Sad day: Sears sells of Craftsman brand
GordonMcComb
Posts: 3,366
Those of us who are tool junkies fondly remember the prime years of Craftsman: good value, lifetime warranty (I never had to take them up on it), and easy availability from any nearby Sears store. I still have a set of Craftsman socket wrenches from the 70s that is in near-mint condition.
These are sad times when Sears -- confronted by ever-mounting losses as it struggles to compete in the world of modern retail -- is forced to sell the Craftsman brand to raise cash. The new owner is Black & Decker, who I hope will return Craftsman to its former high-road glory, rather than just making it another way to sell cheap imported junk that strips out at the sight of a stuck bolt.
These are sad times when Sears -- confronted by ever-mounting losses as it struggles to compete in the world of modern retail -- is forced to sell the Craftsman brand to raise cash. The new owner is Black & Decker, who I hope will return Craftsman to its former high-road glory, rather than just making it another way to sell cheap imported junk that strips out at the sight of a stuck bolt.
Comments
Yes, I do hope that B&D do well by the brand.
Jim
I also buy tools from Home Depot, (Husky), because they have a life time guarantee.
Sears has been on the demise for a few years. Now shutting down more Sears and Kmarts.
Then there is the thing that nobody fixes anything anymore. They have no need for reliable tools.
This will get worse with the arrival of electric, autonomous vehicles. Is anyone going to crack open their Tesla or coming Ford electric cars? Which would no doubt void the warranty anyway.
Of course there is the endless onslaught of online sales to deal with as well.
I guess famous brands like "Craftsman" will become just names on whatever junk is made next. Like Hewlett Packard and so on.
1) They disappear. Gremlins take them or hide them. Almost as with socks.
2) Shiny! Must buy.
EDIT: How could I forget number three, a quarter inch drive ratchet that stopped locking.
-Phil
It's been a rocky ride ever since. The investment firm that bought Sears and K-Mart, and then tried to merge them in various flavors, all of them failures, hasn't helped things. The day they ended the Blue Light Special is the day they stopped understanding the K-Mart shopper. You can't stay in business when you don't get your customer.
I wasn't as impressed with their power tools - much prefer Milwaukee, Porter Cable, Delta, etc.
However, this Sears 7/8 h.p drill (circa 1977) still runs great.
It weighs 7.2 lbs. and is built like a tank!
Black and Decker power tools are generally Smile IMHO - especially their rechargeable tools.
It is sad that Sears is in such bad shape. Being associated with Kmart was a BIG mistake...
I had a couple of drill-driver/impact and light sets, battery's just don't last. You can find the motors in my robotic parts, and I kept the charger on one of them.
Sears has stores you can walk into, B&D doesn't. That might slow down the replacement process, unless you can swap at any retailer who carries B&D.
Part of the joy in lifetime tools is not worrying when you abuse them. Hammering on unhammerables, or adding a long pipe "torque amplifier" to transform a 3/8" drive ratchet into a breaker bar for large seized suspension bolts.
YOU MONSTER! :skull:
That's pure poetry. And paradoxical. I love it.
"torque amplifier" is great too.
-Phil
DIY Impact Wrench works in a pinch.
I'm writing to let you know some exciting news about Craftsman that will enable us to put even more hardworking tools in the hands of makers everywhere. On January 5, Sears Holdings announced that it will sell the Craftsman brand to Stanley Black & Decker.
Craftsman is and has been an important part of the Sears family for ninety years. And thats not going to change. The research and development team at Sears and Craftsman will continue to develop new innovations that will be available exclusively at Sears and Kmart stores and online. However, as part of this transaction, Stanley Black & Decker will gain the rights to develop, manufacture and sell Craftsman-branded products outside of Sears and Kmart, which will make Craftsman products more broadly available in the USA and internationally.
Craftsman remains committed to maintaining the very best aspects of the Craftsman brand. You'll still find the most high quality tools available at the best value, along with our exclusive lifetime warranty on Craftsman hand tools, which has been a hallmark of the brand for generations.
Sears will continue to have the most extensive range of Craftsman tools and lawn and garden products, along with the same trusted service you rely on. In addition to being sold primarily at Sears and Kmart, Craftsman will soon be available at other retailers nationwide.
Your membership in Craftsman Club will not change and we will continue to provide you with exclusive offers, tips and information to help you with all your projects.
Thank you for your membership and loyalty to Craftsman. We look forward to supporting makers everywhere and providing you with the tools you need for many more years to come.
Sincerely,
Tom Park
President Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard
I interpret that as "B&D is adding a new Craftsman line to the existing Craftsman product catalogue and the new tools will have nothing in common (good or bad) with any existing tools. B&D bought the name but not the tools themselves." Did I get that right????
Maybe Snap-On.
Much like when DieHard batteries allowed Hollywood to slap their good name on all those Bruce Willis movies.