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Even though many of us are no longer buying Craftsman tools sold at Sears, the brand is still going strong, adding new tools to its catalog each year. These include home improvement and other power tools in its cordless V20 line, as well as lawn and outdoor equipment the company has long had a strong reputation for. Craftsman has been around nearly as long as another red-colored major tool manufacturer – Milwaukee – but the two brands are not exactly considered equals.

Milwaukee’s tools are generally pretty pricey, though they offer power and high-quality engineering that many would agree are superior to Craftsman’s products. That’s not to say that Milwaukee is the better brand, but rather that each caters to different audiences, with Milwaukee’s premium hardware geared more toward professionals. Craftsman, on the other hand, aims for DIYers and those who use tools when they need to, but not every day. This difference between the two also affects the types of tools each offers within its catalog. Many of us — even the most casual tool users — could use a lawn mower, but not everyone needs a PEX Pipe Expander.

Craftsman tools are still considered reliable and good quality. After all, the brand likely wouldn’t have survived a century if that wasn’t the case. But, generally speaking, you can expect them to be a bit less powerful, less durable for daily use, and lacking in more niche areas. That said, there are still some products sold by the company that Milwaukee doesn’t offer, and if you’re in the market for one of these, the latter brand won’t be of any use to you.

One area Craftsman has an edge over Milwaukee is when it comes to landscaping tools, likely since many of them can be used by most people with little training. Milwaukee still has a fair share of options, including string trimmers, cultivators, and leaf blowers, but it doesn’t have a Chipper Shredder Vacuum. The Craftsman 24-inch 163-cc Chipper Shredder Vacuum is an interesting piece of machinery — a twisted hybrid of a lawn mower, vacuum cleaner, and mulcher.

It’s pushed around and operated like a lawn mower, but has a large, flexible hose attached that you work handheld. The hose is used to suck up sticks and branches, similar to a blower in reverse. Unlike a blower, which typically chops up leaves and twigs for easier disposal, the chipper shredder cuts its debris up much more, allowing you to use it as mulch and compost. The machine is powered by a 163-cc Briggs & Stratton Mower and has a 24-inch vacuuming width on its underbelly. It’s equipped with a side chute, and its seven-foot hose can be lengthened with a three-foot extension tube.

The tool is equipped with a lever that adjusts nozzle height, allowing for ground clearance between ⅝-inches and 4-⅛-inches. Its collection bag can hold two bushels of chips and mulch before needing to be emptied, and Craftsman says the machine has a debris reduction ratio of 8:1. This can be a pretty useful device to keep in your tool shed, but the reviews of Craftsman’s Chipper Shredder Vacuum from people who’ve used it are currently mixed at best.

Pneumatic tools may not be as easily portable as their battery-powered counterparts, but some still prefer air-driven equipment for a variety of reasons. These include the potential fire hazards that powerful lithium batteries pose, as well as the need to replenish batteries as they age or, worse, buy totally new tools if a brand evolves its power system. Those who do prefer air-driven tools will find Milwaukee’s inventory very lacking, even for basic tools like a ratchet wrench, though it is one of the top brands for air compressors that power such equipment.

You likely wouldn’t be able to build out an entire pneumatic tool setup using Craftsman alone, but the brand does offer a ratchet wrench and other commonly used air tools. The Craftsman 3/8-inch Air Ratchet Wrench Model delivers up to 50 ft-lbs. of torque and 180 rpm. The tool can quickly adjust between forward and reverse using a switch on the ratchet head, though it lacks variable-speed control in its contoured trigger.

Craftsman’s Air Ratchet Wrench consumes an average 4.4 scfm of air at 90 psi and includes a standard 1/4-inch NPT air inlet to connect to most pneumatic systems, though a quick plug connector is not included. Since it doesn’t require a ton of force, it would pair well with Craftsman’s smaller portable electric 6-gallon air compressor. The ratchet’s handle is insulated to keep the air from chilling your hands and is also textured for a better grip when your hands are wet or greasy. A muffler is built in to help reduce operational noise.

