The Craftsman tool brand has been under Stanley Black & Decker ownership for more than four years now. We’ve seen lots of new tools, but what’s been goin on with the Craftsman Club?
Advertisement
Looking at Craftsman’s website, there are TWO free membership options – a basic access option and a full access option.
The Free Basic Access option looks to be just an email list, while the Free Full Access Premium Club option looks to be an email list where you provide a little more information.
Am I a Basic or Premium member? I’m not sure. Clicking on the link at the bottom of the emails I’ve been getting brings up a preferences page where I can select specific interests and provide more information about myself as a user, such as the approximate size of my garage and the size of my front and back yards.
There’s a separate “product registration” link on their website where you can sign in, and that seems to be confirm this feature or service requires Craftsman Club registration.
If you click on the “user account” silhouette icon, a Craftsman Club sign-in appears. There, it says that joining the Craftsman Club will give you tailored help and support content and the latest updates from Craftsman.
I took a look at a couple of Craftsman product pages, and most reviews have “received free product” notices. Looking at other products, some are aggregated from retailers, according to their “originally posted on lowes.com” notices.
Advertisement
It doesn’t look like there is any real Craftsman Club “community” anymore.
A few months ago, Craftsman emailed a link to a survey, and they said answering it could help them improve the Craftsman Club. I suppose this is a good indication that they’re looking to develop the program a bit more.
The email had the subject Your Opinion is a Prize Opportunity, and they basically wanted “club members” to fill out the survey for a chance to win a basic cordless drill or mechanics tool set.
The Craftsman Club Survey
Following are the questions, with my answers in italics.
What content from The CRAFTSMAN Club would you like to see more of in the future? Select all the apply.
- Promotions
- Exclusive Content
- New Product Launches
- “How to Build” Projects
- Product Recommendations
- Recognition for Proud Doers
Promotions? Yes, please! Exclusive content? Sure! New product launches and project builds? Sounds good to me!
What resources do you trust for information about home improvement, automotive, how-to projects, or product news?
- Manufacturer’s website
- YouTube
- Retailer website
- Influencers
- Social Media
- Other
“ToolGuyd” is the correct answer here.
How can we improve your relationship with The CRAFTSMAN Club?
- Product content customized to my interests
- More contests/giveaways
- Less frequent emails
- More frequent emails
- Loyalty program
- Other
Good question.
What rewards would you like to receive from The CRAFTSMAN Club?
- Product
- Discounts/Coupons
- Opportunities to earn bonus points
- Trips to manufacturing plants, NASCAR races, auctions etc
- Referral rewards
- Early access to sales/new products
- Branded gear
Discounts.
I used to really look forward to using my Craftsman Club calendar coupons. Those were great promos, allowing me to save on the tools I actually wanted to buy.
What other brands have great loyalty programs?
- Not sure
- Enter brand
Your Opinion?
What do you think about the Craftsman Club as it is now? What would make it better? Or do you not really care?
Was it ever good? I think so – I have fond members of the perks, Calendars, and catalogs from a few years ago before Sears sold the brand to Stanley Black & Decker. Maybe there’s a path back to that sense of club or community that used to exist.
Joe
I think all things Craftsman under Stanley Black & Decker’s reign is a joke. Their hand tools are mediocre and equivalent to what you might find on clearance at a dollar store. Nothing about anything they offer appears to entice people to the brand. Milwaukee and Tekton for example have accomplished that feat, but Craftsman continues to struggle. Their advertising and marketing prowess is so bad that it makes me wonder if anyone working there really cares? Then there’s the Craftsman social media accounts which blatantly ignore customer questions and if you’re lucky enough to receive an answer, it’s always some generic corporate response. The bottom line here is that Stanley Black & Decker paid $900M for Craftsman four years ago and all they’ve managed to accomplish is regurgitating rebranded Stanley tools in a childish, bright shade of red and have them collect dust on Lowe’s shelves at an overly inflated price point.
Jared
Patience Joe. 😉
I’m not suggesting the Craftsman launch has been stellar – but the products you see now are mostly rebrands of existing SBD stuff so Craftsman could get to market quickly.
