The World Famous Gordon Glasgow posted this very informative Report on "Who
Makes What Tools" Less than a year ago. I've been buying the Kobalt combo
wrenches, They feel just like Snap-0n OEXL's
Date: 01-Dec-1999 01:21:11
From: <<...>>
Subject: [Fwd: Who makes what tools?]
This was some interesting 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, Wichita 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 additional 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 "gimmick" 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)
|