If you’re in the market for some tools to complete a project, do gardening and lawn work, or do car repairs, chances are you’ve come across the brand Craftsman. Whether you’re a DIYer, a homeowner, or a professional, Craftsman probably has what you need among its massive range of tools and devices.
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While Craftsman has been around for more than 90 years, users have been especially debating the performance of its products over the recent years. This brings us to today’s question, is Craftsman a good brand?
This article is a closer look into the quality, diversity, and warranty offered by Craftsman.
Craftsman Brand Overview: who owns Craftsman?
The first time Craftsman was mentioned as a name was in association with the Marion-Craftsman Tool Company. In 1927, the chief of the tool division at Sears at the time -Arthur Burrows- bought the name for only $500 to make it the house tool brand.
Under the umbrella of Sears, Craftsman was a synonym for quality tools. This continued until 2017 when Stanley Black & Decker acquired it.
From that point, the quality of the brand became a matter of question.
Many loyal customers believe that Stanley Black & Decker doesn’t follow the same approach as Sears once did. They think that products from this brand don’t have the same “guaranteed for a lifetime” feel.
Where Are Craftsman Products Made?
Most of the manufacturing process of Craftsman products is done in China. This is something that many customers don’t like, especially since things weren’t always like this.
We do have to emphasize that the quality of the products is better than you’d expect from a Chinese-make. Also, to be fair, the low prices of Craftsman products are possible because they’re made in China.
Switching to China happened due to the ownership of the brand by Stanley Black & Decker, which makes the vast majority of its products in The Red Dragon.
The few products that aren’t manufactured in China are made in the United States. These are mostly in the garden and lawn tools and equipment.
What Does Craftsman Sell?
One of the best things about Craftsman is their extensive range of tools and equipment in just about every department you can think of. We believe that the brand’s tool portfolio is one of the most versatile in the market, whether we talk about the different categories of tools or how many tools exist under each category.
Here’s a quick look at what Craftsman offers:
- Power tools — this is one of the brand’s largest tool sections. It includes woodworking tools such as sanders, jointers, and planers, as well as saws of every kind such as miter saws, chop-saws, scroll-saws, circular saws, table saws, and jigsaws.
- Hand tools — this is another grand category at Craftsman. It includes everything from hammers, hex keys, and cutters to knives, measuring gear, and screwdrivers.
- Automotive tools — Craftsman is big on automotive tools with subcategories including oil filters, wheel chocks, inflators, jacks, lift equipment, jacks, rivets, ratchets, and more.
- Air tools — this is another category with impressive variation from Craftsman. Air tools include a wide selection of air grinders, air impact wrenches, nailers, air hammers, cut-off tools, air ratchets, and more. The company also makes a range of air compressors to power tools in this section.
- Outdoor equipment — yet another huge category from Craftsman, outdoor gear includes a lot of tool types such as shredders, chainsaws, lawnmowers, chippers, generators, lawn edgers, heating options, hoses, and hedge trimmers. The company also produces handheld snowblowers, leaf blowers, leaf vacuums, outdoor lighting, cultivators, log splitters, and more.
- Storage — Craftsman also makes garage and storage tools such as garage flooring, garage door openers, sheds, toolboxes, tool chests, tool cabinets, workbenches, and so on.
- Protective workwear — while using Craftsman tools and equipment, you can also be wearing their workwear for protection. That category includes items such as knee pads, gloves, and heated jackets.
Are Craftsman Tools High Quality?
We wouldn’t say Craftsman tools are high quality, at least currently they aren’t. However, we can confidently describe Craftsman products as above average or good quality.
This is because the brand isn’t among high-end manufacturers or low-end companies. It’s above the middle of the table, so it’s decent and recommendable – especially if you’re on a budget and looking for great value for money.
Craftsman tools are designed for convenience. They’re user-friendly and highly functional but also easy to maintain.
The biggest issue that customers have with Craftsman is their longevity. But we believe this is more of a problem for professionals, not DIYers, homeowners, and hobbyists.
Does Craftsman Offer Generous Warranties?
When you’re buying tools, a warranty isn’t something to overlook. Luckily, Craftsman products come with generous warranties.
Many tools feature a full lifetime warranty such as mechanic tools and hand tools. A limited lifetime warranty is seen mostly in electronic measuring tools, whereas storage tools and power tools have limited warranties ranging between 1, 3, 5, and even 10 years.
As for outdoor gear, they fall anywhere between 1-year and limited lifetime warranties depending on the product in question.
Is Craftsman a Good Brand?
Generally speaking, the answer is yes. Craftsman is a good brand compared to many other tool brands on the market.
When it comes to quality, the company does an impressive job offering highly performing tools at a competitive price. Granted, the longevity and durability of Craftsman products aren’t what they once used to be, so they aren’t suitable for frequent, heavy-duty use.
In terms of versatility, Craftsman is beyond great. The company puts up an extensive range of tool options in pretty much every category out there.
As such, we can safely say that if you need decent tools at a reasonable price, Craftsman is an excellent choice.
Wrap Up
As you can tell by now, Craftsman is a generally good brand if you’re a DIYer, a hobbyist, or a homeowner who doesn’t need tools for heavy use. The company offers decent quality, affordable prices, and a wide range of products.
We have discussed Black and Decker and Bosch before
