Sears shopping day

[mrholeshot]

Went to Sears this morning to just to get out of the house. I saw the last 13 pc set of USA Professional SAE Wrenches on the shelf under some new "Full polish" Tiawan sets. I looked a little more and saw 2 sets of the USA Professional 13 pc metrics. I talked to the manager and told him if he would knock 15 dollars of each set of the "old" style I'd buy a set of each. He Ok'd the deal so I got those for 84.99 each. I bought a couple of wrench holders as well. I used my 10 dollar off card (from the last purchace a few weeks ago) and my 5 dollar off coupon from when I picked up an order that took more than 5 minutes at the online pickup. Then after paying for those I got another 10 dollar card and went back and picked up a 32 dollar 1/2 flex ratchet (needed a long 1/2 so I'll tack weld this one where I want) so I got out for 22 dollars. Then....... I left my purchace at the checkout and went back to the clearance section and saw another 1/4 Drive SK flex (Bought the last two for 19.95(?) last time I was in there. This one had no tag and was drilled a little off center. Works fine and wasn't marked. I asked the manager how much for the defective ratchet "How about 4.95?" OK and I was out of there. It was dead in there. I could have got a few sets of the Craftsman spine wrenches for 10 dollars a set. I just couldn't do it. I didn't see the black ratchet or sockets or the new high dollar ratchets. Heres a few photos. I think the wrenches are collectors items now, haha!!

 

[mooman]

Those wrenches will be a collectors items soon......

 

[mrholeshot]

Those wrenches will be a collectors items soon......

Ebay "Buy It Now" $10,000

 

[Sterff]

Id like to have a set of the USA marked ones but my Sears sold them all already. Im just going to save up for some Snap-on, matco, or cornwell full polished wrenches.

 

[Theloniousmonk]

nice!!!

my sears has one set of US made Pro metric left... at $71.99 - the china version is also 71.99... go figure - thought about picking them up. also have one set of us made pro ratchet combos left at 89, china version is 39... you have me thinking hard now mrholeshot.

 

[mrholeshot]

nice!!!

my sears has one set of US made Pro metric left... at $71.99 - the china version is also 71.99... go figure - thought about picking them up. also have one set of us made pro ratchet combos left at 89, china version is 39... you have me thinking hard now mrholeshot.

The USA versions look a lot better than the China versions. The China versions look like they were sanded with 220 before they were chromed. They still had some USA open stock line wrenches. I've been eyeballing the USA Pro wrenches for a few months. When I saw they only had 1 set of the SAE left I figured I better pull the trigger before it was too late. The place was dead. The saleman I talked to used to be a engineer for Sears and got downsized to that store. he told me he was really aggrivated with the China invasion. He told me much of that was due to the SK shutdown.

 

[Theloniousmonk]

Interesting (SK bit)... the guy I deal w/ at Sears was so mad when I talked to him last week he turned red and didn't "want to talk about it"... said he couldn't field one more complaint about china wrenches. we have plenty of US polish open stock too - except in the double flares and a few offsets.

I just have to convince the better half that i "need" some more wrenches. could tell her that i'm saving a near extinct species from a most undesirable fate by falling into the hands of someone that doesn't appreciate nor know what/how to use such specimens of tool value.

 

[mrholeshot]

Interesting (SK bit)... the guy I deal w/ at Sears was so mad when I talked to him last week he turned red and didn't "want to talk about it"... said he couldn't field one more complaint about china wrenches. we have plenty of US polish open stock too - except in the double flares and a few offsets.

I just have to convince the better half that i "need" some more wrenches. could tell her that i'm saving a near extinct species from a most undesirable fate by falling into the hands of someone that doesn't appreciate nor know what/how to use such specimens of tool value.

I told my wife "Honey, I need to buy these before all I can get is China made" She says " You never needed and excuse to buy tools so why one now so go ahead, have you got another toolboxed picked out put them in?" She headed off to a shoe store. I'm in real trouble now

 

[woody 73]

I am somewhat dumbfounded by the whole thing; the op said that the sears store was dead, I see the same thing at my sears stores. Now on top of this sears is going to china,not sure how that will bring in more customers into sears?

