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> OT: where to buy American made tools, Sears is going bust!
914 RZ-1
post Jan 5 2018, 08:20 PM
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So where are people buying American made tools now that Sears is going out of business? I realize they haven't made them in America for a few years, but they did. Most of my Craftsman tools are made in the US. If I ever have any warranty returns, I'm going to likely get made in China stuff.
Home Depot, harbor freight and Lowe's get most of their stuff from China.
I suppose I could go to a swap meet, but those tools are pretty beat up.
SK makes good stuff but it's expensive.
I've bought a few Proto tools and they seem good.
What does everyone else plan to do?
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Mark Henry
post Jan 5 2018, 08:29 PM
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http://bfy.tw/FtvO
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sithot
post Jan 5 2018, 08:37 PM
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QUOTE(914 RZ-1 @ Jan 5 2018, 09:20 PM) *

So where are people buying American made tools now that Sears is going out of business? I realize they haven't made them in America for a few years, but they did. Most of my Craftsman tools are made in the US. If I ever have any warranty returns, I'm going to likely get made in China stuff.
Home Depot, harbor freight and Lowe's get most of their stuff from China.
I suppose I could go to a swap meet, but those tools are pretty beat up.
SK makes good stuff but it's expensive.
I've bought a few Proto tools and they seem good.
What does everyone else plan to do?


This company makes a nice kit I picked up recently.

https://chapmanmfg.com
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Chris914n6
post Jan 5 2018, 08:56 PM
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Craftsman was bought by Stanley or someone in the same industry. If the tools stay as good who knows.
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mepstein
post Jan 5 2018, 09:19 PM
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I dont think craftsman has been concidered a quality tool for quite some time.
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Unobtanium-inc
post Jan 5 2018, 09:52 PM
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Craftsman was bought by Black and Decker, whose DeWalt brand is ok. But Craftsman has been on the decline for some time, trading on the name. We mostly use Craftsman and the older stuff far outperforms the newer stuff. And by newer stuff I mean 5-10 years old. I have no idea what crap they are selling now.
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somd914
post Jan 5 2018, 10:14 PM
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I've been through several of my newer ratchets, but yet mine from 30+ years ago are hanging on. Overall for the money and the warranty, I still feel they have been a good deal, even recently.

One item I heard with the buy out is that B&D/Stanley would increase the number of Craftsman retailers, but warranty replacements would be up the retailer, thus some might offer life-time warranty for hand tools, and others might not. Seems odd if they really implement that scheme.

As for being made in China, keep in mind that the Chinese are capable of building high quality goods, and they are capable of making junk - just like the US.




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Mueller
post Jan 6 2018, 12:14 AM
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Craftsman tools to be sold at Lowes sometime this year. Hope the quality is good.
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Aidan
post Jan 6 2018, 02:50 AM
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Working in the trades, I always liked Craftsman because there is a Sears in every town when you travel installing production equipment like I do, this is changing with Sears financial problems (this topic pisses me off because I dont want to see Sears go away, Im an engineer and have limited business experience, but I could bring this company back to profitability its simple" All of the above said I will simply say what my father told me growing up " Buy the best and you will never be dis satisfied" For me that is Snap-on, but all the professional tool brands are good, SK, Proto, Matco, Mac...........I also really like Cornwell, but finding a distributor can be tough.
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somd914
post Jan 6 2018, 06:40 AM
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QUOTE(Mueller @ Jan 6 2018, 01:14 AM) *

Craftsman tools to be sold at Lowes sometime this year. Hope the quality is good.


Interesting the Lowe's would sell Craftsman as they are presently direct competition for Lowes' house brand Kobalt tools, some of which I have found to be decent.
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flyer86d
post Jan 6 2018, 07:07 AM
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Before I opened my shop, Craftsman tools were fine. When I went into the business, there wasn’t a sears store within 50 miles so I ended up with Snap On. The dealer stopped by every week. If I absolutely needed a tool or needed one replaced in an emergency he would meet me. Also, Snap On tools are pretty hard to break. Yes they would but I trusted them more than others.

Charlie
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sithot
post Jan 6 2018, 07:17 AM
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QUOTE(somd914 @ Jan 6 2018, 07:40 AM) *

QUOTE(Mueller @ Jan 6 2018, 01:14 AM) *

Craftsman tools to be sold at Lowes sometime this year. Hope the quality is good.


Interesting the Lowe's would sell Craftsman as they are presently direct competition for Lowes' house brand Kobalt tools, some of which I have found to be decent.


http://money.cnn.com/2017/10/24/news/compa...ears/index.html

"Part of the delay in getting Craftsman tools into Lowe's is the fact that Stanley Black & Decker is shifting Craftsman production back from overseas plants to U.S. facilities. It has announced plans for a new U.S. factory to build Craftsman products at a location yet to be announced."

