WARNING: Craftsman Compressors are Junk!
I’ve long held it a standard never to buy craftsman power tools, only hand tools, and only certain hand tools at that. (Mostly mechanic’s tools, as well as files and wood chisels, cold chisels and punches, and tool boxes) Recently, however, I decided to buy a Craftsman compressor. I figured I could put it on my Sears card, and pay it off when the homeowner made his second payment for the job. <!—-><!—-><!—->
Wouldn’t you know it, I bought a model similar to the one featured in FHB # 178. It was a hot dog, but oil free. I found it defective the second I started it up on the job. It leaked air right through the valve, it wouldn’t lock shut. The next day, I exchanged it at the Sears store (a half hour away) for a completely different model, a Craftsman oil-lube twin tank. At least this one worked out of the box (I stopped by a relatives house and tested it before I left the city), but by the end of the week, it developed the exact same problem. Can you imagine how many man hours I’m losing by now?<!—-><!—->
Over the weekend I went back to the store, only to realize the worst of my problems. The owner of the small Sears store tried to convince me to exchange it for yet another one. I explained to him I was ready to try a different brand. That’s when I was told about Sears new policy of keeping 15% of the money of your money on returns as a restocking fee. The 90 day commercial warranty on the box, he said, was only good for repairs. I don’t know if this could actually be legal, when a manufacturing defect has been discovered in less than 30 days, I just know they’re getting away with it.<!—-><!—->
First of all, it’s no wonder that Kmart bought Sears. Second, they’ve only gone down hill from there. I went right down the street to Lowe’s and bought a Porter-Cable oil free pancake. Works great! It’s also less noisy that Craftsman’s oil free hot dog.
If you’re a long time and satisfied owner of a Craftsman power tool, I don’t care. I firmly believe Craftsman’s power tools have increasingly deteriorated in quality since you bought your product. Beware, Craftsman compressors are junk!
–T
Replies
Not to salt your wounds, but most manufacturer's warranties are for repair of purchased product....replacement is at their option.
I think some of the big boxes as well as others have realized it's in their best interest to be liberal with warranty...it's mostly their vendor's problem, and they can look like heros. Much of the "refurbished" inventory you see everywhere originated form warranty exchanges & returns.
Sorry you had problems, hope that PC does the job for you.
PJ
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.
I just went through a horror show trying to get a new kenmore dishwasher repaired under warranty. It was one of the top rated washers in Consummer's Report. The repairman was five hours late and then wanted over $100 for looking at the machine for ten minutes and telling me it was an installation problem and not covered by warranty. He would, however, charge only $69 if I would buy the extended two year warranty.
on another rant:
I got a notice today from my oil company saying that I can save $25 on my next year's burner service contract if I sign up before May 31. (No actual price included in the notice.) It went on to say that the price for prepaid fuel plans will be announced June 1. Hmm...........
Just another example of Consumer Reports being a bunch of BS. I don't know of one time their report considered anything about the future of the device they tested. Specs are nice but durability/reliability is better.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Edited 5/11/2006 8:41 am by highfigh
Just another example of Consumer Reports being a bunch of BS. I don't know of one time their report considered anything about the future of the device they tested. Specs are nice but durability/reliability is better.
Maybe you need to read the WHOLE article then, because they often include "repair histories" which are based on people like you and me who fill out the annual questionares. They also do durability tests on stuff like paint. Letting them sit exposed for years to see how they hold up.
I used to have a co-worker that was always complaining that CR was biased against American cars. And he kept spouting this theory all the while that he was taking his and DW's American cars in to get repaired...and repaired and repaired. Meanwhile, my sister and BIL who had rice burners never had to take them in for anything other than scheduled maint. I kept pointing this out to him, but it never sunk in. He didn't seem to think it was a problem that he would have to take his new car in to get something fixed every couple months. He thought it was "OK" because the car was still under warrenty and it wasn't costing him $. My points were: 1. Your time is worth something 2. that vehicle isn't going to improve with age when the warrenty runs out. So even though he never caught on, I did. Sold my Ford and got a Honda. Knock on wood, I've gone 4 years without a problem.
Consumer Reports ain't the Bible, but it does give you some practical info that you otherwise wouldn't get short of spending your own $$ to buy the stuff. I feel betrayed when I buy a premium brand and the product turns out to be junk. A few times CR has managed to steer me away from buying overpriced junk, which is why I like CR.
OK, I'll get off my soapbox now.
But I share the opinion that Craftsman has been in decline for quite a while.jt8
"The difference between greatness and mediocrity is often how an individual views a mistake..."-- Nelson Boswell
Great post John,
I agree, I consider CU a tool. It helps to keep me informed. That's all we can do as consumers is stay informed and learn from the collective experience of others. They do a fine job with that. The rest is up to each of us.
I rely more on the 'repair history' part and who bought who this month from the news as much as anything.
Makes me take better care of what I have and that I know works fine.
bum
...keep smiling...makes 'em wonder what you're up to !!
I'm not totally ready to give up on CU yet, but by the time I go to buy something, the particular item they've tested has been replaced by a new model.
My wife swears by it - and I swear at some of the things she buys because of it.
I'm not totally ready to give up on CU yet, but by the time I go to buy something, the particular item they've tested has been replaced by a new model.
Another mildly annoying thing is that sometimes it seems like they are more inclined to review more upscale models than entry ones. OK, so probably that $200 dishwasher doesn't do as well as the $800 one, but go ahead and rate both so that we see where they all fall. Used to be that every once in a blue moon, a low-priced entry model would rate really well. Which IMHO was the real source of the "CR best buy" items.
Oh, and as to that 30yo fridge... You're probably buying a new one about every 4 or 5 years based on how much juice that sucker draws. There was another thread about electicity used by old appliances.
