Craftsman tools suck....

[WhiteBurb]

It must depend on the Sears store. Because when I go to the big store in the next town over, they let me pick a new tool off the shelf. At the small local store, they have to order a replacement and send it to my house. As far as I can tell, the ones they've sent me are new.
I've only broken 1 ratchet and a socket. I had a couple of 1/4" drive ratchets that weren't working properly, and they changed those out too. I even bought a broken hammer at a yard sale for .25 once, and got a new replacement at the store for free.

 

[muddysub]

yea im really hard on tools, i own right around $16,000 in snap-on matco tools... and ive broken snap-on ratchets and matco ratchets but i gave up on craftsman tools years ago... i still have some crapsman sockets but theyre in the process of being replaced and brought home for lighter work.

 

[mciahpv]

But if you're going to bitch about the new policy, why don't you send a letter to that MBA'd CEO you hate so much?

A good point, and another reason I gave up on Sears. I called them to complain (which I know isn't as good as a well-crafted letter) and I swear, they were even worse on the phone. I've never dealt with a customer service center employee who tried to make you feel like you were in the wrong before. And before you ask, she was the supervisor.

I have to agree with ARAMP1 -- I think Sears has definitely made a decision to shoot for the Joe Suburbia crowd, and if you have serious mechanical concerns, they just don't have time for you. I still do have some of their older stuff that's quality built, but the new stuff -- and definitely the new policy -- just isn't worth the money anymore.

 

[NoReGrEtS]

Hey just take the sh** back and get new ones.I used my extension bar as a punch, hammered the crap out of it took it back got a new one, try doing that with your snap-on. Snap-on wont take back a tool if it was missused

 

[ronnny]

only used my tools around the house and truck the last five years since i went to work for a company that provides tools. Wish i had my own at work. But i am happy with my mostly craftman tools but like said most ratchets are junk. When i used my 3/4 ratchet daily or almost that way at work i broke 3 of them in less than a year with no cheater pipe. The sockets went bad cause of an impact wrench. The 3/8 my boy striped out in the yard working on his bronco with no cheater pipe. But my old faithful 1/2 flex head that i use as a lug wrench with walmart deep well sockets has had alot more abuse and more than a 3' pipe on it and never let me down yet. But when it does the next ones i know will be cheaper and never last like this one. My proto 1/2 is doing ok but showing it's wear. My craftman flat head pry chisels get messed up real often but when you use a flat head pry chesil as a punch to extract some bolts what do you expect? Like most of thier wrenches though. I have only broke 1 or two of them. Was an inch and an eigth i think.

 

[jason m]

i work for a CAT dealer as a welder/mechanic, now granted i dont use my wrenchs or rachets ever day but it suck's when you drop a 120.00 dollar snap-on rachet into the belly of an 836 trash machine or when you are working on the road and you losse tools on a regular basis, for me the crapmans stuff works till i loose it or break it. just go into the stoor and make a huge stink about there policy and there product, trust me the last thing they want to see is seen and you will get new tools, i did and it worked, jason.

 

[midnitewarya]

From a Sears employee...

Just thought I'd throw in my own 2 cents...

Did my five in the Army, now I'm going to school and I have been working at Sears as a Loss Prevention Lead for a year now. Working in LP I mosty deal with shoplifters and employee theft, but I occasionally have to deal with an irate customer that is pissed about a return policy. Thus far, I have never had to talk a customer down over a Craftsman tool exchange.

The official policy, which has never or will never change, is:

If you don't like the tool, if the tool breaks, or for any reason you can come up with, you can exchange your old tool for a new one.

As far as the "refurbished" tools go, I think that store(s) is cheating you. I get lots of memos on how some stores do that to cut back on Return to Vendor shipments to keep store numbers up. It is unfortunate that it happens, and if it ever happened to me I would raise hell untill I got a new one. Now, we do refurbish the ratchet mechanism with new drives, if you break the drive, but you should NEVER EVER get a used piece of crap back. It says right there in the warranty that you get a new one.

