Are Craftsman trimmers really this BAD!?

[700hpAMG]

So my now former Craftsman 4 cycle gas trimmer never ran correctly WOT out of the box. 3 trips to the Sears service Center. Each time they 'adjusted' it it factory specifications. 1 week service in between. The 2nd repair had an additional incorrect oil level DX also, though the oil level was fine. Other repairs were 'throttle choke spring out of adjustment' ?????

87 , 89, or 91 pump gas. And even Trufuel 92 octane fuel. Each time, would run fine for a few minutes, then very rough WOT on the RUN choke setting. Keep in mind new trimmer, never ran correctly. Approximately 5 tanks of gas on this one.

So, this time around I put up a fuss, they credited me back on Points, and so I had to apply those points to another trimmer they sold. Bought the newer 29cc 4cycle trimmer. 3 full tanks now. Same exact thing. This appears to be a Ryobi s430 clone, without the carb adjustments. Only adjustment on the Craftsman is the idle. While I know now I should have bought an Echo or Stilh, I'm stuck with Sears. They do offer the new Husqvarna 224L which I might ante up to, have to order online though.

I have a few of the Craftsman 12v Nev tools which have been great. Had 15 years ago a fine 18v drill driver which was awesome though since moved on to Bosch as the replacement CM drill driver did not last long. Has Craftsman really gone that far down, or is there a special break in period for their gas tools?

 

[southalabama]

Craftsman doesn't build anything.

They spec it out and get the lowest bidder.

Last few years it seems they trying to make up for lost sales by increasing profit margin by selling cheaper tools/equipment for the same price.

Just my studied opinion.

 

[Tweeker]

DONT run ethanol gas in it EVER.

 

[nine4gmc]

I bought one used at a garage sale recently and after cleaning the plug, filling with only gas, it fired up and trimmed the entire perimeter of the yard. I was super pleased seeing I paid like $5 for it. Well, the gas leaked out over the next couple days so next mowing session I filled it with a guesstimated mix of gas/oil. It cut the yard again but I had to have one hand on the trigger and one on the choke to keep it running. I attributed that to the unknown mixture in the tank. Again the gas leaked out over a few days so I changed the leaking hoses. Next mowing session I mixed the gas/oil as directed in the manual I downloaded and it has not run again since. I can crank it and it idles but as soon as I touch the trigger, it dies, even double handing the choke and trigger, it will not run past idle... For a split second, I considered just getting an electric model but that defies morals in my book so I'm back to trying to figure out wtf is wrong with this thing.

I don't think it's Craftsman specifically, just the fuel we are forced to buy now does not comply with small engines as well as it used to.

 

[SASORacing]

Get the nicest one they sell

 

[oldjamesy]

Fuel line is collapsed and / or obstructed and causing fuel starvation .

 

[GRN96WS6]

No issues with my craftsmen trimmer, going on 6 years now.

 

[Average_Joe]

My Dad has been buying them almost every year for a long time and this year had one that only lasted a couple months. He finally gave up on them and went to our local small engine shop and bought the most powerful Stihl powerhead they had and some attachments. It was expensive, but Im sure will end up cheaper in the long run.

 

[malibu101]

While I don't think it's all-inclusive and I don't know how up to date it is, here is a link I've had saved that tells who made Sears items by the first 3 digits of their model number.
http://professional-power-tool-guid...pany/sears-and-craftsman-source-product-code/

 

[maynard9089]

I had a craftsman many years ago that I actually liked. Eventually it was replaced with a Ryobi (fathers day gift) that was undoubtedly the worst trimmer I ever owned. After a few years of struggling with that I replaced it with an Echo. I again am a happy trimmer.

 

[J Persons]

About three years ago I bought a Poulan Pro weed eater. Right out of the box it was a PITA to start and keep running. I pulled the recoil starter so much that first year that it broke and I had to replace it. Last year when mowing season started, I took it out to trim some grass, After being primed it fired right up and ran great. and that was with using the previous years gas. This years it continues to start and run great. The Poulan replaced a Roybi which was a real POS, and not all that expensive at Amazon.com

 

[countryroad82]

When it comes to weedeaters I have found that if it doesn't say Stihl or Echo on it you are looking at a pile of $hit.

 

[rust buster]

I bought a 4 cycle Craftsman trimmer about 8 years ago and it never ran right either. It was always stuttering and starving for power. I was always frustrated with it and man was it heavy. Last year I bought one of the new Honda 4 cycle trimmer and holy **** what a difference. It's light, purrs like a kitten and has tons of power.

 

[SASORacing]

I have an echo, very solid, worth rebuilding when it wears out too.

 

[PRND3L]

OP, since you're stuck with sears, try the Husqvarna. I got a 124L from them several years ago that has served me well.

 

[mpire]

I had a craftsman 2 cycle trimmer that was pretty good for a several years and then it wouldn't start. Then I rebuilt it and went through it and still didn't do well.