At which point on the one hand I think to myself, "If I buy a new fridge, it will save $100/yr in electricty and pay for itself in a few years." But on the other hand, I have this sneaking suspiscion that new appliances don't last as long as the old ones. It isn't saving you anything if the new one only lasts 5 years ;)
jt8
"The difference between greatness and mediocrity is often how an individual views a mistake..."-- Nelson Boswell
Edited 5/11/2006 12:46 pm by JohnT8
At which point on the one hand I think to myself, "If I buy a new fridge, it will save $100/yr in electricty and pay for itself in a few years." But on the other hand, I have this sneaking suspiscion that new appliances don't last as long as the old ones. It isn't saving you anything if the new one only lasts 5 years ;)
Ya gotta piont there, Judge.
Speaking of sears and fridges, a friend of mine has a dead bar fridge, only 1.5 yrs old, bought from Sears. Want to know what the warranty is on a compressor in a fridge from sears? 0. Nada. Nothing. Now tell me what else is worth putting a warranty on, in a fridge. There isn't much else to it.
On the Sears and CU rant - just had to replace my 5-yr old top of the line, CU top rated Kenmore washing machine. At least Sears/Whirlpool settled the class action lawsuit on this piece of junk and stopped selling it (I'll get maybe $100 out of the settlement). I don't know, maybe I'm still ahead at $200/yr averaged cost vs. the laundrymat?
I've had the same problem with Sears compressors, in a small way. Bought a 1 1/2 hp 2 gallon single tank oil bath unit to drive a single finish nailer when needed. Actually worked for over a year before not holding pressure. I have a customer who was given the same model compressor by her son, who works for Sears. She has absolutely no use for a compressor, even a little one, so I bought it from her, brand new, unopened in the box. Opened it up and the pressure regulator was broken and by now, it's out of warranty since the lady had it around for so long.At least I was able to swap the regulator from my old unit to the new unit to get at least one working machine for my job. Looks like I've got a whole pile of spare parts! No more Sears compressors in my future. Bob.
Kenmore - the old Kemore dyrers really like to eat socks.
Picked up a free dryer at a curb a couple of weeks ago, tore it down forthe motor and some of the switches.
Prev owners had never cleaned the lint out, there were 18 socks, and $8.17 in 2 bills and change in the bottom of that thing. Rest of it in in the truck to the scrap yard today. Over $30-/ton for scrap iron nowadays.
We have a 30 yr. old Kenmore fridge that still runs fine, and I have some old Craftsman stationary tools that still do the job for me. Never had much luck with hand held power tools. With this particular incident I was more po'd at the repairman than the product.
Gee, that much for scrap iron? My truck might be worth $30! :)
Have not bought anything at Sears for about 15 years myself (since they discontinued the 'surplus store outlets.
However, every time I see a 20 year old Craftsman whatever at a garage sale at 10 cents on the dollar equivalent or less, I snap it up.
Have 4 craftsman compressors picked up at garage sales, all have been working fine for years, try finding one at a garage sale. Have had as many as 5 C/M 10" tabel saws at a time too.
BTW, often see beat up C/M radial arm saws at garage sales for $40 or $50 bucks - quick no hassle $50 profit - the recall says they will send you a new guard, but every time I've sent for a guard they instead send a UPS box and $100 to send them the motor and carriage. <G>
There is a Sears repair center here, that sells scratch and dent items at good prices
I bought a belt/disk sander there 6 months ago - box had one corner busted up, but the saander itself was not damaged in the least. $129 item bought for $701 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go 4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
Sorry to hear of your problems but your experience with two compressors probably does not warrant painting all of their compressors with the junk brush.
What "valve" are you talking about? I have had problems with lots of the cheap female quick disconnects form several sources. Sometimes putting a drop of tool oil in them helps the washer seat better.
Bob
“Sorry to hear of your problems but your experience with two compressors probably does not warrant painting all of their compressors with the junk brush.â€
These two compressors have not been my only experience with Craftsman power tools. I began acquiring power tools about 10 years ago. Craftsman was my first choice because I had a good experience with their hand tools. If one of my Craftsman hand tools broke, they replaced it, no questions asked. There power tools however, had no warranty, and it didn’t take me long to figure out why.
One of the first power tools I bought was a Craftsman Industrial sidewinder. “Industrial†was supposed to be Craftsman’s top of the line, and I wanted to invest my money in the best. It wasn’t long after I bought it that the guard kept getting stuck when I started a cut. A while after that, the blade started wobbling a little. I can’t do any fine work with it anymore, because I can’t get a clean cut, and no, it wasn’t the blade or the nut.
I had also purchased a Craftsman Industrial screw gun. It works, but it’s designed like junk. You have to unscrew the cone a total of about 30 turns (not an exaggeration) to get it off. How are you supposed to hang drywall when you have to do that every time you need to sink screws in a corner or pull the occasional miss? Keep in mind, you need another 30 turns to get it back in place, and it turns rather slowly. How are you suppose to get anything done like that?
My Craftsman Industrial drill on the other hand, was at least a reasonable buy. The only problem I’ve had with it is (1) the chuck is made of cheap plastic, and every time it gets into a tight spot and rubs against something, it burns up a little bit. It’s also (2) far from what I would call industrial strength.<!----><!----><!---->
“What "valve" are you talking about? I have had problems with lots of the cheap female quick disconnects form several sources. Sometimes putting a drop of tool oil in them helps the washer seat better.â€<!----><!---->
I’m talking about the drain valve. When I couldn’t get the drain valve to seal shut, I removed it, and even tried wrapping the threads with plumbers tape. (Included in the package, but meant for the fittings you install yourself.) When that didn’t work, I even tried wrapping the jaws of my pliers with electrical tape, and snuging it up a little with the tool. That didn’t work either.
