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I’ve also seen companies with quality brands milk it for all it’s worth. Newer products get made with 1/4 the quality while trading on the reputation they built

I’ve also seen companies with quality brands milk it for all it’s worth. Newer products get made with 1/4 the quality while trading on the reputation they built with their previous higher quality products. Craftsman was a good example of this. They use to have high quality tools with lifetime warranties. Now, that warranty is gone and they don’t seem much different than any other low end manufacturer. Anyone have other examples?

1-6 6y ago
Yup, the Made in USA Craftsman has long been gone since it's been sold to China. MAC and Snap-on still maintain their quality but I don't run an auto repair shop to justify my purchase. I try to look for the Made in Taiwan Craftsman tools as a compromise or pay extra to buy German steel. I like the concept of Buy it for Life but sometimes you just need something once (like a Harbor Freight tool).
- throwawayboise 6y ago
  The Harbor Freight hand tools I've bought are really pretty decent. Wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers. I'm not a pro mechanic but I do a lot of my own auto maintenance. HF hand tools are least as good as current Craftsman, probably better IMO.
  - bombcar 6y ago
    Harbor Freight (and to be fair Home Depot's Husky) have replicated the hand-tool warranty of Sears - buy either of those and if the hand tool breaks at ANY TIME just take it to the store and get another one. No shipping, no fuss. THAT was the real driver for Craftsman.
  - stjohnswarts 6y ago
    They're fine for home stuff, but take it from someone who used to be a small engine mechanic; they wouldn't last a week in a pro shop. that doesn't mean they aren't useful obviously for someone who uses them a couple times a year. I have some HF stuff as well but all my wood working stuff comes from name brand companies. Also China makes some good stuff, but you have to pay for it. I don't think they're building dams and airplanes with HF tools :) . I helped a friend on his motorcycle a couple of weeks ago and I was kind of shocked at how loose some of the HF wrenches were on bolts bordering on ready to strip them. I stopped and went home and got my set of old craftsman I got handed down and they fit much tighter. I would suggest getting some of the more "expensive" tool lines at HF if you're going to go down that alley for hand wrenches/screwdrivers.
astura 6y ago
Pyrex. The new stuff you buy now is a different product made out of a different material than the original glass cookwear they sold. The new stuff has much poorer thermal shock resistance. https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/pyrex-glass-isnt-as-shatterproof-as-it-once-was-report-finds https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/pyrex-glass-is...
- pavel_lishin 6y ago
  Sadly, this is because the old stuff was _really great_ for making illegal drugs. Pyrex is just one bit of collateral damage in the war on drugs: https://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-03/gray-matter-cant-take-heat/ https://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-03/gray-matter-c...

1-6 6y ago

Yup, the Made in USA Craftsman has long been gone since it's been sold to China. MAC and Snap-on still maintain their quality but I don't run an auto repair shop to justify my purchase. I try to look for the Made in Taiwan Craftsman tools as a compromise or pay extra to buy German steel. I like the concept of Buy it for Life but sometimes you just need something once (like a Harbor Freight tool).

throwawayboise 6y ago
The Harbor Freight hand tools I've bought are really pretty decent. Wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers. I'm not a pro mechanic but I do a lot of my own auto maintenance. HF hand tools are least as good as current Craftsman, probably better IMO.
- bombcar 6y ago
  Harbor Freight (and to be fair Home Depot's Husky) have replicated the hand-tool warranty of Sears - buy either of those and if the hand tool breaks at ANY TIME just take it to the store and get another one. No shipping, no fuss. THAT was the real driver for Craftsman.
- stjohnswarts 6y ago
  They're fine for home stuff, but take it from someone who used to be a small engine mechanic; they wouldn't last a week in a pro shop. that doesn't mean they aren't useful obviously for someone who uses them a couple times a year. I have some HF stuff as well but all my wood working stuff comes from name brand companies. Also China makes some good stuff, but you have to pay for it. I don't think they're building dams and airplanes with HF tools :) . I helped a friend on his motorcycle a couple of weeks ago and I was kind of shocked at how loose some of the HF wrenches were on bolts bordering on ready to strip them. I stopped and went home and got my set of old craftsman I got handed down and they fit much tighter. I would suggest getting some of the more "expensive" tool lines at HF if you're going to go down that alley for hand wrenches/screwdrivers.

astura 6y ago

Pyrex. The new stuff you buy now is a different product made out of a different material than the original glass cookwear they sold. The new stuff has much poorer thermal shock resistance. https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/pyrex-glass-isnt-as-shatterproof-as-it-once-was-report-finds https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/pyrex-glass-is...

pavel_lishin 6y ago
Sadly, this is because the old stuff was _really great_ for making illegal drugs. Pyrex is just one bit of collateral damage in the war on drugs: https://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-03/gray-matter-cant-take-heat/ https://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-03/gray-matter-c...