Now I have a Troy-bilt 4 cycle (granted this is the same trimmer as 90% of the other brands) and its been pretty good for going on 4 or 5 years. It has the attachment for starting it with a power drill but I have never had to use it. I always run ethanol free gas in my lawn equipment, so maybe that has something to do with it.

I have gone through 3 or 4 string trimmer heads though, been hunting them down on craigslist lately. The edger ***** until you make it look very dangerous. But then again, the problem with the edger is that the guard drags on the grass and makes edging a very frustrating affair.

https://scontent-a-mia.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10422237_10152053868900755_4381599966268543379_n.jpg

 

[58Yeoman]

I had a craftsman 2 cycle trimmer that was pretty good for a several years and then it wouldn't start. Then I rebuilt it and went through it and still didn't do well.

Now I have a Troy-bilt 4 cycle (granted this is the same trimmer as 90% of the other brands) and its been pretty good for going on 4 or 5 years. It has the attachment for starting it with a power drill but I have never had to use it. I always run ethanol free gas in my lawn equipment, so maybe that has something to do with it.

I have gone through 3 or 4 string trimmer heads though, been hunting them down on craigslist lately. The edger ***** until you make it look very dangerous. But then again, the problem with the edger is that the guard drags on the grass and makes edging a very frustrating affair.

https://scontent-a-mia.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10422237_10152053868900755_4381599966268543379_n.jpg

Looks to me like your blade is too small/short.

 

[mpire]

Its probably about a quarter inch shorter than new.

 

[Tripp2012]

husqvarna 223L weights 9.5 pounds and has all the power you could want. If you want to run blades instead of trim line get the 323L same trimmer with solid drive shaft. I'm run mine for 4 years with zero issues, and I cut and trim 4-5 yards a week.

 

[mo2872]

Had a C-man weedeater.....hated it. Bought a Troy-Bilt 4 stroke......hated it. Finally ponied up for the Echo I wanted to begin with......LOVE it. So much so, that I've added a stick edger and blower to match.

 

[ken w.]

I bought a new Craftsman straight shaft trimmer about 8-10 years ago. It was the 2nd best they sold at the time.2 cycle. I put a brush cutter blade on it and it ran awesome until last year when the shaft froze up. I blame this on putting a brush blade on it. I have no complaints with this trimmer.

However , As I look at the choice of trimmers that Sears sells now I'm not that impressed with the quality. I see a lot of features that are going to break easily and be a disappointment to users. Just my opinion.

 

[Matt The Hammer]

The edger ***** until you make it look very dangerous. But then again, the problem with the edger is that the guard drags on the grass and makes edging a very frustrating affair.

Yeah, I been rolling the stick edger without the guard for a few years. I could get the bigger blade on it.

Neighbors fear me...

 

[mtmgtz]

If you're buying a 2-cycle, you can get by on the cheapie models OK usually. 2-strokes are really basic engines so there is less to go wrong.

4-cycles are more complicated and you seem to get what you pay for more here. Honda is well known to be one of the best manufacturer's of any 4-stroke (or two stroke back in the day) engines.

 

[er3456df]

I've fixed up a dozen or so Craftsman wackers, 2-cycle only. Always bad gas. Clean the orifices, replace the plastic lines, and they're fine.

How does Echo or Stihl not have this problem?

Would love to try a propane weed wacker one day. Anyone have one?

 

[allinon72]

Junk - mine lasted less than 2 years. I had to restart it so many times the pull start broke. I now have an Echo.

 

[fivespdcat]

I have a craftsman 2 cycle that my BIL gave me, so it's probably 8 years old now. I replaced the spark plug, cleaned the carb and filter and it does ok. It needs all 10 primer pumps, then time to warm up. Once warm and the carb is dialed in it runs great. Do I love it? No. Do I want to spend $200 on a new one? No. I'll just deal with it...

 

[breeaad]

My last trimmer was a craftsman 25cc and I believe it was made by polan. It ran well for 6 years but last year I couldn't get the carb adjusted right on it so I sprung for an Echo. Mine is made by Shindawa, which is a great brand. I would put it against a Stihl any day.


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[EdT]

I had a ryobi 4 cycle for a while and it never ran right. Always too lean on the top end. No mixture adjustment and that weird sliding variable main jet thing. Contacted Ryobi and they said that to meet California requirements they were set up lean and they were not, at the time, permitted to make them adjustable. Ok, called Walbro and they sold me an adjustable main (no, I don't have the P/N) and that made things a lot better, but after a winter it wouldn't start so I abandoned it. Replaced with a basic Ryobi and it's been OK for a couple of years but you do have to fuss with the carb a lot and the OE fuel lines are absolute ****.
My son pulled a ECHO out of a dumpster three years ago, replaced the fuel lines and filter and it start and runs fine on one or two pulls even after sitting all winter.
So the big question is, just how different is the cheapo trimmer from the one that actually works. I can't imagine that the incremental cost on an ECHO or STIHL is more than a couple of bucks in the volumes they are made in. So why can't I pay $10 more and get a Ryobi that works well. Simple, Ryobi and all the cheapos want you to buy a new trimmer every year to keep their factories going while the high priced units want to get all the money up front. Just a different business model. A friend of mine worked on some automation equipment for one of the big trimmer manufacturers and the set up he worked on could make 26 trimmers a minute. At that rate, a lot have to go into the trash every day to keep the factory going. And that was just one manufacturer. Not much incentive to make one that lasts a long time and now the problem can be dumped on the ethanol in the gas which really isn't helping anything either but it could be surmounted.