You should know that with each compressor, I took the time to read the instruction manual before operating it, and followed the directions to the T. I’m a stickler for doing things right, and I'll even take the time to try and fix what should have worked in the first place, but when something is just plain junk, it’s just plain junk.<!----><!---->-T
Da*n, chill out. I have a large Craftsman comp that has been very good. I am sure there are others that have had good experiences also. I am equally sure there are others that have had equally bad experiences like you. Sorry but two p*ss poor valves do not make all of their compressors junk.
You most certainly have a right to be very disappointed because no matter how well they might try to handle it would not make up for your lost time and frustration.
If the valves were leaking where they screw into the tank thread seal should have fixed it. It is not unusual to get a chip in those cheap valves and have a leak. My big compressor has the drain that has the knurled tip and I put a 90 deg and nipple to move it out to where I could reach it. A Devilbis hot dog I have promptly sheared off the handle on the petcock drain and I replaced the whole valve. My Hitachi twin stack has two brass petcocks that seal well.
Glad you got a compressor that makes you happy
well said. One of my guys had to go through three PC compressors before he got one with good valves
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Thanks, I just get my own rant ready when I see an unfair one going on. Got no problem with griping about something or somebody "that done me wrong". I just hate lumping all of a class in with bad. I guess that I could have added that IIRC Sears bought K-Mart not vice versa as he said several times.
I decided to stay out of the jeans discussion. Button fly jeans have been around from the start and are not defective ( although not my choice either). I would think someone would notice that they did not have a zipper before they wore them. November to May is a pretty long time to expect the 90 day period to be stretched to.
Bob
Well I did kinda realize that there were buttons instead of a zipper down there. But I was getting ready for work and I had already switched pocket contents and belt and time was approaching scheduled departure. I figured that they might work but just be different but after the first visit to the porta potty, I could easily see how Louis Zip made his fortune.
All Lidia had to do was give me the benefit of the doubt and let me exchange the pants. Then I would merrily wander over to the tool santum and find a bunch of goodies to buy. I might have spent a $100 on stuff but instead the world now knows that Lidia and other Sears managers will do everything in their power to avoid fullfilling Sears guarantee promise.Maybe they take their clue from the insurance industry. They never hesitate to increase premiums but when you have a claim, they scour the fine print in a desperate search for any excuse not to pay.
This is one instance in which Harbor Freight clearly outshined Sears. I next went to an electrical distributor and the clerkhad never heard of Gardner Bender.
But at Harbor Freight I told this guy I wanted one of these service carts, pointing to an assembled and dented model on display. He found the last one but the box was torn up so he took everything out and made sure all the parts were there and even gave me a discount because the carton was damaged.
Since I was there, I decided to look around for other useful junk and decided to get a welding magnet off the pegboaard rack. That magnet stuck to the magnet behind it which in turn was strongly attracted to the magnet behind that and so on. The end result was that the whole section of pegboard peeled away from the top of the wall. I desperately held it up/backlike the little Dutch boy with his pinkie in the dike.
~Peter
>>>>I figured that they might work but just be different but after the first visit to the porta potty, I could easily see how Louis Zip made his fortune.<<<<Don't you just HATE getting your xxxxx stuck in the buttons ? The destination is not the point. The completion is not the point. Enjoy today. If you can't enjoy today, then what is the point ?
I can identify with you in at least one way; you’re a big Sears customer, and they don’t seem to appreciate it. I’ve often spent $500 on a visit to the tool department. I suppose over the years, they’ve made at least $10,000 off me, just on hand tools alone. Of course, I was at one of the closer, as well as smaller Sears stores when I bought the compressor, so they were no doubt less familiar with me.
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In regards to the jeans, all I’ll say is you might try Sears brand jeans, provided you’re not to upset with them. I at least try not to let my emotions affect my judgment, despite what others around here might imply. I’ve never got around to trying Sears brand jeans myself, but several years ago I had a foreman that did. He said they were warranted for 2 years. Being a carpenter, he’d always get a rip in them before than, so he never had to buy jeans again. I don’t know if Sears jeans still have an unconditional 2 year warrantee, as I mentioned, there tape measures don’t anymore. Now that I’m reminded of it, I just might look into it myself.
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I think one of the reasons Sears doesn’t warrant their tape measures unconditionally anymore, is because people abused the system. I have to wonder how many people have intentionally cut their tape measure blade (one of things no longer covered), simply to get a new one. I say this because I’ve worked with several carpenters who would return their chalk lines every time they ran out of chalk! Sears never caught on to stop supplying chalk with their Craftsman chalk lines; instead they stopped making Craftsman chalk lines all together. It’s that kind of thievery by tradesman that can ruin a good thing for everyone.-T
I don't get it. You keep defending your feelings and statements but in my view you keep digging the hole deeper. You say you have had multiple problems with Sears power tools and that adds to your frustration. Ok, why do you keep doing it? I mean did you think they would get better?
Bitching about something that is unique and surprising is one thing but continueing the same behavior over and over and then complaining about the results is nuts. Then when someone disagrees with you, you go ballistic and act like the are the ones who are crazy.
By the way I am one of the ones cutting off my tape measure to get a new one too. They always give me another one, no questions asked. DanT
I just got into this thread and picked up on the same thing. He must like it if he keeps going back. Maybe he's one of them there Drama Queens.
Wake me up before you go-go.
I bought all the drill, the screw gun, and the circular saw about 10 years ago, at relatively the same time. The compressors, well, I have no excuse for that. Like I said, it was just convenient because I could delay the payment with my Sears card until the homeowner paid me. I should’ve known better. My only hope is that I might save someone ells the frustration that was caused me.
