Craftsman Warranty Going Away?

[chad s]

Wow, this is getting out of hand. I know that a lifetime warranty thats been stated for all these years would be missed, but is it the end of the world? Based on principal, its upseting to see it go, but Sears is fighting a battle as well. Their "made in USA" manufacturing costs are much higher than Stanley and non USA Kobalt. Kudos to them for keeping their product a USA made one. perhaps limiting or changing their old warranty is the ONLY way to afford to keep their product USA made.

Think of how many things we buy that have a 90 day or 1 year warranty. We have been spoiled for years with lifetime warrantied tools. How often do you break a tool? If its often, you are either missusing a quality tool, or buying junk.

For what you pay for a Craftsman tool, mostly they hold up well, at a great value. If your using them correctly, you wont need to get many replacements, and for the price, if you had to pay to replace a tool once or twice a year, its not the end of the world. Would you rather buy a chiwanese made Stanley product and ADD to the growing american manufacturing problem (that probably has caused Sears to change their policy)?

Now if you wanna rant on a warranty policy, Snap on's "no warranet for non professional use" policy is, in my opinion, totaly unfair..... But I buy their tools anyway, becase I like them, and since I dont missuse them, I would very rarely need warranty service anyway.

 

[eschoendorff]

Wow, this is getting out of hand. I know that a lifetime warranty thats been stated for all these years would be missed, but is it the end of the world? Based on principal, its upseting to see it go, but Sears is fighting a battle as well. Their "made in USA" manufacturing costs are much higher than Stanley and non USA Kobalt. Kudos to them for keeping their product a USA made one. perhaps limiting or changing their old warranty is the ONLY way to afford to keep their product USA made.

Think of how many things we buy that have a 90 day or 1 year warranty. We have been spoiled for years with lifetime warrantied tools. How often do you break a tool? If its often, you are either missusing a quality tool, or buying junk.

For what you pay for a Craftsman tool, mostly they hold up well, at a great value. If your using them correctly, you wont need to get many replacements, and for the price, if you had to pay to replace a tool once or twice a year, its not the end of the world. Would you rather buy a chiwanese made Stanley product and ADD to the growing american manufacturing problem (that probably has caused Sears to change their policy)?

Now if you wanna rant on a warranty policy, Snap on's "no warranet for non professional use" policy is, in my opinion, totaly unfair..... But I buy their tools anyway, becase I like them, and since I dont missuse them, I would very rarely need warranty service anyway.

Yeah, but the cost of teh tool also reflects the cost of the warranty. How else can you justify $20 for a Craftsman ratchet?

 

[chad s]

Yeah, but the cost of teh tool also reflects the cost of the warranty. How else can you justify $20 for a Craftsman ratchet?

I think I could get more than $20 worth of use out of a craftsman ratchet before it ever broke ( and I have several that have proven such). In fact, the only one I have ever returned was one a 1/4 drive cman that my dad broke many years ago, but I have never broken a Craftsman ratchet. I have switched to Snap On ratchets in the past 6 months or so in favor of their feel, but if you are breaking Craftsman ratchets, you need to buy a craftsman breaker bar.

 

[bmwpower]

Yeah, but the cost of teh tool also reflects the cost of the warranty. How else can you justify $20 for a Craftsman ratchet?

They might drop the prices a few dollars to make them look more attractive.

 

[eschoendorff]

I think I could get more than $20 worth of use out of a craftsman ratchet before it ever broke ( and I have several that have proven such). In fact, the only one I have ever returned was one a 1/4 drive cman that my dad broke many years ago, but I have never broken a Craftsman ratchet. I have switched to Snap On ratchets in the past 6 months or so in favor of their feel, but if you are breaking Craftsman ratchets, you need to buy a craftsman breaker bar.

My point was only that you are indeed paying for a warranty that you may not be able to claim. That is all. They aren't doing us any favors - we are, paying for this!

 

[MarkH]

No we are paying for the years of abuse of the warranty!

