Sears and Craftsman Want Your Feedback!!!

[goforride57]

The first of my many complaints has to be this. GET RID OF THE RAISED PANEL RATCHET DESIGN, take anything related to that and just burn them in a pit of molten steel. Those ratchets are literally the worse tool I have ever used, they never work right, even old usa ones. Absolutely the most frustrating tool I have ever owned.

I don't agree with your logic. Only complaint I have is that the heads are not sealed the greatest. So if you're working on something wet or covered in snow, water gets inside. My only complaint as far as ratchets.

If you do not currently possess the skills to operate a ratchet wrench, I guess I could see where you're coming from.

 

[tw05]

To Sears/Craftsman:

My opinion is based solely as a weekend warrior/shade tree mechanic. I have a ton of older Craftsman tools (given to me by my father) mixed in with newer craftsman, Kobalt, Husky, Stanley, and Pittsburgh fill ins. As an occasional tool user I understand you sent production over seas as did most of your direct competition (Kobalt, Husky, Pittsburgh, Stanley, etc). You are not competing with the likes of snap on(obviously). What I am unable to understand is that all of your direct competition used some of their cost savings from shifting production over seas to improve the quality of their tools. Lets take the raised panel ratchet as an example. If I remember correctly Kobalt had a ratchet that was similar to the raised panel ratchet. Now that they have shifted production over seas they have upgraded (IMO) their standard ratchet included in socket sets. 72 teeth is the normal for them. I find myself picking up a cheap Harbor Freight ratchet before I even look at a Craftsman raised panel ratchet. The raised panel ratchet is the first ratchet a homeowner will ever buy from Craftsman as it comes with all of your starter sets. In my opinion it leaves a lot to be desired and gives a poor first impression of your tool lineup. As my mother always told me, you only get one first impression. I am by no means a professional and I can not justify the cost of snap on or other high end brands. But I do know that I can get more cost effective tools that will do the job at other retailers with a lifetime warranty. I know others have touched on the issue of warranty exchanges. I have only needed to exchange 2 tools in the last 10 years but it was a hassle to say the least. Good luck to you Craftsman/Sears. I grew up using your tools and I hope you find your former glory so that one day my kids can be proud to use your tools.

 

[AceofSpad3s]

I don't agree with your logic. Only complaint I have is that the heads are not sealed the greatest. So if you're working on something wet or covered in snow, water gets inside. My only complaint as far as ratchets.

If you do not currently possess the skills to operate a ratchet wrench, I guess I could see where you're coming from.

Every couple of swings the selector slips into the center which causes the pawl to disengage and I have to move the switch back, ad infinitude till the job is done. Even the cheapest Chinese ratchets I have work fine, but the raised panels never work for more than 4 or 5 swings before it slips then I gotta reset it.

 

[goforride57]

I'm not going to them to leave feedback. If they want it, they have my email address. When I used to go to Sears, the cashier would always ask if I wanted a copy of the reciept sent to my email. I always would say no, and they would do it anyways.

I stopped shopping at Sears a few years ago. I had some pain in the *** woman give me a hard time. Asking me if I wanted a free subscription to some magazine. No, I have no interest. "Do you want to sign up for the craftsman club?" No. "Can I have your email address?" No. I don't have one. "Can I have your phone number?" No. Last question she asks "Did your mother teach you to always say no?" Hmm...no *******. I say no because I didn't come here for magazines or to give you my personal information. I came to hand your ******* money and to walk out with these cheap *** tools that I have now decided I don't need anymore because I can buy different brand somewhere else.

So, only advice is to ditch Sears, because that ship is capsized and the only thing keeping it floating is the farts trapped in the hull.

Get rid of the "eVolve" or whatever line it's called. Pea soup green? That's appealing. Why compete with harbor freight for cheap junk line of tools?

Bring back fine tooth ratchets.

All I can think of at the moment.

Oh almost forgot, tool boxes are junk flimsy trash.

 

[jd_1138]

Get rid of the ******* "eVolve" or whatever line it's called. Pea soup green? That's appealing.

Bring back fine tooth ratchets.

All I can think of at the moment. I'm

Green is beautiful to us Ryobi and Kawasaki owners. I had some Evolv stuff back when I first started buying my own tools back in the early 2000's. Most of my stuff was USA Craftsman back then though. Now I am graduated to SK, SO, and other better stuff.

Evolv is alright for the homeowner to use to hang up picture frames and to tighten their kid's bicycle with. Sears sure did roll out that Evolv brand. It's on everything even table saws.

