Talk:Craftsman (tools)

Warranty
article states that all craftsman tools are covered under the same warranty. this is not true. different products have different warranties, for example most if not all craftsman torque wrenches are only covered for 90 days.

Also - is it just me, or does this thing not read like it was written by a Sears Holding executive? Or at least an ad agency executive working for Sears Holdings? Don't get me wrong, I love my Craftsman tools, but I don't get quite this excited about them. -L. Greenway, Macon, GA — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.82.203.226 (talk) 11:13, 6 December 2005


 * Actually, torque wrenches are covered under the lifetime warranty, but calibration of the torque wrench is only covered for the initial 90 days. Contact your local Sears - I believe if you have a faulty torque wrench, and sending it (and paying for) calibration fails to solve the issue, you'll receive a brand new torque wrench, and a refund of the calibration fee.  Kythri 21:04, 28 November 2006 (UTC)


 * Torque wrenches only have a 1 year warranty against defects in material and workmanship and 90 days on calibration, not the lifetime warranty. 75.6.7.142 20:13, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

Someone elaborated on the warranties, so that criticism is no longer accurate. However the tone of the majority of the text definitely sounds like it was ripped directly off Craftsman's "About us" website or something. Jeffadams78 18:01, 1 May 2007 (UTC)

If there were references/sources to this page it would be legitimate; however, there are none listed. It cannot be justified as fact without evidence to back it up.

Unsigned:

Disillusionment
why is there no mention of the growing perception (this writer's personal observation) that the Craftsman brand, quality, and warranty are bygone things now being used only to market substandard 'harbor freight' quality junk to a market that refused to buy such tools, but won't or can't pay 'snap-on' prices? Is there any way to discuss (in an unbiased fashion) whether or not this perception reflects reality? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.163.128.130 (talk) 21:24, 18 December 2009 (UTC)

Do you people consider these to be high quality tools? I always expected them to be in line with Mastercraft, and look for name band tools. ...Matt — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.116.155.32 (talk) 20:57, 20 January 2012

Re: Footnote 27: "Warranty Information". Craftsman.com. Retrieved 2012-09-11. This hyperlink is NO longer valid. The following statements are not substantiated: "Previously it was a lifetime warranty which on August 2, 2012, was reduced to 25 years with receipt required.[27] " "Power tools have a one-year warranty.[27]" While secondary sources are listed in the footnotes, (ex. Consumerist) there is no first party, Craftsman.com reference which contains information on the 'hand tool' warranty. While Craftsman's website provides several customer service contact phone numbers and a 'terms & conditions' for use of website, a search of the site for "warranty" brought up 600 products rather than information on their warranty. (info above correct as of 11/18/15) -stylesrocks — Preceding unsigned comment added by Stylesrocks (talk • contribs) 09:34, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

Craftsman Tools Markings
What do the markings on craftman hand tools indicate?

The ones I purchased in 1962 are marked with a V  or a JW.

I have also seen them marked with an E, VV, and VW.

Could these characters indicate the company who manufactured them for Sears?

Jerry

Reno, NV


 * Typically, these forge-marks either refer to a manufacturer, or a date of manufacture. Kythri 21:12, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Our wrench is marked 1731 on the opposite side of 13/16 and then reads c1 Forged in the U.S.A. would like to know the age of this wrench. It was found in an old barn on great great grandfathers farm which is still in the family. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.145.4.166 (talk) 22:23, 14 July 2009 (UTC)

If you start a website to create a database for such info, there are plenty of people that would contribute their knowledge and original research to it, and then you could post that info here and link to the site in the biblio... but wikipedia doesn't allow original research (without a link - or "citation" - to an external site) to be posted in articles here, otherwise. Darr247 (talk) 22:09, 23 November 2015 (UTC) Darr247 (talk) 22:09, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

Warranty on Framing Hammers, Tape Measures
Craftsman has a new warranty on Framing Hammers & Tape Measurers, Framing hammers are no longer covered under the forever policy & tape measures will only be replaced in the tape fails to retract or the latch at the beginning of the tape falls off.

Craftsman Framing Hammers are still covered under the lifetime warranty; however, Craftsman no longer makes framing hammers. The result is that you can still exchange any old framing hammers you have for store credit which can be used to purchase another brands hammer.

