Craftsman’s USA-made hand tools are inching closer to reality.
Several readers emailed in about a new 2021 ETA for the made-in-USA hand tools that Craftsman has been promising for a few years now, ever since Stanley Black & Decker acquired the brand from Sears.
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I finally found the teaser, buried in an email newsletter promoting Craftsman’s paid awards program “innovations.”
Craftsman “made in the USA with global materials” hand tools has been in the works for quite some time now.
First, Craftsman announced it to Stanley Black & Decker investors.
Then, they teased to consumers that select tools and tool sets will be made with global materials in Texas, and that they were “chroming soon.”
We reached out to Craftsman Tools, asking for more information, but have not heard back yet.
To date, Craftsman has not yet provided any press or media information or updates about their Texas hand tools factory.
Dewalt discontinued their USA-made screwdrivers last year.
I bought a sampling of this and another style of Dewalt USA-made screwdrivers a few years ago, and they’re quite good.
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I also regularly buy Proto hand tools, expanding my tool kit and also replacing older imported tools with better USA-made ones.
My point is this – Stanley Black & Decker knows how to make great quality USA-made tools. But is that what we’re going to get with the Craftsman tools that will be made in Texas with global materials?
How will these new tools differ from existing Stanley Black & Decker screwdrivers, pliers, mechanics tools, and other products that are made in the USA?
In the several years since Stanley Black & Decker acquired and relaunched the Craftsman tool brand, what kinds of new tools have they come out with?
I bought two Craftsman tools this holiday season – magnetic trays because they were cheaper than the same style that’s sold on Amazon, and a wrench to compare against my identically-featured Facom wrench.
I’ve been waiting for Craftsman to make their big entrance in the USA-made hand tool market.
Craftsman hasn’t brought many new tools or innovation to market in recent years. Maybe this is what they’ve been putting their efforts towards, and what consumers have been waiting for.
One thing is for certain – 2021 is going to be an interesting year.
Milwaukee Tool has been expanding their USA hand tool production as well, with a big push into USA-made hand tools also expected to kick off in 2021.
Milwaukee manufactures select layout tools in the USA:
They also manufacture several lines of power tool accessories in the USA:
On top of Sawzall blades and Hole Dozer hole saws, and also step drill bits, Milwaukee Tool now has USA-made oscillating multi-tool blades, resulting from their acquisition of Imperial Tool.
And let’s not forget about Milwaukee’s new USA-made M18 Packout-compatible cordless vacuum.
Tekton has expanded their USA-made hand tool selections:
And even Wiha is now offering USA-made tools:
The most exciting Craftsman hand tool from 2020 was simply a refresh of a previous Stanley FatMax design:
I expected a big showing for the 2020 holiday season, but was left disappointed by both Craftsman and Lowe’s.
What do you expect to see Craftsman release as part of their first wave of hand tools made in the USA with global materials?
Are you excited?
Between my great experiences with Sears-era USA-made Craftsman and Craftsman Professional hand tools, Stanley Black & Decker’s USA-made hand tools under Proto branding, and leading brands’ and competitors’ USA-made offerings, I’m not quite sure what to expect.
Will they be cheap? Or will they be premium.
“More top-drawer tools are coming soon.” So… mechanics tools. Are we talking premium core offerings, or holiday-season promo sets with a “made in USA with global materials” sticker placed on a mix of tools of different origins?
Stanley Black & Decker acquired the Craftsman brand from Sears nearly 4 years ago.
They were interested in the brand for years before that, but have owned the brand for nearly 4 years. They’re playing the long game here.
Craftsman is not the standout hand tool brand that it used to be under Sears. Will these new tools help to change that?
I really like the idea of Craftsman hand tools being made in the USA again, even if they’re made with global materials, and also knowing that the initial offerings will likely only include very select SKUs or product types.
This might be enough to get people talking about the Craftsman brand again, but will it boost the brand image? Will the tools be aimed at enthusiast users? Will the tools be forged here? Finished?
We have so many questions, but there haven’t been any reassurances yet.
As of now, I am optimistic, but hesitant, not allowing myself to be too eager. I would rather hold my excitement in check than to raise the bar only to be crushingly disappointed again.
We’ll see what happens.
If you have any updates, please let us know – Craftsman PR has yet to send out any media communications about brand and USA factory happenings, and so you guys are our eyes and ears. I can’t help but shake the feeling that if this was a big deal, wouldn’t they be sharing more?