 

[wrenchr]

For me Craftsman was / is a family tradition, my Dad loved his craftsman tools and we would go and spend what seemed like hours at a time there looking at stuff he wanted and now that I'm knocking forty and he has long since passed away to see the direction craftsman is going in is very alarming. To much focus on gimmick tools and not enough focus on developing better tool options that are usable.
I do have a positive thing to say though, Premium ratchets and still made in the good ole USA.
I suggest adding different variations to these and to your standard ratchet line, 3/8 stubby?? Also please keep your screwdrivers made here!! My major complaint is not the Asian manufacturing, while is did sting when it happened but the gimmick stuff. The professional line of tools I really liked too.

 

[Exeter]

So, only advice is to ditch Sears, because that ship is capsized and the only thing keeping it floating is the farts trapped in the hull.

Funny, but wrong. Did you not see the OP request to keep it civil? Hehe-still funny though....

 

[rockinacummins]

Bring back the orange handle screwdrivers.

Lose the new fancy Mach and eVolve ****.

 

[Exeter]

This isn't rocket science. Sell decent tools.

Said the rocket man!

 

[drummer4321]

I personally hope craftsman will recover and make a comeback. I have been buying craftsman tools for years, and so has my family. Of course, i would love to see more USA made craftsman tools. I wouldn't mind paying a little bit more to get a quality american made tool. I have always liked craftsman because they have been a source of good tools, and without the expensive price tags of truck brand tools.
I also have always loved craftsman's lifetime warranty. If a hand-tool breaks, you could go to sears and get it replaced right there, with no hassle. I hope to see this continue.

Like i said, i really hope sears/craftsman can make a come back and start to produce more quality USA tools. Even if you have to keep making them in china, at least make a higher quality tool, one that doesn't flake, chip, break, or feel cheap, even if the price does have to go up.
Honestly, if craftsman wasn't around, i don't know what tools i would buy, i don't care for Harbor freight, and cant afford to buy snap-on or other truck tools. I hope Sears can make a comeback and return to the quality of tools they used to produce.

 

[Airframer]

My List:

1) Come back to the US of A
2) Bring back the Pro line and stock it in store

Bam. Done

 

[pablo94sc]

I stopped buying Craftsman tools when the designs changed and I saw that Husky Pro was using the original Craftsman design - made by Stanley in the USA. Those tools, even the ratchets and sockets abused by countless hours of working on cars, are still in service today. My Craftsman ratchets and wrenches bought before I discovered Husky, but after the change, have all long been in a landfill.

The way I see it is this - tools are a legacy handed down from one generation to the next. My first tools were Craftsman my grandfather gave me and are still in service today, and I hope to give them to my sons or future grandkids. However, if they break I will sooner throw them away than get new craftsman tools. Why? Because I want to leave my family something that will last and preserve the memories we shared working on things together, not something likely to need replacing every few months or years.

In this age of planned obsolescence, a lifetime warranty no longer means anything. To me it seems like the switch was just as much a plan to increase profit margins as it was to drive customer traffic with warranty replacements. "Maybe they'll buy something while trading in their broken tool?"

Is it too late? No, but in order to win back those who prefer quality over saving a couple bucks, you too will need to take up the same mentality. Go back to Stanley, make them reopen American forges that used to make your tools, and use quality components and steel that will last generations without worrying about the bottom line. Make them a loss leader if you have to, but you need to regain consumer trust, and the only way to do it is to sell high quality tools for reasonable prices. Once you do that, we'll come back, and so will our kids and their kids, but you have to stop worrying about profits and "beating" your competitors, and focus on selling quality tools before that will happen.

 

[pauls_workshop]

If Sears is listening, make Craftsman a 100% made in USA tool line and product line once again. Use your Sears brand or Evolve brand for the non-US made tools. But bring back the higher quality US made tools again. Charge whatever you have to charge for those tools. Do what SK is doing - whole brand is 100% made in USA. They are doing well with their rebirth. - Paul

 

[ekeller]

Stop your so called sales. I go through your tool department and see sales stickers everywhere, and under the sales sticker is the original. They are the same price 95% of the time! That is a scam, not a sale. Sears is overpriced on most non craftsman tools as well. Also get rid of the sales commission employees, they act like buzzards trying to find the next piece of road kill! In the end, Sears is my last stop for tools anymore. I just can't get myself to stop at a store that's overpriced and full of buzzards when I can get the same things at Menards way cheaper.

 

[nevercouldfigureitout]

I agree with a lot of people on here that the quality has been in the crapper for awhile & the made in USA stuff needs a comeback. It's fine to offer the cheaper stuff like the Mach & Evolve but keep the original USA stuff & bring back confidence in the product that everyone used to love. They need to look at the past to help the future imo & I mean way back when people would argue that Craftsman was all you needed & most of the time you really didn't need to use that great warranty because it was a good product. Ain't no one gonna hand this new **** to their kids.

