Our local Sears is great!

[Frantic Freddie]

It's not the big box store you know,but the local store in our little town.Same company,but this is a different concept,franchisees with small stores that only carry appliances & tools (really,this covers a lot of ground),no clothing,cookware,furniture,etc....

A little over a year ago I bought an air wrench for about $100,they had one for $35,no way am I gonna get that piece of crap but I can't really swing the $200 unit.Coupla days later I go to do the front brakes on my Jeep,the tool dies before I even get the 2nd tire off.

I take it back the next day,they were most gracious in replacing it.

The new one sat in my shed,never taken out of the box,until last week when I went to replace the rear brakes & shocks.It lasted a little less than halfway thru the job.

So I take it back to the store,no box,no receipt & scratched up to boot & explain my predicament to the same lady that had replaced the earlier one.Told her I completely understood if they couldn't do anything for me & she said she'd see what she could do.

This mornin' I get a call from 'em & the guy says they'll be happy to replace it,Yay!

[JustaCashier]

Is it actually a Sears Craftsman branded tool?

I know for years, and I suppose it's still the case, that they have that lifetime guarantee on their tools. IIRC, it's pretty much no questions asked.

My one and only ever car was a 1967 VW Beetle, which I drove around for 11 years until the trans-axle went tits on me in 1995.

I had done a fair amount of work on it, routine maintenance, naturally, as well as working on tricking it out over the years, and then, of course, the necessary replacement of broken things here and there.

I believe I went through at least three, if not four or five, Craftsman Breaker Bars over those years.

There's absolutely no doubt that Craftsman tools are of high quality, but trying to bust loose the large, highly torqued, flywheel bolts and brake drum nuts tended to take a toll on the tool. Not that I ever used a cheater pipe or anything for added leverage.


I think they even let me trade up to a breaker bar one time from another tool. Kind of a "T" shaped tool that you could pop a socket onto, and that part that the socket fit on would rotate on the axis of the handle (top part of the "T") and possibly slide side to side a limited distance as well. I'm sure the breaker bar cost more, but don't recall if they charged for the difference.

Mike

[TheSHAD0W]

The Craftsman lifetime guarantee is on hand tools only.

Most Craftsman tools are made in China now, but Sears seems to have a better handle on quality control than some of the other US retailers. I wouldn't class their offerings as the same as, for instance, Snap-On, but they have pretty good stuff.

[JustaCashier]

Yeah, I thought it was hand tools only, but wasn't 100% sure.

Also was wondering about where they're made nowadays, and if they were still the same quality. Not having a car for over 15 years, I haven't had the need to go tool shopping in a long time.


Mike

[Josh]

yep, lifetime on handtools and proffesional tool boxes (its repair or replace, hence why u get rebuilt ratchets). other items will have the warranty listed somehwere in the box or manual. Power tools are a year. You didnt say in your posting but Im assuming what you bought was battery operated tool. If you buy it and throw it somewhere it will die. Batteries needs to be conditioned at least once per month otherwise plan on replacing the new one you got next time you need it. Warranty is from original purchase not from replacement date on limited warranteed items like your tool.