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While these other three power tools were purchased quite a few years ago, I’ve only used them heavily recently because of starting my own business. When I worked in the union, the company always supplied all the power tools. Further, I never did any side work because I’d rather have a life. I probably wouldn’t have brought up these other power tools except for the fact that some people seem to think I’m being unduly critical.
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“By the way I am one of the ones cutting off my tape measure to get a new one too. They always give me another one, no questions asked.â€
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Grow a conscience.-T
Wanna talk jeans?I have a pair that my wife suggested should maybe not be worn in public anymore. They're really just getting comfortable, but not right dfor a respectabl;e businessman, ya know?So the next day, while she's in the grocery store, I wander over to the JC Penny to browswe. They have a couple big ole displays up of the jeans that I guess are popular now. They all look dirty, snagged, torn, and tattered just like the ones she' trying to retire - for $46 a pop.should I have traded mine in, I'd a come out ahead
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
“I guess that I could have added that IIRC Sears bought K-Mart not vice versa as he said several times.â€
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Whether you think my evaluation of Craftsman compressors was fair or not, I think I deserve credit for recommending there hand tools (I try to only use the best) given how much they had frustrated me.
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In addition to the hand tools I’ve already recommended in my original post (mechanic's tools, as well as files and wood chisels, cold chisels and punches, and tool boxes), I’ll also recommend their saws, particularly their coping saws and hand driven miter boxes, as well as to an extent, their tool belts. I think Craftsman is an expert at tool storage. Further, I think there clamps are even better than Pony, which is renowned for being the clamp company. When I buy just 1 wood chisel, I buy <!----><!----><!---->Stanley<!----><!---->, but I think that Craftsman is a far better value as a set. Above all their hand tools, I think they do the best job for mechanics. Besides buying genuine Crescent adjustable wrenches, when I buy a mechanics tool, I only buy Craftsman.<!----><!---->
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As far as who bought who, K-mart or Sears, I’d need more evidence before I change my mind. I heard on the news that K-mart bought Sears. Not long after that I called to check the status of my Sears card, and also asked about the subject. The lady on the phone demanded, “K-mart did not buy us!†I told her that “I’d be glad if it was true, because I buy many hand tools from Sears, and I thought the idea that K-mart bought them was rather disappointing. However, many people have told me it was so,†I said. With a tone in her voice she replied: “Most people don’t know what they’re talking about!†When someone asserts themselves that strongly when it seems there’s no reason to, it always makes me wonder why they think they have to. Of course, is the news always accurate? Hardly.<!----><!---->
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After that, I visited one of these new K-marts transformed into a Sears Essentials. I asked the lady at the customer service counter whether she worked at the store before it became a Sears Essentials. After she told me she did, I asked her who bought who. She told me K-mart bought Sears. I then told her about my experience on the telephone. “Well maybe,†she said, but then she went on to tell me how the letters they at first received said otherwise. “Now†she said, the papers they receive have been made to look differently. Her implication was that K-mart was trying to make it look like Sears bought them, because they thought it would be good for business. It sounded rather logical to me.<!----><!---->
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I’d actually be quite glad to realize it’s the other way around, but I’m not going to do it simply because I want to. If you ever come across a link that can be viewed as unbiased, I’d be happy to read it.-T
Did a quick look and found this:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6509683/
I stand humbly corrected. At least on that part. (:-)
Bob
Both sides of this "who bought who" are true...Kmart sold 50 stores to Sears...then Kmart bought Sears. It just depends on where and when it was discussed.On Craftsman Tools:Many, perhaps most, are just rebranded. Buying Craftsman can mean buying Bosch, Makita, Milwaukee, Delta, and Dewalt. It can be a fun game seeing how many OEM's you can identify while shopping at Sears. They can have very good deals in the bargin area.IMO, they tend to be anywhere from fair to good quality.Their shop vacs are decent, and lately their table saws have been improved. That gadget of theirs with two circ saw blades running in opposite directions looks very interesting.Their compressors are made by DeVilbiss and Campbell Hausfield and are only fair quality for more money than the are worth, as you pay more for the Craftsman name.
I just find it weird that KMart (came apart is what we call it) was bankrupt a few years ago and now they're buying Sears.
Wake me up before you go-go.
They (Kmart) sold poor performing stores to HD, cut payroll, etc.--in the process raised a bunch of cash and cut costs. Quite a turn around, we'll see if they remain profitable after they run out of real estate to sell.
Hey, aren't you spost ta be walkin' da mutt right now.
Yea. I was supposed to, but cancelled. Got up too late to get a decent start. I've got to put together a mothers day/double surprise birthday/leaving for deployment party. So I was pressed for time to begin with. The wife has been working on it but she's working her part time job today, so I volunteerd. Pretty easy gig. Order it all online then pick it all up this afternoon.
The kicker is My sister wanted our help throwing a surprise birthday party for her fiance. Then her fiance aproached us about helping throw a surprise party for her. Their Birthdays are a couple weeks apart, but her oldest son is shipping out for Morraco Tuesday so that's getting mixed in there as well. And since it's Mothers day, what the heck? It's gonna be a zoo.
Wake me up before you go-go.
Oh!My wife's still in bed.I think I'll get her a Craftsman air compressor for Mothers Day ; > )I should just take both our dogs for a walk, maybe I could start a service.
I'd love to be a dog walker. Well untill a squirel or rabbit happened by.
Wake me up before you go-go.
Sears has also sold a lot of rebranded Ryobi tools.In response to someone's praise of Crapsman mechanic's tools as so high quality, I say you must be kidding! The brand is pedestrian at best. Good exchange policy, but watch what you ask for in exchange, hopefully not more junk. For instance, their ratchet handles are some of the worst out there, but the sockets and wrenches are decent. It is best to know which of the Craftsman products to buy.