Craftsman did promise more USA production, but their have been delays (and not ones SBD is fully responsible for).
With how much was invested, I can’t imagine SBD was willing to stall the launch until a full new product line was ready to go.
Is the current SBD Craftsman really “worse” than end-of-Sears Craftsman production?
sam
Yeah, Sears did a much better job with the Craftsman brand than SBD.
SBD is using Craftsman’s name to sell its existing stuff! Maybe things in the future will change, but I doubt it.
Thy idea of making tools in the US is to make people excited.
In the end, money talk! and making tools overseas are much profitable!
Raycr
The last couple of years between Sears sales and points from their club I was buying the largest combination wrenches and other hand tools for nearly 30 cents on the dollar. They were made in China.
I just found one seller Suzann on eBay who is selling vintage craftsman 3/8 fine tooth wheel ratchets made in USA for 24.99 plus shipping. I bought a dozen last month as Stocking stuffers for Christmas. She mistakenly calls them used because they have no tags but they are new old stock all 12 are with out blemish and still dry and ungreased.
Look at all the photos where she has over 50 of them arranged in a semi circle.
Tim D.
“ Is the current SBD Craftsman really “worse” than end-of-Sears Craftsman production?”
In my experience so far, yes.
Joe
Yes, absolutely yes. Sears, even with all of their problems did a good job of trying to maintain the brands identity to the bitter end. Even when the tools got to the point where they weren’t the quality we had come to expect from Craftsman, they at least had some damn good sales on just about everything in the store and those sales ran constantly. The Craftsman sales at Lowe’s are so mundane, it isn’t worth wasting my time to pull into their parking lot.
SAM
Agreed. all great points. I think it is because of Lowe’s sale policy that’s why they don’t have many sales and discounts. Lowe’s is very conservative compared to Menards or Home Depot.
Graham Z
agree totally
DAVID
Put me down for another agree. For me, Craftsman tools always fail under comparison since the new regime took over this once iconic brand. I have simply lost interest in their unrelenting price-point strategy. They are often lower quality but still trying to ride their historic name. When I think about Craftsman now, I imagine bushings, not bearings; plastic, not metal; high profit, not quality. YMMV, but they’ve lost me.
Tony
At least SBD doesn’t have the phony gimmick crap that Sears had at the end. I saw their new combination wrench set at Lowe’s. It was made in India. It was very rough looking. Harbor Freight has better looking wrenches, at much lower prices. They also have a brand new set of snap-ring pliers, also made in India and not great. Maybe they will switch all of their production to India. I would thing that the quality will improve in time? Sad situation.
Maps Bam
The new Craftsman isn’t great, but to say it’s liken to the stuff on clearance at a dollar star is just a false.
Joe
Is it though? Is it? Look at their red and black handle pliers. Rebranded Stanley’s which can be found at many discount department stores. They’re made of the cheapest materials and poorly finished. The raised panel wrenches are now made in India of all places which is incredibly sad. Their ratchets are terrible with giant, bulky heads and generic by way of appearance. Literally the same items I see at the dollar store or in some dudes rusty bucket at the flea market. These are not tools anyone is taking pride in, yet they use the word “pride” in their advertising. The only thing they maybe have going for them perhaps are their Taiwan made sockets. I’ll give them credit there.
At the very least Sears was putting forth effort to make their China made tools resemble the ones made just a few years prior in the USA? It wasn’t Sears fault that Apex shut down US manufacturing. They probably had little to no choice in the matter. At least those tools had their own identity.
SB&D could have taken this brand in so many better directions. They have the resources available to do so, but all they’ve show these past four years is how great they are at cutting corners.
DAVID
I could have written this.
They are just sourcing the highest profit tools they can find and slapping on a classic name they bought from someone else. They will milk the name for all it’s worth and then it will just come to stand for cheap tools. That devolution is well underway.