Milwaukee is more known for its power tools than its hand tools these days, though it still builds some of the latter, especially automotive gear. However, the brand isn’t reliable for lawn equipment if you’re looking for cheap, simple hand tools like a garden rake or a grass/weed cutter. A grass/weed cutter barely takes up space in the shed and, while it requires more grunt work, can be a better option than a string trimmer for those who hate the noise or cost of one. That cost includes the string heads that need to be continuously replenished, and issues with installing them and fixing jams might be the biggest reason somebody prefers a manual tool instead.

As one of the many Craftsman tools that can help with yard work, its Long-Handle Grass/Weed Cutter utilizes a sharp, double-edged serrated blade to slice through vegetation. Because it’s double-edged, you’re cutting as you move the tool both forward and back toward you as you swing, making your manual labor more efficient. The head is a little over 14 inches long for a decent-sized cutting width, and can cut weeds over uneven, rocky environments. It’s built from steel, with the head double-bolted to the handle, so it’s durable enough to clear ditches, fields of tall grass, and other large patches of overgrown areas.

The hardwood handle is also tough, strong, and up to 30 inches long, but the bare-bones tool doesn’t include any cushioned grip. It weighs 2.4 pounds. Craftsman offers a 15-year limited warranty in the event that the blade or handle needs repair or replacement. Though simple, the cutter accomplishes a task that most property owners, landscapers, and maintenance crews need to take care of — after all, weeds grow like, well, weeds.

Milwaukee just edges out Craftsman when looking at the best major shop vac brands, but there’s at least one type of vacuum that Craftsman makes that you can’t get from Milwaukee – sort of. Both tool brands make a powerhead wet/dry vac, which is basically a thin, flat suction device with no container that can then be attached top-down to a bucket. The big difference, though, is that Milwaukee’s vac only attaches to its proprietary bucket shape, while Craftsman makes a universal Powerhead Wet/Dry Vac that can be used with “most 5-gallon buckets.”

There are certainly benefits to using Milwaukee’s shop vac, especially its Packout-compatible model, which can be a great modular accessory for your tool stack. But, like many Milwaukee products, it’s costly and so are the buckets it’s compatible with — the Milwaukee 12-gallon Wet/Dry Tank has a list price of $99. The buckets you can use with Craftsman’s powerhead, on the other hand, can be found all over the place or be recycled from some other project. You can buy a new bucket on Amazon for less than $10.

That’s good, because the Craftsman 1.75 Peak HP Powerhead Wet/Dry Vac doesn’t come with a bucket. It’s equipped with a 1-1/4 x 4-foot hose to suck up wet or dry debris and collect it into the container you attach. It also has a blower port if you want to reverse the airflow and clear debris or dust. Its six-foot power cord gives you decent reach in the workshop without an extension cord, and its compact size and 4.5-pound weight give it portability.

There is just one single lawn mower in Milwaukee’s current catalog, and it’s a 21-inch push mower. Craftsman offers multiple types of push mowers, as well as several riding mowers and even more advanced zero-turn models. Its riding mowers range from 30 to 54-inch deck widths and include both gear-drive and automatic options, as well as “Turn Tight” mowers powered by a V-twin Hydrostatic engine. Most of these are gas-powered, though there is one Craftsman battery-powered riding mower available — the Craftsman 56V Max 30-inch Compact Riding.

With a 30-ah battery, Craftsman says the mower can run for up to an hour and cover an acre of grass before needing to recharge. The company also says it’s 65% quieter than gas models. It features an LED headlight, soft-touch steering wheel, cruise control, and compatibility with Craftsman mower bags, which are sold separately. It has the same deck size as the Craftsman 30-inch 10.5-horsepower Gear Drive Mini Gas Riding Lawn Mower, which also includes a mulching kit, unlike other Craftsman mowers.

The brand offers three different zero-turn mowers, including 42-inch and 46-inch models. Its Z5200 is powered by a beefy Kohler 7000 capable of producing 20 horsepower. Something to note is that, across the board, owners have shared common issues with Craftsman riding mowers, including transmission issues, blades that won’t engage, and engines that refuse to start. Other users, though, like them just fine.