 

[bobbycos]

Sears near me closed down so it's off to Harbor freight which is very close still.

 

[rsanter]

I really don't know if the Sears / craftsman reputation is save-able....but if you will listen...

Customer service and consistency. Improve customer service and make it consistent. I have been dealt with very well and I have been completely disrespected in your stores. Including by the manager of the visalia ca store.
Customers want consistency even if it's not the best. If it's good and consistent you will be better than a mix of good and bad.

Better tools, USA tools and dual lines of tools
A few years back you had the full polish professional wrenches that were excellent and priced well while made in the USA. Then you changed them over to China and kept the price up at a premium while the lower line was made in USA. Sorry but that was stupid.
You degraded the premium line first. If you are going to go China on a line then do the lower line and keep the premium line top quality and USA. I prefer to have all your tools to be USA but if you are going to go China dont go there on your premium line. Raise the price if you need to.

Perceived value.
You price your stuff at a high price just so you can give $50% discounts, and then the same stuff goes on sale every month. All you have done is trained the general public to wait for the next sale and you are making the belive that there is so much mark up on all your stuff that you can do a 50% discount on everything and still make money. Bring the prices down a bit and put things on sale for less off when they are on sale. The perceived value of your tools will go up

Bob

 

[NC-Shaun]

My advice to Sears

Hire people who actually care about their job and country.

Make the tool lineup as good as it was 20 years ago.

 

[WJD]

Bring back pro line of tools. Ditch building junk in china.....

Really like my fat beam craftsman pro wrenches and whats left of my original pro ratchets.

The old pro ratchets may not be as 'precise' as other ratchet brands but the durability is incredible.

Harbor freight pro ratchets looking good lately...

 

[goforride57]

Funny, but wrong. Did you not see the OP request to keep it civil? Hehe-still funny though....

No, I must have missed that. My sincerest apologies madam. I didn't realize comparing Sears' financial situation and long term outlook to a sinking capsized ship full of flatuents is not being civil. Just wanted to fit in and bash Sears for fun and not because of poor past experiences.

 

[Exeter]

No, I must have missed that. My sincerest apologies madam. I didn't realize comparing Sears' financial situation and long term outlook to a sinking capsized ship full of flatuents is not being civil. Just wanted to fit in and bash Sears for fun and not because of poor past experiences.

haha, sorry-I thought I'd put "jk" in my reply. When editing it, somehow I deleted it. No harm, no foul.

 

[Kracin]

as someone who owns a lot of craftsman stuff as well as other high end things.

1. try to bring back as much production as you can and make it enticing to work for sears/craftsman again. get more jobs filled in factories and not just retail stores selling whatever sells good for that time of year.

2. drop the stuff that is cheap and junk made. if you walk through any of the sears stores you'll find all kinds of craftsman and usa labeled stuff that is generally just low quality. tools made out of flimsy sheet metal basically. get back in the business of making good quality tools and do it for years and years until the name gets good again. (no not talking about wrenches and ratchets)

3. start taking notes from other toolmakers, ie, makita/milwaukee/klein/wera/wiha when it comes to tools that people want and need. homeowners don't need gadget junk, they need stuff that works and will keep working. ( no im no talking about robogrips and dogbones, both of those are made good by other companies).

4. be competitive. don't just sit nice and easy in the mid/low quality sector, harbor freight has that cornered and you won't push them anywhere with their reputation for selling for less no matter what it costs them. they give away more screwdrivers and tape measures than craftsman sells these days. make stuff that is on par with a level above.

 

[PFSard]

Hard to know where to start :

- Go back to basics. A consistent, quality product with no hassle returns.
- I rarely shop at Sears anymore. Much easier to shop over the Internet. With better quality.

(1) Need to change Sears image.
(2) Fix your web site. Slow and a mess to navigate.
(3) Get rid of that nightmare of deals which are confusing at best. Shop-Your-Way et al.
(4) Provide quality tools. Better QC over manufacturers. Don't let any garbage reach the consumer. In the unfortunate case that it does, get it off the market; provide the consumer a replacement that more than compensates for this mishap.
(5) Well trained personnel. People in stores are not well informed.
(6) Improve customer service. Especially regarding warranty. Too confusing and inconsistently applied.

 

[nicksnothereman]

The first of my many complaints has to be this. GET RID OF THE RAISED PANEL RATCHET DESIGN, take anything related to that and just burn them in a pit of molten steel. Those ratchets are literally the worse tool I have ever used, they never work right, even old usa ones. Absolutely the most frustrating tool I have ever owned.

