craftsman 540 piece set deal?

[illus101086]

wanted to return a 113 piece max axiss set, and left with the mechanic 540 piece set which normally is $1200 right now on sale for 1100. But I paid ended up 590.38 before tax. Wondering is that a pretty good deal even those they make them in china Now?

 

[Bocefus]

wanted to return a 113 piece max axiss set, and left with the mechanic 540 piece set which normally is $1200 right now on sale for 1100. But I paid ended up 590.38 before tax. Wondering is that a pretty good deal even those they make them in china Now?

Since you ask.. If its USA, it would be a decent price. If China, I would only be willing to pay a small fraction of that price. Just my opinion.

 

[kctyphoon]

umm. yea.. id say so.. regardless of where its made, the price is the price. what we would LIKE to pay, and what things actually cost are to different things.. as far as the usa / china thing goes - there is not any "earth shattering" difference between the two.. yes the quality control is not as strick - but they are tools, and ultimately either will work just fine for you..

 

[illus101086]

umm. yea.. id say so.. regardless of where its made, the price is the price. what we would LIKE to pay, and what things actually cost are to different things.. as far as the usa / china thing goes - there is not any "earth shattering" difference between the two.. yes the quality control is not as strick - but they are tools, and ultimately either will work just fine for you..

I totally with you on that one I mean 60% off retail value is a no brainer for me unfortunately they don't make much as far as craftsman in the usa anymore what a shame. But if it were USA made it would have been icing on the cake for sure. Belive I asked if they had any inventory that was still UsA

 

[Richard Cranium]

so how did you get it for that price?
what is the stock number?

 

[illus101086]

well I'm currently enrolled in a machinist program in Pomona California I signed up for the student discount at sears. which offers 50% off mechanics tool sets and organizers. so when I was at sears returning a set I asked one of the associates honor the discountby selling the set a full price - 50% discount n and they did and for some reason the shop my way discount also up for an additional 10 percent off which was kind of cool

 

[Marc Benjamin]

If you're talking about Craftsman 540-piece Mechanics Tool Set then I suppose you are ok with $650 +/- IF...

You absolutely have no tools.

 

[illus101086]

I did not post asking the question with any intent on braging or anything of that nature just wanted to get an idea of whether or not it was worth it because yes I'm a young man who is just starting off and have hit this point where I take pleasure in DIY and learning new skills and learning. And in doing so find myself wanting to acquire tools and tools and more tools.

 

[illus101086]

Plus this is what I'm waiting to be delivered to my door step in the next month or so that blows everything out the water http://www.machinetoolonline.com/PM-MV-BenchMills.html

 

[Richard Cranium]

Illus, I would say that was a good to great deal, I have no experience with the china made craftsman tools. I can not remember ever breaking a craftsman tool. But I have bought very few tools from sears after they went china made. But if I needed the tool set and I could get it for what you paid, I would jump on that deal and feel that I stole them...
Just my 2 cents worth. Richard

 

[unslow1]

If I was starting from scratch I would jump on that deal. I really discourage guys from wrapping up tons of money in tools until they are sure they want to turn wrenches for a living. Most guys I've seen are like myself in doing it for a little while and changing their mind.

 

[Jeremy77]

Yeah Illus, I'd say that was a good deal, would be better if U.S. made but just starting out as you stated, it'll give you a good assortment to build your collection on. As someone else stated, quality control isn't as tight in China but the difference in the tools isn't "night and day" and any that may break can still be easily replaced. Great buy in my opinion.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

I'm with the others here. I think you did real good for a starter kit. I started out with mostly all Craftsman.

I've been hustling my game for 2+ years now and have almost all Snap On (Early mornings to the sales, late night on eBay, LOTS of de-rusting stuff, etc). Not necessary, but hey, what the hell huh.

Some of the things I would say to maybe think about focusing on next would be, and this is just a suggestion, and I think cost effective at that.

Williams Phillips screwdrivers (IMO Cman phillips are junk after using high quality ones)
Sunex impact sockets in 3/8 drive with a Milwaukee or DeWalt or ??? battery 3/8 impact.
Snap On needle nose pliers (good condition ebay maybe...)

Other than that, I think you are set for doing a lot of DIY work! Now the fun begins.

EDIT: spend a little money on organizing stuff. Whether that be socket racks or trays, wrench holders, etc. It will make life much easier and cause a proud feeling when you open your tool box to work on something. No one said this can't be fun. lol

 

[holdtherice]

I shop Sears regular to catch things on sale, and that is a great price on the 540 set. Normally, the lowest sale price I see listed on that one is $899. It's a pretty big set of tools and USA or China, it's still got the warranty. A few years back I picked up the 413 piece set at about 45% off. I was very pleased with that, but your deal crushes mine. Take time to inventory everything, they are bad about not including all the right components. Sometimes they substitute a similar piece just to get you to the right piece count. If you call the number on the sheet (Apex tools?), they are good about getting the missing or even damaged pieces. Remember, if you're lucky to get a USA set, your local Sears won't be able to replace with USA, call the number.

 

[unslow1]

I would definitely second organizing. Until I worked part time in a friend's shop for a few months just to help him get caught up I wasn't. After working with his organized for a few projects I went and spent the money to do mine. Huge difference in being able to find stuff. Added bonus of knowing when something is missing immediately.