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> I noticed the store filling up with Craftsman, Kenmore, and other Sears-branded junk. Such a shame; Craftsman used to be THE name in home tools. If one broke

> I noticed the store filling up with Craftsman, Kenmore, and other Sears-branded junk. Such a shame; Craftsman used to be THE name in home tools. If one broke, you could bring it back for a replacement... forever.

delfinom 7y ago
Now you can buy quite a few (not all) Home Depot (Husky) or Lowes (Kobalt) tools and come with the free replacement for life warranty. Like sockets/wrenches which Craftsman was popular for, you can now buy from the other 2 guys with lifetime warranty and the quality is on par.
- davio 7y ago
  Lowes is heavily showcasing Craftsman tools now. I'd expect Kobalt to disappear as a brand.
- airstrike 7y ago
  Probably thanks to Stanley Black & Decker acquiring Craftsman
- bluGill 7y ago
  Sort of. With the old sears they had all the replacements in stock with no hassle. I tried to warranty a Husky torque wrench once, they don't have that in store, so I get to hassle with contacting husky myself... I didn't the replacement same day to finish my project, so I went elsewhere and swore not to buy husky again because a warranty is meaningless if I can get a replacement when I need it.
- imglorp 7y ago
  Shucks, even Harbor Freight has lifetime warranty on hand tools. At this point, I tend to get the cheap stuff first. If it survives your usage, great. If not, that's a sign to take the savings and get some quality for that one thing.
- paulie_a 7y ago
  Harbor freight is pretty good. The problem with home Depot online is there are way too many options. Sometimes fewer options are better I like Wayfair much more for many things instead of home Depot. I can dial it in on the web search easily. If I am buying from home Depot I'm going to the store. And props to them they have excellent customer service with genuinely knowledgeable people. Good luck using their search
  - paulddraper 7y ago
    Harbor Freight is the go-to place for buying a rarely used tool. Ridiculously cheap, in both price and quality.
RankingMember 7y ago
You still can- Lowes carries Craftsman now and honors the forever warranty (no receipt needed) for tools purchased from other retailers. That said, if you have older USA-made Craftsman stuff I don't recommend warrantying them unless they're totally destroyed as you'll be given a modern cheaply-made Chinese tool. If it's something serviceable like a ratchet, better to buy a kit to repair it rather than hand it in.
- newnewpdro 7y ago
  This bait and switch infuriates me.
- dehrmann 7y ago
  Craftsman has always been rebranded tools. They used to do a good job picking well-made tools, but now they're just cashing in on whatever value is left in the brand.
  - RankingMember 7y ago
    They never made the tools themselves, yes, but they weren't exclusively re-brands. Rather, their tools were a mix of in-house designs (manufacturing outsourced) and re-brands.

delfinom 7y ago

Now you can buy quite a few (not all) Home Depot (Husky) or Lowes (Kobalt) tools and come with the free replacement for life warranty. Like sockets/wrenches which Craftsman was popular for, you can now buy from the other 2 guys with lifetime warranty and the quality is on par.

davio 7y ago
Lowes is heavily showcasing Craftsman tools now. I'd expect Kobalt to disappear as a brand.
airstrike 7y ago
Probably thanks to Stanley Black & Decker acquiring Craftsman
bluGill 7y ago
Sort of. With the old sears they had all the replacements in stock with no hassle. I tried to warranty a Husky torque wrench once, they don't have that in store, so I get to hassle with contacting husky myself... I didn't the replacement same day to finish my project, so I went elsewhere and swore not to buy husky again because a warranty is meaningless if I can get a replacement when I need it.
imglorp 7y ago
Shucks, even Harbor Freight has lifetime warranty on hand tools. At this point, I tend to get the cheap stuff first. If it survives your usage, great. If not, that's a sign to take the savings and get some quality for that one thing.
paulie_a 7y ago
Harbor freight is pretty good. The problem with home Depot online is there are way too many options. Sometimes fewer options are better I like Wayfair much more for many things instead of home Depot. I can dial it in on the web search easily. If I am buying from home Depot I'm going to the store. And props to them they have excellent customer service with genuinely knowledgeable people. Good luck using their search
- paulddraper 7y ago
  Harbor Freight is the go-to place for buying a rarely used tool. Ridiculously cheap, in both price and quality.

RankingMember 7y ago

You still can- Lowes carries Craftsman now and honors the forever warranty (no receipt needed) for tools purchased from other retailers. That said, if you have older USA-made Craftsman stuff I don't recommend warrantying them unless they're totally destroyed as you'll be given a modern cheaply-made Chinese tool. If it's something serviceable like a ratchet, better to buy a kit to repair it rather than hand it in.

newnewpdro 7y ago
This bait and switch infuriates me.
dehrmann 7y ago
Craftsman has always been rebranded tools. They used to do a good job picking well-made tools, but now they're just cashing in on whatever value is left in the brand.
- RankingMember 7y ago
  They never made the tools themselves, yes, but they weren't exclusively re-brands. Rather, their tools were a mix of in-house designs (manufacturing outsourced) and re-brands.