My Shopping Adventure: Sears and Wiha Tools

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SUMMARY

This discussion centers on the experiences and preferences of forum members regarding tool purchases, specifically highlighting Craftsman and Wiha tools. Users praised Craftsman for its lifetime warranty and ease of replacement, particularly for hand tools like socket wrenches and screwdrivers. Wiha tools, known for their precision, were also mentioned positively, with members sharing their experiences of purchasing various tools from Sears and hobby shops. The conversation reflects a strong sentiment towards investing in quality tools for both personal and professional use.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of hand tools, specifically Craftsman and Wiha brands.
  • Familiarity with tool warranties and replacement policies.
  • Knowledge of tool types, including socket wrenches and precision screwdrivers.
  • Awareness of retail strategies such as loss-leaders and bait-and-switch tactics.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the Craftsman lifetime warranty policy and its implications for tool purchases.
  • Explore the range of Wiha precision tools and their applications in various trades.
  • Investigate the differences between Craftsman and Snap-On tools for professional use.
  • Learn about effective strategies for negotiating prices and securing discounts in retail settings.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for DIY enthusiasts, professional tradespeople, and anyone interested in purchasing quality hand tools and understanding warranty policies. It provides insights into tool selection and the importance of investing in reliable brands.

Cyrus
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I love sears. I went there today and bought a bench vise. (craftsman) I want to buy all their tools :!)

I also went to the hobby shop and bought 7 small precision screw drivers for $30.00, made in germany (wiha tools) :!) http://www.wihatools.com/images/Precision/267px200.jpg

You can never have enough tools. :-p
 
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If you pay extra for the Craftsman designation, you will have a lifetime replacement guarantee. I don't necessarily do this for things like sockets, but I certainly do for the racheting socket wrenches that drive them. Last fall, my 30-year-old 1/2" drive Craftsman socket wrench failed while I was driving big carriage bolts to build a tree stand. I took it to the local Sears store and the manager handed me a new one, with no questions, no forms to sign (take that, Wal-Mart) and no fuss. In less than a minute I was back out of the store with a new wrench. They often put screwdriver sets on sale as loss-leaders, but get to the sale early because supplies are usually VERY limited. I went to the Sears store to get 13" Michelin tires for my wife's Civic years ago and I got there when the store opened, only to have the manager tell me that they were sold out. I told her that if she didn't want to have a date with the Attorney General, she would have a set available to me at the sale price before the end of the week. She did. Watch closely for the "bait and switch" and complain loudly and publicly, and you will get the sales price.
 
And I make pointless threads...
 
Pengwuino said:
And I make pointless threads...

You're a tool. This thread is for men, what are you doing here? Go back to your cooking, woman.
 
cyrusabdollahi said:
You're a tool. This thread is for men, what are you doing here? Go back to your cooking, woman.

Why would you not want a tool in your thread about tools for one. Two, shut up, I am staying.
 
Well, if your going to stay, go make me some food, woman.
 
cyrusabdollahi said:
Well, if your going to stay, go make me some food, woman.

You have a servant, why are you telling me to.

Get over here and do your job yomamma.
 
cyrusabdollahi said:
I love sears. I went there today and bought a bench vise. (craftsman) I want to buy all their tools :!)

I also went to the hobby shop and bought 7 small precision screw drivers for $30.00, made in germany (wiha tools) :!) http://www.wihatools.com/images/Precision/267px200.jpg

You can never have enough tools. :-p

Choke, choke, i have to agree with you Syrus (am i nuts) you can not have enough tools, i have some older than me many of my tools are customised for one only jobs, but come in handy for others, the socket set is the back bone with many additional extentions knuckels reducers etc, etc.
I still have several solid copper soldering irons that belonged to my grandad all different shapes and sizes, still very usefull for fixing car radiators in situ or other heavy jobs.

Oh if you want good tools buy snap on or parax.
 
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Snap-On tools are great, but IMO, often not worth the extra cost. I tended to buy Snap-On for specialty or high precision tools, and craftsman for everything else.

When I was 19 and bought the biggest tool set that craftsman sold [cost about 15% of my yearly income then], I felt like a kid in a candy store. They were all so pretty. :biggrin:
 
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  • #10
Ivan Seeking said:
Snap-On tools are great, but IMO, often not worth the extra cost. I tended to buy Snap-On for specialty or high precision tools, and craftsman for everything else.

