Who Makes Mastercraft Sockets And Where Are They Manufactured?

If you live in the great white north, you may be familiar with Mastercraft, a popular line of hand tools and power tools owned by Canadian Tire, a major Canadian retailer. Mastercraft, which isn't connected to Mastercraft tires, is Canadian Tire's house brand of tools. When it comes to the manufacturing, Mastercraft is sourced through different companies. Though there is some speculation in public forums about Mastercraft tools being manufactured by one of the major tool brands, none of those rumors have been confirmed by Canadian Tire. The retailer typically doesn't reveal who the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are.

For Mastercraft sockets specifically, Canadian Tire also doesn't mention the OEMs by name and the country of origin varies based on the set. For example, the Mastercraft 400-piece Socket Set is made in China. The same is true of the Mastercraft SAE/Metric Socket Set. However, the Mastercraft Maximum 50-piece Universal Socket Set is made in Taiwan. As of this writing, Canadian Tire doesn't publicly list any other country of origin for Mastercraft sockets.

Even though Canadian Tire isn't forthcoming about specific details regarding Mastercraft tools, this is largely because it doesn't own or operate the factories that make its products. Such private-label sourcing is actually pretty standard in the industry. Instead, Canadian Tire uses a global supply chain it manages for quality and high standards. By utilizing this model, Canadian Tire can offer competitive products without publicly disclosing individual manufacturers.

The Mastercraft brand of tools was first introduced to Canadians in 1946. The brand began with a modest selection of hand tools, which grew to include a variety of power tools. Marketed primarily to DIYers, Mastercraft tools evolved with the times, eventually becoming Canadian Tire's second-largest owned brand and the country's top-selling tool brand.

However, for consumers in other countries, including the United States, obtaining Mastercraft tools can be tricky, at least in a brick-and-mortar location. Since Mastercraft is a Canadian brand owned and sold by a Canadian retailer, that's where the tools can primarily be found. So for homeowners wanting to try out Mastercraft tools for their next project, they're not available at Home Depot like the company's in-house tool and supply brands. Mastercraft also won't be found at Lowe's, or any other major American retailer for that matter. Plus, even though Canadian Tire sells Mastercraft tools online, the company doesn't ship outside of Canada.

But getting Mastercraft tools internationally is possible on third-party sites like eBay, where tools can be ordered from private sellers. There's also a third-party forwarding service called Reship that gives users a free account and assigns them a Canadian delivery address. From there, customers enter that address when selecting Mastercraft tools on Canadian Tire's website. Once the tools are delivered to the address in Canada, Reship then sends the package to the customer through one of its shipping partners.