 

[aar0s]

I used a poulan pro for about three years until a storm blew the door of my front porch storage open and about four inches of rain blew in then froze, dead right threre. Bought a craftsman two stroke and am happy. Bought my first new mower ever, craftsman with a honda engine and have used the poo out of it so far this summer and it works perfect, interested to see how it holds up.

 

[SASORacing]

Echos are nice, grab one, mix Gas and start. No packaging or assembly.

 

[SASORacing]

I always used cheap hand me downs that took 25 pulls cold start.

 

[SASORacing]

After getting an echo I could never go back, classic example of the poor man buys twice.

 

[rice rocket]

Heh.

Now you know why I went cordless. Too much fuss for the 10 minutes of trimming I need to do. Cordless...snap in a battery, and done. No maintenance except replacing/respooling the spools.

 

[lilscorpion]

Had three trimmers from CM the first three years I owned a house. Each one cost between $100 and $200 and lasted a season or less. Survival rate was disproportional to cost. Variety of problems with all of them but the gist of it is they (craftsman trimmers) are junk. Basically got frustrated enough I stopped trimming my yard. Bought the new house and went all in and purchase a commercial Shindaiwa trimmer ($350). full choke + two prime pumps + a pull + half choke + pull and it starts every time exactly like the one I used as a kid - 10 years now. Craftsman is about sales to joe homeowner. I used to only shop there, no I don't go there (the topic of hundreds of threads here on GJ).

The real lesson buried in my story is that you can buy junk tools and, unless you never use them, the outcome won't be favorable. Just gotta decide if your planning to use the trimmer or look at it. I suspect there's quite a few homeowners that have craftsman trimmers and pay a service to cut their grass otherwise Craftsman would have stopped selling trimmers long ago.

 

[MScott]

Heh.

Now you know why I went cordless. Too much fuss for the 10 minutes of trimming I need to do. Cordless...snap in a battery, and done. No maintenance except replacing/respooling the spools.

They work OK on a small property cutting soft grass, but used in the country, cutting mostly weeds they have to be used on the high speed setting and the battery charge only lasts half as long as on the slow setting. I just purchased a B & D 20v a few weeks ago and found that it could only do about a quarter of my area on a charge. Yesterday I bought a new Stihl and will be passing the cordless on to a friend that lives on a city lot. Should have done that first.

 

[Scott P]

My craftsman trimmer lasted two seasons. When I went back to the store to talk about it, the guy said that I should have bought the two year warranty. I explained to him that it should have lasted longer than two years to begin with. I sold it on craigslist for $25 as a non-running unit and bought my Echo.

Of course I still have the tiller attachment for my Craftsman. I have to borrow a neighbor's Troy-Bilt trimmer when I want to till up my 192 sq ft garden each spring. The Echo attachment is a bit pricey.

 

[wnstwolf]

I have the 27cc brush trimmer model and it has been great. Over 100 hours on it using the various attachments. High reach tree trimmer, Freddie Kruger brush blade and a small tiller I use to turn over the mulch. Never really an issue.

Wife loaned it to the neighbor with my gas mix so they could till their small raised bed garden. Got it back seized solid. They are good folks and willing to make good. Anyone know if I can use the attachments on an echo or sthil base unit??

 

[63spyder]

Bought a new craftsman after my 20-30 year old stihl finally gave up the ghost. What a *************. Every year I had to repair something to get it to run, not much in the way of power either. So I bought a new 4 stroke stihl . Four years now ,and no problems. Starts every time good power ,I even forgot to run it dry last year and it still started right up on last years gas. Well worth the money.

 

[Average_Joe]

I posted earlier about my Dad's experience with the cman junk. I have had a weedeater brand 2-stroke twist-n-edge centrex cheap weedeater that just quit running on me after 10 years. For some reason they have discontinued these, but I was able to find one online ( http://www.vminnovations.com/Produc...e-Gas-Powered-Lawn-Trimmer-Curved-Shaft-.html ) in the poulan (same thing) brand (also discontinued, what are they thinking? The centrex auto feed and twist-n-edge feature are badass!). I do have a smallish yard though. I guess after this new one goes, I will have to get a commercial one.


Seems to me that anything between the basic $79 weedeater brand basic weedeater and a commercial quality one is junk.

 

[cdestuck]

The last crapsman piece of outdoor power equipment I bought WAS the last piece I bought. Took it rt back after taking it out of the box and seeing what a piece of junk it was. Left Sears and went rt to the Stihl dealer.