Will some business major please explain this to me...

 

[billymade]

After working @ Sears for 7 years; I saw corporate changes and attempts at improving Sears sales... come and go. Very rarely did I see changes that seemed to help; I guess time will tell, if their latest attempts make a difference...
We all here seem to have our COO concerns, perspectives and thoughts on what type of tools we are interesting in buying; then, there is the general joe public... what will joe buy? We'll see soon enough.... I do think it is probably impossible to make everyone happy, however!

 

[ImportTuner]

I'm pretty impressed with the latest Sears catalog .. check out this new portable compressor they are selling ...

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00916474000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

 

[mrholeshot]

I'm pretty impressed with the latest Sears catalog

Yeah it's full or more stuff thats non-Craftsman than Craftsman. Even Wera Zyklops. The prices they have in the catalog are outrageous. They just want to people to max out their sears card. I got pissed off and cut my card up a few months ago and sent it back in with a letter that i didn't need to buy China tools on Credit at the price of USA.

 

[stricht8]

So all sears full polish wrenches are now made in China? I want to barf.

 

[shotgunfatcat]

So all sears full polish wrenches are now made in China? I want to barf.

Ill get the bucket and join you.

 

[Chief]

Yeah it's full or more stuff thats non-Craftsman than Craftsman. Even Wera Zyklops. .

agreed, it barely resembles a c-man catalog. i must say its much better than last years cheesy offering. that one was a joke

 

[mrholeshot]

So all sears full polish wrenches are now made in China? I want to barf.

Yeah and they don't have professional on them. Just "Full Polish" still 99.99

 

[Old Donn]

If the wrench holders you bought were the C-man black plastic ones, the Pro models won't fit. They'll fall right out.

 

[SS5150]

I grabbed a set of the usa pro sae's and metric at a Sears near here, they weren't even displayed, just layed out up on top of a rack. Had to get a ladder to get them down.

I also got one of those 1/4 SK flexheads and I bought the 1/4 Craftsman thin polished ratchet, I've been wanting to try one of those. And a Craftsman 3/8 usa thumbwheel ratchet.

Got a USA vise grips.

Bought a test light to replace a broken one at work, made in China.

I did get them to take 10% off and gave me a $10 gift card, but still an expensive day.

 

[mrholeshot]

If the wrench holders you bought were the C-man black plastic ones, the Pro models won't fit. They'll fall right out.

Thats them but I never grab the whole set out of the box. 4.99 each I'll cut the handle off the back

 

[rsieracki]

Thats them but I never grab the whole set out of the box. 4.99 each I'll cut the handle off the back

HF has a decent larger triangular wrench rack too.

i saw cman usa wrenches on clearance at my sears last week, same price this week (today) only about 20% off and they have several sets. i might bite once they get to 50%.. on the cman full polish studdy flex ratchting.

 

[myers212]

I'm pretty impressed with the latest Sears catalog .. check out this new portable compressor they are selling ...

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00916474000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

I've been trying to find some info on that compressor. It looks like the Kobalt 30gal. This one comes pre-wired for 110, but it lists as a 110/220v compressor.

 

[ImportTuner]

I've been trying to find some info on that compressor. It looks like the Kobalt 30gal. This one comes pre-wired for 110, but it lists as a 110/220v compressor.

I was at Sears looking at it .. want to buy it but don't know what to do with my existing two stage oil less 175 psi unit .. it still works great and is very quiet also ..

 

[pipsters]

I've been trying to find some info on that compressor. It looks like the Kobalt 30gal. This one comes pre-wired for 110, but it lists as a 110/220v compressor.

I own the previous, horizontal version of that compressor, here:

http://cdn1.ioffer.com/img/item/836/686/96/o_dp4JNkXPYze62XJ.jpg

Sears (Devilbiss?) has been making it for decades. It is an aluminum pump with iron cylinders vs. entirely cast iron pump for the lowes compressor (keep in mind, while lots of people think "cast iron" is the only way to go, many many cars use the same setup). I did look at the 27 gallon upright in a Sears store in Bangor, ME, the one mentioned in this thread, not too long ago. I also looked at the Lowes 30 gallon one.

