Craftsman Rant

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CR55

CR55

It's just a little surface rust!
Joined
Jul 3, 2008
Messages
3,573
Location
Northern Illinois
Took back broken rachets that were supposed to be guaranteed for life. Bring them back to Sears and get a new replacement....now you receive a used reconditioned tool instead....that's not what I first purchased!:mad: Went to use my craftsman weed eater only to have it clog up repeatedly with grass...no power at all....Sadly their quality has gone straight downhill.....they certainly were a top notch company but lately I'm not sure what they are....whatever happened to Roebuck anyway?[S....RANT OVER.....CR
 
i don't know either, but k-mart and sears is the same now, one bought the other. k-mart and ace hardware sell craftsman tools now too.
 
replacements

l know, they ain't what they used to be.

took back a handfull of wrenches and the guy said they don't make that style anymore so l ended up with some l really didn't want, but it was those or nothing.

same thing on the ratchets, they just rebuild them and the parts are not as good a quality as they were ten years ago.:(

Later :cool:
 
CR55 said:
Took back broken rachets that were supposed to be guaranteed for life. Bring them back to Sears and get a new replacement....now you receive a used reconditioned tool instead....that's not what I first purchased!:mad:
Click to expand...

They're guaranteed to last until you get out the door! [ddd

Toad
 
When it comes to ratchets DO NOT take it to the counter first, or you are going to get a re-man for sure. Do what I do - bring your broken ratchet in, then go to the shelf and get a matching new one off the rack. Then take the new one with your old one to the counter and tell them you need to do an exchange. I haven't been refused yet. I have seen the re-man's hanging on the rack behind the register but I have never even been offered one. Seems to work for me...

And yes, Sears sucks now. Even more and more of the hand tools are made in China. Sad.
 
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ratrodz said:
snap on, repairs their ratchets too.
Click to expand...
Yes, and only one time ! :( I have an old SnapOn 3/8 rachet that I always reach for even before I reach for the $ 80 one I treated myself to a couple of years ago. I just like the slimness of the old one and the feel. It started slipping so I caught a SnapOn truck and he put guts in it but told me that was the last time because they only do them once ! :eek: It still is working ok, but if it goes again I will be calling SnapOn directlly and complaining.

As for Sears, don't get me started.:mad: I've previously told how my $ 300 floor jack won't stay up and is less than a year old now. I took it back and they told me I needed a receipt, but it was a gift and Dan tossed the receipt. I even called the home office and they offered me 30% off on a new one ! Why would I want to buy the same jack that won't stay up ?

Sears is in trouble financially and managementwise. I predict in the next 5 years or less we see a bankruptcy there. They are closing stores all over and the ones that are open suck big time.

Don
 
I've never been that fussy about tools. Just a means to an end. A tool. If one breaks, I get a new one.

A few years ago an old friend who is a disabled vet, went into assisted living. He brought all his tools to my garage. Now i have a half dozen of every hand tool I could ever want. More than a lifetime supply. Especially at my age.

I still have the 1/2" drive set I bought at Wards 55 years ago. No problems yet.

Seems like the biggest problem I've had is overpowering 3/8" drive ratchets. If I use small tools for light tasks and big tools for heavy tasks, the tools don't break.

Don, I've had bad luck with new floor jacks although I admit I bought cheap ones. So I took my 50 year old Wards jack in and had it rebuilt. Still leaks. Even the repair shops aren't as good as they used to be.
 
Yep Bob, those old tools from Sears and Wards were really good quality. We just went to a swap meet a couple of Sundays ago and my Son Don always hits the tool tables first. He got some very old Craftsman sockets that must be from the 50's and they still look great. I have some that are a couple of years old and the chrome is chipping off already..........have to take those back.

I love old tools, they last forever.

Don
 
I have a big old floor jack that I got from a BIg -O that went out of business. It started acting up..I had to replace the leather seals cost me 3 bucks at the local hose shop. works excellent now.
 
Sears hasn't been a topnotch company for decades. The only thing that ever sold their clunky tools was the free replacement. Don't get me wrong, I have some great craftsman tools, that never broke, but they are 30-40 years old. I also have a Sears (not craftsman) garden tractor that is my favorite. It's a 1976 model.
 
This may be a dumb question, but is there a tool company that still makes em in the U.S. and still offers free replacement of broken tools ?
As a kid I remember walking in to a Sears with my Dad to exchange a broken tool with no hassles.I still have some of those same tools in my roll-way today ! Sad times brothers,Sad times !
 

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