Craftsman tools warranty and workmanship today

[amashinga]

I am a woodworker and tool junkie. I will be honest, craftsman tools have a really bad reputation in woodworking circles and IMO deservedly so. I think that the market share that they enjoy is primarily due to past reputation.

I have tools made in the USA, UK, Brazil, Japan, Sweden, Germany and China. The trick with chinese made tools in woodworking is to know and understand your tools, and know when you can cut corners.

As an example, I have a 50 year old tablesaw, made in the USA, still has the original motor It is very important to me to have that accuracy in a table saw. My bandsaw however is made in China, and I have shimmed it, replaced the tyres, blade, spring and balanced it. I can now stand a nickel on it, and given that a bandsaw is never that clean a cut anyway, It is perfectly adequate.

Hand tools, I must be honest, I see little from China that matches US, European or certain Japanese tools.

 

[woodlandfarms]

I thought I saw somewhere that Craftsman was stopping its lifetime warranty. Heck, I think I saw that note on this website.

 

[Bedlam]

I have heard that also. this site says for ever.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00944815000P

But they made the warranty when the item was purchased. to not honor it now. Well,
good luck to them
they will sure lose customers, and it is a breach of contract on their part.from my observations lately they don't try to publicize it quite as much as they used to. Probably to limit the returns.

 

[LBrown59]

One of the best.

But I've not owned snap on or other such brands. I understand they are excellent quality.


Joel

My uncle his son and his sons wife all 3 retired from the MtCarmel,Il Snap on Plant.

 

[Danno1]

There is no sales tax on internet sales.

Oh yes there is. If you take delivery in the same state that the goods are sold/shipped from, you pay that state's sales taxes.

.

 

[redneckford]

Oh yes there is. If you take delivery in the same state that the goods are sold/shipped from, you pay that state's sales taxes.

.

or if the suppling company has nexus (delivery service,repair service,or a store in that state)----the exemption is on the monthly fee you pay for internet service not on goods and services sold on the internet!!!! they will get their taxes one way or the other so watch out for those BLACKE copters!

 

[ninefinger]

Sears made me angry 30 something years ago. Up until that point they were my "go to" store. I have a lot of Craftsman tools from before they made me mad that still are very good. Now my impacts are HF, did not have any in the early years. Like someone else said, I do not go to Sears for anything. If I need a tool, depending on what it is for I will just bite the bullet and buy American, if seldom or single use I will see what HF has.

 

[Gator6x4]

I think about all manafactures are having tools made for the average do it your self homeowner in China. I recently purchased a couple of Kobalt items (Snap On knock Of) at Lowes and when I got home and looked at them, "Made In China" stamped all over them. Wrenches are still made in the US but the majority of people that purchase US made tools are professionals. Average homeowners purchases where he get the best and cheapest price. I was recently talking to a ASE certified mechanic and he was relating how a large replacement combination wrench cost him $60 + dollars off the Snap On Truck. A couple of days later I was in Northern Tools and saw large combination wrences for $8 -15 dollars. Guess where I will purchase a large combination wrench if I have a need for one.

 

[Nissan197]

Most all of my tools are from Sears. I bought most of them in the 90's and was a Craftsman Club member. I stopped buying them when they changed the rule for Craftman Club. It used to be anything with the Craftsman name you would get a discount. They changed it to only the items in the advertisement flyer you could get a discount. I have never had an issue with any of them so I am not sure how they would replace the hand tools. I remember my dad back in the 80's returned a socket that had a crack in it and they pulled a new one off the rack and exchanged it. Sears is just like most other department type stores. They need to make a profit and are going with China built stuff. Cost them less and they can get a bigger profit. In the long run it hurts them.

 

[LBrown59]

I think about all manafactures are having tools made for the average do it your self homeowner in China. I recently purchased a couple of Kobalt items (Snap On knock Of) at Lowes and when I got home and looked at them, "Made In China" stamped all over them. Wrenches are still made in the US but the majority of people that purchase US made tools are professionals. Average homeowners purchases where he get the best and cheapest price. I was recently talking to a ASE certified mechanic and he was relating how a large replacement combination wrench cost him $60 + dollars off the Snap On Truck. A couple of days later I was in Northern Tools and saw large combination wrences for $8 -15 dollars. Guess where I will purchase a large combination wrench if I have a need for one.

There was a Snap On Truck in my immediate neighbor hood for many many years until the guy died a couple of years ago.
He probably had a lot of tools on it over those years that my Uncle and 2 cousins had a hand in producing at the Snap-on plant in Mt.Carmel IL. ~~~~~~~~~ L . B .