This was some intersting information about who makes what tools.
Larry Hoy wrote:
> > Scott Hall wrote [in part]: ... but I never could figure
> out who makes the [Craftsman] hand tools.
>
> This is a message I received on another list on this same
> server, the author seems to know what he is talking about.
>
> Larry Hoy
> =========================================
>
> On March 26, 1999 Greg Hutmacher wrote:
>
> I'm not the final word on tools by any means, but since I work in the
> business, I've learned a little bit about it. Okay, here's
> more than you ever wanted to know. As someone pointed out in a
> previous post, Lowes now (as of earlier this year) is selling a line
> of Mechanics Tools called Kobalt which is made by Snap-On. They are
> good tools. Home Depot's Husky brand is made by Stanley Mechanics
> Tools, a division of the Stanley Works. Husky are also good tools and
> have a good lifetime warranty (they'll
> even replace your broken Craftsman with an equivalent Husky). Until
> 1994 or so, Stanley also made Sears Craftsman tools. Sears Craftsman
> is now made by Danaher Tools. They beat out Stanley on the contract
> over price. Danaher also manufactures
> MatCo Tools, the third largest player in the Mobile Automotive
> industry (behind MAC and Snap-On). Odds are, if you own any Craftsman
> tools that are older than about five years ago, they were made by
> Stanley in plants in Dallas, Texas, Witchita Falls, Texas, and Sabina,
> Ohio. Stanley also owns MAC Tools and manufactures MAC tools in the
> same plants. Now here's the kicker: MAC Tools, Proto Tools (a very
> expensive industrial brand), Husky Tools, and, (prior to five or so
> years ago) Craftsman Tools are all made from the same forgings in the
> same plants. Proto is unique because it goes through addtional testing
> and certification because it is used by NASA, the
> military, and industrial customers (including General Motors). There
> are three MAJOR players in the USA mechanics tool business:
> Stanley, Danaher, and Snap-On. Stanley and Danaher (almost identical
> in sales revenue at about $28 billion each) are the biggest followed
> by Snap-On. Each of these three manufacture and sell tools under a
> variety of brands (there are many other brands that Stanley makes that
> I haven't even named). The quality between these three manufacturers
> is roughly the same. I know its a bit of a let-down to hear that, but
> its a simple fact. Then there are a hand full of other minor players
> (Vermont American, etc) and an endless list of Taiwanese
> import tool companies (some of which Stanley own as well as Danaher to
> serve the lower end consumer import brands at WalMart, etc). How do I
> know all of this? I work for Stanley Mechanics Tools, specifically
> with the Proto Industrial brand. I personally do not think that MAC,
> MatCo, or Snap-On branded tools are worth the extra markup since they
> use the same forgings and manufacturing processes that make Husky and
> Kobalt and pre-1994 Craftsman. Where you need to pay attention are
> things like ratchets and torque wrenches. There are different
> specifications of ratchets and you do pay for the difference. Some
> mechanics require a finer, more precise ratcheting mechanism than guys
> like me who just bang around in the garage on the weekends. By the
> way, Metwrench is basically considered
> a "gimick" infomercial tool brand that is not considered as a serious
> competitor to Danaher, Snap-On, or Stanley. Then again, IBM once
> didn't see Microsoft as a serious force in the personal computer
> business. Hmmmm....
> Regards, Greg Hutmacher (now back in lurk mode)
--
Gordon Glasgow
http://www.gordon-glasgow.org
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