Erik N

Speaking of the Sears guy, I was just there exchanging a couple of broken tools. Well, of course there was the wall full of hanging screwdrivers...

Yep, you guessed it. I got caught sniffing tools! I started to laugh when the guy came around the corner, there I am sniffing handles and giggling like an idiot.

"Hello, my name is Erik, and I'm a tool sniffer."
(group) "Hello Erik"

jheis

Not sure about the screw drivers, but most of the Craftsman stuff is made by Danaher Corp. which also makes:

Matco
Armstrong
Silver Eagle
Grey Pneumatic
Kobalt (Lowes house brand)
NAPA
Allen
Gear Wrench
K-D Tools

James

Landseer

Craftsman has been shopped by Sears to many different manufacturers over the years.

blown 87

But that in no way means that they are alike or of the same quality. (you left out Stanley i think)

Erik N

Coming out of the tool-sniffing closet, eh James?
You list those brands like they were fine wines!
Well, you know they say the first step is admitting you have a problem...

Imo000

You are right, they manufacture to whaterver the customer specs. It has to be just like tire manufacturers. They make one brand name but hen they also make other less popular brands too, with lesser quality and ofcourse lower price.

billtool

I'm a Sales manager for Cooper Tools. Cooper and Danaher just signed a Joint Venture agreement to form - The Apex Tool Group. Among the brands previously listed the following will also be in the family:
Crescent
Lufkin
Campbell (chain)
Wiss
Erem
HK Porter
Apex bits and sockets
Cleco
Dotco
Quackenbush
Plumb
Jobox
Craftsmen sockets labeled made in USA are currently made in Garland, TX.
So there you have it.

Hayk928

Gladly, the Sears guy hasn't got figured out, that the smell might be not a bug, but a feature... Then you could return them back only if they'd stop stinking

F451

Sniffed my box.

No stink.

Well, that sounds weird...

Hayk928

Hurry up and give them back. Definitely a malfunction.

jheis

"(you left out Stanley i think)"

Nope, Stanley makes:

MAC Tools
Proto Tools
Black Hawk
Husky (Home Depot house brand)
Stanley (Wal-Mart & other discounters)

And I think I recall reading recently that they bought the Black & Decker line.

James

soontobered84

I put off reading this thread thinking that it would just go away. I finally read it and by God, I have a set of vomit smelling Craftsman nut drivers. Those S.O.B.'s will run you out of the garage! I'm going to take them back to Sears and exchange them. I always wondered what in the hell I had gotten on them to make them smell like that.

Side note: I blew up a long handled big-headed Proto rachet. Does anyone know where I could exchange it or get a rebuild kit for it?

awdmoke

I've had a set of Cresent screwdrivers for about five years.
Never really noticed it until my wife borrowed a screwdriver & complained that the smell nearly made her throw up.

Wish it worked for keeping the kids away from my tools...

GregBBRD

Only on this forum could this thread happen...and make me go smell my tools.

I went out and smelled all my screwdrivers...even went home and smelled them. I have old Craftsman and old Craftsman at home. I have a huge drawer of Snap-on with a few Craftsmen thrown in here....They hardly smell at all. If you sniff real hard you can almost get a "hint" of plastic smell out of the Craftsman ones.

You guys been smoking the devil weed?

Rob Edwards

Yours don't stink 'cause your tools never sit still long enough for the microbes to go to town on the fatty acids you're leaving behind. Every morning at 9:30 they all die of horrible crush injuries......

My tools don't stink but they're all stuck to that Sears foam mesh **** rolled out in the bottom of my tool drawers.