Is it true that Sears' Craftsman brand power tools are made by Ryobi?

Question

I've got 40 year old Craftsman tools handed down by my grandfather. They still work great. I recently purchased several NEW Craftsman power tools such as a 2 HP router and a 1/2" drive 18 volt drill. I've also purchased some hand tools such as a 90 degree corner clamp.

Almost all of my recent Craftsman purchases have resulted in catastrophic failure of the tools. My drill LITERALLY burst into a cloud of smoke, my router locked up tight, my corner clamp broke (and they wouldn't replace the clamp saying it wasn't a "hand tool", it had only been about 6 weeks), and my regular clamps' grips came off.

Seems like Craftsman has really gone WAAAAYYYY downhill lately. I won't make any more Craftsman purchases. I recently bought a Ryobi 18v drill, but then I heard that Ryobi makes some of Craftman's stuff. Is it true? Did I essentially purchase another crappy product?

Answer 1

I started buying craftsman tools back in the 60's and most of them still perform like new. recently bought a new drill press and a couple of other tools which lasted about a week before they burned up. I went looking for another drill press and found one for 1/5 th price of the craftsman but it had the same motor on it. so I switched motors. Originally, Sears bought only the best tools and put their name on them - Like Emerson made their power saws, Whirlpool made their Kitchen and Laundry appliances etc. -- not so any more. Today everything is made in the Pacific Rim countries like China and Taiwan and so quality goes along with jobs.

Answer 2

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RE:
Is it true that Sears' Craftsman brand power tools are made by Ryobi?
I've got 40 year old Craftsman tools handed down by my grandfather. They still work great. I recently purchased several NEW Craftsman power tools such as a 2 HP router and a 1/2" drive 18 volt drill. I've also purchased some hand tools such as a 90 degree corner clamp.

Almost all of...

Answer 3

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Answer 4

You have to realize that Sears/Craftsman do not "make" anything. They have no manufacturing plants. They contract with other companies to build their tools and appliances. Many of the tools have the materials changed from metal to plastic. Lowering the selling price is the main objective. As far as not honoring warranties, you really have to fight some of the individual stores. I was told they could not replace a broken screwdriver because it was part of a set. The newest thing is handing you a repair kit for broken ratchets. I had to hand the saleperson a copy of their warranty. Doesn't say anything about you having to do your own repairs. Any tool that does not have a motor and has the Craftsman name on it should be covered by the Craftsman warranty. Thats the big seller for their tape measures. You have to make sure it's Craftsman and not Sears brand though. There is a difference.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

I'd choose Hitachi too if I had to. Personally, I'm a Makita fan now. They are made either in the US or Japan. Most of the other brands have outsourced to China. Not everything China makes is junk, but when these companies have product made there it's for one reason...low price. That usually equates to low quality as well. Also you need to realize that most of the stuff you find in the big stores like Lowe's and Home Depot is not the same quality as what you buy at a hardware store. I've opened up several tools that look identical on the outside but the guts are different. The box store version has a bunch of plastic parts, where the hardware store version has more metal parts. The plastic ones will break easier and sooner.

Answer 7

I don't know about all Craftsman tools, but, yes, Ryobi America Corporation does make at least some of them, as well as many Sears garden tool products like lawnmowers.

Answer 8

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There are a couple schools of thought, ....personally I like a mixture I have Craftsman drills ( made by Ryobi) Porter Cable Routers, and Circular saws If you are working around the house, you need good stuff but not pro quality, Craftsman/Ryobi will be fine... If you are going to work with them everyday, buy Dewalt, Porter Cable, or Milwaukee....

Answer 9

I bo ught a Craftsman pressure washer used it three times then the pump quit.but since the warranty went out three weeks earlier I was out of luck.They did offer to fix it but I could buy a new one cheaper! curse Sears