I know I work for Sears and this is all sounding biased, but the fact is, they pay me for $hit, (I make 1/3 of what I did in the Army) they cut half my benefits after the merger, and if it wasn't for my discount and the plain ole fun of catching shoplifters, I wouldn't work there.

On to the quality, yeah, it sucks. If you buy a standard set, you can almost expect to run into a problem with it. It has nothing to with the merger, its the new Professional/Standard line of products they have. If you want something the quality of a Snap-On tool, put down the money and buy a Professional Craftsman. It's still cheaper than the other guys and the warranty is just the same.

I use my tools to wheel just like the rest of us, and I don't think anyone can ever beat being able to trade a tool in for any reason for a new one. There was one time I let a friend of mine borrow my tools to work on a jeep. (Bad idea in the 1st place). He fixed on a trail in the rain, left the tools all wet, and they rusted in the tool box. I couldn't even oper my channel locks. Sears traded EVERY tool in for new ones, almost $400 worth, no questions. I would like to see the look the Snap-On truck would give me if I tried to do that.

Al

 

[89GMCSuburban]

True there, I worked at Sears for a year in the automotive shop. The merger was a disaster for employees...no more retirement plans.

Agree on the professional line, anybody seen those full polished professional ratchets? Those things feel every bit as good as my $109 3/8" flex head Snap-Off ratchet...

 

[5150_BEAST]

crapsman tools suck...

yes i agree with you...i am a mechanic at a gmc dealer and myself and the other techs do not own crapsman tools,i used to own some but thank god someone stole them out of my truck. they even got my 1/2 inch rachet that broke while i was working on a truck at work...the rachet mechinism gave as i was putting a ton of force on it...i k.o.'d that firewall on that truck...cursed a lot and then looked at the dent in the firewall of the customers truck then cursed some more,then felt the pain of a broken knuckle,then cursed some more needless to say i finished the job closed the hood and sent the truck to the wash bay....wonder if the owner has noticed the fist sized dent in his firewall

 

[wildmouse216]

If you put a cheater bar on something and it breaks it is your fault. Those tools are designed for only so much load. If you want cheap tools that are ok to break go to harbor freight. I have a set of sockets and ratchets that I've had since 93 and never broke one. I weigh 240 pounds and can squat and bench more than my weight so these tools have seen some torque loads. But definetly get the professional grade if you buy craftsman. The homeowner grade of any tool is going to suck.

 

[afroman006]

I like craftsman tool just fine. Given, most of mine were my dads and are 30 years old but I do have some newer stuff and have been happy with most of it. I broke one of the old sockets one time, the exchange was painless and easy and the new one hasnt let me down. I will say that all new craftsman power tool suck balls. I bought a little band saw one time and when I pulled it out of the box, the ****ing deck had broken off, before it was even out of the box! I exchanged it for an impact that has served me well. I have a craftsman chop saw, when I bought it I debated between it and a DeWalt. I ended up going with the craftsman cause it was a little cheaper but otherwise similar. I have used my roommates dewalt chopsaw and even though they are similar sized, the dewalt kicks the craftsman's ass.

Besides, dont act like breaking tools doesnt make you feel macho.

 

[5150_BEAST]

crapsman tools...

nope...no cheater bar....just good old fasioned elbow grease is all it took to snap that"pro grade" crap and im 285lbs....still trying to figure out why the guys in the shop collectivly call me "sasquatch"

 

[Desert Rat]

I've had bad luck with the new ratchet mechanisms too. Having said that though, I have never had an issue with any Craftsman product when it comes to returning it. Had a 3 yr. old Craftsman screw drive garage door opener that the missus managed to screw up. I unbolted the entire thing and walked into the store without even taking it apart. I laid it down on the floor and they told me to go and pick out the same model. I went and got the equivalent and walked out. Same thing happened on a radial arm saw. Silly me shoved a board in the wrong direction the first time I fired it up and I bent something. Back to the store and minutes later I have a new one no questions asked. For any tool I've broken they always send me to get a new one. I think I will start upgrading anything I break though with the professional line. I'd love to buy Matco or Snap On but I'd hate to try and replace them conveniently. 10 minutes to the store and I can replace anything Craftsman I break. Not a bad way to go. I haven't stripped any sockets but I have gone through two of the new 3/8 drive ratchets already.

