Triumphrat

Wombat

Agreed.

I do not see anything in their warranty that states that the replacement will be a new item.

If I am missing something, please show us where it does.

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Bob

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Age is of no importance, unless you are a cheese.

caddydaddy

The problem I've had is that replacement ratchets break, or don't work right a LOT sooner than the original it replaced! I'm also not happy with getting a rebuilt one vs a new one.
And yes, this has been happening for years with Craftsman tools.

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2008 Sprint ST 1050 ABS - Pacific Blue

Demonic

But presumably it's STILL under repair/replace warranty....

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zelatore

Basically, anything craftsman has been going downhill for the last 10 or so years. It's a shame really as they used to be the go-to tool for a serious home mechanic. Sure, the tool truck stuff is better (snappy, Mac, matco, etc) but the average guy doesn't have access to those trucks and frankly if you aren't earning your living with that tool you probably don't want to shell out the premium for those brands.

Plus, as a home owner you knew Sears would stand behind the product. Break something on a Saturday afternoon? No problem - just a quick trip and you could pick up a replacement.

My basic hand tool selection has been more or less complete for a good 15 years and most of it is craftsman with some cheap stuff and some premium stuff mixed in. These days if I need a replacement on a craftsman tool, it's a crap-shoot as to if they'll actually have anything in-stock, and when they do it's often not the same tool anymore as they've changed their supplier. An example was a craftsman pro 11mm full polish long frame wrench I needed to replace (I actually lost it, not broken in this case). As soon as I picked up the new wrench it felt wrong in my hand. Close examination showed it was a totally different casting, now made by Danamar (sp?) where my old one had been made by SK.

There are good deals to be found on quality tools if you dig around, but it's much harder work to find them now and even when you do you loose that convenience of knowing you can run to the local store for a replacement if needed. There are also still some good products in the craftsman catalog as well, but they are getting fewer and further between. It's sad really, as craftsman was such an iconic American brand and now sears has just run it into the ground such that even Harbor Freight gives them a run for their money on some items.

If anybody wants to talk tools until the cows come home, stop by garagejournal.com. Those guys can get a little fanatical, but they know there stuff.

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Don
'06 Speed Triple
'96 Adventurer Cafe Racer
and a bunch of other stuff
If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough - Mario Andretti

Demonic

I get all my tools from Halfords, as their "Professional" range has a lifetime warranty on it. No idea where any of it is made, but it all feels pretty good quality, and I've only ever had to return one item, and they replaced it right then and there.

I do wish they made a wire-stripper in the proffesional range, though. I seem to go through them faster than I change my pants...

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If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.
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Junipero

I worked at Sears in the '80s while in college. Even back then we only replaced the internal mechanisms on ratchets. We had kits that we swapped out whenever customers brought in busted ratchets. Wrenches and screwdrivers and sockets were always replaced because you couldn't generally fix them.

This isn't a new policy at all.

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zelatore

Agreed. Nothing new on the replacement policy, however the general quality of the tools has gone south since your days in the 80s. Things were pretty good at that time.

__________________
Don
'06 Speed Triple
'96 Adventurer Cafe Racer
and a bunch of other stuff
If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough - Mario Andretti

cyco1450

I'm not opposed to a refurb tool, but what the salesman did was literally go into a cardboard box under the register and start pulling out other ratchets that he tried to play off as refurbs but was nothing more than other broken ones. I did't appreciated being BS'd. I stood my ground and got a new ratchet.

KitNYC

I went into Sears a few months ago to get the 3/8" ratchet I bought in the late '80s replaced. The cashier went into a drawer and pulled out a ratchet that looked nearly identical to mine and handed it to me. The one I gave him didn't work, the one he gave me did. No hassle, I was in and out in five minutes, I'm calling that a win.

Cheers,
-Kit

zelatore

I think the 'box 'o ratchets' under the counter are returns/refurbs. It's pretty easy to do with a simple kit, but I wouldn't expect cashiers to do it while you wait.

__________________
Don
'06 Speed Triple
'96 Adventurer Cafe Racer
and a bunch of other stuff
If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough - Mario Andretti