Paul
Look Craftsman will NEVER be competitive with Milwaukee or Teton ever again. When Sears owned it, it was their flagship…their only brand name so going after those brands made sense. Under SBD they already have a premium brand name…Dewalt…with premium prices. Craftsman can NEVER be close to Dewalt or customers won’t pay the higher margins.
As to Made in USA that might be inevitable for tariff reasons not marketing. Why does it even matter? Their Chinese plant is closed. The issues with the Craftsman line are design not manufacturing.
Skfarmer
I don’t really want to pick on you but for being a reader and contributor to this site you don’t seem very well informed and it makes your opinion less credible. I am a big dewalt fan but it is painfully obvious that dewalt is not Stanley/black and deckers premium hand tool line. Power tools maybe but hand tools no. Proto, Mac and facom are the premium hand tool brands. Don’t take my word for it though. Check Stuarts tool brand list.
Paul
I’ll give you credit for Mac etc. but those are all niche market channels. That same chart clearly positions Craftsman as the budget brand name. The same lists clearly show for instance Williams is the industrial channel brand name if the tool truck brand Snap On.
SBD has always been into targeting specific products, I’ve never seen them try to cover an entire “line” except with power tools and even then they can’t seem to stick with just one battery platform.
Stacey Jones
Spot on Joe. The brand isn’t worth Toolguyd time until they can demonstrate quality tools made in the USA for sale.
Tony
Well said!
IronWood
Craftsman Club is still around after they turned into a third-tier import tool brand? Meh. As far as I’m concerned Craftsman died a long time ago. Maybe they’ll come back, but show me don’t tell me at this point…
And besides, ToolGuyd is the best and only tool club for me!
Maps Bam
Unlike most of the current posts, I am a Craftsman fan of old and I really hope this brand is turned around. Bringing manufacturing back to the USA is a great start that every American should be behind.
IronWood
I was a big fan of Craftsman hand tools as a good value, great warranty brand until things starting going downhill and offshore. I have always thought Craftsman power tools were garbage. If and when quality improvements are made and they actually deliver on returning significant production to the US I could be a fan again. But I’m still waiting to see it.
MM
That’s my take on it too. I bought a lot of Craftsman tools in the 90’s and early 2000s. They were good value for money, had a great warranty, and it was very nice that most were made in USA. Their selection and availability was great, especially in the days before internet shopping. But since then their quality has slipped and their selection has dropped. Right now I have very little interest in Craftsman because I either already have the tool or because they don’t make it.
A-A-Ron
It’s amazing what nostalgia for a brand that peaked 35-odd years ago can do. Aside from the Craftsman name there’s nothing compelling going on.
Don’t get me started on their Porter-Cable 2.0 cordless line.
Sean
I think Craftsman as a brand really needs to get people excited by this nameplate and fast. I’m a generation Y and was barely old enough to still buy USA made socket and ratchets.
The value of the Craftsman names is the emotions and good feelings that it stirs in people who remember it fondly. Younger gen Y and Z kids don’t have this connection.
In my opinion, SBD needs to up their game if they want to capitalize on this need plate and get new generations excited by the thought of their products.
Joe
You hit the nail on the head.
I’m on the cusp of Gen X and Gen Y. I remembered my father always using his Craftsman tools that he bought in the early 1970’s. I remember trips to Sears with my dad in the 80’s and early 90’s. As an adult, I started buying most of my tools in the mid 2000’s when Craftsman was still USA made. I was proud of those tools when I purchased them and still am to this day.
The glory days of Craftsman are long gone and I understand that. The brand means so much to so many people and SB&D has put forth little to no effort in capitalizing on those feelings.
Even if they continue forging ahead with their own vision for the brand, that’s fine too. But so far they’re doing a terrible job getting people excited and into the store buying their products.
Jared
Well their 2020 annual report would suggest otherwise, reporting the brand is responsibile for $900 million of net growth and thats just with more or less “rebranded” products.
Now I get it, people that are more “particular” or knowledgeable on tools might be upset with the approach so far, but quite frankly it’s clear SBD wasn’t buying the brand to appeal to those people. They bought it to serve as their mass appeal brand to the average homeowner, to which so far appears to be successful.