In fact I own some Craftsman stuff- I use the sockets and wrenches without a second thought, the ratchets I curse from the moment I pick them up. Would really prefer to chuck them all and resupply from the next Snap-on or Cornwell van that comes along!Ken Hill
I've split a lot of craftsman sockets using the breaker bar and even the ratchet handles. I also twisted a craftsman breaker bar end into a spiral with a Stanley taiwan socket on it, which was undamaged. I've also split S&K sockets. Never had a single problem with my 34 year old Craftsman ratchet handle, but the new stuff, wouldn't buy it. Strangely, I have never broken a stanley socket tool despite their cheap looks and foreign origin.
>>"In response to someone's praise of Crapsman mechanic's tools as so high quality, I say you must be kidding! The brand is pedestrian at best.
The quality has changed a lot over the years.
When I was a kid, my dad bought mostly craftman tools and I still have many of them that work perfect almost 40 years later. At the time, that was the brand to buy. Can even still get parts and accessories for many of the power tools.
When I went away to school I bought myself a decent sears mechanics tool set in a gray steel tool box that I still have; all the rachets work perfect, chrome still shines on everything, more than 25 years of pretty tough use.
For my b'day about 5 yrs ago, GF at the time got me another socket set (needed inch sockets so she got me a set). Less than five years later, the rachet has to be held together with some electrical tape (don't have the time to run to sears to get a new rachet head when I have others from the old days that work fine). One day when I'm going by a sears I'll get a new one. Replace one pos with another.
Sears blew a good thing. If the quality stayed as it was when my dad bought his tools, I wouldn't buy anything else. Now, you couldn't pay me to take sears tools for those I need to use on a daily basis.
"Let's get crack-a-lackin" --- Adam Carolla
Edited 5/17/2006 2:43 pm ET by philarenewal
As I remember it Kmart was sort of circling the drain, did not think Sears was in that much trouble. As that article said it was a merger.
I have that twin cutter. I have used it once to cut out some joists. Went back to the recip for most of them. They have had kind of a quiet recall on them. A friend at a franchise Sears said they were told to be pretty liberal on returns. Mine smelled kind of hot after use.
Emerson makes their shop-vacs, the warranty is better buying the same thing at HD with Ridgid branding.
I had a link that listed the mfr code for most Sears model #'s but could not find it.
Bob
I punched “craftsman tool manufacturers†into Google, and the first link that came up was this. I figured I’d include the following list in case the link happens to expire. I couldn’t find the manufactures for either of the compressors I bought, but apparently the compressor featured in the latest Fine Homebuilding (15310) is manufactured by State Industries. I couldn’t find a match for most of their wet-dry vacs either, but one particular model (17925) is produced by Deuer Mfg.
Sears OEM List -- Sorted By Manufacturer
Submitted by Ken Vaughn, e-mail: [email protected]
One frequently asked question concerning Sears tools is "Who made this product for Sears?" Often the model number will have the form nnn.xxxxx, in which the 3 or 4 digit prefix indicates the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). Some prefixes have been used for more than one manufacturer, and several manufacturers have been assigned more than one prefix.
I have compiled a list of these manufacturers. Those entries in UPPER CASE are from a Sears document, "Standard Brand Source Number Reference", dated May 1995. Those entries that contain lower case are for tools that I have compared to non-Craftsman models made by the same manufacturer, or from indications as to the OEM in the documentation or model number tag. Lower case entries also contain data extracted from 6 different lists found on the Internet, USENET articles from the "rec.woodworking" newsgroup, participants of http://www.owwm.com, or from emails sent directly to me.
Since it is difficult to verify the accuracy of these sources, I simply accepted any new data and added it to mine. Please understand that this list likely contains errors and is certainly not complete. If a prefix is not included in this list, I do not know the OEM and it would be a waste of time to email me; however, if you have additions or corrections, please contact me.
