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Re:Sears Hasn’t Fared Better After Bankruptcy by RHSeeger on Tuesday October 15, 2019 @10:28AM (#21258733)
> I noticed the store filling up with Craftsman, Kenmore, and other Sears-branded junk.

Such a shame; Craftsman used to be THE name in home tools. If one broke, you could bring it back for a replacement... forever.

Re:Sears Hasn’t Fared Better After Bankruptcy by RankingMember on Tuesday October 15, 2019 @11:01AM (#21259144)
You still can- Lowes carries Craftsman now and honors the forever warranty (no receipt needed) for tools purchased from other retailers. That said, if you have older USA-made Craftsman stuff I don't recommend warrantying them unless they're totally destroyed as you'll be given a modern cheaply-made Chinese tool. If it's something serviceable like a ratchet, better to buy a kit to repair it rather than hand it in.
Re:Sears Hasn’t Fared Better After Bankruptcy by dehrmann on Tuesday October 15, 2019 @10:50PM (#21266602)
Craftsman has always been rebranded tools. They used to do a good job picking well-made tools, but now they're just cashing in on whatever value is left in the brand.
Re:Sears Hasn’t Fared Better After Bankruptcy by RankingMember on Wednesday October 16, 2019 @08:27AM (#21269610)
They never made the tools themselves, yes, but they weren't exclusively re-brands. Rather, their tools were a mix of in-house designs (manufacturing outsourced) and re-brands.
Re:Sears Hasn’t Fared Better After Bankruptcy by newnewpdro on Tuesday October 15, 2019 @06:06PM (#21264469)
This bait and switch infuriates me.
Re:Sears Hasn’t Fared Better After Bankruptcy by delfinom on Tuesday October 15, 2019 @10:38AM (#21258855)
Now you can buy quite a few (not all) Home Depot (Husky) or Lowes (Kobalt) tools and come with the free replacement for life warranty. Like sockets/wrenches which Craftsman was popular for, you can now buy from the other 2 guys with lifetime warranty and the quality is on par.
Re:Sears Hasn’t Fared Better After Bankruptcy by bluGill on Tuesday October 15, 2019 @11:30AM (#21259496)
Sort of. With the old sears they had all the replacements in stock with no hassle. I tried to warranty a Husky torque wrench once, they don't have that in store, so I get to hassle with contacting husky myself... I didn't the replacement same day to finish my project, so I went elsewhere and swore not to buy husky again because a warranty is meaningless if I can get a replacement when I need it.
Re:Sears Hasn’t Fared Better After Bankruptcy by imglorp on Tuesday October 15, 2019 @02:01PM (#21261599)
Shucks, even Harbor Freight has lifetime warranty on hand tools.

At this point, I tend to get the cheap stuff first. If it survives your usage, great. If not, that's a sign to take the savings and get some quality for that one thing.

Re:Sears Hasn’t Fared Better After Bankruptcy by davio on Tuesday October 15, 2019 @10:47AM (#21258975)
Lowes is heavily showcasing Craftsman tools now. I'd expect Kobalt to disappear as a brand.
Re:Sears Hasn’t Fared Better After Bankruptcy by paulie_a on Tuesday October 15, 2019 @06:13PM (#21264522)
Harbor freight is pretty good.

The problem with home Depot online is there are way too many options. Sometimes fewer options are better

I like Wayfair much more for many things instead of home Depot. I can dial it in on the web search easily.

If I am buying from home Depot I'm going to the store. And props to them they have excellent customer service with genuinely knowledgeable people. Good luck using their search

Re:Sears Hasn’t Fared Better After Bankruptcy by paulddraper on Tuesday October 15, 2019 @08:33PM (#21265776)
Harbor Freight is the go-to place for buying a rarely used tool.

Ridiculously cheap, in both price and quality.

Re:Sears Hasn’t Fared Better After Bankruptcy by airstrike on Tuesday October 15, 2019 @11:17AM (#21259337)
Probably thanks to Stanley Black & Decker acquiring Craftsman