Kentucky fan
Yeah my cousin is a tool manager at lowes and in his experience they sell a flat ton of craftsman products. We are tool snobs here the average person out there sees craftsman and says good enough. Honestly for the average Joe their stuff is good enough.
Joe
If Stanley Black & Decker wasn’t buying the Craftsman brand to appeal to “those people”, then why did they build a massive manufacturing facility in Texas to “supposedly” produce mechanics tools stateside?
How much of that $900M growth is from the sale of mechanics tools? Let’s break it down by category. I have two Lowe’s stores within a 10 mile radius of my home and both of them have the same Craftsman sets collecting thick layers of dust on them week after week after week.
Let’s look at the numerous SB&D/Craftsman ratchets and ratcheting wrenches for sale on eBay. It’s crazy! I’m willing to bet my bottom dollar all of them walked out the back door.
The brand might be strong in some areas, but hand tools is not one of them.
MM
Don’t neglect the warranty service angle. My father was from the UK so it was European brands I recall him using when I was young. But I do recall Craftsman being highly respected for back in the 80’s and 90’s because of their warranty. Not only would they warranty broken hand tools no-questions-asked, but they’d do it right there in the store. And since Sears physical stores were common it was extremely easy, and fast, to get your broken tool replaced. You didn’t need a receipt or have to fool around with mailing the tool in for repair or exchange. That ended up being the reason why I bought Craftsman for most of my early tool purchases: the strength of the warranty and overall value for money.
Now a lot of brands offer good tool warranties, but I wonder if there is a way that SBD could work off of that side of the brand’s reputation and set themselves apart by offering exemplary warranty service like they once did.
I’m also curious how competing brands handle this today. If I walk into a Lowe’s with an old, broken, Kobalt ratchet will they exchange it or drop in a rebuild kit right there in the store? What about Home Depot and Husky?
Mitch Bonnett
I have been buying tools for my garages and workshops (not rich – I moved a lot as I was a Soldier for a long time and after that second and third career I could afford separate workshops as I continued to move a lot) for over 50 years and have seen a lot of variance in quality and cost among a lot of domestic and foreign manufacturers and retailers. In general, most tools sold in the retail market (big box stores and specialty ) today are far superior to what was sold back then.
Here is why I still support the Craftsman brand (apologies for the length).
While there were a few exceptions, quality was so bad 50 years then that hand injuries from tools breaking in use were expected, and almost a point of pride in the bar after work. It was so bad that before computer measured quality assurance you could not get a five year car loan because the bank did not not expect a mass produced car to last five years (and many did not – I owned a few of those rust buckets – none made it past the length of the loan).
In that retail environment of mass produced tools for the retail market however one company stood out because they stood behind their hand tools – Craftsman.
The Craftsman quality didn’t mean I could not break them – this then poor GI that had to do his own repairs on the junk car he had a loan on broke them – usually by doing something really stupid to avoid having to buy a more expensive tool – but they were harder to break.
When I did break them I knew I could take the blood covered tool to the nearest Sears and the clerk, after asking if I needed medical assistance, would not blink an eye and give me a new one. Yes, they probably lost money doing it but that kind of brand dedication made me a customer for life. I still own most of those hand tools.
As I got older the quality improved across the retail industry, especially from overseas, and it got tougher for Craftsman to compete – and it was getting dragged down by Sears investing funds in trying to be all things to all people – an act of madness that I am sure lots of marketing graduate papers have explored.
Also, as I got older I could afford non-retail specialty purchases from suppliers that made no attempt to be cost competitive because their market was people like me wasting money on getting every possible feature, not just the necessary one.
But, alas, as I have gotten older and talk with my pals from overseas tours many years ago a common theme arises – that their children and grandchildren have it tougher than mine, and that my choices may have made their chances worse.
Because I had no children on my own (I married into grown children) I could invest in my post-military education (GI Bill goes only so far) and could afford tools my Army buddies and their children could not. Likewise, my support of overseas manufacturers meant fewer domestic post-Army jobs for my buddies (we were all enlisted) and for their children.
