# Rant - Sears stock



## bgriggs (Nov 26, 2008)

Sears no longer stocks brushes for their power tools in store. I finally recently wore out the brushes in my Craftsman router and needed to replace them. Sears employees didn't know what I was talking about. They could help me locate the product online only if I had the model number.......

I went home and ordered the brushes. BTW sears only sells one brush at a time. So if you order a set you need to order two. I ordered a new set for both my routers but I suspect my next router will not be from Sears.

I really liked the router it featured soft start, LED lights and variable speed. Sears recently changed suppliers again so who knows.

Bill


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

yeah, they probably went to stuff made in china. i recently got a chinese-made craftsman air compressor and it was dead on arrival. after returning it, i got an american made husky one at home depot.

it's a pretty sad day when craftsman stuff is junk


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 6, 2006)

Chris Curl said:


> yeah, they probably went to stuff made in china. i recently got a chinese-made craftsman air compressor and it was dead on arrival. after returning it, i got an american made husky one at home depot.
> 
> it's a pretty sad day when craftsman stuff is junk


Yeah. That's why some refer to them as "Crapsman Tools".


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

I have been able to find replacement brushes that aren't exact replacements, but work, at a local family run hardware store. If you have one of these stores still open near you, take one of your worn brushes with you to see if they have something that fits. Several of my tools now have "generic" brushes in them and they are working fine. 

Charley


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## denniswoody (Dec 11, 2011)

In Canada if you want a Craftsman product you are probably out of luck. I was looking for a Craftsman planer a while back based on a positive review in Fine Woodworking magazine. Not available. Only General International and other brands. Too bad because I have a few Craftsman tools and they have all been great quality. My dad worked for Sears his whole life so we have always been partial to their stuff. His employee discount helped a bit LOL.


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## paduke (Mar 28, 2010)

k mart has ruined sears


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## Garyk (Dec 29, 2011)

I almost never buy replacement items from the OEM. There are plenty of places that sell parts that are a less costly alternative. DON"T order anything from anywhere that doesn't have an easy return policy though. Don't want junk you can't return. Buy through Pay Pal if you can, that way you are protected from unscrupulous companies. I bought a switch for a Delta sander that they wanted $120 for at a local electronics store for $12 and change. Exact same switch as the original. I Googled Craftsman tool parts and found 6 other suppliers on the first page. Shop around.


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

bgriggs said:


> Sears no longer stocks brushes for their power tools in store. I finally recently wore out the brushes in my Craftsman router and needed to replace them. Sears employees didn't know what I was talking about. They could help me locate the product online only if I had the model number.......
> 
> I went home and ordered the brushes. BTW sears only sells one brush at a time. So if you order a set you need to order two. I ordered a new set for both my routers but I suspect my next router will not be from Sears.
> 
> ...


One other thing they did a couple of years ago is no longer ship parts to a store for pickup... get to pay $9 or so for shipping directly to home. :fie:


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## jack3140 (Aug 24, 2012)

jschaben said:


> One other thing they did a couple of years ago is no longer ship parts to a store for pickup... get to pay $9 or so for shipping directly to home. :fie:


i have had the same experience with sears i finally got tired of the degradation of the service and they are now selling junk so i just dont buy anything there anymore i even closed my account ..too bad used to be such a good place to buy and feel safe !


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## Harrison67 (May 30, 2012)

paduke said:


> k mart has ruined sears




Yes, that and greed.


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## papawd (Jan 5, 2011)

Well just today I think I am at the point of no more Sears, went to pick up the Dewalt planer ( I had to find in the store as the 2 ladies and 1 young man working tools had no idea what a planer was or does) it was not omly the demo but used and returned that is why it was $325.00 not all the parts there so I cancelled and the service was horrible.....


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## Maroonram (Jul 10, 2012)

*Sears - Craftsman Tools*

Poor Sears. I use to have all floor model Craftsman Tools.....today I have none.

Back in the 60's and 70's I moved about every year in business and knew there would always be a Sears where ever I went. You could walk into any Sears tool department and all of the sales people knew what you were talking about. Today the folks are still friendly but they don't know tools or anything about woodworking. They might have worked in home furnishings the day before and in the appliance section the day before that.

The other problem I have with Craftsman tools are most non-Sears after market accessories will not work with Craftsman tools. Also, when Sears no longer carries your model tool good luck getting parts.

