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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.

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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.

• Best Tools for the DIY Home Mechanic
• Mechanic Risks His Life with Cheap Tools to Help Harbor Freight Shoppers
• Most Important Tool for Used Car Shoppers and DIY Mechanics

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.

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