Confusion on the Craftsman Lifetime warranty?

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by Farnsworth
I bought some Craftsman recently, as high quality sets as anything I've ever seen. Maybe better.

Either you just don't have an eye for quality, or you don't expect much from your tools.

 

[bullwinkle]

I would agree the older ratchets & sockets were better quality than the newer ones, and the Evolv series mentioned above has ALWAYS been no warranty, Made In China junk-but it depends on what you're doing with them. I've pretty much split every HF impact socket that I've had on a stuck fastener-right down the side. For occasional DIY wrenching, there's nothing wrong with Craftsman, as long as you don't get crazy with them. At least I can exchange them easier than I can Snap-On!

 

[Sunnyinhollister]

Originally Posted by Onetor
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
What good does a lifetime of junk tools do?

Craftsman quality has been marching steadily downward for years, and fell straight off a cliff when they were recently sold.

I consider the new Craftsman stuff well below even Harbor Freight.


I moved on to SK Tools! I still have vintage "Made in USA" Craftsman tools though.


Same here. I still have a lot of Made in USA Craftsman, but I buy from Williams, Proto, and SK Tools now.

 

[Duffyjr]

We still have a Home town Sears store, I just bought a Kenmore microwave not to long ago from them. Last summer I had a phillips screw driver that I took in and they gave me a new one just like it and this was from a kit I bought back in 1981.

 

[GoldDot40]

My local Sears just closed last week. I went in there 3 weeks ago to see exactly what tools they had left and what their markdown to move was. I bought a Craftsman electric corded impact wrench. Retailed for $140...I paid $90. I was in the market for one anyway. This was the last one they had on the shelves...which were mostly bare. I've used it 3 times already. Works like a champ.

 

[HangFire]

My local Lowe's employees are not lazy or incompetent, just overworked. Lowe's Craftsman return policy of a.) not keeping Craftsman open stock and b.) allowing only entire sets to be returned, does bring a few other negative words to mind.

 

[Malo83]

Originally Posted by HangFire
My local Lowe's employees are not lazy or incompetent, just overworked. Lowe's Craftsman return policy of a.) not keeping Craftsman open stock and b.) allowing only entire sets to be returned, does bring a few other negative words to mind.

Overworked! Surely you Jest, everytime i go to my local Lowes you see them hanging around the registers and back at the Pro desk

 

[larrymoencurly]

Craftsman, Craftsman Professional, and Craftsman Industrial don't require a receipt. Craftsman Evolv does. Tools merely labeled "Sears" or "Companion" are not lifetime warranted.

I don't think Craftsman hand tools for cutting, drilling, or measuring were ever covered by lifetime warranty.

 

[larrymoencurly]

Originally Posted by ethnix
Lowe's employees are lazy and incompetent....

The only store I haven't recently had a problem with tool warranty, is Home Depot. They even have life-time no questions asked warranty on torque wrenches.


One July, I needed a window air conditoner. It took 3 Lowe's employees to find them in the store.

In comparison, at Home Depot I once asked some who worked in the garden department where I could find a light socket. He told me the exact location in the electrical department, which was at the other end of the store, right down to the item's elevation above the floor.

Back when Home Depot started to carry Husky, it was warranting Sears Craftsman tools: bring in a Craftsman, get a lifetime-warranted Husky in exchange.

There was a time when Sears would warrant even abused Craftsman hand tools -- handle bent by heating it red hot or even welded to a steel rod.

 

[larrymoencurly]

Originally Posted by Farnsworth
I bought some Craftsman recently, as high quality sets as anything I've ever seen. Maybe better. Craftsman is owned by Black and Decker not Sears


About 4-5 years ago, I complained to Sears about my old US-made Craftsman ratchet being replaced by inferior China-made Craftsman ratchets (3 - the 1st 2 were bad, 3rd looked inferior), and they mentioned that production would return to the US. Then a year later, the sale of Craftsman to B&D-Stanley was announced, along with greater US production of the hand tools. In other words, I think Sears had planned the sale of Craftsman much earlier.

 

[GMBoy]

They are building a brand new plant here in Fort Worth Texas to build craftsman tools and sockets etc....bringing the production back to the USA. I hope this means the quality goes back up as well!

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted by GMBoy
They are building a brand new plant here in Fort Worth Texas to build craftsman tools and sockets etc....bringing the production back to the USA. I hope this means the quality goes back up as well!

Hopefully, but if they PO enough people with their warranty, as I'm seeing in this thread they will continue to lose customers.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by larrymoencurly
About 4-5 years ago, I complained to Sears about my old US-made Craftsman ratchet being replaced by inferior China-made Craftsman ratchets (3 - the 1st 2 were bad, 3rd looked inferior), and they mentioned that production would return to the US. Then a year later, the sale of Craftsman to B&D-Stanley was announced, along with greater US production of the hand tools. In other words, I think Sears had planned the sale of Craftsman much earlier.

If an employee told you that a year before it happened, it was 100% speculation on their part. Employees that answer customer service phone calls or emails are a long, long, long away from knowing anything about discussions at the level they take place involving selling an entire division of the company. It wouldn't even be inside gossip at that point. At best, someone may have said "Sears will sell the Craftsman name and buyers will be lined up to take it over", which is pretty accurate.

 

[Job]

Originally Posted by rooflessVW
Originally Posted by Farnsworth
I bought some Craftsman recently, as high quality sets as anything I've ever seen. Maybe better.

Either you just don't have an eye for quality, or you don't expect much from your tools.

Maybe I have good eyesight and expect a lot from my tools. One thing about tools, the tool using them is the most important. I have tons of high quality tools some from my dad who born in 1912 and was a master machinist. I have many microscopes to enhance my vision, the classic Wild M5 being a favorite. Look it up. What kind do you like? How about this, buy the large Craftsman extension set. It's about $25, and get back with actual data to talk about like I did.

 

[doitmyself]

Late to the discussion here. I believe that the reason for the OP's problems is this: Stanley bought out the Craftsman name a year or two ago and is allowed to produce and market their Craftsman tools as they wish (Lowes). As part of the deal, Sears is allowed to retain the use of the Craftsman name for a few years. The thing is, the Craftsman tools being made and sold by Stanley are NOT the same as the Craftsman tools being marketed by Sears.

Sears Craftsman does not equal Lowes Craftsman. Why should one warranty the other's tools?

I think I read about this on the ToolGuyd webpage somewhere. People were complaining that the Craftsman drill batteries at Lowes were different than the Sears versions.

Someone correct me if I am wrong. Thumbs up to the new Craftsman tool plant being built in Texas!!!!!

 

[diyjake]

Originally Posted by Onetor
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
What good does a lifetime of junk tools do?

Craftsman quality has been marching steadily downward for years, and fell straight off a cliff when they were recently sold.

I consider the new Craftsman stuff well below even Harbor Freight.


I moved on to SK Tools! I still have vintage "Made in USA" Craftsman tools though.


Where do you buy SK tools?

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted by diyjake


Where do you buy SK tools?

Zoro.com has them and Amazon has them, etc. There are plenty of online sources to get them.