Craftsman builds on tool assortment

Craftsman is one of the biggest names in tools. It’s also one of the busiest. 

This year, the Illinois-based brand of Sears -- and also sold in Ace Hardware stores -- has been working on expanding its existing product categories like lithium-ion-battery-powered tools and hand tools while making a foray into newer territory. 

One of the places Craftsman is expanding its cordless tools is with its Bolt-On series of products, aimed at the light-to-medium DIY demographic. The foundation of Bolt-On is a Lithium-Ion battery-powered base that comes out of the box with a drill/driver attachment. Now, the company is releasing several new attachments to expand the versatility of Bolt-On, including an impact wrench, a cutter and thin-gauge metal shears. For the gardener with a Bolt-On unit, it’s also releasing hedge trimmers and a shearing attachment. 

There are also several new products with Craftsman’s C3 line of battery-powered tools. Alongside a couple of Bluetooth-enabled speakers — one of which can also charge a battery if plugged in — are some new tools such as the cordless finishing nail gun and the cordless miter saw, which weighs in at about 20 pounds. 

This year, Craftsman has been changing well-known hand tool designs in the interest of efficiency, especially with its MACH Series tools, the cornerstone of which has been its drive ratchet, which combines a push-twist screwdriver with a ratchet head. In May, Craftsman launched a 53-piece ratchet set, and plans to release an 83-piece set in November that includes the ratchet, the MACH crankshaft bit driver and a MACH adjustable wrench. The MACH wrenches were released alongside the drive ratchet, and have their own ratcheting movement, which means not having to reposition the wrench with each turn. 

Beyond the MACH series is Craftsman’s 2-in-1 series, which features cutters that, after flipping one of the handles, transform into pliers. There are currently two 2-in-1 hand tools, a combination of long nose and diagonal pliers and a linesman plier and wire stripper.  

Craftsman has been trying to break into the apparel market beyond the work wear that it already makes. In October, the brand will release a 12-volt battery-powered, heated jacket that will require consumers to buy the battery and charger separately. In the fall, Craftsman is planning to also release hooded sweatshirts, baseball caps and wool caps, expanding on the six t-shirts they released ahead of Father’s Day this year.