My guess is "assembled in the USA" vs. "Made in the USA".
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somd914
post Jan 6 2018, 07:22 AM
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QUOTE(sithot @ Jan 6 2018, 08:17 AM) *

QUOTE(somd914 @ Jan 6 2018, 07:40 AM) *

QUOTE(Mueller @ Jan 6 2018, 01:14 AM) *

Craftsman tools to be sold at Lowes sometime this year. Hope the quality is good.


Interesting the Lowe's would sell Craftsman as they are presently direct competition for Lowes' house brand Kobalt tools, some of which I have found to be decent.


http://money.cnn.com/2017/10/24/news/compa...ears/index.html

"Part of the delay in getting Craftsman tools into Lowe's is the fact that Stanley Black & Decker is shifting Craftsman production back from overseas plants to U.S. facilities. It has announced plans for a new U.S. factory to build Craftsman products at a location yet to be announced."

My guess is "assembled in the USA" vs. "Made in the USA".


Very interesting, thanks for sharing the link.
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rgalla9146
post Jan 6 2018, 07:46 AM
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QUOTE(flyer86d @ Jan 6 2018, 08:07 AM) *

Before I opened my shop, Craftsman tools were fine. When I went into the business, there wasn’t a sears store within 50 miles so I ended up with Snap On. The dealer stopped by every week. If I absolutely needed a tool or needed one replaced in an emergency he would meet me. Also, Snap On tools are pretty hard to break. Yes they would but I trusted them more than others.

Charlie

Let me follow up on what Charlie said.
While I was in business Snap On were readily available and high quality. And expensive.
Now I have to hunt down a local dealer on his route and persuade him to honor the lifetime warranty. Not so good.
What I've found is that if you buy some tools from the them they're easier to deal with
on warranty tools.

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bdstone914
post Jan 6 2018, 08:03 AM
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I was told that Kobalt tools sold by Lowes are made by Snap-on. Not sure if the are U.S. made but I like them.
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mepstein
post Jan 6 2018, 08:06 AM
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QUOTE(rgalla9146 @ Jan 6 2018, 08:46 AM) *

QUOTE(flyer86d @ Jan 6 2018, 08:07 AM) *

Before I opened my shop, Craftsman tools were fine. When I went into the business, there wasn’t a sears store within 50 miles so I ended up with Snap On. The dealer stopped by every week. If I absolutely needed a tool or needed one replaced in an emergency he would meet me. Also, Snap On tools are pretty hard to break. Yes they would but I trusted them more than others.

Charlie

Let me follow up on what Charlie said.
While I was in business Snap On were readily available and high quality. And expensive.
Now I have to hunt down a local dealer on his route and persuade him to honor the lifetime warranty. Not so good.
What I've found is that if you buy some tools from the them they're easier to deal with
on warranty tools.

Yes. The guys at our shop buy a lot of snap on tools. The rep is very accommodating. When our snap on compressor broke and their warranty division gave me a hard time, I called the rep and he had a new pump overnighted for no charge. He sure didn't want the account to go away.
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Unobtanium-inc
post Jan 6 2018, 08:16 AM
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Snap-on, Mac, and the other higher end tools are of course quality, but for the average guy to spend thousands on tools is not ideal. That's why Craftsman always sold well, it was a quality tool at a decent price. Sad to see that go away.
Now if I was a professional mechanic who made his money by beating the clock, having the very best tools makes sense, money wise.
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saigon71
post Jan 6 2018, 08:20 AM
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I agree with the decline in quality of Craftsman tools over the years. My original ratchet set was my Grandfathers made by Craftsman in the 40's or 50's. When the 1/2" drive ratchet wouldn't "ratchet" anymore, I took it back for a new one. The difference in quality was evident.

That being said, 95% of my hand tools are Craftsman and have served me well, so I'm sticking with the brand, provided the lifetime warranty still exists.

My local Ace hardware carries Craftsman tools now. I'll ask them next time I'm in if they honor the warranty.

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sithot
post Jan 6 2018, 08:37 AM
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QUOTE(Unobtanium-inc @ Jan 6 2018, 09:16 AM) *

Snap-on, Mac, and the other higher end tools are of course quality, but for the average guy to spend thousands on tools is not ideal. That's why Craftsman always sold well, it was a quality tool at a decent price. Sad to see that go away.
Now if I was a professional mechanic who made his money by beating the clock, having the very best tools makes sense, money wise.


(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)
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maf914
post Jan 6 2018, 08:49 AM
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QUOTE(bdstone914 @ Jan 6 2018, 06:03 AM) *

I was told that Kobalt tools sold by Lowes are made by Snap-on. Not sure if the are U.S. made but I like them.


I have also bought some Kobalt tools, which I like. I was recently looking at some of the Kobalt pliers I have: Made in China. Lowe's offers a lifetime warranty, which I haven't used, so can't comment on how they honor it. Lowe's does have some good sales on tools if you check periodically.
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