The people who yard saled and brought them in, drove over them with a Cat, etc. I have seen some of what was brought in from friends over the last 20+ years, who usually if it was not a common thing for that person, replaced them even when they did not have to. Every year they stated the abuse items coming was growing and at some point a line was going to have to be drawn.

I did not expect to have a replacement for the ones we sent through the feed mill, rusted in the tractor toolboxes or died of old age even though many others did. I did expect others to be replaced and have never had a problem since what I asked was logical in light of what was coming in.

It also has to be understood that models change and at some time the parts for the old ones are gone and it is uneconomical to make them or every store to have them. So an old friend either has to go in for repair or be replaced. But something has always been done.

 

[MAD]

Yeah, but the cost of teh tool also reflects the cost of the warranty. How else can you justify $20 for a Craftsman ratchet?

They might drop the prices a few dollars to make them look more attractive.

I would be far more concerned with quality control. There has been some real problems with 3/8" drive standard teardrop ratchets recently. This is the ratchet that comes with most sets and is what most people think of when you say Craftsman ratchet. For the first time tool buyer that has never used a decent one or the long time customer that needs a replacement, poor quality here makes a lasting bad impression.

There was a big run of crappy 3/8" drive teardrop Craftsman ratchets recently. I got one in a set that was notchy as hell and would slip into the center neutral or reverse position without touching the lever. I took it back to a sears store and they went through 4 or 5 rebuilt ratchets with the same problem. When I rejected all of them, they tried a new one off the shelf-same problem. All of the bad ratchets were of the same vintage with the same prefix code. I believe it was KR (for KRAP?). I decided to take my ratchet home and try later. I took my ratchet to another store a couple of weeks later and they did not have any of the standard teardrop 3/8" ratchets on the shelf. The sales guy said that they had sent all of theirs back due to the same problem. I exchanged mine for a round head model not wanting to risk Sears sending me another bad one in the mail. While I was there I checked the other tear drop ratchets (3/8" flex head, 1/4", 1/2" etc) to see if any had the same problem. The rest were all fine. I don't know If the problem was with the handle casting or an assembly problem like a wrong spring. The rebuilt ones could have easily been new returns that had rebuild stickers slapped on them by a lazy employee. I know that a Danaher tool plant that made a lot of Craftsman tools in Springfield MA recently closed and production moved to a another state, this may be the root of the problem. I assume they have fixed the problem by now but Sears makes so many of this style ratchet, I bet they will keep turning up for years. If the Employees in a particular store are not any good they will just keep putting bad ones back on the shelf. I guess when you are as big as Sears,you have the potential to f***up on a massive scale.

The Craftsman name is the valuable asset that is at risk here. It is just plain short sighted to destroy it by by letting quality slip or by branding poor quality junk tools such as their recent floor jacks, Homeowner line tool chests, and some power tools with the Craftsman name. On a positive note, I think for the most part Craftsman hand tools are an excellent value. Along with their recent shortcomings they have continued to offer and introduce many high quality products that I would buy regardless of the warranty.Here are a few:

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...tical=TOOL&subcat=Wrenches&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...tical=TOOL&subcat=Wrenches&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...unches,+Chisels+&+Pry+Bars&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...trical+Tools+&+Accessories&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

 

[Coach James]

"As Tommy Boy said, I can **** in a box and put a gaurantee on it, but all you end up with is a gauranteed *************." I think I'll let someone else buy that product.

Coach

 

[stock z/28]

Why would you want to buy a piece of sh-t warranty or not?

Jeff

 

[daveinwestland]

I hate to admit it but I agree...

Around 30 years ago, the JC Penney automotive centers started to sell something called the 'Lifetime' car battery. They promised to relplace it free if it failed for as long as you owned your vehicle. They made a big deal of it and advertised it as "The only replacement battery you'll need to buy...ever!"

Hmmmm...you can guess where this story is heading...

