RobS
Super Member
I still buy and use Craftsman hand tools. Available at our local Ace Hardware and Amazon so it's convenient. Haven't been in a Sears store in ages. I gave up on their power and lawn tools some time ago.
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ultrarunner
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- Cat D3, Deere 110 TLB, Kubota BX23 and L3800 and RTV900 with restored 1948 Deere M, 1949 Farmall Cub, 1953 Ford Jubliee and 1957 Ford 740 Row Crop, Craftsman Mower, Deere 350C Dozer 50 assorted vehicles from 1905 to 2006
I remember looking through the new Sears Catalog each year... pretty much each page and I always made at least a couple of orders... I liked their work shirts too.
Travelover
Elite Member
Yes they did - a 6" and a 12" model. I've still got the 6" and used to buy accessories for it from Sears.
Years ago Sears used to be my go-to place for any tool they sold. I even had a large garden tractor that provided excellent service for 15 years that was purchased ~ 1998 and I passed to a friend when I moved into a rental during the building of our new home. As others have noted, for quite some time their power tools have not been any better than Wal-Mart's. The only tools from Sears I would now purchase are strictly Craftsman hand tools, such as combination wrenches, as even their ratchets are now lower quality. I have purchased quite a few hand tools and power tools from Lowes or Home Depot the last few years, or the Internet, instead of Sears. Last Christmas I purchased two of their digital torque wrenches that were on sale for a large discount and returned the same day after I got them home and was able to inspect closely. Very disappointed.
In our new home we supplied our own Kenmore kitchen appliances per Consumer Reports ratings for specific models tested and so far are very pleased. We also got them for ~ 30% discount as we just happened to luck into the apppliance industry's annual sales. Kenmore as a brand for large appliances are usually pretty good. As is typical, the home builder's appliance selection did not meet my standards. Neither did their windows, hot water heater nor insulation, etc., but that is a topic for a different post.
In our new home we supplied our own Kenmore kitchen appliances per Consumer Reports ratings for specific models tested and so far are very pleased. We also got them for ~ 30% discount as we just happened to luck into the apppliance industry's annual sales. Kenmore as a brand for large appliances are usually pretty good. As is typical, the home builder's appliance selection did not meet my standards. Neither did their windows, hot water heater nor insulation, etc., but that is a topic for a different post.
MossRoad
Super Moderator
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- South Bend, Indiana (near)
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- Power Trac PT425 2001 Model Year
I just bought a set of hand tools from them two years ago. I switched jobs and had to buy my own tools. It was on sale and met my standard of not the best and not the worst. I use them every day to make my living and they haven't let me down so far. It was one of those 250ish piece tool sets with 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2" drives, a bunch of sockets in both standard and metric, some allen wrenches, some open end wrenches and a bit driver handle and some common bits. I complemented that with a large screwdriver set and a 20 piece ratcheting wrench set. None of them have broken in two years, as compared to my collection of Harbor Freight tools that have failed. Snapped allen wrenches, bent screwdrivers, broken ratchets, etc....
I will no longer buy electric power tools from Sears. I can get other brands of what appears to be better quality for similar prices at a local tool supply place. I looked for tool boxes at Sears and went with a mid-range box from Menard's instead for 2/3 the price. Never had any gas powered Sears equipment.
I have a Craftsman electric lawn edger that I beat the snot out of every year for the last 30 years. Still works! I just used my Sears table saw yesterday that's about 20 years old. And I still have my original socket set I bought from them when I was 17 or 18 years old.
Have only been in the store once or twice in the last two years, and that was mostly because the parking there is empty and we walk through to the rest of the mall.
I will no longer buy electric power tools from Sears. I can get other brands of what appears to be better quality for similar prices at a local tool supply place. I looked for tool boxes at Sears and went with a mid-range box from Menard's instead for 2/3 the price. Never had any gas powered Sears equipment.
I have a Craftsman electric lawn edger that I beat the snot out of every year for the last 30 years. Still works! I just used my Sears table saw yesterday that's about 20 years old. And I still have my original socket set I bought from them when I was 17 or 18 years old.
Have only been in the store once or twice in the last two years, and that was mostly because the parking there is empty and we walk through to the rest of the mall.
OP
ultrarunner
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- Cat D3, Deere 110 TLB, Kubota BX23 and L3800 and RTV900 with restored 1948 Deere M, 1949 Farmall Cub, 1953 Ford Jubliee and 1957 Ford 740 Row Crop, Craftsman Mower, Deere 350C Dozer 50 assorted vehicles from 1905 to 2006
My old craftsman 3.5 hp push mower never died... and it got a lot of use... what happened is the deck eventually rusted through.
A few years back I bought a socket/ratchet set in a cheap case with the plastic hinges... first thing I did was measure the drawer width in my Craftsman tool box and used a band saw to cut both halves of the case to fit my drawer... works great and was cheap.
I also bought 6 craftsman roll-aways for use in the operating rooms at work for Anesthesia... they were 20 cents on the dollar compared to cabinets marketed through the medical lines and the Docs like them... even made another one into a crash cart...
A few years back I bought a socket/ratchet set in a cheap case with the plastic hinges... first thing I did was measure the drawer width in my Craftsman tool box and used a band saw to cut both halves of the case to fit my drawer... works great and was cheap.
I also bought 6 craftsman roll-aways for use in the operating rooms at work for Anesthesia... they were 20 cents on the dollar compared to cabinets marketed through the medical lines and the Docs like them... even made another one into a crash cart...
Toyboy
Platinum Member
Since Sears started sourcing the hand tools (wrenches, sockets,screwdrivers, etc) from China, all of my friends have dropped buying there. Now we search out the quality USA stuff from garage sales & flea mkts.
MossRoad
Super Moderator
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- Aug 31, 2001
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- South Bend, Indiana (near)
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- Power Trac PT425 2001 Model Year
When we got married in 1985 and bought our house, my in-laws gave us a brand new 2.5hp Craftsman mower. Geeze, I forgot about that. Anyhow, it was not self-propelled. I had dreams of a self-propelled Lawn Boy back then, and for some stupid reason, I was kinda upset that they would interfere with our marriage and buy us a cheap Sears lawnmower without consultation.... especially since my father-in-law was so particular about his lawn and had Lawn Boys (I slowly changed my mind over the years, realized I was an idiot, and appreciated the nice gesture they did for us, becoming more of a good son-in-law than the unappreciative moron I was). Anyhow, being the stupid kind of young punk that I was, I beat the heck out of that lawnmower the first year and shoved it in the garage for the winter. The following spring, I pulled it out, put gas in it, topped off the oil and the stupid thing started on the first pull. I again beat the snot out of it and repeated shoving it into the garage for the winter. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, etc... 18 or 19 years later.... Never an oil change. Never a spark plug change. Never drained the gas. Original air cleaner just tapped out once a year. Topped off the oil once per spring. And the dang thing still would start on the first pull!!! We'd even make a big deal out of it and gather the wife and kids to see if the thing would start fist pull each spring, and it would! I grew to love that lawnmower and looked forward to using it every week and the hope of it starting again each spring. Finally, the areas on the deck where the front wheels mounted had bent so badly over the years, that the wheels where pointing more to the sides than forward, the deck was cracking beyond repair, and it was time to retire it.
I saved the engine and it holds a place of honor in my garage..... the engine that wouldn't die! And I have a great relationship with my now elderly in-laws. They are now my parents and I watch out for them and help them any way I can. That lawnmower was way more than a lawnmower. :thumbsup:
