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I just bought the 174 piece socket set at Costco for $99.99 Craftsman USA made, 1/4 3/8 and 1/2 inch ratchets and sockets 6 inch and 6 metric combination wrenches. I also went by Sears Outlet and picked up a 26 piece 1/2 inch drive socket set for $52.49. It is all over the internet that Sears is now making some Craftsman Ratchets and wrenches in China. Still some USA made socket sets at the store, hurry if you want USA Craftsman!
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don't warranty anything. I got a 1/2" ratchet under warranty from china that I had to drive back from store because it free wheeled. Me and the manager went through every ratchet on the shelf to find one that worked.
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Sad. Craftsman used to be good stuff. I got lots of the USA made stuff that I hope I don't gotta warranty now.
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I was talking to the counter guy at the local auto parts store the other day.
Aparently there are two kinds of items made in China.
There's the "made in china" that we all know and hate, then there's "made in china" to manufacturers specs.
The former includes brake rotors that warp the first time you touch your brakes, black iron fittings and all the other crappy goods we buy.
Then there's the better stuff like iPhones, OE brake rotors, and electronic components that make up our meters and such.
Remember, an item only has to have 51% of it's material made in the US to say "made in the USA"
This post is not in defense of china btw.
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As a former Sears Hardware salesman, A lot of the stuff craftsman has sold, especially recently has been made in china. and from everything we were told, they were still made to the same specs as what was produced in USA. The reason they were sent to China was to keep the prices down.
most of your craftsman stuff is gonna be top of the line, same as always. but like anything else, youre gonna get a bad batch here and there
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They are owned by K-mart now. What did you expect?
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Actually, it's the other way around.Originally Posted by ammoniadog
Sears owns K-mart.
K-mart was bankrupt and Sears bought them. We were doing refrigeration work for Kmart and, from my understanding, lost a good bit of money when they did so.
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A quick web search will bring up news articles from 2004 about KMart acquiring Sears.
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That is fascinating to know.
Thanks for digging up a three year old thread to tell us that.
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SEARS has decided to sell the CRAFTSMAN TOOLS and KENMORE appliances through WHOEVER wants to handle the product lines so you will see them in more than just SEARS stores.
The tool dept in most SEARS stores up here is 1/4 the space it use to be and a lot of it is the lower quality stuff.
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No, ammonia dog was right. A holdings company bought Kmart and operated under the Kmart name. The same company bought sears while operating as Kmart and renamed as sears holdings corp. So Kmart did, in a way, buy sears
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That wasn't my understanding of what had happened.
However, I'm a wrench guy and, as such, don't pay a lot of attention to that stuff.
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I worked or Sears when all of this happened. The guy with controlling interest bought 51% of the shares in Sears and called it Sears Holding Corporation.
Keep in mind that Sears just puts their name on things other people build. Someone forges all of those tools for them with their name on it.
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Supposedly Craftsman is a line of tools, lawn and garden equipment, and work wear controlled by Sears Holdings Corporation. The brand is owned by KCD IP, LLC created by Sears Holdings that also owns Sears house brands Kenmore and DieHard.
The tools are sold in Sears, Kmart, and Orchard Supply Hardware stores, all three of which are owned by Sears Holdings
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[The tools are sold in Sears, Kmart, and Orchard Supply Hardware stores, all three of which are owned by Sears Holdings[/QUOTE]
I've seen Craftsman tools sold at Ace hardware stores too.
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The first time I saw that was at the Ace Hardware in Keller.
I was very confused for a moment.
I found some True Value brand gardening tools at either Lowes or Home Despot once too.
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Sumit Racing has them as well and a few industrial supply houses offer them on line.
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Yeah craftsman's is going to china although the prices are still the same, I refuse to pay top dollar for chinese junk. when I started in the trade having foreign tools was the subject of ridicule, must admit I own some good Japanese wrenches but now japan has also outsourced tool production to china.
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Even some of the German tool manufacturers are out sourcing!Yeah craftsman's is going to china although the prices are still the same, I refuse to pay top dollar for chinese junk. when I started in the trade having foreign tools was the subject of ridicule, must admit I own some good Japanese wrenches but now japan has also outsourced tool production to china.
I bought some Wera screw drivers, and they are made in the Czech Republic.
Just across the border, but when I buy "German" tools, I want them to be made in f'in Germany!
I have to admit though, they are a world better than the screwdrivers Klien is making these days...
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Yeah craftsman's is going to china although the prices are still the same, I refuse to pay top dollar for chinese junk. when I started in the trade having foreign tools was the subject of ridicule, must admit I own some good Japanese wrenches but now japan has also outsourced tool production to china.
If you think Craftsman is "top dollar", stay away from the SnapOn, Mac, and Matco trucks...
Chase
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