[chrisser]

I also have a lot of Craftsman tools.

It’s possible that Craftsman will be preserved even if Sears goes under. Summit Racing is now selling them and I’m sure there will be other retailers doing so.

I suspect that Craftsman will be sold off and spun off as an independent entity or part of another company as the Sears ship sinks.

But whether or not that new Craftsman will honor the replacement warranties and provide parts support on the old tools is an interesting question.

Personally, I could see a lot of benefit if Craftsman went independent or became part of a company that cared about the brand. IMHO, Sears has been milking the brand for years, cheapening the tools, making it harder to get replacements when the cheaper tools break, and generally focusing on gadgetry rather than the bread and butter of solid tools at decent prices.

Just MHO...

[Think free or die]

"Personally, I could see a lot of benefit if Craftsman went independent or became part of a company that cared about the brand. IMHO, Sears has been milking the brand for years, cheapening the tools, making it harder to get replacements when the cheaper tools break, and generally focusing on gadgetry rather than the bread and butter of solid tools at decent prices."

I agree. We value quality products, and it's been very frustrating in the past decades to see many basic products cheapened. My husband loves his old, made-to-last tools. Snap-On tools are probably top of his list, but he can't usually justify the cost. (He just found Craftsman tools selling somewhere new - Ace Hardware I think.)

[SamAdams76]

I think the Sears brand was cheapened considerably when they were acquired by K-Mart a few years ago. Call me a snob but I just think that most of the goods sold at the K-Marts, Targets and Wal-Marts of the world are shoddy and cheap. And now Sears has joined their ranks. I would rather pay a little more and get better quality goods at specialty stores or online. For example, I used to get most of my clothes at Sears but now I get them from the LL Bean website.

I still use a lot of Craftsman tools but haven't had to buy any in a while. I wonder if the quality is the same or if they are now cutting corners on quality now that they are controlled by K-Mart.