Cough...hammerable...cough.

Just so we're clear I'm not sure that sears has a whole lot to do with what they sell as craftsman. They could find other suppliers and/or increase the amount of armstrong stuff they sell in store but even armstrong is part of the same conglomerate.

If it were me I'd splinter the line into 3 lines (they kind of already do that though). Homeowner grade (no warranty), High quality import (limited warranty), Professional quality (full warranty). Call them different things and hope for the best. I don't think they should keep the craftsman name for the professional stuff, maybe they should just sell under the mfg name and honor the mfg. warranty.

 

[Triple macs]

Offer an import line that can compete with HF. Restore US made Craftsman & Craftsman Pro lines that offer a viable alternative to SK. Once again, rebrand Knipex, NWS, Klein, Channelock, etc. to rebuild the Craftsman name.

 

[TheOtherChris]

Father bought Craftsman in the 60's.
I bought Craftsman in the 70's because of the quality I saw in his.
I now have his tools as well.
I have one son with Craftsman. He bought them because of the quality of mine. He is not impressed with the quality of what he bought.
The lifetime warranty has become a hassle and what they replace a -V- USA tool with is worse than what I can get from Harbor Freight.
If I want a low cost Chinese tool with a no hassle lifetime guarantee, I can get better quality from Harbor Freight than from Sears.
Until you change that, I have no reason to buy new Craftsman tools.

 

[The FIB]

If I want Chinese tools with a good return policy I will shop at HF, Craftsman needs to go back to the made in USA tools, if that means I will have to pay a little more, then so be it.
When I buy a craftsman hand tool that is stamped MADE IN CHINA it makes me feel like I am getting ripped off.

 

[woody 73]

Dear Sears,

Your boat like the RMS Titanic sank long ago, it started before K-mart bought you out but somehow you never got the message. Your Captain Edward Lampert is a brilliant man you can rest easy knowing that he has his own special lifeboat and it is not called the SS Minnow.

What can I say when even your staff can not figure out the web-site; if you think I can you got another thing coming. It is a hit and miss returning broken tools, I must hunt for the older geezers that understand your return policy forget about the under 30 sales staff.

Your stores are outdated, dirty, and devoid of any shoppers; like the others have pointed out why buy your Chinese tools when I can hit the HF stores for the same tools.

Will the last one out please turn out the lights...

 

[rocket06]

Craftsman used to mean good tools, good value and USA. My RP ratchets and wrenches have fixed more cars and motorcycles than I can remember, since my first car at 15 yrs. old.

As recently as a couple months ago I found myself wanting a long handle, flex head 3/8 Craftsman ratchet, the trouble was I had to go to eBay to get one made in USA.

The Sears here is a ghost town, even on Saturday afternoon, and the tool aisles, where I used to browse and linger just for something to do, look like a ghetto yard sale.

I can't complain about the sales associates, they are always very helpful and polite. Mostly they look like they are standing around waiting for the occasional customer.

Bring back the prestige and pride that Craftsman used to represent. That means quality tools made by Americans for a realistic price.

 

[Wamsutta]

Dear Sears,

The quickest way for you to turn the Craftsman name around while still providing good quality is to have Armstrong make all your tools to the same specifications as Armstrong and then rebrand the tools as Craftsman. Done.

 

[XxToolAholicxX]

Fix the website as it is preschool
Make some better toolboxes as Harbor Freight has Sears Beat now
Get rid of the raised panel ratchets as they are very hard on hands and terrible to work with
Make some better Quality Craftsman tools
Maybe get the S-K Tools distribution
Bring the Craftsman production back here to USA and start making quality tools once again
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am a ToolAholic,Sometimes I regret it,Especially when the ToolMan wont give me no credit

 

[jcfields]

.

 

[Caman]

I will say Craftsman did do something right, they made the value and market of older Craftsman tools explode.

While I have not personally purchased any China made Craftsmans, I believe the best way to get back in good standing with Craftsmans faithful followers is to offer a trade in. Bring in your China made Craftsman and get a decent USA made one in return.

 

[Chevy350]

Bring the tools back to the USA. I haven't and will not purchase any Craftsman tools made in China or Taiwan, etc.

 

[defektes]

I will start this by saying my fathers first tool set was a Craftsman set, my grandfathers first set was a Craftsman set, my great grandfather (RIP) always held Sears Craftsman tools in high regard. I was going to get my son a Craftsman tool set, but that plan has been scrapped.

My first tool set was a Craftsman set, which now resides in its case in which it came, and is delegated to home use, because thanks to you at Sears decided to outsource production. I go through great measures to make sure every single item (especially tools) are made in the U.S.A., Canada, or Europe. Of course some items it is unavoidable to end up with Chinese.