Ken Vaughn[email protected]
Sorted by Manufacturer – Updated 11/27/05
109 AA Engineering161 Action Mfg486 Agri-Fab071 Agri-Fab Corp663 Air Cap Industries937 Air Cap Ind484 AIRTEMP257 Allegretti Co & Paramount149 AM Machine596 AMANA335 AMANA291 American Lawn Mower131 American Yard Products133 American Yard Products917 American Yard Products093 Ametek329 Ametek809 AMF536 AMF (Murray)538 AMF (Murray)149 AMT272 Arrow Products330 APPLE619 Arps Corporation452 AT&T367 AT&T101 Atlas Press (now Clausing Industrial)358 Beaird - Poulan, Inc234 Beard-Poulan & Lazy Boy306 Belsaw471 BIONAIRE471 Bon-Aire175 Bissell214 BISSELL401 BISSELL900 BLACK & DECKER122 Blair Mfg359 Bolens Products130 Bosch480 BOSE261 Brave Corp500 Briggs & Stratton757 Brinly-Hardy Co246 BRK Electronic233 BROAN268 BROTHER INTERNATIONAL410 Brown-Brockmeyer Co. (grinders)621 BRYANT282 CA Norgren150 Cal Pump174 Caloric960 Caloric106 Campbell Hausfeld916 Campbell Hausfeld705 CANON416 CARRIER623 Casco Electric (die grinders)251 Century Electric Div of Magnetech934 Century Mfg Co640 CERWIN VEGA139 Chamberlain (garage goor openers)139 Chamberlain/Duchoissois646 Chamberlain (garage door openers)786 Chapin (garden sprayers)415 Char Broil110 Charglow756 Chicago Pneumatic542 Clark Mfg Co534 Clausing Lathes (formerly Atlas Press)484 CLIMATROL867 CLIMETTE582 Clinton Engine Co552 COBRA457 CODE-A-PHONE476 COLEMAN351 Colovos Co506 Columbian (bench vises)778 Comet Industries484 COMFORT BAY334 COMMODORE613 CONSOLIDATED TECHNOLOGIES145 Country Mfg108 Covel Mfg Co484 CREST484 CROSLEY576 D & M (now Frigidaire)815 DAEWOO655 Danaher789 DEFIANCE967 Delta491 Delta Consolidated Industries179 Deuer Mfg919 DeVilbiss900 DeWalt918 DeWalt498 Didier Mfg Co604 DIGITAL EQUIP CO121 Dille & McGuire240 Disston Inc374 DIVERSIFIED PRODUCTS109 Double A Products472 Dremel572 Dremel334 DWYER514 Dynaquip Controls128 E.T. Rugg636 Echo668 Echowater625 Ecodyne281 ELECTRO-AIRE336 ELECTROLUX900 Elu113 EMERSON ELECTRIC256 EMERSON ELECTRIC264 EMERSON ELECTRIC7287 EMERSON ELECTRIC7296 EMERSON ELECTRIC757 EMERSON ELECTRIC758 EMERSON ELECTRIC620 ENVIRO-RESEARCH846 EPSON217 Eska Outboards860 EUREKA COMPANY145 Evans Rule117 Excel Auto Radiator Co (Crafty pistol grip rotary)521 EZ Rake733 Fairbanks Morse484 FEDDERS706 Fidelitone241 Fimco143 FISHER875 Florida Pneumatic793 Ford990 FORD840 FRIEDRICH119 FRIGIDAIRE253 FRIGIDAIRE587 FRIGIDAIRE628 FRIGIDAIRE790 FRIGIDAIRE917 Frigidaire934 FUNAI304 FUNAI2018 Furnas Electric (Reversing Switch)484 GALAXY BAY202 Gannon Mfg464 GE680 Generac580 GENERAC CORP278 GENERAL ELECTRIC362 GENERAL ELECTRIC363 GENERAL ELECTRIC911 GENERAL ELECTRIC785 General Power (Magna America)253 Gibson (now Frigidare)284 Gold Eagle580 GOLDSTAR721 GOLDSTAR312 GTE716 H.H.SCOTT/EMERSON842 Haban Mfg484 HAMPTON BAY319 Hand Tools International313 Harris Calorific867 HEIL-QUAKER881 Hempe923 HEWLETT PACKARD934 HITACHI920 Hobart517 Homelite517 HOMELITE/JACOBSEN473 HOOVER484 HUNTER944 Husqvarna302 IBM855 ILG486 IMPERIAL757 IMPERIAL490 Indiana Steel235 INGERSOLL RAND919 Ingersoll Rand329 INVENTA204 IONA484 J.C.PENNEY250 J.I. Case455 J.S.Technology517 JACOBSEN385 JAMAC629 JENN-AIR410 John Bean Food Machinery Corp.775 JOHNSON665 JVC244 Kal Equipment300 Kar-Rite Corp867 KEEPRITE417 Kelvinator622 Kelvinator628 Kelvinator629 Kelvinator103 King Seeley390 King-O-Lawn639 King-O-Lawn271 Kioritz Corp (Echo)110 KITCHENAID666 KITCHENAID366 KOSS ELECTRONICS988 KUBOTA180 Lambert Corp171 Larson Mfg950 LASER (V-TECH)991 LAWNBOY002 Lemont Industries292 LENNOX213 Lewisan Products747 Litton721 Lucky Gold Star Electronics626 MAGNAVOX (PHILIPS)317 MAKITA773 MARANTZ484 MARTA757 MARVEL767 MARVEL116 ####925 Maycor (Maytag)989 McCULLOGH328 McLANE445 Melmer769 Mercury Clutch Division523 MGM TECHNOLOGY549 Midwest Ind312 Milwaukee Tools247 Modern Tool and Die129 Mono Mfg484 MONTGOMERY WARD380 Moto-Mower Inc (Dura)716 MOTOROLA654 Mott219 MTD316 MTD (yard equipment)176 MURATA502 Murray502 Murray Ohio161 NAKAJIMA340 NECCHI536 Noma (Murray)831 NordicTrack282 Norgren757 NORTHLAND745 O & R Engines651 O.M.C. Dist610 Ohio Steel Fabrication378 Omark (Oregon)739 Onan922 Original Tractor Cab Corp566 PACKARD BELL568 PANASONIC222 PANASONIC VIDEO/AUDIO586 PANASONIC OFFICE EQUIP358 Paramount (now Poulan)193 Parker Mfg426 Parker Sweeper112 Parks Tool Co509 PAYNE683 Philco (Italy)626 PHILIPS (MAGNAVOX, SYLVANIA)216 PHONEMATE190 PIONEER114 Pioneer Gen-E-Motor234 Poulan358 POULAN/WEEDEATER534 Power King Tool Corp7075 Prestolite Battery155 Preway327 Process Engineering Company901 Protech484 PROTON473 Quincy Compressor131 Rally/Roper Lawn274 RCA322 Reelcraft Industries484 REGENT-AIRE583 REMINGTON/DESA137 Rexon879 RHEEM/RUDD115 Rixon278 Roper911 Roper103 Roper835 Roper647 Roper917 Roper Corp355 Roper Outdoor114 ROYAL704 ROYAL315 Ryan175 RYOBI973 Ryobi315 RYOBI316 RYOBI316 Ryobi (made in USA)316 Ryobi America Corp315 Ryobi Motor Products689 S.C. America401 SAMSUNG565 SANYO564 SANYO566 SANYO103 Sarlo Power Mower Inc200 Schumaker Electric (battery chargers)143 SFS CORP (Sanyo/FISHER)575 SHARP289 SHARP724 SHERWOOD214 Shinn Fu/MVP214 Shinn Fu of America338 Shop Vac484 SINGER135 SKIL135 Skil/Bosch689 Smartel871 SMITH CORONA474 SONY174 SOUNDESIGN651 SPEED QUEEN798 Speed Queen484 SSMSC, INC651 Standard Eng187 Stanley187 Stanley Tools402 Stanley/Bostitch153 STATE INDUSTRIES001 Stevens417 Stover