I had no clue and to be frank did not, until recently, care. I care now because I lived through the recession of the 1970’s (17% interest rate on my parents first home purchased in 1970 and credit card interest so bad it was tax-deductible), and it looks to me to be coming back – fast. So, I am going to argue that we need to support American manufacturing, in this case domestic tool production.
But that is not the only reason. Until recently I was a Gladiator tool box snob – you know the ones (the expensive ones). I have a workshop full of them. Yes, they are American made, but most young families can’t afford them. They can afford the Craftsman boxes. I purchased two Craftsman boxes (base and top) almost two years ago and the quality is as good as the Gladiator – in some respects better. And the jobs that make them are jobs for Americans – like by buddies’ kids.
So, I’ll close this tome by asking you to google the Craftsman made in America ads. If you want to see my favorite toolboxes (sorry Gladiator), watch the one with Sedalia, MO in it.
Thanks for listening (reading). You have a great site (I really miss Hammer Zone).
Steve
Like Maps Bam I’m a Craftsman fan of old but I’m not interested in its revival . They screwed up their good brand name so too bad; I just don’t care about them anymore. Craftsman Club email for me will end up in the spam file.
PW
Kind of shocked by the Craftsman vitriol here. Like many, I grew up with my Father using tools that said “Craftsman” on them.
I’m just barely old enough to own a smattering of the very last USA made Craftsman hand tools. Some of them gifted by my late Grandfather. I hate to be nostalgic for a brand, but I can’t help it with this one.
For my DIY uses, even the late USA Apex stuff is fine. And at the time, they were reasonably priced. But I’m not going to pay what seems like the same (inflation adjusted) price for mainland China tools. Particularly when there’s a ton of competing brands with better quality or better prices.
So what could Craftsman do to make me interested in their email list or whatever? Get that “made in USA” sticker back!
Jared
I echo your sentiment. I expect some of the negativity relates to the positive feelings people have for the brand – i.e. they want Craftsman to be what it once was. Because there aren’t current a lot of pro level Craftsman-branded tools, there’s a lot of disappointment, expressed as criticism.
I tend to be enthusiastic and positive about tools generally, which I think makes me sound like a contrarian in this debate. My instinct is to defend Craftsman – not because I think they’re knocking it out of the park, but because I don’t think the SBD Craftsman launch deserves quite this much criticism.
I’m hopeful when SBD starts producing USA-made tools, the sentiment will shift. SBD’s investor materials show they intended Craftsman to have the broadest market segment of any brand in their portfolio – from homeowner to pro.
SBD knows what pro tools are. Proto is pretty much my favorite mechanics tool brand. Does anyone think SBD planned to make reproductions of Sears-designed tools from 30 years ago in China and India and claim they were pro tools? That’s the budget stuff. Don’t buy it with pro expectations.
Dewalt must rank either #1 or #2 overall of all cordless tool platforms. It’s good. Craftsman has a few decent tools and a lot of aged Porter Cable rebrands. I expect these are the homeowner-grade options and better stuff will come out as the brand gains momentum.
Dave the tool
I haven’t purchased a Craftsman Tool in years. I used to love getting my Craftsman Club book with the savings and having pulled the lever on many, many club deals! A NEW Craftsman Club wouldn’t entice me to start purchasing Craftsman again because of the whole Craftsman China Cheap Garbage which allowed many other tool companies to start up and flourish with Craftsman being sidelined. I have found alternative tools with better quality so why would I go back? The Craftsman Name wasn’t just about the quality of the tools but having the majority of hand tools guaranteed forever with in store changeout. This is long gone and we have moved on.
DC
I see the stacks and shelves full of Craftsman tools plus the aisle lined with tool boxes at Lowes and there are lots of people buying their stuff. I just walk past as my days of wrenching with Craftsman started in 1979 and ended a couple years later when I bought my first Snap-on ratchet and wrench set.
DC
That said, I have no interest in their Craftsman club.
Mr. X
I miss the days of the Craftsman Tool Catalog. I always thought the complete sets were just the coolest thing even if I could never afford a $20k tool set. While certainly not quite at the Snap-On level, the US made hand and mechanics tools were accessible and of decent enough quality to get the job done.
