Used Craftsman Tools

Which Craftsman are you buying?

For most of a century, Craftsman was the Sears house brand, and Sears contracted its hand tools out to serious US forgers — Western Forge, Danaher/Easco, Pradco, and others — then backed them with a no-questions lifetime warranty. That Craftsman was, for the price, the best hand tool a homeowner or working mechanic could buy, and there are millions of pieces of it still in circulation.

In 2017, Stanley Black & Decker bought the brand from a failing Sears. SBD relaunched Craftsman with new products, new numbering, mostly overseas manufacturing (with a "Made in USA with global materials" line from a Texas plant), and distribution through Lowe's, Ace and others. Current Craftsman is a reasonable budget brand. It's not the same thing as vintage Craftsman, and the used market prices them completely differently.

So the first question on any Craftsman listing is the era. Two tells settle it fast:

• Sears-era hand tools say "USA" and carry a manufacturer forge mark — most famously =V= or -V- (Western Forge/Easco lineage on ratchets and sockets), but also -VV-, -WF-, and others. Part numbers are 5-digit Sears numbers, often with a 9- or 44- prefix (9-44811 is the classic 3/8" ratchet).
• SBD-era tools use CM-prefixed part numbers: CMMT (mechanics tools), CMHT (hand tools), CMCD/CMCF/CMCS (V20 cordless), CMST (storage), CMXE (outdoor/other).

Reading the marks and numbers

SBD-era suffixes follow the DeWalt pattern: B is bare tool, C1/D2/M2 are kit configurations. A CMCD700C1 is the V20 drill with one 1.3Ah battery.

V20 and the DeWalt question

Craftsman V20 batteries and DeWalt 20V MAX batteries are made by the same company and are electrically similar — and do not interchange. The battery interfaces are deliberately different. Third-party adapters exist. If you're buying V20 tools used, you're buying into a separate battery ecosystem, and one with less depth than DeWalt's. Price accordingly. V60 is Craftsman's answer to FlexVolt, and it's the same story.

Warranty

Sears' famous no-questions lifetime hand-tool warranty is the reason a lot of people trust Craftsman. SBD has continued to honor lifetime coverage on Craftsman hand tools, including Sears-era ones, through its retail partners — but the experience varies by store and the process isn't as simple as walking into a Sears was. For a used buyer, treat it as a likely benefit, not a guarantee. Power tools carry limited coverage tied to the original purchase.

What to inspect

• USA stamp and forge mark in the photos. Not the title — the photos.
• Ratchet action. Vintage Craftsman ratchets are rebuildable (kits are cheap and common) but a working one is worth more.
• Socket points. Rounded corners mean impact abuse.
• Wrench jaws. Sears-era wrenches got used as cheater-bar targets. Sight down them.
• Chest slides. Old Sears chests are heavy and the slides are the failure point. Ask about every drawer.
• V20 battery date and terminal condition on cordless.

Where the value is

Vintage USA Craftsman in bulk lots. Estate sales and shop cleanouts produce boxes of =V= sockets and wrenches that sell by the pound. If you can use a mixed lot, it's the cheapest USA-forged steel on eBay. Single vintage ratchets are the one item that carries a mild premium.

Current CM-era Craftsman is fair value used and holds no resale — it's a budget line and behaves like one.