If you own or rent a house with a yard, chances are you also own a bunch of gardening and landscaping tools, along with perhaps sporting goods, bicycles, and the like.
In such cases, having a good outdoor shed where you can store all those items is a necessity. Some of the most popular outdoor sheds are Suncast and Craftsman sheds.
The sheds are very similar, however, there are a few minor differences that can sway you either way.
A Brief Comparison Table
Specification | Suncast | Craftsman |
Build Material | Double-wall resin with wood grain texture | Metal-reinforced multi-wall resin |
Storage | Tool, wheelbarrow, mower, waste container, and bike storage | Tool, wheelbarrow, mower, waste container, and bike storage |
Shelves | None | None |
Windows | Four | None |
Skylights | None | Four |
Locking Mechanism | Padlock-able bolt lock | Padlock-able bolt lock |
Actual Exterior Dimensions | Length: 7 ft., Width: 7 ft., Height: 8.5 ft. | Length: 7 ft., Width: 7 ft., Height: 8.2 ft. |
Actual Interior Dimensions | Length: 6.7 ft., Width: 6.7 ft., Height: 8.3 ft. | Length: 6.8 ft., Width: 6.8 ft., Height: 8 ft. |
Price | Between $1,200-1,300 | Within $1,000 |
Key Comparison Between Craftsman And Suncast Sheds
After looking through the table above, you should now have a pretty good idea about the characteristics of Suncast and Craftsman sheds. But, if you feel like you need some more details than what is provided on the table, then read on.
Now, let us go into more detail and break down every characteristic between the two kinds of sheds.
- Build Material
This is arguably the most important factor when deciding to buy a shed.
Most people will understandably want a shed that is durable and long-lasting and won’t require frequent repairs and patching.
In the past, most sheds were made of wood.
Although those sheds were cheap and easy to make, they were prone to frequent cracking, splintering, and other issues.
Nowadays, most sheds are made of plastic.
Both Suncast and Craftsman sheds are made of durable, high-quality resin. Resin is a variant of plastic that is generally more durable, versatile, and easier to repair.
Suncast sheds are simply made of resin without any additional support. On the other hand, Craftsman sheds are also made of resin, but with added metal reinforcement. This makes them slightly more durable than Suncast sheds.
- Storage Capabilities
Another important characteristic of any shed is its storage ability. Since the main purpose of buying a shed is to store various equipment and tools in it, knowing it has the capability to store whatever someone wants is a major plus for them.
Fortunately, if you buy either a Suncast or Craftsman shed, you will find that they are perfectly capable of safely storing most of the common outdoor equipment that you may find in your average home.
Equipment such as different tools, lawnmowers, wheelbarrows, bikes, etc. can be easily and securely stored in both sheds.
- Built-in Shelves
Along with the regular floor storage, some sheds come with built-in sheds on their walls for additional storage space. This helps owners store smaller tools in the shed along with the bigger equipment.
Unfortunately, neither Suncast nor Craftsman sheds come with built-in shelves. So, if you want additional storage space, you will need to add the shelves yourself separately.
- Number of Windows
Windows on a shed are a good way of providing adequate ventilation, light, and heat inside the shed.
With that in mind, Suncast sheds come with four built-in windows. Two of them are on the doors, and the other two are on the right side of the shed.
Craftsman sheds, on the other hand, do not have any windows built into the shed.
- Number of Skylights
Skylights can make good substitutes for windows.
They are installed on the roof and act the same way as windows, providing light and ventilation.
Since Suncast sheds already have four windows, it is not necessary for them to also have skylights on top of that.
However, since Craftsmen’s sheds do not have any windows, they instead have four skylights.
The sheds have two skylights on either side of the roof providing light and ventilation.
- Locking Mechanism
Most of the equipment that is typically kept in storage sheds is expensive and valuable. So, sheds should have properly built-in safety and locking mechanisms to protect the stored equipment.
Both Suncast and Craftsman sheds have built-in bolt lock mechanisms with padlock compatibility. This makes both sheds adequately protected against thieves and the like.
- Actual Dimensions
Although most sheds are marketed and sold as having specific dimensions such as 3×6, 7×7, 6×8, etc., those are, rarely if ever, the accurate dimensions of the shed.
For the 7×7 variants of Suncast and Craftsman, unlike what it implies the exact dimensions are not 7 ft. by 7 ft. The accurate exterior and interior dimensions of both sheds are stated in the table at the beginning of the article.
- Price
Both Suncast and Craftsman sheds are incredibly similar to each other. In the end, the deciding factor between those two could end up being the price.
Craftsman sheds can be purchased within $1,000 from most places. On the other hand, Suncast sheds are quite a bit more expensive than Craftsman sheds, with a price tag between $1,200 and $1,300.
Which Shed Should You Choose?
From both the table and the detailed discussion afterward, by now you should have noticed that both sheds are very similar to each other in build, dimensions, material, and many other factors, with only minute differences between the two.
In the end, there are no right or wrong options. What you choose depends entirely on your preference and your budget.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below are some frequently asked questions and their answers.
Yes, Suncast does make Craftsman sheds. They can be purchased online at sites such as lowes.com.
Suncast makes good-quality and durable sheds made of resin that come in a variety of dimensions.
From a revenue standpoint, Rubbermaid is the top shed manufacturer with annual revenues of nearly $4 billion.
There is no definitively best storage shed. It all depends on preference. For help in choosing the best storage shed for you, check out this list.
Final Words
For most homeowners, a storage shed is a necessity for their backyard. In the shed, they could store all the equipment and tools that are too cumbersome to keep inside the house and too valuable to leave outside, exposed.
Both Suncast and Craftsman sheds can make excellent storage sheds for your house. Hopefully, this comparison between Suncast and Craftsman sheds has helped you in deciding the best shed for your needs.
Good luck in getting Suncast to honor the warranty on Craftsman. The product comes with a craftsman manual and states a craftsman’s warranty but when you inquire they send you to Suncast and they definitely are not user friendly.