Well, my brother had one of these in both of his vehicles, and he actually got three or four batteries out of 'em, up until the early 1990s, when JCP closed down all of their auto repair facilities. JCP transferred the warranty service to Firestone. (By the way, that warranty transfer was a big secret; he had to make a bunch of phone calls to JCP before he finally figured that out. Think of how many folks probably just got fed up and gave up!)

A year after they had started to honor the warranty, they placed signs in all of the Firestone auto centers notifying their customers that thay would no longer honor the battery warranty after a certain date.

So much for "the only replacement battery you'll need to buy...ever!"

I hope the Craftsman warranty doesn't go away, but if it does, I won't be suprised...and I won't buy anymore Craftsman tools.

I just saw a sign at my local independant auto parts store telling me that after such and scuh date of this year, that bendix "lifetime warranty" brake pad warranties will no longer be honored.

 

[daveinwestland]

I would be far more concerned with quality control. There has been some real problems with 3/8" drive standard teardrop ratchets recently. This is the ratchet that comes with most sets and is what most people think of when you say Craftsman ratchet. For the first time tool buyer that has never used a decent one or the long time customer that needs a replacement, poor quality here makes a lasting bad impression.



The Craftsman name is the valuable asset that is at risk here. It is just plain short sighted to destroy it by by letting quality slip or by branding poor quality junk tools such as their recent floor jacks, Homeowner line tool chests, and some power tools with the Craftsman name. On a positive note, I think for the most part Craftsman hand tools are an excellent value. Along with their recent shortcomings they have continued to offer and introduce many high quality products that I would buy regardless of the warranty.Here are a few:

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...tical=TOOL&subcat=Wrenches&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...tical=TOOL&subcat=Wrenches&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...unches,+Chisels+&+Pry+Bars&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...trical+Tools+&+Accessories&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

I just bought the flare wrench set(literally came in the mail 2 days ago) and they are beautiful

 

[Roospike]

Why would you want to buy a piece of sh-t warranty or not?

Jeff

Lets see .......... this brings up a name.................

HARBOR FREIGHT

A lot of people brag about Harbor Flake taking back with no questions on tools and items that dont work , that are broken or missing parts.

So YES ! I guess there are a LOT of people that will buy a peice of S.H.I.T. and be happy with a warranty.

 

[MarkH]

Years ago I bought good made in USA John Deere Tools the replacement if I warranty is the new Made in Tiawan ones. Decent quality, but the old ones are nicer in my opinion. They and everyone else has done this and have not gotten anywhere the grief that Sears gets, that frustrates me some.

JD charges more for the tools they sell than Sears for Craftsman's good stuff now and people pay it. It is at least good tools, but on the other hand junk is junk and can hurt you, warranties just replace the tool, not what it broke or hurt when it let go. You just are thankful when it was not a body part.

Sears makes mistakes, the big one is putting Craftsman's name on the low end stuff they need to compete for many peoples first purchase. To not have something to sell in that market would be a mistake, think British motorcyles in the 60's the Japanese were building the beginner market and they would get the second sale, OOPS. But it needs to be done in a way it does not less the value of the name. They need to get in touch with the people who do alot of the Japanese companies marketing since they have figured out how to get away with it and not blow a name.

 

[KingPerformance]

Years ago I bought good made in USA John Deere Tools the replacement if I warranty is the new Made in Tiawan ones. Decent quality, but the old ones are nicer in my opinion. They and everyone else has done this and have not gotten anywhere the grief that Sears gets, that frustrates me some.

JD charges more for the tools they sell than Sears for Craftsman's good stuff now and people pay it. It is at least good tools, but on the other hand junk is junk and can hurt you, warranties just replace the tool, not what it broke or hurt when it let go. You just are thankful when it was not a body part.

Sears makes mistakes, the big one is putting Craftsman's name on the low end stuff they need to compete for many peoples first purchase. To not have something to sell in that market would be a mistake, think British motorcyles in the 60's the Japanese were building the beginner market and they would get the second sale, OOPS. But it needs to be done in a way it does not less the value of the name. They need to get in touch with the people who do alot of the Japanese companies marketing since they have figured out how to get away with it and not blow a name.

