tools prices - 50 years ago and now

alwaysFlOoReD · Jul 22, 2014

http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/2014/07/craftsman-tools-in-retrospect-a-50-year-comparison/

adsm08 · Jul 22, 2014

Suddenly makes me feel not so bad about Snap-on's prices.

97RangerXLT · Jul 23, 2014

Interesting.

One thing that the article does not take into effect is that in 1964 there was not a glut of cheap made Chinese tools on the market. when the cheap Chinese tools were easily available, Craftsman had to cut prices to be more competitive. and that price decrease meant cheaper made tools.

I have my Grandpa's Craftsman tool set that my Dad bought him for Christmas before my Dad went into the Army in 1965. if you compare those tools to a similar modern day Craftsman equivalent, the quality difference is huge.

So I do believe that without the globalization that has occured in the past 50 years, Craftsman tools would probably still be a fairly high quality tool, and much closer to the projected prices than today's equivalent.

AJ

mattpresley · Jul 23, 2014

Even my damn craftsman hammer was $40 bucks.. I wanna pay 1964 prices. To be fair I buy my power tools from harbor freight now and 2 yr replacement after all my Dewault stuff was accidentally tossed out at the landfill (Long story I didn't do it...) . So far I have had good luck with them but, still buy all name brand hand tools. I'd bet HF prices aren't real far off from 1964 prices.

mattpresley · Jul 23, 2014

97RangerXLT said:
Interesting.

One thing that the article does not take into effect is that in 1964 there was not a glut of cheap made Chinese tools on the market. when the cheap Chinese tools were easily available, Craftsman had to cut prices to be more competitive. and that price decrease meant cheaper made tools.

I have my Grandpa's Craftsman tool set that my Dad bought him for Christmas before my Dad went into the Army in 1965. if you compare those tools to a similar modern day Craftsman equivalent, the quality difference is huge.

So I do believe that without the globalization that has occured in the past 50 years, Craftsman tools would probably still be a fairly high quality tool, and much closer to the projected prices than today's equivalent.

AJ

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-19-oz-heavy-construction-steel-handle-hammer/p-00938061000P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3

I have this hammers next size up 22 oz and its all black but same 1 piece model. Perhaps mine is discontinued now since I cant find it online. Unless it walks away I bet it will last forever and I'm a demo contractor. Craftsman has plenty of good stuff if you upgrade beyond their more "entry level" tools.

97RangerXLT · Jul 23, 2014

mattpresley said:
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-19-oz-heavy-construction-steel-handle-hammer/p-00938061000P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3

I have this hammers next size up 22 oz and its all black but same 1 piece model. Perhaps mine is discontinued now since I cant find it online. Unless it walks away I bet it will last forever and I'm a demo contractor. Craftsman has plenty of good stuff if you upgrade beyond their more "entry level" tools.

Oh absolutely. I have a $30 flex head ratchet with a pre bent handle that is awesome, and has the full professional polish and a very smooth mechanism that probably is one of the better ratchets that I have seen without calling the Matco or Snap on truck.

The comparison that I did was between some combination wrenches from Grandpa's tool box from 1965 and the same wrenches from my tools that I got in the late 90s or early 2000s. world of difference, and they are the same part number.

My point is that the same or similar tools from 50 years ago are much better made, with higher quality of machining, forging and chrome plating than those of today.

I have bought Craftsman tools for their quality and the fact that they were still made here in the USA. with many of the Craftsman hand tools now being made in China, I find that for the same price, I can go to Menards and buy an Allen brand wrench for the same price of the Craftsman wrench and it will be same or better quality and still be made in the USA and have the same lifetime warranty.

in the last few years I have done the Menard's Allen brand hand tools just for the fact that they are same or better quality, and I honestly do not know if the Sears or Craftsman brand will be around in the future, so the warranty won't mean much 15 years from now if Sears/ Craftsman line is gone. more than likely if Sears goes belly up, they will sell Craftsman/ Kenmore brands to another company, but no guarantees as to them honoring the warranty of those tools...

AJ

Kowboy · Jul 23, 2014

Still have a set of Craftsman tools I got from an Uncle in 1964. They were new then. The Craftsman screwdrivers always sucked though. Have an old set of Stanley's for them.

Kowboy · Jul 23, 2014

I just noticed the 8" Table Saw for $62.99 from 1964. The extensions were an extra $17.99 and came w/o the motor or stand. I have my Dads today. It' exactly the same, though I know it is older than 1964. I always wondered why the motor wasn't Craftsman and why he made a stand for it. My Dad was quite the metal fabricator. Funny, today I ordered off EBAY an arbor extender that would allow me to use 5/8" arbor blades on it. It uses 1/2" arbor blades and I cannot find new ones in that size. Funny!

97RangerXLT · Jul 23, 2014

Kowboy,

I have the same saw that you do... My Grandpa gave it to me in the early 90's, and I think it was made in the mid 1950s. he also gave me several plastic adapter rings so that I could use 5/8's arbor blades.

The motor on mine is Craftsman, but the stand is homemade. he had some angle iron and welded one up. the stand is probably as heavy as the saw itself. And as of 1992 when he gave me the saw, I was able to get parts for it at sears. the mechinism to raise/ lower and tilt the blade was stripped out and I was able to get new parts to fix it.

AJ

Kowboy · Jul 23, 2014

Hey AJ; When Dad built his stand he incorporated a large metal dust bin that sits in the middle and between the legs. I know he'd be proud that I keep it and use it often. Getting ready to build a new bottom section for the shops roll up door. It's a 7' wide door w/ 4 panels. Gotten a little rotten after 35 years.

85_Ranger4x4 · Jul 23, 2014

I haven't had a problem with Craftsman yet. I did get a socket set with a ratchet that was bound up like 10 years ago but they gave me another new one. Other than that I haven't broken any of the hand tools yet.

I am not the easiest on my stuff but I do respect it, I don't go put a 5' pipe on a 3/8" ratchet and jump on it and then marvel how cheap it is made because it didn't hold up.

I have yet to see a open-box end wrench set or socket set marked as being made anywhere but in the USA.

I do very much prefer the 80t Snap-On Ratchets. Just last weekend my Craftsman didn't have enough swing to put the carb back on my lawn mower, it would just flop between the teeth. My 80t breezed right through it, it was catching a good 3-4 clicks (didn't actually count) Nothing out of the 60's would have done any better than my 1990's Craftsman. The higher end Craftsmans are better but still like comparing a Camaro to a Corvette... just ain't got it. None of the other store brands are any better either. You do pay for the difference on a truck but there is a huge difference. For me the wrenches and sockets are not worth the difference, for the most part cheap works. But it is so nice to get nearly a full swing out of your ratchet vs barely catching a click 1/3 of the way through your swing.

97RangerXLT · Jul 23, 2014

Cool. I need that for mine. Grandpa built a rack below the saw. I keep a few 1x8 tongue and groove board scraps on that rack to catch a large part of the sawdust. A bin would definitely be better.

35 years on a wooden garage door is not too bad. Make that bottom panel out of treated lumber and it will probably outlast the top three panels. Right now I wish I had a dedicated shop. I have my saw in a corner of the garage buried under some more tools. If I need it I got to dig it out...and did mention how heavy thid beast is lol

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tools prices - 50 years ago and now

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