Engine Works484 SUMMIT937 Sunbeam799 Suncast484 SYNCO110 Syncro719 TAPPAN791 Tappan106 Tate Mfg Co259 Taylor Woodcraft459 TECHNICS768 TECHNICS (####)143 Tecumseh (Lauson Power Products)143 Tecumseh Engine & Gear867 TEMPSTAR285 The Hirst Co283 Thomas Industries136 TORO562 TOSHIBA144 TRANE987 TROY BILT/GARDEN WAY328 Tru-Products Inc294 TUNTURI250 Turner Industries365 U.S. Lawn260 Unger Division of Eldon Inc678 VAC APPLIANCES, LTD171 Vermont American720 Vermont American147 Village Blacksmith (McGraw Edison)165 Wagner (painting products)102 Walker Turner609 Waterloo706 Waterloo111 Watson Mfg Co335 Welliver & Sons (drill & router)146 Wen831 WESLO, INC/U.T.S.536 Western Tool & Stamping106 WHIRLPOOL110 WHIRLPOOL198 Whirlpool665 WHIRLPOOL761 Whirlpool850 Whirlpool (Chambers?)117 White854 White150 White Consolidated187 White Consolidated253 WHITE CONSOLIDATED587 White Consolidated628 White Consolidated854 White Farm Equipment (Formerly Oliver)281 WHITE RODGERS387 WHITE RODGERS253 WHITE WESTINGHOUSE629 WILLIAMS FURNACE160 Wisconsin Magneto832 XEROX723 YAMAHA123 Yardman342 YORK610 YUKON864 ZENITH372 Zeus Generator Corp867 ZONAIRE-T
Good info! On that shop vac I think you use the big number that is on the link (ignoring the leading and trailing 0's), the significant three digits are 917 in this case I believe. On the compressor it would be 915.
Bob
just some thoughts- a few years ago I was short on cash
but needed some metric tools couldn,t afford my regular choice
amstrong or SK so my buddy said go to kmart get their tools,
they had what I needed -lifetime warrenty, also inexpensive -
well anyway 15 years later still got them carried them all over
the east coast on industrial equip. A lot of guys I know that
travel choose sears tools because of their availability no matter
where you go you can find a sears.
and something else carharts use to be button flys
I use to go thoughe couple a pair a year ,last pair i bought
were the the dreaded----zipper ---type the trouble with them
while welding , the sparks enevilbley weld the zippers closed
that winds up being being a hassel while taking yer bibsdown
to pizz and letting your galvises drop to the ground in a
porta john that winds up being you go back to the job
starting back to welding and every spark that hits you
making you smell like a cow done pizzed on ya, yeah man!!!!
sure miss my days back on the road. DW s.o.ex.
The real deal is that Edward Lambert, the majority shareholder of k-mart, bought a majority share of stock in Sears and then merged the two companies into one called Sears Holdings Corp. I will not be surprised when Lambert dumps his holdings after he squeezes all the profit out of the new company when they run out of real estate to sell off and empolyees to let go. This kind of "pump and dump" by execs has happened to Sears several times in the last 20 years.As for their tools, yeah it is hit and miss as all of their power tools are just rebranded from other tool makers. For example, their deck screwgun is just a dewalt with a different body color. A lot of the manufacturers are corporations you have never heard of that do the same for other brands as well. Ryobi, Black & Decker and Craftsman share a lot of the same OEMs. It is not consistent across the board either, the cheap table saws are not the same maker as the expensive ones. If you have ever heard of the Tradesman brand they are just the house brand for the Rexon Corp that makes bench power tools for Craftsman. Look at a Tradesman table saw and then a Craftsman table saw, exact same thing except for body color. Their hot dog compressor, the pancake are not the same maker so it is hard to lump them together. In fact, the pancake is PC IIRC. As for their machanics tools, yeah I like Snap-on too but around here the dealer goes out of business every couple of months so it ain't easy to get a ratchet replaced when I break it, so I stick with Craftsman. I break a ratchet I just go get a new one free of charge, I am not going to complain about that, better than having to pay for a new one. And their tape measures, yeah they did have a lot of people intentionally cutting the blades to get a new tape every couple months so they now exclude the blade from the coverage, you abuse the system and it will get shut down eventually. Bottom line is, if you want professional grade tools you have to pay for them. You can't buy a drill that costs half as much as a DeWalt or Bosch and expect to get the same performance. Most Craftsman power tools are not pro grade and are not priced as such. Craftsman stuff is geared towards HOs and DIYers not contractors. Sears wants the Lowes and HD crowd not the local lumber yard shoppers which most of us are.Just my 2 cents worth (in this case mabye 3 cents)
Day
“One of my guys had to go through three PC compressors before he got one with good valves.â€
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While I still don’t think there’s any excuse for it, I guess this problem must be more common than I thought. The store owner kept telling me how very unusual it was for this to happen, with a big grin on his face. Just another reason I didn’t want to exchange it for a third one. If it happened again, I explained to him, he’d probably tell me I caused the problem. I also didn’t have time to send the thing in for repair.
