What Happened to Craftsman Tools for DIY Mechanics

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Craftsman Tools, known as a quality tool for the DIY mechanic have been around for nearly 100 years. Today however, many DIY mechanics will buy anything but a Craftsman product. Here’s why…and where they go now for their car tools.

I have not bought a Craftsman Tool in over three years. My last Craftsman Tool purchase was an impact wrench that I found on sale with a seasonal coupon that was just too good of a deal to pass on at the time. While the impact wrench has served me—as the old saw goes—“Good enough for Government work”, I know now that I could have done better with a Harbor Freight model that tested better for less money.

The Tools I Buy and Why

Back in my earlier days working on cars, I was a Craftsman tool fanatic. I was sold on their chrome coating, their no-questions-asked broken tool replacement warranty, their name, their commercials, and the convenience of shopping for a needed tool at a nearby store.

But times have changed and so have my tool shopping decisions.

Related article: Tools Every Mechanic Must Own

Today, I shop mostly from Harbor Freight for my DIY tools with the exception of either some specialty tools they do not carry or one’s I’ve discovered online that are exceptional when it comes to a particular task.

There three main reasons for this:

  • Harbor Freight has upped their tool game with quality brands such as ICON.
  • You cannot beat Harbor Freight when it comes to tool prices.
  • The Craftsman Tools of today are not the same tools of yesteryear.

Related article: My Harbor Freight Brand Pittsburgh Tool Beats Snap-On!

Two Cases in Point: (1) I have a bolt extractor set from many years ago from Craftsman that served me well for years that never made a broken bolt extraction a bigger problem than what I started out with. More recently (3-4 years ago) I bought a brand-new bolt extractor set that turned out to be made of metal so soft, it could barely be used on a wood screw in pine let alone a rusted steel hardened bolt on a car block or frame. It made a broken bolt problem much worse—try drilling out a broken extractor on top of a broken bolt. (2) A short-handled breaker bar that is just a foot-long solid steel bar with a sliding socket fitting on it bent in my hands while prying on it trying to loosen a rusted-on bolt; Again, a soft metal product problem.

What Happened to Craftsman Tools?

At last, someone has come up with less speculation and more substance when it comes to Craftsman Tool quality over the years in a recent DIY with Dave YouTube channel episode where the host gives you the solid reasons why the Craftsman Tools you counted on in the past are in such sorry state today…that it makes more sense to go to Harbor Freight instead.

In case you do not have time to watch the video and just want to know basically what happened to Craftsman Tools, a summary below the video provides you with the least you need to know about this burning question about the decline of what was once a great American tool brand.

The Decline of a Great American Tool Brand: What Happened to Craftsman Tools

 

Craftsman Tools Explanation Summary

  • Craftsman Tools started as far back as 1927 with Sears Roebuck and were made in the U.S.A.
  • The appeal of Craftsman Tools for many years is that they carried practically every tool you would ever need.
  • Craftsman Tools were built to last and even came with a lifetime warranty exchange policy.
  • Beginning in the 1970’s, cost-cutting was first implemented (and getting much worse by the 1990’s), and tool quality began to nosedive due to cheaper metals were beginning to be used and manufacture outsourcing led to poorly made tools by other countries notably China and Taiwan during the early 2000’s.
  • By 2017 bankruptcy became an issue with Sears, and Craftsman suffered right along with it having been sold to Stanley/Black & Decker Tools. By this time, all Craftsman Tools were manufactured overseas.
  • The new owners tried to bring Craftsman Tools back to the US and its former quality and glory, but failed; Partially due to the pandemic, but mostly because economically and politically tool manufacturing and transporting is complex and problematic when countries compete and do not share in a market.
  • Today, Lowes sells Craftsman Tools; however, the quality problems of the recent past can still be an issue. Furthermore, that warranty exchange policy is not as simple as it used to be—a seller has to be found that sells practically the same Craftsman tool as the one exchanged; Not an easy transaction as I myself discovered when my aging crescent wrench did not have an exact crescent wrench match sold today.
  • Harbor Freight has now filled the void left behind with the demise of Craftsman Tools.

For additional articles related to car repair and maintenance tools for the DIY mechanic, here are a few recommended useful ones for your consideration.

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

COMING UP NEXT: The Car Repair Anyone Can Do That One Garage Could Not

Image source: Deposit Photos

Submitted by Daniel Mielnik (not verified) on August 22, 2024 - 8:47PM

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Craftsman tools are junk now. If you bought a craftsman tool you have to take it back to where you bought it from. If you bought it from Napa you can't take to Lowe's if it is broken. It has to go back to where you bought it from.

I've had Craftsman tools all my life, even ones handed down from my Grandfather. I've never had any issues returning and replacing them regardless of where they were purchased, no questions asked at any location that sells Craftsman tools. I've also had no warranty tool replacement issues with Mac, SnapOn, Matco, Stanley, SK, Kobalt or any others. Craftsman even made it easy to go online and get replacements mailed to you at no charge if the local retailers don't carry a certain item. Quality of the tools depends on how you treat the tool. I even have a ratchet and sockets from K-Mart (made in Japan) that I still use today.