Also the tape measure warranty covers basically anything that happens to the tool except for the blade being damaged. From what I've heard this change is due to abuse where people wpuld cut their tape’s blades in order to exchange them over and over for minor cosmetic damage & such. Also, I've noticed Sears has begun selling replacement blades you can insert into your measure, they're cheaper than buying a new tape and assume once you replace a broken blade your lock etc. is still covered. Nom Déplûmes 03:58, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

This change in warranty creates a problem for long time Craftsman users. When you bring in a older model Craftsman tape measure that did have a lifetime warranty they will give you a new one. By taking the new tape measure you no longer have the original lifetime warranty and your out of luck if it breaks latter on. (70.216.22.227 (talk) 03:24, 25 January 2009 (UTC))

Actual text of warranty online?
Does anyone know of the actual warranty text being online anywhere? I've found a Canadian Sears/Craftsman warranty, but not anything explicit for the United States. Kythri 21:11, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I haven't been able to find the text online, but here is the text from a combination square:

FULL UNLIMITED WARRENTY

If this product fails to give complete satisfaction, RETURN TO THE NEAREST SEARS STORE IN THE UNITED STATES and Sears will replace it, free of charge.

This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.

Sears, Roebuck and Co., Dept. 817WA, Hoffman Estates, IL 60179

However, the exact text can vary slightly, ussualy to detail exclusions on 'expendable' parts, such as the blades on a box-knife, but this is the general form on all the tools in the store where I work which have the lifetime warrenty.75.6.7.142 20:05, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

I have found that the warrenty does exsist —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.110.177.157 (talk) 17:34, 10 October 2007 (UTC)

You can find the warranty statements online if you view the owner's manual.--Cell21633 (talk) 09:42, 13 January 2008 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Craftsman logo.gif
Image:Craftsman logo.gif is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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BetacommandBot (talk) 21:34, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Striking tools
I removed this line from the page because I couldn't find a reference to back it up:


 * Since 1927, Craftsman has sold more hammers and other striking tools than any other brand.

Please don't add it back without a citation. —typhoon (talk) 21:27, 22 February 2010 (UTC)

where are these tools actually made?
I find it interesting that the craftsman tools sold at Ace Hardware all say made in China, yet the same tool sold at Sears, under a higher price, says made in USA, How do you know where it is actually made? It seems extremely suspicious to me. The quality is now junk, I've been using Older Craftsman tools for decades, and you couldn't pay me to use what they sell now. It's just a name, and no longer stands for anything. I have a roll around tool cabinet that began falling apart the day I bought it, took it back, and was told they don't warranty toolboxes. Go to Lowes or Home Depot, look at the quality of the tool boxes they sell, then go compare to a craftsman unit. The quality decline is apparent to anyone who uses the older tools on a regular basis. MY personal advice is to look in pawnshops, garage sales, equipment sales etc, buy all the older Craftsman tools you can find, plus any other decent American tools, The days of being able to buy a quality American made tool are numbered. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Lost1972 (talk • contribs) 07:43, 2 November 2011 (UTC)

The Craftsman Industrial hand tools are Made in USA, but are sold through industrial distributors like Grainger and MSC. You won't find them in Sears or other retail stores. It appears that the majority of the Craftsman tools in stores are made elsewhere now, mostly in China, but some also in Taiwan.

How do you know where the tools are made? Federal law requires that the packaging says so. The information is on every package I have seen for every tool I have purchased at retail regardless of the brand, but often it's in fine print.

I agree that the 'new' Craftsman offshore tools are not something I would buy, especially those made in China, the biggest military threat we will be facing in this century. Thank you for ruining Craftsman, Eddie Lampert. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.255.164.84 (talk) 12:27, 26 March 2014 (UTC)

Dunlap
The Dunlap branded tools were not made "into the 1950's". Sears abandoned the Dunlap trademark reg # 369614 post WWII, branding them Craftsman instead. A good example of this is the Dunlap branded 109.0703 lathe which was updated and release around 1946 as a Craftsman 109.20630 lathe. While some old stocks *might* have been sold in the EARLY 1950's, the brand was abandoned before that. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Aoresteen (talk • contribs) 19:10, 16 June 2022 (UTC)

Untitled
why don't the little socket sets come in a case like the old ones I just bought the new craftsman evolv 1/4 socket set an it keeps falling out the little snap thing they gave me thought buying craftsmen would get good case with it probably loose all the sockets — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dcoen69 (talk • contribs) 02:23, 25 June 2016 (UTC)

Perhaps a "Loss of previous quality and durability" Section is badly needed in this article?
As a lifetime DIY and Professional Engineer working at a large R&D Center for the Oil and Gas industry located in Mexico City, I can attest that most comments on this page are quite right. Maybe, a complete "Loss of previous quality" section is in order. As it is now, this article is biased and was written as if a too "motivated" and overly "creative" Sears employee or Sears phanatic wrote the introduction. But the SAD TRUTH is that the truly legendary quality and durability of Sears Craftsman (tm) tools of yesteryear has long been decaying to the "just for hobbyists" quality, if at all.

