Craftsman Tools

[DennyIN]

I think you have hit it Jimw1949. I also grew up on a farm we rented and remember my Dad being a carpenter, chemist for farm chemicals, somewhat of a vet for our hogs and cattle, an accountant for the books, and a little mechanic thrown in. The mechanical was the one he did the least. While in grade school, I remember him taking the car and truck in to get the valves ground. He did the tuneups and oil changes, the rest were not his strong suit. When I was in high school I pulled the head from the truck (1960 chevy PU) and had the valves ground by our local machine shop, but I did the unbolt/bolt up, torque, valve adjust. I overhauled one of our tractors (IH super H) and pulled the head for a valve job on another (IH 504) before we went to diesel engine tractors. Those years on the farm and industrial classes set the stage for me. I still have and use the JC Penny 3/8 socket and Montgomery Ward 1/2 socket set my parents gave me for Christmas about 45 years ago. I may not be the best or the fastest, but can usually figure it out and get it done. My boys on the other hand were never around that environment other then their take on basic information in a shop class. I think they just never took to it like I did because they didn't have to. Now on some of the vehicle repairs, it is just easier and safer for me to just write the check. A lot of the repairs now require specialty tools, and I don't do enough of the vehicle repair to justify those investments (at my now retired age). I am now beginning to plan on a shop where I can do service and repair work for my vehicles and mowers and to stimulate my interests in my senior years.

[3v0]

A couple of months ago I took a 3/8 ratchet back to sears in Westminster, MD. The young man goes over to a drawer below the cash register and pulls out a ratchet that seemed 40 years older then the forty year old one I brought back and hands it to me. I said what the heck is this? He replied we don't replace with new any longer, these are reconditioned. I told him where he could put it and left with the slipping one. I went to another sears in Glen Burnie, MD and got it replaced with new, no questions asked.

Maybe 15 years ago I took a slipping ratchet back and they handed me a repair kit. I still have the busted ratchet but think the repair kit has gone missing.

I had a 'Sears Best' router and learned on the internet that it had a defective fan that would come out through the side of the router. Sears said they would replace it with the identical router when that happened. By the time mine self destructed it was out of warranty. They had no interest in replacing it as a defective product.

When I asked about a warped table saw table they said I should not expect perfection from a consumer product.

I bought a set of 'vice grip' like pliers from them. Every time they released it pinched the web between my thumb and hand. I demonstrated this in the store and they took them back. They should never have been put on the shelves.

My faith in Sears has dropped to an all time low.

[frankp]

I just had an expeience with Husky Pro set of sockets. They are sold at Home Depot and have a lifetime warranty. Several of the sockets had markings the were so worn you counld not read the size. When I broght them back to Home Depot, the said I needed to call a 800 number for Husky. When I finally got through to a person,that person said they are a different company that just bought the name Husky so they could still make tools for Home Depot. I would have to talk to Home Depot about my set. I think I got fustrante and put the Husky set in my junk tool box. Maybe I should fight the battle with Home Depot. I post this because I see the same thing happening with Craftman/sears

[jimw1949]

I have no idea how the warranty works when one company buys another company. I imagine it would depend on how the company was purchased and under what conditions it was purchased. I mean, if one company simply merges with another company, that's one thing. But if a company on the verge of bankruptcy is bought by another company, is the company that purchased the almost defunct company also obligated to honor the warranties of products they didn't manufacture? It would be nice if they did the honor the warranties, but whether or not they HAVE to do it, I really don't know.