Personally I feel the Sears product is overpriced. I bought my 25 gallon one 1.5 years ago for around $350 on sale. You have to pay another $80 for a 3 year warranty which comes standard on the Lowes compressor. The Lowes compressor is $429 so to compare apples to apples Sears wants $579 ($499 + $80) for theirs. The Upright motor was made in China or Mexico. They are just assembled in America.

The Sears compressor puts out an additional 0.5 CFM @ 90 psi, but that really isn't that big of a difference. The Lowes compressor is 30 gallons @ 155 psi. If I were buying again, I would probably buy the Lowes compressor (although I do like the horizontal setup). You can get $50 off using the "Moving Package" available at the Post Office.

 

[pipsters]

I am somewhat dumbfounded by the whole thing; the op said that the sears store was dead, I see the same thing at my sears stores. Now on top of this sears is going to china,not sure how that will bring in more customers into sears?

Will some business major please explain this to me...

Harbor Freight is ALWAYS busy. Cheap prices, lifetime warranty on hand tools (no don't need a receipt, at least according to my store, I just bring in the tool and they swap it out) has killed Sears. Why buy American when you can get the same (perceived) value out of something that is 1/5 the cost.

Sears as a chain is probably going to die. The Craftsman brand still has some intrinsic value. At best, in the future I would hope for a spin-off where Craftsman tools are sold in many stores other than Sears as Sears itself implodes. Who knows what will become of the lifetime guarantee.

I have to admit, I grabbed my channel locks last night and it brought a smile to my face to see "made in USA" on them. But American goods have to, HAVE TO, come down in price in order to be cost competitive with foreign goods. Part of the problem is China, who undervalue their currency on purpose in order to protect their own industry. America really doesn't have the balls to either slap them with tariffs or tell them to f-off at this point.

When a foreign 1/2" impact set 10-36 mm sells for $135, and the closest American set would sell for $400+, we just aren't fighting a battle that is going to be won.

Don't confuse "cheap" with low quality, many of the foreign made tools are made using American made equipment.

 

[Joe B.]

With you guys rushing out to buy all the USA wrenches, the guys at Sears are looking at their sales and thinking that going to China caused the sales to sky rocket.

 

[ImportTuner]

I own the previous, horizontal version of that compressor, here:

http://cdn1.ioffer.com/img/item/836/686/96/o_dp4JNkXPYze62XJ.jpg

Sears (Devilbiss?) has been making it for decades. It is an aluminum pump with iron cylinders vs. entirely cast iron pump for the lowes compressor (keep in mind, while lots of people think "cast iron" is the only way to go, many many cars use the same setup). I did look at the 27 gallon upright in a Sears store in Bangor, ME, the one mentioned in this thread, not too long ago. I also looked at the Lowes 30 gallon one.

Personally I feel the Sears product is overpriced. I bought my 25 gallon one 1.5 years ago for around $350 on sale. You have to pay another $80 for a 3 year warranty which comes standard on the Lowes compressor. The Lowes compressor is $429 so to compare apples to apples Sears wants $579 ($499 + $80) for theirs. The Upright motor was made in China or Mexico. They are just assembled in America.

The Sears compressor puts out an additional 0.5 CFM @ 90 psi, but that really isn't that big of a difference. The Lowes compressor is 30 gallons @ 155 psi. If I were buying again, I would probably buy the Lowes compressor (although I do like the horizontal setup). You can get $50 off using the "Moving Package" available at the Post Office.

The current Craftsman Club sale brochure has it for $459.00 .. the horizonal 25 gallon unit is on sale for $429 ..

 

[boro_boy70]

With you guys rushing out to buy all the USA wrenches, the guys at Sears are looking at their sales and thinking that going to China caused the sales to sky rocket.

I thought the same thing. But I too am guilty. Picked up the SAE & Metric set last weekend. Have been looking at them for a while, but now that the new ones are China made, I figure it was now or never.

 

[Travo131]

I went to Ace here today and they are starting to stock craftsman tools. I live in Wisconsin has anyone else been seeing this?

 

[thesilverone]

the Aces near me stock some craftsman tools on end caps