But hand tools are perhaps the less affected: Power tools and power bench or floor tools are worst! Drillstands are of lowest possible quality. Their quill is badly made and has way too much play, so that the holes drilled with Crafstman drillstands are useless, maybe only useful for unappreciative home woodworkers or so, but lack all precision for working with metals. Quill pulleys frequently are badly cast and come with displaced core castings, and even when those appear to be nicely turned on the outside belt grooves, they are grosly unbalanced and unusable, and to add insult to injury, the store refuses to exchange them alleging that the "warranty is only one year", so that sorry if you don't check the actual tool before leaving the store, or you will regret it when discovering the drillstand is useless and the store employees are uncooperative. As I am a true "Died in the wool" DIY, I refused to throw in the garbage the defective drillstand, and went to a professional lathe technician who turned a steel jacket for me and bored the drillstand head so that placing that jacket on the too loose quill, all the play was removed; then He turned the inside of the unbalanced pulley, and I used a lot of time and patience myself to "square" the drillstand post to a true 90 degrees, so that my home repaired and fixed unit now is workable, at an added cost over half of a new drillstand. When I talked with the aforementioned lathe technician (that is an experienced high precision machinist), He corrected me about my initial impression of the drillstand parts being badly machined with too much free play (I wrongly guessed they were machined on worn-out machinery, but his expert eye quickly pointed out that was NOT the case: He told me that the factory PURPOSEFULLY machined the parts with TOO MUCH FREE PLAY in order to EXPEDITE the assembly, as the Chinese are assembling their merchandise with the use of both too old and too young untrained people, so that the quill was made to be quickly and easily slided into the drill head, even by Too-old or Too-young workers, some of them working on board the very same ships used to transport the merchandise to America!

When I bought that damn drillstand, I also bought a 6" disk and 4X36" Belt bench sander, but that tool wasn't made in china, but was actually made by REXON TOOLS in Taiwan, and has worked "OK" for several years, much different than the useless drillstand. On electrical power tools, some people have sent me their Craftsman brand tools to repair them, as the Sears service shop pretended to charge too much for the repairs, making the owners doubt if the tools were worth it. On tools like hand drills, routers and sanders, I've been able to repair most of them and can attest to their low quality: routers have badly made and badly designed electrical motor brush holders, that fail miserably when the tool is used for more that a few minutes of reasonable use. Close inspection reveals sub-par materials and molding, that deform under the normal heat of a working tool, so that the brushes loose alignment and risk being catched by the conmutator slots, which destroys the brush and its holder! "Dremel type" Sears Craftsman mototools are also sub-par quality and its bearings get noisy too soon and develop too much play. Perhaps the price paid by Sears to the maker of the tool causes too agressive cost cutting, but the result is the same: tools that many years ago (more that 20 or 30) were of high quality, now are disposable garbage. We miss the former Sears quality, but won't miss their present quality at all. Sincerely, Amclaussen, 38+ years of engineering experience. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.217.139.188 (talk) 18:26, 10 June 2017 (UTC)
 * What you need is links to articles that talk about this; sources. We can't add unless some reliable source is publishing this fact.  If there are some, then yes, it would be a valid "Criticism" section.  Dennis Brown - 2&cent; 18:30, 10 June 2017 (UTC)
 * I looked around and found lots of forum posts but little in the way of RS. Agreed we can't add this without RS. I did take the awards fluff out of the lead. Kendall-K1 (talk) 22:50, 10 June 2017 (UTC)
 * Sounds good. I was poking around, but saw you were getting better work done, so sitting out til you're done. Maybe tomorrow I will do another search for articles about quality.  Most magazines won't publish articles on declining quality because they want them to run ads, so there is a bit of conflict of interest.  Then, we have to follow the sources, so it doesn't matter.  Like you said: no sources, no prose.  Dennis Brown - 2&cent; 23:00, 10 June 2017 (UTC)
 * I'm done, sorry I got carried away. There's a bit in Consumerist but it's more about people worried about future quality decline than about decline in the last few years. Kendall-K1 (talk) 23:10, 10 June 2017 (UTC)