Are Craftsman tools pretty much all Chinese now?

[PistolBob]

When I was a kid my stepdad taught us to buy the best, and you buy it only once when it came to hand tools. I have sets of SK sockets and ratchets that are pushing 50 years old...they are as perfect today as they were when I got them as Christmas gifts in the 70's. I also have some Craftsman sets from the 60's and 70's that I have bought up at garage sales, flea markets etc and they are fine tools as well. More modern sets are US made Kobalt tools from Lowes...I bought two Kobalt garden shovels the summer before last....they were $4 more than the Chinese counterparts at Lowes but these shovels are USA made. I try to buy USA when possible. Not always possible though.

 

[Sheepdog Gear]

I used to work for Lowe's years ago. I could've swore Kobalt was Chinese as well.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I used to work for Lowe's years ago. I could've swore Kobalt was Chinese as well.

Probably is.

As an aside--I don't know if it's universally true at Lowes, but it seems like (based on my observations) when I'd see that "New Lower Price" sign, that means the same tool was now made in China.

 

[Sheepdog Gear]

I just priced out some top tier American tool manufactures, (Snap On, SK, Armstrong, etc.)....

Let's just say I could buy a brand new Wrangler for the cost of some of their sets.

 

[Leo]

THe last set of brake line wrenches I bought from Craftsman kept snapping the jaw. I returned the wrench to Sears, about a 30 minute drive. The replacment snapped the jaw off also. I found some SK wrenches at the auto store and the wrenches held up and I went back to ruining the fittings ( Don't you love brake work in the snow and salt areas?)
I have broken many brake line fittings over the years but it is pretty bad when the fitting holds and the wrench breaks.

I will buy the old USA Forged Craftsman wrenches I find at garage sales, but not any of the new injection cast stuff.

 

[jgressley2003]

I too was disappointed that Craftsman was no longer American made. Heck I've got Snap On ratchet that's not even made in the US. I recently sent a Matco ratchet in for replacement and I got the shock of a lifetime when the new one said Made in USA! It seems like nothing is manufactured here anymore, even Oreos are now in Mexico!

 

[PistolBob]

I used to work for Lowe's years ago. I could've swore Kobalt was Chinese as well.

You have to look. The entire Kobalt lineup is not 100% US made. The USA stuff is marked as such, and you need to look for it.

 

[PGRChaplain]

Craftsman hand tools were made by Western Forge, Colarado Springs, Co. Since 1960. This was started in Defiance Ohio, SK Wayne Tools. You can read all the stories online about Company Layoffs due to looking business to China.

 

[BluePig]

I just bought a set of 8 Craftsman screwdrivers last week and they were made in the USA.
You really had to work to find them, but there were still some that were USA made.
Might have been leftovers from where they switched.

 

[Sheepdog Gear]

I just bought a set of 8 Craftsman screwdrivers last week and they were made in the USA.
You really had to work to find them, but there were still some that were USA made.
Might have been leftovers from where they switched.

From Sears?

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

S&K, Snapon, Allen, (Menards ) and a few others, but you have to hunt for them.

I tried Sears on a black Friday weekend a few years ago. I want to say 3 years. Was gonna buy about 240.00 worth of new stuff. Ended up with none of it. The poor clerk just stood there with his head down. I was just disgusted.

 

[BluePig]

From Sears?

Yep, Sears store in Elkhart.

I have also noticed that Channellock stuff seems to be US made.
Crescent wrenches seem to be changing over to foreign made, but I have found a few US made ones.

 

[danielocean03]

I have a lot of Matco, Mac, and Snap-On, with some Craftsman stuff here and there along with a random smattering of German (Knipex, Witte, Wiha, Wurth, Hazet) and Swiss (PB Swiss) tools. The vast majority is made in America, but the German & Swiss stuff is very nice as well. Working on European cars and machines will do that to you.

 

[fjw2]

All the major players try to reach all levels of consumer. That would cover the "I don't care what it costs, I only want American made" to "I want it at the cheapest price". You have to ask about the country of origin every time you buy a tool. Whether it is from Snap-on, Mac, Matco,Sears,etc.. Sometimes you don't have a choice, sometimes you do have a choice. It's up to you every time.

 

[Sheepdog Gear]

So.....



Just received the Craftsman 540 set and gave it a QUICK look before I had to run out. Didn't take anything out of bags, but here's what I gathered so far....

Midget wrenches, pliers, and most screwdrivers = USA

Combo wrenches, double closed wrenches, double open wrenches, all sockets, breakers, ratchets, extensions, bits, allens, nut drivers, and even unfortunately the ratcheting wrenches = China

Almost everything is marked "S-AE" or "A-AE". I'll look up what that means later.

So all in all, pretty disappointing. But expected I guess. The US Craftsman factory is probably the size of my office considering the different tools they produce.

 

[Sheepdog Gear]

Looks like the codes are just different Chinese factories. Seriously almost looks like re-branded Harbor Freight stuff. Such a let down. The wrenches aren't even textured and don't have the raised panel like my old ones.

 

[boogieman]

Looks like the codes are just different Chinese factories. Seriously almost looks like re-branded Harbor Freight stuff. Such a let down. The wrenches aren't even textured and don't have the raised panel like my old ones.

The smooth wrenches are what a lot of the companies like craftsman and kobalt are going to. They are geared more toward the homeowner instead of the mechanic. They don't have the grip but are easier to clean off before you put them in your shiny new toolbox. Truth is I haven't noticed a difference in quality from the smooth to the older textured ones

 

[K_W]

Just got back from Ace where I looked at their line of Craftsman tools. Most of the standard wrenches and screwdrivers are USA made and nearly identical in look and feel to the ones my dad bought in the 80's and 90's. The rathets were mostly China but still felt great, the sockets on the other hand looked and felt cheap and were made in China, as were all the boxed and cased tool sets. The power tools were all China, but the good quality midlevel quality expected from newer Craftsman stuff.

Really sad to see, but still good that there are some affordable USA made tools still available.

 

[Sheepdog Gear]

Just got back from Ace where I looked at their line of Craftsman tools. Most of the standard wrenches and screwdrivers are USA made and nearly identical in look and feel to the ones my dad bought in the 80's and 90's. The rathets were mostly China but still felt great, the sockets on the other hand looked and felt cheap and were made in China, as were all the boxed and cased tool sets. The power tools were all China, but the good quality midlevel quality expected from newer Craftsman stuff.

Really sad to see, but still good that there are some affordable USA made tools still available.

That's what I was really hoping for here. Couldn't get so lucky. If the allens and midget wrenches were Chinese, I could deal with that. But having been a mechanic for 8 years in the past, wrenches, sockets, and ratchets NEED to be quality. I've accumulated a few piles of split sockets, ratchetless ratchets, and cracked wrenches.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Midget wrenches? What's the torque spec for midgets anyhow? I bet Skulldaddy knows... Although I'm guessing he likes his midgets a little on the loose side.