Remember, sears has three main tiers of tools.

Companion
Craftsman
Craftsman Pro

 

[knotheads]

i am very upset that craftsman has changed the design of their sockets to that cheap assed lazer etch ....so any exchanges made will not match the rest of my socket sets .and i agree that the ratchet they offer is a pure knuckle buster right out of the package ...no amount of rebuilding will change that

 

[Danglerb]

This thread could use a summary at the front that gets updated with any news, but since its all rumors and grumbling I'll add my three cents.

Some mechanism has to be used to control abuse. The Home Depot model is likely, with drivers license tracking etc.

Sears can wiggle out of old warranty promises anytime they choose, its just a few legal loop holes to jump through. In Calif "lifetime" is legally 7 years.

I think it would be NUTS of them to drop the lifetime, but I expect to see them shift it around so it includes fewer and fewer items. Those junk jacks they recently sold did them a LOT of damage.

Good thing my socket set is from Kmart, lifetime satisfaction warranty.

It will always be a LOT cheaper and easier to sell a cheap tool with a warranty than expensive quality tool without one.

 

[FNFS2000]

I wouldn't buy any of their junk anymore anyways. I've replaced all my tools with upgraded German models.

 

[GSSFC]

Some stuff like files, drill bits, tap & die sets, all electric tools, torque wrenches ie. calibration (the ratchet mechanism is life backed) tin snips have always been 1yr.

I had a torque wrench that failed. I brought it to one store and they insisted it was only a 1 year warranty, I told them they had no way to prove that when I bought it ** years ago it was not lifetime, and I didn't really care what the new one on the shelf said. Before the gloves came off, I just grabbed my broken wrench and left (leaving all the purchases I intended to make on the counter). I just stopped at another Sears on the way home and talked to the lady this time and she exchanged it no question...didn't even ask if it was broken!

I think part of the warranty deal is they expect you to buy more stuff each time you go. I know I do!

It pisses me off, when an employee takes a return personally. If the damn wrench is broken, replace it, you don't need to know what size socket I was using and what I was doing when it broke. It is a tool, I was using it and it failed, give me a new one.

Tim

 

[normieg]

What I have noticed is that the Craftsman name is wearing off alot quicker....lol.
I think that's their solution, by the time you've used it twenty times, the Craftsman name is gone.

There was one time when I brought back a screwdriver that stripped (I think the metal was defective), and the employee said "it's hardly been used"....but when I asked him what he said..he appoligized.....I did tell him it was a new tool, and the tip stripped out. (yes I was putting pressure into the screw, I think the metal was flawed).

I've had no problem with the replacement.
I buy alot of tools (more then I use), and i'm old enough to like my tools clean, etc.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I had a torque wrench that failed. I brought it to one store and they insisted it was only a 1 year warranty, I told them they had no way to prove that when I bought it ** years ago it was not lifetime, and I didn't really care what the new one on the shelf said. Before the gloves came off, I just grabbed my broken wrench and left (leaving all the purchases I intended to make on the counter). I just stopped at another Sears on the way home and talked to the lady this time and she exchanged it no question...didn't even ask if it was broken!

I think part of the warranty deal is they expect you to buy more stuff each time you go. I know I do!

It pisses me off, when an employee takes a return personally. If the damn wrench is broken, replace it, you don't need to know what size socket I was using and what I was doing when it broke. It is a tool, I was using it and it failed, give me a new one.

Tim

My post that you quoted was WRONG I have since learned from reviewing some old Craftsman tool catalogs from the 60's and 70's that I was TOTALLY WRONG! All the stuff they now say is a one year warranty used to be life backed according to the old catalogs I have from the day!