I am not going to question quality, but I recently took 4 craftsman ratchet tools that had been in my box for years and been broken to Lowe's. They told me to go find the most similar. I did that and they exchanged them without questions. They were worth over $150.

What happened is an influx of other brands using the Sears model to push tools. Craftsman was only a name and not a specific manufacturer, so other retailers could easily copy the method of lifetime warranty with very little effort. At the time, Sears occupied the space now dominated by Home Depot, Lowe's and Amazon. Harbor Freight is packed full of cheap tools and you get what you pay for. Sure, they have Icon, but that label is far more expensive, and seems to be targeting Snap On, not Craftsman.

Submitted by Bob Thomas (not verified) on August 23, 2024 - 11:38AM

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I like to read the news each morning to see what is going on in this world around me, but for a long time now it seems as though so many articles are just . . . Fables. And there is no such thing as editing either. A note for all you new kids: spell checker is not a grammar checker. Go back to school!
Now, for the supposed author of this article, “Close enough for government work” does not mean that the work is mediocre. It in fact means that it is absolutely best.
And I really question him bending the breaker bar with his bare hands!
However, I must agree with him that the Craftsman line is not what it used to be.

I agree wholeheartedly, Craftsman Tools these days are junk. I still have some of my older Craftsmen stuff. These are tools that are 400 to 50 years old. When they stopped replacing broken tools, I quit buying from them. I, like many others go to Harbor Freight, Lowe’s (Kobalt), and some from other companies. The big tool trucks won’t deal with the DIY mechanic because there isn’t any profit and they are too darned expensive.

Craftsman never seemed like top of the line to me, but they were affordable, easy to get/replace and tough kinda....but I think as with everything else in the world, quality went down, prices went up, and China laughs all the way to the bank....

The audacity to question the author's grammar right before getting the meaning of a well-known phrase completely wrong. That is exactly what "close enough" means. Why would it be "close enough" if it were high quality? That makes absolutely no sense. Perhaps in addition to the book you read on "How to be smug while communicating nothing" you could also read one on critical thinking skills.

Submitted by Dan (not verified) on August 24, 2024 - 7:52AM

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No argument over the decline of Craftsman, but touting Harbor Freight as the best place to go really makes the author a tool.

Submitted by Richard (not verified) on August 24, 2024 - 8:49AM

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I've returned a few ratchets recently to Ace Hardware that carries Craftsman. No problems at all. I still buy them on sale because of the warranty and have had no problems with any of them.

Submitted by TK Ramsey (not verified) on August 24, 2024 - 11:18AM

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i have a Craftsman wrench and socket set that i bought in the mid 70's. Only recently has the head on the 1/2" ratchet malfunctioned. It might only need the replacement button mechanism to work properly again. I don't want to return it for a replacement because I don't want an inferior ratchet to replace it with.
On another note, I have bought Craftsman tools recently - and, they're the good ones from long ago. Used, from Ebay. I look for the auctions that offer the tools from when they were the best. I bought two older breaker bars, 15" i believe, that were "the good stuff".
Full disclosure here - I haven't bought any new craftsman tools in over 30 years. I just had a feeling that they aren't what they used to be.

Submitted by Ken fields (not verified) on August 25, 2024 - 5:59AM

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If you have any of the sears professional brand tools they are selling for 2 to 5 times the price you paid for them. The screwdriver set has like 30 pieces and sold for like 50 dollars and they are selling for 400/500 dollars a set. I had a bunch of sears professional tools and I made a couple thousand off them and paid less then a couple hundred

Submitted by Skwerlo (not verified) on August 25, 2024 - 2:17PM

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I'll admit I'm incredibly surprised to see anyone recommending Harbor Freight as a quality option. Mind you I haven't shopped there in years, but for good reason. Bought a torque wrench there once and it broke on the first use. Got a mitre saw as an Xmas present once and the bolts holding the blade were already rounded off. A hammer whose head flew off on the third strike. Crescent wrench that rounded out on the first use. My experience with them has been one of extremely poor quality. Perhaps they've gotten better in the ensuing years.

Submitted by Rod (not verified) on August 26, 2024 - 4:17PM

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Give me a break. What is this a Harbor freight advertisement. Lowe’s still carries all craftsman tools and any problems are quickly exchanged at their stores no questions ask. No receipt required.

How many of the Craftsman power tools and as long as you take care of them I'm not had one problem with them I'm a woodworker and I use them everyday. I have thousands and thousands of hours using them and I'm not had one problem yet. It must be how you use your tools. If you use them with respect and take care of them they last as long as Dewalt and any other brand

Submitted by Phillip Hartshorn (not verified) on October 19, 2024 - 8:37PM

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During Sears latter days I returned a Craftsman ratchet extension to Sears because the socket would not fit onto the extension. It was simply manufactured out of specification. The Sears representative doubted me until he tried it himself. Previously you would not get this poor quality of product or customer service from Sears or Craftsman.

Submitted by Phillip Hartshorn (not verified) on October 19, 2024 - 8:41PM

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During Sears latter days I returned a Craftsman ratchet extension to Sears because the Craftsman socket would not fit onto the extension. It was simply manufactured out of specification. The Sears representative doubted me until he tried it himself. Previously you would not get this poor quality of product or customer service from Sears or Craftsman.