Craftsman Deal

[SirNik83]

This is a pretty screaming deal. I'm in no way affiliated with Sears, in fact they've pissed me off lately, but this is the same tool kit my dad bought me when I was 15. Its a great set of tools to throw in the back of the car.

http://jalopnik.com/this-220pc-mechanic ... -498570485

I just did the check out like the guy on Jalopnik said, and it was 79.99 final price. 86 and change after taxes with free shipping.

Thought I'd pass this along

[SirNik83]

Got the Craftsman Tool Deal that I posted about. 4 boxes came to the office. 3 were small 1 was large. The Large box had my name on it. We oped the boxes. Everyone else in the office got their tools in a small sleek briefcase size box. Mine was in a larger suite case size box. Open the boxes and start looking at the tools. My tools all say "made in the USA" the other 3 boxes all have the same tools but none of them say made in the USA. The tools in the other 3 boxes are all a little fatter and less refined looking.... Thanks Sears for selling crap you can buy a Harbor Freight. At least I got the Made in the USA tools.

[splatterdog]

Same set, all from the same order? Very not good if so. I bet the others were jealous. Do theirs even say craftsman?

F China and the US companies who are selling us out. It seems these companies just don't learn until nobody buys their product or the Chinese have reverse engineered it and are pumping competing product out the back door. Google "china ghost shift". I put my money where my mouth is and check "made in" on every purchase these days.

Sure hate to see Sears circle the drain..

[Petros]

I had fiannally broke one of my craftman ratchet wrenches, one I had bought in a set in High school about 35 years ago. It had a nice finish, felt nice in the hand and the left/right switch was postive and solid. They no longer make that model I was told at sears, they offered me their current model. It looked thick and clunky, the left/right switch was a little lever that wiggled aroaund and did not make a positive click. I found out later that this new wrench when using it the left/right switch would sometimes switch places just from getting banged or if it touches something in tight quarters while you are using it. so sometimes as I am ratcheting off a stiff bolt that will not spin free, after a couple of strokes I have pull the ratchet off the bolt and switch it back to the off position. It is just not the same as the one it replaced.

I was at a garage sale recently and found an old style craftsman ratchet wrench with the good switch, I bought it for $4. So that looks like the source of the best tools now, buy used.

It is not always the fault of the company, the tax and regulatory conditions forces the company to go off shore with the manufacturing just to stay in business. It would be nice however that if they do take it off short, that they keep their quality in place. Sadly this is not always the case.

Making quality tools in this country is very costly, S-K tool company went out of business a few years ago. S-K was one of my first ratchet/socket set I got (a Christmas present from my dad when i was about 12 years old, I still have it!), but the last time I saw that set for sale it was well over $100. The larger sets were in the hundreds fo dollar range.

[ARCHINSTL]

It is not always the fault of the company, the tax and regulatory conditions forces the company to go off shore with the manufacturing just to stay in business.

I think this is being a bit disingenuous.
Sears has been under enormous pressure (in all product areas) from Walmart in particular and Target/Home Depot/Lowes in general to keep lowering prices.
That is the real reason to drive manufacturing off-shore.

Incidentally, I still have my first set of Craftsman tools, bought for the first Morris Minor in 1958 - you are certainly correct about the "old school" ratchet selector! It had Whitworth sockets and box/open ends, and I soon bought the equivalent SAE sizes. I still have all of the SAE items, but sold the Whitworth when I sold my last Britmobile in 2003 (the Singer), and received some bigga bucks for them.

As mentioned, S-K made quality tools as well - we used them in the bike shop, along with the '70s-'80s Craftsman tools I bought over those years.
Fortunately, having tools and sockets from 5 workbenches, I have enough to last long past my lifetime - and the daughter can reap the profits from the garage sales when I croak.
Tom M.

[Petros]

It is not always the fault of the company, the tax and regulatory conditions forces the company to go off shore with the manufacturing just to stay in business.

I think this is being a bit disingenuous.
Sears has been under enormous pressure (in all product areas) from Walmart in particular and Target/Home Depot/Lowes in general to keep lowering prices.
That is the real reason to drive manufacturing off-shore.

That might be true for sears, but my comment was for about many manufacturing companies in general. I was not being "disingenuous", this is not the correct word here tom (better check with the grammar police).

I do not know the situation at Sears, their tools were always more expensive than the discount store tools, that came from the orient for the last 40 years or more. Does Walmart sell an equivalent tool brand as Craftsman? Lowes sells a "Colbolt" brand tools, but I have not found the quality that good (the chrome peels off), neither Lowes or Home Depot sell automotive tools, even though both sponsor stock cars. Though I can appreciate the pressure from Walmart, everyone feels it when they open up. They are now in the process of building a third walmart within about 12 miles of each other where I live in a relatively low population area. I have no idea what the wizards of smart over at walmart are thinking, their prices are not really that competitive anymore. The nearest Sears in over 20 miles away, prices are not the whole picture.

[splatterdog]

It is not always the fault of the company, the tax and regulatory conditions forces the company to go off shore with the manufacturing just to stay in business.

I think this is being a bit disingenuous.
Sears has been under enormous pressure (in all product areas) from Walmart in particular and Target/Home Depot/Lowes in general to keep lowering prices.
That is the real reason to drive manufacturing off-shore.

Tom M.

The mindless consumer is just as much to blame as anyone else. Sometimes the better made, non chinese product, is cheaper. Even when it isn't, the quality usually pays off in longer service life.

Speaking of mindless consumers, anyone ever check out- http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

[ARCHINSTL]

It is not always the fault of the company, the tax and regulatory conditions forces the company to go off shore with the manufacturing just to stay in business.

I think this is being a bit disingenuous.

I was not being "disingenuous", this is not the correct word here tom (better check with the grammar police).

Drat - you are correct. Mea culpa.
I should have just typed "a bit simplistic."
Tom