 

[rsanter]

over the years sears has discontinued tools under the Cman name and reissued them under the sears or other name. if you break one you will be given the new non-warranty version
they have also changed the terms of other warranties like at one time they gave you a rebuild kit for a broken ratchet verses a new ratchet and then they now give you a rebuilt ratchet

bob

 

[kbuhagiar]

over the years sears has discontinued tools under the Cman name and reissued them under the sears or other name. if you break one you will be given the new non-warranty version
they have also changed the terms of other warranties like at one time they gave you a rebuild kit for a broken ratchet verses a new ratchet and then they now give you a rebuilt ratchet

bob

Not at my Sears store (San Bruno, CA) - although some of the sales assistant's knowledge leaves something to be desired, I have never been given anything other than a Craftsman in exchange for a broken tool - and I am in there every 3 months or so. Last time I exchanged a ratchet (last week) they didn't have any of the 'reconditioned' units available, so I got a new one off the shelf.

Last summer I got free replacements for all three of my Craftsman 50-ft garden hoses - they were all 20 years old - and the clerk assured me that my new hoses also carried the same lifetime warranty.

Now, I wouldn't be surprised if this year the lifetime warranty finally goes by the wayside (or at least gets modified), as I just heard this morning that Sears will no longer contribute to its employees' 401K plans anymore. That is a sure sign of a company that needs to get serious about cutting costs, so I would bet that the Craftsman warranty may be fair game.

And, IF they actually do it, I am sure that they will start to post it at all of the cash registers in all of their hardware departments, probably weeks or months before it takes effect.

Just my 2 cents...!

 

[nissan_crawler]

My post that you quoted was WRONG I have since learned from reviewing some old Craftsman tool catalogs from the 60's and 70's that I was TOTALLY WRONG! All the stuff they now say is a one year warranty used to be life backed according to the old catalogs I have from the day!

Yep, dad has broken lifetime warranty Craftsman torque wrenches and a tap/die set that they refuse to warranty. It's even stamped in the plastic case.

Not at my Sears store (San Bruno, CA) - although some of the sales assistant's knowledge leaves something to be desired, I have never been given anything other than a Craftsman in exchange for a broken tool - and I am in there every 3 months or so. Last time I exchanged a ratchet (last week) they didn't have any of the 'reconditioned' units available, so I got a new one off the shelf.

Last summer I got free replacements for all three of my Craftsman 50-ft garden hoses - they were all 20 years old - and the clerk assured me that my new hoses also carried the same lifetime warranty.

Now, I wouldn't be surprised if this year the lifetime warranty finally goes by the wayside (or at least gets modified), as I just heard this morning that Sears will no longer contribute to its employees' 401K plans anymore. That is a sure sign of a company that needs to get serious about cutting costs, so I would bet that the Craftsman warranty may be fair game.

And, IF they actually do it, I am sure that they will start to post it at all of the cash registers in all of their hardware departments, probably weeks or months before it takes effect.

Just my 2 cents...!

Wrong. You just haven't warrantied the right things, and they don't post squat. Take a lifetime warranty torque wrench in, they'll give you a crapy 90 day warranty one. Take one broken tap from a lifetime warranty US tap/die set, and all they'll do is trade it for an entire chicom set with no warranty.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Yep, dad has broken lifetime warranty Craftsman torque wrenches and a tap/die set that they refuse to warranty. It's even stamped in the plastic case.



Wrong. You just haven't warrantied the right things, and they don't post squat. Take a lifetime warranty torque wrench in, they'll give you a crapy 90 day warranty one. Take one broken tap from a lifetime warranty US tap/die set, and all they'll do is trade it for an entire chicom set with no warranty.

Yea, what he said. I was originally wrong about what the warranty was, but Nissan is right about what it is!

 

[kbuhagiar]

Wrong. You just haven't warrantied the right things, and they don't post squat. Take a lifetime warranty torque wrench in, they'll give you a crapy 90 day warranty one. Take one broken tap from a lifetime warranty US tap/die set, and all they'll do is trade it for an entire chicom set with no warranty.