These problems started long before they became involved with K Mart, that just amplified them.

I still buy a lot of my hand tools at Sears.


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## BrianS (Nov 7, 2004)

I have to agree with this... I too have a lot of Craftsman hand tools and have NO complaints with them. Decent quality and guaranteed for life. I've never broken any, but a friend has and took it back and recieved a new replacement immediately, no questions asked. 

The lack of parts support doesn't stop with power tools. Small appliances are not supported for very long either.


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## Bonka (Aug 28, 2010)

What do you mean by "Greed?"


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## gkas (Nov 28, 2011)

Yup... Shop at Sears if you want junk, no service, and extremely high prices. Their tools are no longer worth buying.


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## bgriggs (Nov 26, 2008)

gkas said:


> Yup... Shop at Sears if you want junk, no service, and extremely high prices. Their tools are no longer worth buying.


I don't classify the router I bought as junk. In fact it is one of the nicest routers I owned. What I was dissatisfied with was the service and parts availability. Once the parts and service were the hallmark of the Sears business. Now.... not so much.

Bill


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## Dmeadows (Jun 28, 2011)

And yet Sears has one of the largest service organization around, as well as on of the largest parts inventories around!


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

Bill, good that you got the parts. Thanks for the advice on the brushes. My experience with Sears is not good. I did buy my son a C'man circular saw for Christmas but he will only use it occasionaly. Sears contracts with manufacturers for their products. At one time, their power tools were made in SC by Singer Motor Products, a former customer of mine. Sears will change a few thing from the OEM item so all parts will not interchange. Found this out later. They also project what parts and the number will be needed for future use. When they run out, you are outtaluck. I do have a Sears corded drill that has served me well but has no torque for driving screws. Use a Ryobi rechargeable for that.


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## Dmeadows (Jun 28, 2011)

When I started out as a TV tech in the mid 1970's most models of television were being produced for several years basically with only minor modifications. When it broke, there was a very good chance that I had the part on my truck to repair it. Today, the production cycle is down to 6 months, more or less, and *everything* changes. When I retired 2 years ago, Sears parts database listed about 3 million parts for electronic stuff alone. Some 6+ million parts total! Guess what! The chance of having the part I need was now near zero! However I don't know too many people who would prefer to go back to the older TV's!

Yes, Sears, and any other retailer(that actually does service... most don't!) must anticipate parts usage for the life expectancy of the product and order them when ordering the merchandise. Anyone who thinks any manufacturer will retool a production line to make them 1 part(or even likely a hundred parts) is rather naive and unrealistic!

This is one of the advantages of a Bosch or a DW 625(don't expect it with a Dewalt cordless drill for example) type product. They run for several years basically unchanged, thus the parts are still in production and available.

Some people like being able to maintain a tool for lifetime. Other as I have seen mentioned on this forum like to sell off the old and buy new every couple of years for no other reason than to have new! People do that with furniture as well. These folks go for the mass manufactured inexpensive stuff( cheap junk if you will).

I have a Sears(Ryobi made) 3 1/4HP plunge router I purchased new about 17 years ago. Still running fine, yes many parts are no longer available. It cost me about $170.00 then, so about $10/year of use! I know I likely will never be able to repair it, but you will not find me complaining about it either!

Admittedly many Craftsman power tools are made these days for more occasional use. But the price reflects this. Yet I see *many* still working after many years and for sale on eBay or CL. They is a trade off between quality and price, yes.
But that is so with most if not all things in life. There will always be someone to make and sell products for less demanding users. Many times the make more money than those making top of the line. I can buy many Craftsman routers for what one Festool costs, and the many will likely last as long as the one!

If you don't like Craftsman, don't buy it. But good grief, many others will!!


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## Stan Draughon (Oct 2, 2012)

paduke said:


> k mart has ruined sears



Sears ruined Sears with its own restructuring some years ago. Try as I might, I can't make myself do much shopping there any more. When they started hassling me for bringing back tools for exchange under the ages-old lifetime guarantee, that was pretty much it for me.


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

> These problems started long before they became involved with K Mart


I ran into this about 35 years ago. Handtools are made only by a couple of companies; learned this when I sold industrial supplies. It wouldn't surprise me that Sears Craftsman tools aren't made by the same people who make Lowe's Kobalt brand.


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