I was a regular visitor at Sears (I am a Industrial Mechanic) and would always purchase new items, not just Craftsman, but also other USA or German tool brands. Whenever I needed to warranty a tool, I ended up purchasing another, and never had to worry about where it was made. When you released your thin-profile full polish ratchets, I picked one up in 3/8 to try. I was so impressed by it. I decided to purchase one in 1/2 and 1/4, I drove to my local Sears, walked over to the tool isle picked up a few Knipex, and a couple of large Crescents for work. When I arrived at the ratchet and socket wall, I noticed that the 1/2 and 3/8's on the wall looked tremendously inferior in finish than mine. It was so bad I noticed this appx 7 feet away. My heart sunk, deep inside I knew Sears had shipped production to the Communists. I walked over to the product and turned it over and in very small print, Made in China. I franticly, started checking all the products, sockets, wrenches, automotive specialty items, etc. I was in such anger I put the $150 of pliers and wrenches down, walked out and did not step, or spend another penny in your store again for a couple of years. I have gone in since just to check the tools and see what more damage has been done, and to warranty some pliers that (for now) are still made here, but I see the chisels are not.

I would like you to know since that day, other USA brands (mainly SK,) via multiple different distributors (except for Sears) has received thousands of dollars of purchases from me, that mainly would have been yours. I used to recommend Craftsman to anyone that needed a tool; Now I do the opposite, I send them to Amazon to look at Proto, SK, and Wright. Honestly, this may sound harsh, unless you start bringing production back to the States and attempt to salvage the mess, I am looking forward to Sears becoming a thing of the past.

Bring tool production back to the States, and maybe some will forgive your foolish decisions. And please, if by some miracle of God, you bring the tools back, don't make them to piss poor quality. That is why you have two lines of tools. If you need to get strict on the warranty: DO SO. I would rather you have a strict warranty and provide USA tools, than have a great warranty and provide me with Communist garbage!

 

[wylee22]

Craftsman tools have to be USA again, most important aspect of a shake up, with a better website and a huge improvement in customer service in order for me to start buying tools in-store again, instead of searching Ebay for older USA tools.

 

[Farmall450]

I know how to use a ratchet, the problem is that the raised panels selector switch slips every couple of swings and causes pawl to not engage. Never fails to happen, and this is a V series usa that is not worn, even my cheapest great neck pos ratchet works better than the RP.

On its own, or by your hand hitting it?
Because the 20 or so I've used don't "automatically" switch direction.

 

[panknuckshovel]

As mentioned over at ToolGuyd (http://toolguyd.com/what-do-you-think-about-craftsman-and-sears/), I spoke to someone who took on a new leadership role at Sears. He's looking for feedback on Sears and Craftsman, with respect to tools.

I didn't ask what's in his power, or what he plans to do. But he asked for feedback and for my perception about the company and its top tool brand, and so that's what I did.

I'm sleep deprived and utterly exhausted, but I managed to air out several years of my frustrations - hopefully coherently - as well as a few positive comments about both Sears and Craftsman.

I have very many grievances with the companies, and don't expect for all of them to be addressed or remedied. But hey, it's worth a shot.

If you've got something to say about Sears and/or Craftsman, tool-related, now's the time.

YOU WILL BE HEARD, at least I believe you will.

Please be polite and civil so that your feedback and requests are read and taken to heart.

I'm going to point him to this thread, so leave your comments/complaints/feedback/praise/requests/etc. here or there.

More than likely the person you spoke with is in charge of nothing more than finding out what the Craftsman name is worth, if anything anymore. Finding out the general opinion from the public in a forum such as this is basically market analysis for free. There is little interest from the general public in Sears surviving, and less than zero interest from the board of directors.

 

[shockwave]

Biggest complaint I here from anyone is the discontinued made in Usa that made craftsman the go to brand for a diy guy!! Mostly hardline stuff and if prices went up for Usa made stuff I can understand but your core line still needs to be reasonable!

Have you asked sk,wright or Armstrong for manufacturing contracts?

 

[lowbucktruck]

Customer service would be a good place for Sears to start. Provide training for your Craftsman sales staff and hire people with some trades/tool experience like Home Depot does. Too many Sears sales persons I have dealt with didn't know a socket from a ratchet, or didn't even know about a current sales promotion.

If Sears would improve tool quality on their premium lines (USA made!), they would still need to go the extra mile to regain the consumer trust... perhaps by donating the new tools to a local trade school, who would then provide an endorsement for "new and improved Craftsman".