I don't disagree with your assessment about torque wrenches and taps, as I never had to bring any back. But I have never had a problem exchanging basic hand tools - sockets, wrenches, ratchets, hammers, pliers, screwdrivers - and garden hoses. So I guess, in a weird way I have warrantied the right things (just lucky, I guess).

As I stated before, I wouldn't be surprised if the lifetime warranty goes away real soon. I also have to admit that buying Craftsman tools is no longer a dead cinch for me any more (and hasn't been for many years) due to the diminishing quality of the product.

 

[nissan_crawler]

The lifetime warranty is still on those tools, you're missing the point. Many lifetime warranties have already been dropped by sears, and they won't honor them. That lifetime warranty stuff you have now will not be lifetime warranty if they change their policy tomorrow.

10 years ago I would have no issue buying Craftsman, but anymore I do my best to stay out of the store.

 

[MarkH]

It is interesting in reviewing this so often repeating thread.
The statements on the back of the packages states if the tool you purchase fails to perform to your satisfaction it will be replaced or refunded. It does not say what it will be replaced with and what that will be replaced with. Having listened to people whine that they do not have NOS 50 year old ratchets or other tools is wearing on me, how much more it has to be on the sales staff. Stores and managers make a big difference.

Good warranty for me, perfect no, realistic yes. I have stood behind people I saw that morning rounding yard sales looking for junk to take in too often. I follow the pattern of find my replacement, do it a realistic number of times and have not had problems to date in the smaller more rural stores where I live.

 

[billymade]

As I have said before in the past; I would request a credit in the form of a sears gift card and purchase something else, rather then get a "new" non-lifetime warranty Craftsman tool (e.g. taps/dies/torque wrenches). In the case of the torque wrenches; on sears.com they sell precision instruments brand torque wrenches which are really pro quality; maybe use your sears card credit towards purchasing one of these (make sure when they give you a sears gift card it has the code on the back of it; so you can use it on sears.com). A manager may have to do research for you or give you the credit; if you have the old catalog, I would take that into the store with you as well. A service company called "team torque" repairs torque wrenches if you wanted to keep your old one but it probably isn't cost effective. http://www.teamtorque.com/ Turns out there are allot of different brands of torque wrenches available on sears.com: sk, armstrong, SK, Precision Instruments, OTC and KD tools. As to the issue of a "Lifetime Warranty" torque wrench; I don't know anyone in the tool industry who offers a policy like that at this point in time; the fact is that torque wrenches are precision instruments that requires periodic maintenance and calibration, probably the omission of a lifetime warranty has something to do with this. By the way: the Craftsman beam style torque wrenches do have a lifetime warranty but I personally, would not use one myself! As always: if you do not get good service at your store and need help; contact the Sears Customer Relations Hotline:

Customer Relations Hotline:
1-800-549-4505

Email us your questions, comments and experiences
or send a letter to:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/nb_10153_12608_NB_CSeMail?refLink=relations&adCell=A4

Sears National Customer Relations
3333 Beverly Road
Hoffman Estates, IL 60179

 

[Fedwrench]

I can fully understand why the Craftsman lifetime warranty could go away. I doubt if any other company's warranty has been abused as much as Craftsman has. I see people trading in all sorts of broken tools that obiviously weren't broken through normal use when picking up stuff at Sears. The Craftsman warranty isn't perfect but, it's as close to free tools for life as you can get. If the warranty goes away, I feel it will be from all of the abuse.

 

[nissan_crawler]

It is interesting in reviewing this so often repeating thread.
The statements on the back of the packages states if the tool you purchase fails to perform to your satisfaction it will be replaced or refunded. It does not say what it will be replaced with and what that will be replaced with. Having listened to people whine that they do not have NOS 50 year old ratchets or other tools is wearing on me, how much more it has to be on the sales staff. Stores and managers make a big difference.