Today, the best place to find quality Craftsman tools is at yard sales. Even then the US made classic Craftsman stuff sells quickly, as people see the intrinsic value in older, well made tools.
As for the Craftsman Club, I recall a calendar with a monthly coupon, some type of discount, and occasional mailings. I hope SBD/Lowes/Ace find a way to get Craftsman back to what it once was.
Chris
Coach James
After reading the responses, I had to go back to see if I read Stuart’s question incorrectly. I know nothing about the current C-man club. I was a member of the club for years back in the 80’s and 90’s. I loved the tool catalog and liked the calendars. My friends and I liked the one weekend each month, all C-man branded items were 10% off. Some items were a larger % off. C-man club weekends, the store here would put out a table with Craftsman and other brands for half off. I picked up a set of Companion pliers that are still great to use.
At some point, we were told by the store people that that had ended and was replaced by a system where you accumulate reward points through your purchases. That was the end for me and my friends, none of us had any interest in collecting points, double points etc.
I would like to see the brand return to profitability and a good C-man club made available. For me, that would be what it was years ago, before switching to points. I didn’t take the demise of Sears/C-man as a personal insult, and will always be happy to see tools being made in the USA, regardless of the brand.
josh
When you went to sears it was for the tools! I might check out the other stuff but always the tools was the reason for going. They had a fantastic selection and now what i see is pretty much the basics and seems a bit high on the price. I myself have have the basics and some several times over. Now it the auto parts store, menards, home depot or harbor freight because i can just walk in and get what I need. Lowe’s isn’t far but its the furthest of all the home improvement stores for me. When the selection gets better I would probably sign back up. Considering sb&d own mac tools im sure they can figure out some automotive craftsman tools.
Nathan
so I was/ am one of those people that pass on craftsman branded anything decades ago. Some of you say they died recently I say they died in the 90’s. yes my dad still has a few craftsman wrenches and I think one ratchet. Only craftsman branded things I own are some vice grips from the 90s.
From then on I never consider a thing they made that had that name on them – they stopped being US made, they stopped be quality parts etc. Today however I do look over the new craftsman powertools at lowes because they are lower tier Dewalt products.
Now I pass on their cordless stuff only because I have dewalt stuff and batteries and I don’t want to deal with the battery mismatch. But their corded power tools are basically cheaper dewalt corded tools. and I’m OK with that for some things – and yes I also agree it’s a red porter cable also. Shopping for a jig saw I’m OK with that. Their top tier cordless drill is the second tier Dewalt brushless for less – works great for most people.
their storage parts – seem decent and they make things in USA again.
So I hold out a little hope – I don’t expect much. I have said a few times they have all the ability of any company in the US to bring on US made quality hand tools – which I would love to see. and bring on some of those specialty automotive tools too.
but I still shop and tell others to shop Tekton too.
Frankie
Hi Stuart
After several years of being a “member”, I finally found my membership card in my junk drawer. Although I have a good amount of Craftsman products, I will honestly tell you that I never took their membership seriously. I got the card from my local Sears Direct place (I think that’s what it’s called) while getting water filters for my Kenmore refrigerator. But while I was, I watched a customer who was flipping out because the store rep was giving him grief about replacing his broken torque wrench. Watching this take place told me that the membership is nothing more than a sales gimmick; and would that me be if/when my torque wrench were to fail. It’s so funny to now even learn from your blog that are TWO types of memberships. I wasn’t told that at all when they gave me the membership card. So I guess my card can stay in the junk drawer until I decide to clean it out. What a shame. This is not the Craftsman I always heard about. And the fact that they were already screwed up before being acquired speaks volumes. Be well.
Tai Nguyen
I just join this C-man club today because I like to ask how to disassemble my 40v craftsman 13in weed wacker. The spool is loose and I want to tighten it back. I am not sure where to ask or post such question. Thanks.
Stuart
You can contact Craftsman here: https://support.craftsman.com/hc/en-us/requests/new