5 Top-Rated Craftsman Hand Tools At Lowe's You Can Add To Your Kit

Craftsman has long been considered a household name. The simple yet enduring brand first entered the conversation after Sears purchased the rights to use the name in 1927 (for $500, worth a little more than $9,000 today) from the Marion-Craftsman Tool Company. The Sears catalog quickly came to incorporate all sorts of excellent Craftsman equipment from wrench sets to axes. Sears has since, infamously, fallen out of business, but its Craftsman lineup lives on, as part of the Stanley Black & Decker conglomerate (one of many major tool brands owned by a new parent company in the modern marketplace).

Today, Craftsman equipment is available from a large range of online and physical retailers, and the brand's warranty coverage remains a strong selling point for all of Craftsman's hand tools, in particular (although a more limited protection does extend to its other products, including power tools). If you're in the market for new hand tools, Craftsman remains a name you can count on, and many great options can be found at Lowe's, a home improvement retailer with over 1,700 locations strewn about the United States (and another 500-plus in Canada). Together, the two brands make for a great partnership for those seeking solid hand tools for their collections. These five Craftsman additions receive top marks in customer ratings, another important feature that shopping with Lowe's can add to the mix, as customer reviews are a powerful element of the online shopping experience on its website.

The classic Craftsman screwdrivers are always a valuable purchase. Fortunately, they are available in abundance at Lowe's. The Craftsman 25-Piece 6-Inch Screwdriver Set is one standout option that users provide extensive and glowing feedback on. This kit has received 280 reviews, averaging 4.8 stars. On the Lowe's website, it's noted that more than 100 have been bought in the last week from the online catalog, as well. 

These screwdrivers are part of a long-standing tradition within the Craftsman name. Most tool users today who worked on projects around the house with their parents or grandparents will likely be familiar with this classic design. I, for one, am firmly acquainted with the iconic Craftsman acetate handles. These tools can take a beating, and in many old school toolboxes, the largest flathead screwdriver in the kit quickly turns into a demolition pry bar/chisel rather than an actual screwdriving tool.

This set offers both stubby and long models in all the common sizes. It also includes a four-piece hook and pick set and three offset screwdrivers. There are also two included with pocket clips for easy carrying when tackling jobs on the go. This is a classic option among hand tool users for a reason. You'll often find these kinds of tools at garage sales, but purchasing a new set delivers pristine blades that haven't been chipped or worn down over the years. For $44, this is a quality addition to any hand tool set you might be working with.

While no longer a vaunted member of Craftsman's 'made in the USA' lineup, the brand's wrenches remain quality turning tools for most users. The Craftsman 2-Piece Adjustable Wrench Set remains a reliable choice, offering exceptional functionality to users of all kinds. The wrenches feature both Metric and SAE scales printed along their jaws, helping lock in the exact opening dimensions you need for any job. This can also provide an easy mark to make repeatable adjustments without having to resize your wrench's teeth on a bolt or nut before getting into the work.

The adjustable wrenches come as a package deal for $25 at Lowe's. In it, you'll find a 6-inch and a 10-inch wrench, both featuring steel construction with a chrome finish. This allows for significant force to be applied to the wrenches as you seek to turn even the most stubborn fasteners. Over 60 buyers have given the wrenches a 4.9-star average rating, indicating that the two-piece set of crucially positioned hand tools offers value. No home maintainer or mechanic can get by without at least a wrench or two in their collection, and these tools make for a solid choice in that regard.

Needle-nose pliers tend to feature early on in a tool user's career as a specialty tool. However, these purpose-built grabbers quickly become a go-to choice for a wide range of gripping, stripping, and crimping needs. The 6-Inch Needle Nose Pliers from Craftsman are a durable and high-quality choice available at Lowe's for $9.48, offering exceptional value for a rock-bottom price. The pliers feature a bi-material grip on each handle to improve comfort and durability as you squeeze the jaws shut through numerous job requirements. The tool has been reviewed by 2,180 buyers at Lowe's, and a 4.7-star average rating marks it as a well-respected addition to customers' toolkits.

These lengthy grippers are constructed from drop-forged steel and finished with an induction hardening process to temper the blades and enhance the tool's longevity. It also comes with a corrosion-resistant finish. As far as value goes, this solution delivers in spades. Users love the comfort of the grips and the durability of the pliers' gripping blades. This hand tool can become a mainstay in your tool belt, emerging to support jobs well beyond the specific, long-reach baseline that needle-nose pliers are designed to accommodate as their primary function.

Locking pliers are a massively underrated component in any toolkit. This gripping solution allows you to create a firm hold on any workpiece you may need to secure. They come in a variety of sizes and with plenty of jaw configurations to allow for specialized gripping or more general work-holding tasks. The Craftsman 2-Piece Locking Pliers Set comes with a 10-inch tool and a 7-inch variant. This provides more than enough coverage for both larger needs and more minute gripping requirements. The larger locking pliers provide a slightly curved jaw based on the classic mole grip style. The smaller option features a true straight jaw build to provide increased contact with the surface area, particularly when the jaws are used in a wide open position.

Users give this tool set rave reviews. 2,201 buyers have provided feedback on the item with a 4.7-star average rating accumulated over the course of these reviews. Users note the durability of the pliers and tend to like the bi-material grips that come with the tools. This gripping surface enables you to apply firm hand pressure to the pliers during use without worrying about fatigue or soreness.

A mechanics tool set (of which there are plenty of options at Lowe's) is an important addition for those looking to add significant functionality in a single purchase. These toolkits offer numerous hand tools and tend to provide redundancies for those who already have a growing tool collection, as well as an excellent starting point for others requiring a base of equipment to begin their journey.

Users give the 135-Piece Standard and Metric Mechanics Tool Set from Craftsman a 4.9-star average rating across 72 reviews. This marks the kit as a standout option for anyone in the market for a comprehensive set of hand tools. The carrying case allows you to easily organize the gear for use in a mobile set or simply as part of an organized feature in your stationary workshop. Within the kit, you'll find three ratchet handles and a wealth of sockets to perform just about any kind of fastening and turning solutions that you require. There's a multi-bit screwdriver handle included in the set alongside a number of common screwdriver bits. You'll also find wrenches, Allen keys, and accessory solutions for the socket set

A good mechanic's tool set will last you a long time, providing coverage for numerous projects you may encounter, whether under the hood or around the house. This kit is available from Lowe's for $129, making it a cost-effective choice for anyone in the market for a new hand tool with added versatility.

Each of these tools were selected based on customer reviews at Lowe's. They all receive consistently high praise from buyers and cover a selection of tool types across the hand tool spectrum to allow for ample job utility. Additionally, they're all tools I have personal experience with, and in many cases with the exact tool from Craftsman listed in the roundup.