Good warranty for me, perfect no, realistic yes. I have stood behind people I saw that morning rounding yard sales looking for junk to take in too often. I follow the pattern of find my replacement, do it a realistic number of times and have not had problems to date in the smaller more rural stores where I live.

You're missing the point. It's not the tool they're trying to give, it's the warranty they are not honoring!!! If I buy a lifetime warranty tool, I don't give a damn if it breaks 5 times, it's supposed to be covered under the lifetime warranty of the original purchase.

Sears is NOT doing this. Their idea of a "warranty" on lifetime warranty (HAH!) tap/die sets and torque wrenches is handing you a new one that has little or no warranty. That is NOT being a lifetime warranty.

If you walking with a tool and case with lifetime warranty stamped on it, then by god, it should be replaced with a lifetime warranty tool, OR, you should get some sort of receipt/certificate stating you did indeed trade a lifetime warranty tool for this no-warranty-having-piece, and as such, if it breaks, the original lifetime warranty will be honored on the one without a warranty.

As I have said before in the past; I would request a credit in the form of a sears gift card and purchase something else, rather then get a "new" non-lifetime warranty Craftsman tool (e.g. taps/dies/torque wrenches). In the case of the torque wrenches; on sears.com they sell precision instruments brand toque wrenches which are really pro quality; maybe use your sears card credit towards purchasing one of these (make sure when they give you a sears gift card it has the code on the back of it; so you can use it on sears.com). A manager may have to do research for you or give you the credit; if you have the old catalog, I would take that into the store with you as well. A service company called "team torque" repairs torque wrenches if you wanted to keep your old one but it probably isn't cost effective. http://www.teamtorque.com/ Turns out there are allot of different brands of torque wrenches available on sears.com: sk, armstrong, SK, Precision Instruments, OTC and KD tools. As to the issue of a "Lifetime Warranty" torque wrench; I don't know anyone in the tool industry who offers a policy like that at this point in time; the fact is that torque wrenches are precision instruments that requires periodic maintenance and calibration, probably the omission of a lifetime warranty has something to do with this. By the way: the Craftsman beam style torque wrenches do have a lifetime warranty but I personally, would not use one myself! As always: if you do not get good service at your store and need help; contact the Sears Customer Relations Hotline:

Customer Relations Hotline:
1-800-549-4505

Email us your questions, comments and experiences
or send a letter to:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/nb_10153_12608_NB_CSeMail?refLink=relations&adCell=A4

Sears National Customer Relations
3333 Beverly Road
Hoffman Estates, IL 60179

Dad tried to get them to credit the tap/die set, the would only credit him for the price of the hong kong louis stuff. He just took his set home, and bought US made replacement taps/dies elsewhere.

This **** is why I no longer shop sears. I did for my nephew's tools, as I wanted to give him US stuff, but wasn't paying snap-on price or giving used tools for gifts, but that's it.

I probably spent $10,000 there in 3 years, and in the last 5 years, I bet I haven't spent $500.

 

[5.0vert]

I totally agree with Nissan....

I have tried to explain to them(SEARS) that I would not have bought a Craftsman tap set if I new 5 years down the line they were going to modify or drop the warranty. It had a lifetime warranty when I bought it....not a we will replace it one last time with a non warranty piece but we can't honor it anymore.

The rebuilt ratchets are a joke... I took in a nice ratchet that the gears stripped out of and they tried to give me a ratchet that someone beat with a hammer and chrome was flaking off of

 

[goodfellow]

I can fully understand why the Craftsman lifetime warranty could go away. I doubt if any other company's warranty has been abused as much as Craftsman has. I see people trading in all sorts of broken tools that obiviously weren't broken through normal use when picking up stuff at Sears. The Craftsman warranty isn't perfect but, it's as close to free tools for life as you can get. If the warranty goes away, I feel it will be from all of the abuse.