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One of the things I noticed came with my PC compressor is a spare drain valve. While I didn’t have to use it yet, I’m sure it would’ve been nice if they would’ve included one back when your guy bought his.
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Perhaps I don’t return things enough either, but this idea of keeping 15% of your money on returns for a restocking fee is new to me. Especially when there’s a 90 day commercial warranty right on the box (1 year for homeowners), and a manufacturing defect has been found within the first week. My understanding has been that law requires a warranty on any product found defective within the first 30 days, as long as your provide the receipt and packaging.
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The thing is, as already mentioned; I’ve already had several bad experiences with Craftsman power tools. I’m sure this only added to my frustration.
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One of these experiences was on the very same job. I was using my Craftsman “Industrial†drill to bore holes in 2x6’s with a 4 ¼†hole-saw for steel columns. It took about 10 minutes per hole. I was using a brand new Lenox hole-saw. Perhaps many other corded drills would’ve had the same experience, but I was rather amazed when the homeowner pulled out his cordless Bosch drill (he told me it was refurbished and bought at a Bosch outlet store), and drilled the hole in a matter of two minutes! I know Bosch is known for its power, but 10 minutes to 2 minutes, and a cordless model to boot? That has to tell you something right there.-T
Last time I looked, most power tools with the Craftsman label were made in China.
Automatically qualifies them for Junk status.
New Craftsman compressors junk? Surely you jest! No I did not call ya Shirley ;)
I have a Craftsman 1 hp compressor I bought in the early 70's - never had a problem with it. It's 17amp - probably called 2 hp now. I do know that sears power tools have gone downhill. I have a radial arm saw from 1972 or so that I wouldn't part with for anything. New saws are junk by comparison.
Anyhow, Sears used to have an "unconditional satisfaction guarantee". Don't they still have it? If so, getting a refund shouldn't be a problem.
I, too, had an early 1970's Craftsman compressor, with a Doerr real 2 HP motor on it. BIL has it now, AFAIK it's still running.
Today, though, Consumer Reports and Craftsman are both junk.
-- J.S.
“Anyhow, Sears used to have an "unconditional satisfaction guarantee". Don't they still have it? If so, getting a refund shouldn't be a problem.â€
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That only applies to their hand tools. Their hand tools are forced into quality just for that reason. Do you remember about 6 years ago, when they just came out with their latest tape measure design? They were yellow at first. (Now they’re red) They went from chrome plated, to completely black and yellow plastic – or polycarbonate as they call it. The completely plastic design however, is quite tough; I had no problem with that.
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The problem with the design when it just came out was the lock didn’t work. You would be laying out a wall with your tape locked at a certain mark, and when you least expected it; the blade would retract 10†back into the case. That would really throw you off.
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I – as well as many other Sears’ customers – repeatedly returned the tape measures until they got it right. It took a while, but Sears eventually corrected the problem, they had no choice. Now that Kmart has bought Sears; they have all kinds off conditions on their tape measure warranties. You’ll often see these conditions posted in their stores. I have to wonder how long Kmart will uphold the quality of Sears’ hand tools. Their tape measure make little difference to me now anyway, a few years ago I switched over to Stanley PowerLock II. (The design use to be labeled Stanley Contractor Grade) -T
Actually, in the 60's & 70's anyway, Sears' unconditional satisfaction guarantee applied to everything they sold. Maybe they no longer have it.
Actually, the recipt states "Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back". But they don't mean what they say.
I found that out today. Last Nivember I bought three different pairs of jeans or Levis from Sears. I wore two of them after a while and then one morning put on the third pair and went to work. This pair had buttons instead of a zipper. No go buster. No wonder the zipper was invented. This pair was obviously unusuable [for a male] and thus defective and I was clearly not satisfied with the product.
So I wisely kept the receipt and jeans in my car and today I got off early and went to Sears to exchange this ancient artifact with something usable. No dice. The girl "manager" [Lidia] had a litany of excuses for why Sears does not honor their stated policy. They were used [one day]. They were past the 90 day limit. They were not defective [no zipper on pants is not defective?]. They are a national brand, thus not covered. All of this gobbledegook while blatantly oblivious to the age old promise of "Satsfaction guaranteed or your money back" printed right there on the receipt.
As far as I am concerned, Sears has been taken over by the mentality of MBA bean-counters who are more interested in avoiding a simple $30 exchange than keeping a loyal customer who might spend +$100 per visit.
Their "Unconditioal guarantee" is a blatant lie. It should read "Conditional Guarantee...".
The hand tools are OK but there are other brands available.
~Peter
Only two months to go before the great Tacoma=Seattle earthquake. Even the Space Nedle will tilt.
Although I don't care for Sears power tools in general we have a couple. It has been my experience that if you are loud enough and look as though you aren't going away they suddenly have a true satisfaction guarenteed policy. DanT
dang man, Lidia's going to be peeved for seeing her name in print on an internet forum.
be if you think that was bad service you ain't seen nothing yet! ROAR!
half of good living is staying out of bad situations
The way I look at it , you ended up with one of the cheapest compressors on the market. Its a nice little carry along compressor and handy as pockets on a shirt. It has a very low out put of air [2.4 @90psi] It relies on a 6 gallon tank to try to keep air available with little recovery. Bottom line pancake at best. Ive got one .
The problems you had with your Craftsman could have been fixed at a real harware store and had nothing to do with the product internally. The problem you have is your lost time and the way they handled it .
I have a shop compressor that has the Craftsman name on it . It was picked up second hand very cheap and does the job. Not a demanding one but its there any time I switch it on. Ive got others too that are better but not for the price. You also chose price when you bought the Porter cable pancake.
Tim