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Craftsman is a well-respected tool brand with a track record of nearly a century. It was first sold at Sears, one of America’s most popular retailers for about a century. Sears stores have all but disappeared from retail these days, but Craftsman (and many other brands) has a popular tool maker behind it to keep it alive. Stanley Black & Decker acquired Craftsman from Sears Holdings in early 2017. Stanley Black & Decker has been releasing new and tweaked Craftsman products since acquiring the brand nearly a decade ago. Launched in late 2021, the Craftsman V Series is a quality tool that every homeowner should have. However, much to the dismay of fans of the series, Stanley Black & Decker decided to discontinue the V-Series tools just a few years later. Fortunately, there are a few other options to consider, including the Tekton tool and Harbor Freight’s Icon tool.
Offering everything from screwdrivers and wrenches to ratchets, socket sets and hex wrenches, the Craftsman V Series is aimed at automotive service technicians, mechanics and similar professionals. However, much to the dismay of fans of the series, Stanley Black & Decker decided to discontinue the V-Series tools just a few years later. You can still find some V-Series tools for sale at retailers like Ace Hardware and Lowe’s, and Craftsman still lists some V-Series tools on its website. Be careful when purchasing them – you may not be able to repair or replace the product if it is damaged or lost. When looking for a replacement, you might try to match the attractive price of the V-Series tools or the lifetime warranty offered by Craftsman Online.
Read more: 15 old-school tools that have become obsolete
Tekton tools come with a simple lifetime warranty
A man wearing cloth gloves uses a Tekton outlet kit to repair some machinery. -Tekton/YouTube
Craftsman told ToolGuyd in mid-2025 that it would continue to honor the lifetime warranty on V-Series tools. However, it will not be able to ship new V-Series tools to customers. Instead, they will receive another Craftsman product of equal value. If the generous warranty on V-Series Craftsman tools is a major factor in your investment in them, there’s a similarly supportive set of tools out there. Founded in 1963, Tekton manufactures a variety of hand tools, including pliers, screwdrivers, sockets, ratchets, hammers and more. This is a family-owned manufacturer based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Today, most of its products are made in Taiwan, with 14.5% of its products made in the United States.
Tekton offers a simple lifetime warranty on all of its tools. You don’t have to keep receipts detailing why the tool failed, or worry about how old it is. File a claim through a simple online form and Tekton will send you a replacement tool. They even cover the shipping costs. In a two-year-old Reddit thread on r/Tools, user ronaldreaganlive noted how they received a replacement handle breaker bar a week after sending the company a photo of the damaged tool. Similar to the Craftsman V-Series tools, Tekton’s products are widely regarded as high-quality, professional-grade products. For example, mechanics use and recommend Tekton. “I’m a fan of Tekton product because for the value, I think it’s very, very good,” Mark DeCola, owner of specialty diesel shop MDD Performance, said in a 2019 video on his YouTube channel. You can purchase Tekton tool kits at major hardware retailers, including Home Depot and Lowe’s, as well as on Amazon.
Save money with Harbor Freight’s Icon tool
A young man wearing a baseball cap holds some Icon tools while shopping at Harbor Freight. – BigTime/YouTube
If you like the value for money of Craftsman V-series tools, Harbor Freight’s Icon brand might be a good alternative. In fact, some fans consider the Icon tools to be an affordable alternative to another line of very popular and expensive hand tools: the Snap-On. In a three-year-old r/Tools thread on Reddit, multiple users suggested the Icon series as a replacement for the V series. Of course, this was before Craftsman announced it was discontinuing the series. Icon is one of Harbor Freight’s private brands, and Icon tools are only available at Harbor Freight. The retailer offers Icon brand sockets, wrenches, impact sockets, pliers, screwdrivers and more.
One of the mistakes everyone makes when shopping at Harbor Freight is assuming that all tools are low quality because they are relatively cheap. However, one could argue that the quality and usability of Icon’s products means they’re perfect for those looking for professional-grade tools at a lower price – as multiple Reddit users commented on a late 2025 r/harborfreight thread. Additionally, Harbor Freight offers a lifetime warranty on its Icon hand tools as long as you purchase them from one of their stores. If a tool fails to function properly, Harbor Freight will replace the tool with an identical or substantially similar product (without the original tool being available). Icon tools also have a longevity aspect. Harbor Freight, whose first retail store opened in 1980, began selling Icon tools in 2019, a few years before the launch of the Craftsman V Series.
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