Absolutely --

 

[JohnMcD348]

I really hadn't noticed the change in the lifetime warranty. I did however have a breaker bar give on me once. Luckily I was the the only one around when the metal on the end gave. I was using it with a socket to turn the mut on the crankshaft of an old Standard Triumph motor and the thing broke at the ****** where the socket attached. I wasn't using a pipe or anything, just my two hands and about 250lbs(at the time..)

I took it back and the two people there asked me how I could possibly break a breaker bar. To which I replied, It's a breaker bar, it broke..

They didn't see the humor and proceeded to tell me it had to have been used improperly. There was not a single mark on it, I'd actaully bought it about 3 months prior.

I then confessed I had been using it as a Marital aid with a 2" socket on the end and went into GREAT detail on how exactly I was using it when it failed. The girl at the register was obviously disgusted and embarassed and tried to leave but every time she started to move I'd say: "But Wait, you're going to love this part."

After I felt I had disgusted both of them enough, I pointed out that the bar only showed one very small nick and that was when it hit the frame of the car and it matched pretty well with the chunk of meat missing from my right index finger. I told them to get me their manager who looked at it, handed it back to the guy and told him to get me a new one.

 

[volvo420coupe]

Yeah, I have a couple of times encountered a random sears employee who's girlfriend was cheating on them, was having a bad day, or just had a chip on their shoulder. I used to raise a stink, now I just go back later and deal with someone else. its a pain but I dont break my tools that often.

 

[Danglerb]

Funny, one of my oldest tools are a set of sockets from Kmart, lifetime warranty.

You might have to raise a stink, but no way can Sears or anybody else change the warranty terms after purchase without your consent, unless its something as part of a bankruptcy settlement etc.

 

[TexasT]

I've never been denied the warranty, but I have had to make several trips. The local store from a few moves ago was in a "Major metro area" and had a policy of only warrantying one item per person per day, so if you had more than one item it required more than one trip. I was told this was to discourage the swap meet/garage salers from bringing in multiple items and walking out with shiny new stuff. Worked for me, i just couldn't let the broken stuff pile up.

I did take back a limb lopper once that stopped functioning. Somehow the thing quit and stuck open. I tried to get it to work but the handle started to bend so I took it back. The clerk even tried to make it work. I told him I couldn't so I was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to. He called over another clerk to show him, They had a good laugh and I got a new one. They didn't have any reconditioned ones, I asked.

 

[HandyManny]

People have been worrying about that warranty going away for years now. I'll believe it when I see the warranty gaurentee removed from all packages and lables. As it stands now the only Craftsman tools I'll buy anymore are sockets, extentions, pro combo wrenches, and adjustable wrenches if I ever need another one. Other than that I'll seek out better tools from better brands and makers.

As far as their aviation snips go. They are made by Midwest Snip here in the USA. The Cmans are just rebranded. Midwest offers a lifetime warranty and they make excellent snips. Funny thing is that Sears sells both the Midwest and the Craftsman snips side by side on the shelves.

 

[RAYJAY]

just got back from sears took back 6 different screwdrivers 1/2 of them pro models,5 torx sockets one ball peen hammer and 2 pry bars all well used . not a problem at all, just try that with snap on ............. the truck guy we have cry with just one screw driver...........

 

[Merkava_4]

I took it back and the two people there asked me how I could possibly break a breaker bar. To which I replied, It's a breaker bar, it broke..

LOL!!!!

 

[HandyManny]

The lifetime warranty is still on those tools, you're missing the point. Many lifetime warranties have already been dropped by sears, and they won't honor them. That lifetime warranty stuff you have now will not be lifetime warranty if they change their policy tomorrow.

10 years ago I would have no issue buying Craftsman, but anymore I do my best to stay out of the store.

It can and does happen, but that being the case, there is no value in buying a tool that is lifetime warranted if the policy changes down the road. It's an eithical issue. They are a store or a manufacurer, they offer the customer a lifetime warranty, honor it! Plain and simple.

There are only a small number of Craftsman tools I'll buy anymore and that number is going down every year.