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Re: Craftsman Wrenches

To: Bob Hamilton <hamilton@cast.navnet.net>
Subject: Re: Craftsman Wrenches
From: "Michael D. Porter" <mdporter@rt66.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Jun 1999 01:26:51 -0600


Bob Hamilton wrote:
> 
> Aaron,
> 
>         I personally have no complaints about Craftsman tools - used them for 
>years.

One of my complaints is that every time I have walked into a Sears store
in the last twenty years with a broken Craftsman tool in my hand, I got
an argument. First, the clerk would tell me it was not warranted (and,
knowing their routine) would say, "it's not a Sears tool, it's a
Craftsman tool. It has a lifetime guarantee." Then, they would say,
"but, it's been abused. We don't warrant abuse." I would say, "how can
you tell it's abuse?" And the simple-minded clerk would say, "well, it's
broken. That's abuse." 

Those companies who sell tools to tradesman who know tools, companies
who sell tools to them with a lifetime guarantee, don't try that
routine. Likely, some Sears branches are better than others with regard
to returns, but having experienced the same line from three different
stores in three different geographical locales at three different times,
I conclude that experience of mine to reflect company policy. I don't
bother with them any longer with respect to hand tools. 

And, yeah, I bought an air compressor from them six years ago, one with
the oil-less compressor pump built into the rear of the motor, and it
destroyed itself after forty hours of occasional use, one week after the
warranty expired. I bought the necessary replacement parts at my own
expense ($75), repaired the compressor, and it failed again,
catastophically, ten hours later. A twelve-year-old could look at the
connecting rod and the cylinder-to-connecting rod geometry, and know it
was a deficient design.

Screw `em. Sears, frankly, is full of bean counters these days. They
don't know tools, and can't provide a tool which will last a lifetime
because they are too busy trimming pennies. And, the price of the
Craftsman line of tools (presumably guaranteed for life) is no bargain.
And, don't bother trying to find repair parts for twenty-year-old
Craftsman tools... they typically don't exist.

Cheers.

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