 

[thor]

I bought my LAST craftsman tool nearly a year ago. I brought in a year or mores worth of broken tools, and while I was there I bought one of the long smooth 3/8 ratchets like the one below for $30.00. When I took it out of the bag at home the selector handle (plastic) was broken off, If thats not bad enough, when I brought my 3 hour old ratchet back for exchange and they offered me a rebuilt piece of crap where they had ground off someones engraving. I ended up speaking with a manger and wasting 40+ minutes of my time to get a "new" ratchet to replace it...

 

[ryoken]

i'd rather spend the $60 and get the Snappy version..

i have a couple older Craftsmen 1/2 ratchets that haven't broke, but they are no where near the quality of my snappy's..

3/8 ratchets? forget it.. one year i broke a 1/2 dozen sears 3/8's and said that was it.. i was done running to Sears...

as a daily wrench-turner, i'd say Sears is good for about 80% of what you'd run across.. but there are many occasions when that quality dif will save you.. where a Snappy combo wrench will fit, but a Crapsmen won't or strips it, etc... sockets too.. Craftsmen work for most things, but Snappy's flank-drive makes a dif sometimes..

 

[S. Burnham]

quit your bitching craftsman tools are good cause they dont give a **** how your broke it or why they will just point you to the new ones on the shelf and your get to walk out with your new tool. NO ARGUMENT believe me ive taken back my fair share of there tools due to abuse.

that is not true!!!!!!!!
I broke a 3/8 drive ratchet not to long ago. Went back to sears with it and the manager said " you must have put a cheater bar on this and brokeit because there is no way you can breake a craftsman ratchet by hand." I told him that he was full of s^*& and that iI have striped out a snap on by hand before. After about 20 minutes of arguing he brought me out a used rebuilt ratchet. I asked him what he wanted me to do with that. He said this is what we replace with now. I chunked it across the store and hit the wall told him to kiss my a$$ and that hw would not ever see a dime out of me again.

 

[OffRoad]

wow, you handled that like an adult. remind me not to piss you off.

all i know is that sears doesn't sell 6 point wrenches. that makes me mad. mad and hungry.

 

[Smitty]

wow, you handled that like an adult. remind me not to piss you off.

all i know is that sears doesn't sell 6 point wrenches. that makes me mad. mad and hungry.

I just bought both a standard and a metric six point set from Sears last week. Might check their catalog if your store doesn't carry them.

 

[OffRoad]

yeah, i'll try that, thanks.

 

[S. Burnham]

wow, you handled that like an adult. remind me not to piss you off.

all i know is that sears doesn't sell 6 point wrenches. that makes me mad. mad and hungry.

When I buy something that is supposed to be professional grade and lifetime waranty I expect that company to stand by their product. I don't need a man that has never touched a ratched except to sell one tell me what it can and can't stand up to. apparently he has watched to many bob villa commercials or something. I sell tools with a lifetime waranty were I work part time now. It is cheap gm goodwrench tools but if someone bought their stuff from us i do not ask questions i get a new one off the shelf and hand it to them. lifetime waranty is lifetime waranty. I could understand if i had cut the handle off with a tourch to make it shorter or something but to tell me there is no way that i could have stripped it out becasue it is a crapsman. come on there are not that many stupid people out there. i don't care what the brand is snapon, craftsman, ford, chevy, gateway, dele, hover, or samsung. Every body has a bad day at work and it is all mass produced