Canadian Craftsman Screwdriver Options

[tbgallant]

Here in Canada we don't get the same Craftman tools as you guys (95% is China junk.. and I'm not just saying that because it is China). We don't have the same screwdrivers either..

This is our Craftsman 'Pro':

Which looks like Chinese junk to me.

We also have the standard ones, which are made in Canada (nice!)

Not sure how good they are though (Canadian opinions?). I do like the hard handles. Who makes them (Fuller?)

Other comments on this board have suggested that the standard US Craftsman screwdrivers are 'just fair'. Is it the same situation with the CAN made standard Craftsman screwdrivers? Do they both use junky chinese steel, etc?

Billymade, any idea if I buy Craftsman from the US and take it back to Canada how the warrenty claims work? Can I take it back to a CAN store and have them mail it back and mail me a new one from the US? (LONG shot but can't hurt to ask).

 

[edgewater]

I have taken sockets that I bought in the US to a Canadian store and they gave me hard time on the warranty.

They did change it, but say they are not supposed to do US stuff

Adam

 

[gerryw]

I have the craftsman screwdrivers i bought about 10yrs ago that have the shape of the "pro series" and the materialof the standard ones , they have served me well and i always reach for the sears phillips over my snap On(it just feels better.)
I have been told by sears they will only exchange thier "canadian " tools

BTW My canadian Craftsman wrench set is made in japan(which i use as spares)

gerry

 

[txz28]

I think the problem here is that Sears Canada is run as a quasi separate company where only 70% of the company is owned by the Sears Holding Co. That is why they do not want to replace US stuff in Canada. It would be coming out of the pockets of the 30% holders of Sears Canada stock in addition to Sears Holding Co.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears_Canada

 

[billymade]

I live really far from Canada (I live near the boarder of Mexico) so, I really have not dealt with Canadian/USA Sears issues before, personally; if you want a definitive answer I would email or call the Sears Customer relations hotline! (Sorry to sound like a broken record! This is becoming a mantra) I will say that Sears Canada/Sears USA are separate financial entities; so, it would make sense that they wouldn't honor each others warranties.... I think because you haven't "paid into" their part of the company financially. We even have this problem on returns from Kmart; we will do warranty claims on the Craftsman hand tool purchased from Kmart but if someone bought something there and want a refund; they have to go back to Kmart, because they spent the money there. So, it makes financial sense that they would not honor each others claims; we have people come up here from Mexico with this issue, they buy stuff here and always ask if Sears of Mexico will honor the warranty or if they buy an extended warranty in the USA if Mexico will service that warranty. The short of it; from what I have ascertained the answer is "no". For the screwdrivers: if you want a quality screwdriver that will last and not have to be returned for replacement often, just bypass the "standard" clear handled screwdrivers and go directly to the USA Craftsman Pro models. Seems quite a few people on this site like them and the steel is definitely better, doesn't wear out as quickly and has the addition of the bolster that you can put a wrench for hard to remove fasteners. I believe there is more then one OEM but Western Forge seems to be a current OEM for Sears screwdrivers that I am seeing at my store, currently.
If you would like to contact Sears, here is the contact info below; I don't know if a 1800# works in Canada; email might be the way to go in that case:

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

Because warranty and quality problems with Sears in Canada you might want to try different options.
A option I would consider is the German company WERA; they seem to be more popular in the Canadaian market, then in the USA, I have some of their Micro Kraftform screwdrivers and love them. You might check them out!
Here is the North American website: http://www.wera.de/cgi-bin/vshop?HTML=wera_us.htm

 

[krusty the clown]

are fullers really made in canada? the last fullers i have seen were asian made. i got a set in the early 80's that were japanese and complete junk. i do have some us made fullers that were dad's and they were us made.

 

[tbgallant]

Thanks Billymade, I didn't really think I could warrenty US stuff here in CAN.. just you guys have SO much better tools available than us!

I'll keep an eye out, I'm leaning towards just buying cheap stuff and making it disposable. Seems that is the only affordable option up here (by affordable I mean inexpensive.. like $20 for a set of 6).

Some Fullers are made in Canada, the situation is similar to the Craftsman. The 'standard' series are still made in Canada, the PRO (garbage) versions out there are Chinese junk.

Check out the Fuller website for more info.

Tim

 

[rsanter]

most the sears people here are so stupid that if you bought the cheap china-Cman stuff and broke it then brought it to the US, they would exchange the stuff for the US made versions.

you planning a 'vacation' here anytime soon?

bob

 

[fotoflojoe]

A guy could probably make a decent living smuggling screwdrivers across the border.

 

[idoine in toronto]

I went in to a Sears here in Toronto a couple of years ago looking for a torque wrench and the sales associate in the tool department had no ideal what a torque wrench was. Even after explaining it to him and what it's used for he still had no idea. His explanation for not having them, or at least not being able to find one was that Sears Canada was getting out of the tool business and was in the process of liquidating all their tool inventory.

I hadn't returned until a couple of weeks ago hoping to find some "Black Friday" deals. The tool department is still there. Liquidation must be a slow process.

I did pick up a 53 piece comfort grip screwdriver set for $19.00.
I just checked the US craftsman website and there is a similar set with 75 pieces for $14.00. Turns out it's a pretty crappy set but they were in a sealed box with only a small photo for reference, and what could I expect for the price.

I agree the Canadian selection is pretty poor when compared Craftsman in the States and the sales are never as good.