Get your act together, Sears

[Deadsquiggles]

so when I first started in the shipyard, I bought most of my tools from Sears thinking Craftsman was top of the line. One of the things I bought was a alignment too and punch set, one of which is a 1/8" punch. Friday at work, I used it for the first time in almost a year of owning it and somehow, using fairly light taps from a ball peen, bent the piss out of it. Being that it's a craftsman handbook, I think, well I'll take it back and get it replaced. So this morning I take it to Sears, and the man working behind the counter tells me that it's not under warranty because "punches are like drills bits, they're expendable and can't be warranted." I had to go get a new set that had the same punch in it and show a different associate that it is, indeed, warranted for life. Upon the showing the woman, who ended up being very knowledgeable about tools, she replaced it. I told her I may have to start buying elsewhere and you know what her response was? "Well, the way Craftsman has been slipping and outsourcing the production of tools, I wouldn't be surprised it people started buying nothing but Snap-On, Mac, Matco, or Armstrong, even if you have to chase the truck."

Rant over. Thanks for listening. Just kinda pissed me off a little.

 

[jd_1138]

so when I first started in the shipyard, I bought most of my tools from Sears thinking Craftsman was top of the line.

They are not top of the line. They used to be a good decent brand for the price.

 

[Deadsquiggles]

Yeah when I first got into using handbooks everyday, I was told they were on par with Snap-On and the like. Boy, was I wrong.

 

[Herod]

Sears ***** and Craftsman *****.

Bye, bye Sears.....never gonna miss you.

 

[merbie]

if the chick was hot definite gf material

 

[mykvr6]

sounds like she knows whats up. There is a lot of good quality stuff out there, even if you go cheap and buy imported stuff. I mean I was looking at the ratchets and sockets at Lowes (kobalt) and I thought they looked very nice and were very nicely finished. I think they are a bit pricey for imports but they are from Taiwan and not china. I mean I was in a Sears hardware two weeks ago just to see what they still had that looked decent and I mean their sockets are just cheap looking. Chrome looks cheap, stamping looks cheap. Of course even on some of my US craftsman stuff the finish isn't so great. HF stuff is super cheap, imported and looks at least 50% better as far as finish and construction. Maybe better than that. And if you stay with US made stuff, you can get great stuff without spending SO prices. Though I must say all my snap on stuff (wrenches, ratchets, some torx sockets) are all top notch quality stuff.

 

[methomas70]

Yeah when I first got into using handbooks everyday, I was told they were on par with Snap-On and the like. Boy, was I wrong.

Find the person who told you that and trade him your Craftsman for all of his Snap-On and the like.

Win-Win.

 

[Deadsquiggles]

if the chick was hot definite gf material

She had a ********* voice that was no where close how she looked.

 

[ctb]

They were never top of the line and never the best. They were however a good strong tool that could stand professional use thanks to a great replacement policy. (notice the use of the past tense.)

They were also the only tools many people - not in the actual automotive trade - knew about, and could get via mail order, thanks to the Sears catalog.

Those in the know knew there were better tools out there, and more often as not, upgraded and replaced their Craftsman tools as/when they could. But a lot of peoples' first starter sets were Craftsman, and I'm sure this nostalgia is the reason many people hold this strange reverence to the brand today.

 

[an Automotive Technician]

craftsman lost my business about 4 years ago under like conditions they need a new replacement policy