model is lower at HF.

It might be irrelevant these days. You can read tool reviews on youtube and buy many different brands and quality levels at respectively higher price points on amazon, so if you really want quality tools, neither are contenders. If you just want the cheapest tool that might hold up as long as you need it to (or might not) harbor freight all the way. At the very least if you have a local HF you can exchange them, but I never buy a tool with the idea that I may need to do that.
 
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
So what is happening when you use you use "Chinese made" tools? Get specific. I've been using the Mastercraft line of tools for years. ( made in China) Never had one break or strip. The sale prices on these tools are awesome!

Replaced a water pump lately with " Chinese made" tools. Also did some sway bar links involving some pretty high torque to get things apart. Everything went fine. Oh, the humanity!
laugh.gif



I think it's more the idea of wanting to buy American made.. not so much the quality. Also, seeing what Sears used to be and what it is now is disappointing to some, especially those who grew up with the name.

I've found some awesome sale prices on US made tools myself.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by dlundblad
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
So what is happening when you use you use "Chinese made" tools? Get specific. I've been using the Mastercraft line of tools for years. ( made in China) Never had one break or strip. The sale prices on these tools are awesome!

Replaced a water pump lately with " Chinese made" tools. Also did some sway bar links involving some pretty high torque to get things apart. Everything went fine. Oh, the humanity!
laugh.gif



I think it's more the idea of wanting to buy American made.. not so much the quality. Also, seeing what Sears used to be and what it is now is disappointing to some, especially those who grew up with the name.

I've found some awesome sale prices on US made tools myself.


I agree with everything you said.

Trav posted some good deals a while back on US made Williams tools. I bought quite a few of those tools. I have US and Taiwan made Craftsman tools, along with GearWrench, SO, S&K and some HR offerings. HF has stepped up their game from just a few years ago. I still think Sears Taiwan made tools are better though.
 
Originally Posted by dlundblad

I think it's more the idea of wanting to buy American made.. not so much the quality. Also, seeing what Sears used to be and what it is now is disappointing to some, especially those who grew up with the name.


I was slapped in the face in 2001 with a Craftsman floor jack that I "assumed" was made in the USA...
but when I got it home I found in VERY TINY lettering "Made in china". You had to really, really look.

I paid twice as much for it as the equivalent harbor freight floor jack. I felt ripped-off.
.
.
.

"Sears...... Losing business by 'giving loyal customers the screw' since 2001"
.
.
They have really begun to slide down every since then. I am super surprised they lasted the last 17 years.
 
Dave9 pretty much nailed it!

A lot of persistent propaganda on the low quality Chinese goods. A long time ago the import stuff was cheap and low quality but that has changed. The market for low cost continues because most people don't need top shelf tools. The typical DIYer may only use a given tool a few times a month (or year). Low price is what determines the purchase, and good luck finding quality new quality domestic tools at an affordable price. Same for cars. Actually, good luck finding a car that is made from only domestic steel/parts.
 
Last edited:
Stanley/Black and Decker has the resources to make good tools in the US. They own the Mac tools and Proto brands. It will be interesting to see if they follow up with their commitment to produce the craftsman line in the USA.

"Stanley Black & Decker will be localizing as much manufacturing as possible, consistent with our operating model of manufacturing as close to our customers as possible. Stanley Black & Decker will focus on U.S. manufacturing, using global materials, with the confidence that this will grow the Craftsman brand.

Yes. Craftsman branded products will continue to be covered under their existing warranties. In the immediate term, there are no changes to how you will get service regarding your warranty. For more information about this process, please call us at 888-331-4569.

We are committed to bringing Craftsman's manufacturing back to the United States, using materials from around the world, so you can take pride in knowing that Craftsman products sold by Stanley Black & Decker will once again be Made in the USA with global materials."
 
I heard that Amazon may buy a bunch of the abandoned Sears locations and expand their Whole Foods grocery store network.
I have tools fro just about every manufacturer. Some of the Harbor freight tools are quite good. Gear Wrench makes junk imo.
 
Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
The "Craftsman" name is now owned by Stanley/Black&Decker. Take that for what it's worth.

That might turn out to be a good thing. Time will tell.
 
I purchased a 1/2 inch drive battery powered impact tool from Sear. It is a Craftsman with the 4 amp C3 battery. Everyone that uses this tool loves it. It is fast and quiet and even has LEDs around the barrel that aid in locating the bolt. My son had a tire blow on I 24 on Christmas eve. You guessed it, on the road side in the rear. I came out with that and my sockets and parked my truck to shield him from traffic. He was totally amazed by its speed and ease of use. Seems to run a long time on the battery too. I think max torque is like 250lb/ft. That Sears tool is definitely a winner. Another son and I used it to remove a stuck O2 sensor. Boom it was loose. Lawn mower blades, Poof right off. Never thought I would get so much use out of it. I have always been an air tool guy.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top