In a grassroots Motorsports community like ours, Sears was special for 1 reason: CRAFTSMAN TOOLS. Sears and Craftsman were nearly synonymous for many of us. Much like the featured image at the top of this article, I’m sure you can recall your own mental image of running to Sears late in the evening to grab a tool (or to replace a tool) that you desperately needed to get your car back in shape for the next event. Sears had an exclusivity contract with Craftsman for decades, if you wanted a quality tool right off the shelf, Sears was the place to go. Craftsman was your everyday alternative to the “members-only” products like: Snap-On, MAC, etc – that are only available to professional mechanics.
Like me, over the last 10-15 years you’ve probably noticed more tool brands appearing on the shelves cutting into the Craftsman market share. Brands like: Husky (Home Depot), Kobalt (Lowes), Pittsburgh (Harbor Freight), GearWrench via Amazon, etc.
Now you can buy an array of tools in varying levels of shape, size, color and comfort just about anywhere. Even some parts distributors like ECS Tuning have their own brands, like Schwaben. #special-schwaben-8975. To compete with Craftsman, these other brands also started offering “(limited) lifetime replacement warranties” on select tools in their line-up like the: “The Forever Guarantee“ from Husky through Home Depot stores.
Thinking about it, this wasn’t just a hit on the chin to Craftsman, but a sucker punch to Sears. As a gearhead, part of the reason for your late night adventure to Sears was that you had inevitably broken your no longer made-in-the-USA tool and needed a replacement ASAP to be able to finish your job. With late hours, Sears had you covered! – and chances are they were running a promotion on something you could justify to yourself, like that “limited run – new! low profile design” that made you go “yea, I could use that too.” – #treatyourself #shineyobjects #fillyourtoolbox
I recently stopped by my local Sears, and I have to say, it’s a pretty sad state of affairs. The employees are coming unglued knowing their days are numbered and you feel like a proper vulture scoring the aisles for a bargain. The same was true when we visited Toys’R’Us, who went under earlier this year. #c’estlavie
There is a silver lining in all this, maybe not for Sears, but for the DIY’ers. Even though Sears is closing, Craftsman has been reborn through a merger between Stanley + Black&Decker – who by the way, also owns DeWalt. There are all sorts of new products hitting the shelves (some of them re-branded Stanley items). There is hope that the “new Craftsman” will be higher quality than what we were accustomed to at Sears. And there is more good news, if you didn’t know already: LOWES has taken up the helm as the new place to get your Craftsman tools!
I have visited a few Lowes in the DMV in the last couple of weeks, noting the new Craftsman selections. I spent some time speaking with a group of tool specialists at my local Lowes and I was able to get answers surrounding the question that’s probably been on your mind: “Will Lowes honor the Craftsman guarantee?” – and here’s what they had to say:
- If you purchased the Craftsman product at Lowes and have the corresponding receipt, Lowes can do an immediate in-store replacement (availability is subject to change) just like Sears did.
- Lowes *will not* warranty any items purchased at Sears, you must contact Craftsman directly about those items.
- Craftsman products bought at Lowes, Sears or Online can always be returned or exchanged directly through Craftsman.
- You can’t “fake the system” at Lowes by bringing in a 10 year old Craftsman tool and trying to swap it out. Or buy a new one and then come back with the receipt and return the old one. Craftsman has purposely changed the color schemes as well as the logo/branding, including tool stamping, to differentiate it from the tools that were distributed through Sears. Lowes’ Clerks and Tool Specialists have been trained to spot the differences.
- Lowes is keeping the “mix and match” aspect that Sears had where you can buy an individual item or packaged sets. When looking for individual sockets, etc, be mindful they will not be on prominent display like we’ve been used to seeing at Sears. Instead, they are located in drawers with cubbies as you would see in the nut-&-bolt aisle.
- Kobalt tools aren’t going away either, but for now, where there is a Craftsman equivalent some Kobalt items will be moved to other stores where there isn’t room for a full Craftsman display.
- Don’t be disappointed if your local Lowes doesn’t have a large Craftsman section, right now there are many (larger) pilot stores, but displays will change and vary based upon the size of your store in the next few months.
- Stanley + Black&Decker have also purchased other brands that are found in Lowes and other stores. Visit this link to learn more.
I can’t say that I’m not sorry to see Sears go, but at least Craftsman is still around, so it’s not all bad. I actually like having more variety available to me these days. But in a pinch, it’s nice to know that I can still make a late night visit to a brick-&-mortar when another breaker bar snaps or I need another 11mm wrench! #my10isLostintheWoods #whysomany13s?
