Is it the same quality as the Lowe’s Craftsman?
"Craftsman" has always been an "outsourced" tool. Sears invented the brand, and shopped vendors to supply stuff with the Craftsman brand name stamped into the tool. Their stuff came from multiple vendors, and the vendors changed over time depending on which way the wind was blowing at the upper floors of the Sears Tower.
Now that Stanley Black and Decker owns the rights to the name, supposedly Stanley is supplying Crapsman tools from their own factories (or, more likely, their "contracted" factories in China.) But the way I understand it, Sears still has the right to source Crapsman junk from their historical suppliers for sale in the two or three remaining Sears stores, for 15 years from the time Stanley bought the Craftsman name. Therefore "Sears" Crapsman and "Lowe's" (Stanley B-D) Crapsman may--or may not--be the same tool. During that 15 years, Sears gets paid a royalty for all Stanley Crapsman tools. After 15 years, Sears pays a royalty to Stanley (but there won't be a Sears by then.)
Stanley sent out big press releases yapping about building a factory in Texas, to return some Craftsman production to the USA. Every new-ish Crapsman tool I see is made in China--but I kinda quit looking at them.
Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) today announced it will expand its U.S. manufacturing footprint with a new CRAFTSMAN manufacturing plant in Fort Worth, TX. The groundbreaking for the 425,000-square-foot facility will take place in summer 2019, and the plant is expected to be completed in late...
www.stanleyblackanddecker.com
The big problem with Crapsman warranty "from stocking dealers" is that the "good" old tool part numbers are superceded, therefore NO dealer "stocks" them. A lifetime warranty...with no replacement stock.
The whole arrangement stinks to high Heaven. One batch of criminals selling "rights" to another batch of criminals, and We the People get screwed.