Sears has never manufactured Craftsman products itself, instead relying on other manufacturers to make the products for them and then apply the Craftsman brand name. Sometimes, the Craftsman branded items include exclusive features or functions that separate them from the manufacturer's own brand or other brands that that manufacturer produces. Other times, Craftsman products are identical models to other brands with a different name badge on them. In the last 4 years, many of the hand tools sold under the Craftsman brand name are now made overseas. General hand tools have been made by a variety of manufacturers over the years including New Britain,[18] Moore Drop Forge,[10] Stanley,[19] Easco Hand Tools,[20] and most recently the Apex Tool Group[21] (wrenches, ratchets, and sockets) and Western Forge[22] (screwdrivers, pliers, and adjustable wrenches). Some screwdrivers have also been manufactured by Pratt-Read (now part of Ideal Industries). Many Craftsman portable power tools have been manufactured by Techtronic Industries. Many Craftsman bench and stationary power tools have been manufactured by Emerson Electric Company and DeWalt.[23] Craftsman-branded garage door openers are manufactured by The Chamberlain Group.[24] Sears hand power tools have also been produced by DeWalt. Some, such as the corded and cordless drills, were indistinguishable, other than the color and decal. Tool chests and cabinets have typically been manufactured by Waterloo Industries. Some tools have codes on them that correspond to the manufacturer that produced the product for Sears (see Alloy Artifacts website reference below). Many major Sears Craftsman items also have a vendor prefix, which is typically the first three digits before the period or dash in the model number. These first three digits correspond to the vendor code, or the actual manufacturer contracted to make the product for Sears. the source was wikipedia