When I was 19 and bought the biggest tool set that craftsman sold, I felt like a kid in a candy store. They were all so pretty. :biggrin:

Man, I saw in their catalog their "biggest set" its like a 2k piece set and costs somewhere like 5-6 grand!...worth every penny.

But being realistic, that's for someone who wants to own a shop.

Yep, snap-on are good tools. Better than craftsman.
 
  • #11
cyrusabdollahi said:
Man, I saw in their catalog their "biggest set" its like a 2k piece set and costs somewhere like 5-6 grand!...worth every penny.

But being realistic, that's for someone who wants to own a shop.

A shop or a professional.

Some of it was a waste. They threw in all of these funky fit-all thingies that never really worked very well. But with the price break per tool, it was still a better option than buying tools individually. And I had the slickest standard/metric/course/fine tap and die set of anyone I knew.
 
  • #12
When you work in the car repair trade having the right tool can save hours
and make one mega bucks, i am sure Ivan will know that a 50$ tool can save
houres of frustration.
 
  • #13
Wolram, i would bet that you've made a few of your own tools for special jobs?
 
  • #14
If I had the money, I wouldn't buy taps or dies made from anyone but Irwin-Hanson. But then, I didn't even know that Craftsman made tap sets.
 
  • #15
Agree. Sears totally rocks as a tool shop. So much good stuff, and sometimes even good discounts :) My father bought and still buys his tools at sears.
 
  • #16
Ivan Seeking said:
Wolram, i would bet that you've made a few of your own tools for special jobs?

Well for sure, as i all most know you have, a 4ft long tap extention to reclaim a thread in the bowles of a machine, that otherwise would have ment a major strip down, many of my screw drivers are tailored to certain jobs, and many of my spanners have unusual bends and ground edges, some times thinking of how to adapt a tool to do a specific job can save a company
1000s of $ in down time.
 
  • #17
Gokul43201 said:
If I had the money, I wouldn't buy taps or dies made from anyone but Irwin-Hanson. But then, I didn't even know that Craftsman made tap sets.

Yep, likewise, everyone wanted to own Snap-On, but at three times the price it just wasn't worth it for most people. With craftsman's lifetime warranty it's hard to justify the extra bucks.
 
  • #18
I just love the Craftsman lifetime warranty! :biggrin: They don't ask any questions when I return a screwdriver with a melted handle because it went through the autoclave (some plastics are autoclavable, but not the kind the screwdriver handles are made out of...we were in a pinch and needed a screwdriver for a surgical procedure without the time to buy an all metal one...it didn't melt TOO badly o:)).

They also didn't ask questions when the vet brought in the pruning shears (what Evo calls "loppers") covered in dried blood and with a broken handle (then again, maybe nobody would ask questions under those circumstances :rolleyes:)...the vet used them as rib cutters during necropsies.
 
  • #19
I will buy Craftsman hand tools but I will never buy their power tools. They are garbage and of course do not get the warranty.
 
  • #20
Pengwuino said:
You have a servant, why are you telling me to.

Get over here and do your job yomamma.
I have no job, I have other things to do...
 
  • #21
FredGarvin said:
I will buy Craftsman hand tools but I will never buy their power tools.
Which then begs the question : What's your brand of choice for various power tools?

I'll start.

Cordless drills : I like the Milwaukee hammer drills and the Bosch impact drivers. As for regular drills (on low/medium duty jobs), I like the Milwaukee. I've also had one good experience with a Panasonic.
 
  • #22
I'll tell you the best power tools. Go out to an old parts store and buy an *OLD* drill press, or and *OLD* bansaw. Those things weigh a ton, and last *FOREVER.*

Most all tools should last a long time provided you use them correctly.
 
  • #23
Perhaps I should have said portable power tools? I'm not real likely to go out and buy me a Cincinnati Hydrashift Lathe, for instance.
 
  • #24
Why not man, how can you live without one? :confused:
 
  • #25
cyrusabdollahi said:
Why not man, how can you live without one? :confused:
I don't have to. The Grad Student Machine Shop has 3! :biggrin:
 
  • #26
As an example of Craftsman power tools:
I own a Craftsman compound miter saw (birthday gift). After a year's operation, the electric brake part of the motor has gone on the fritz. It's intermittent and when it does work, squeals like a banshee. I tried replacing up front items like the brushes and bearings, but no good. So I called Craftsman. They told me that I should buy a replacement motor at a cost of about 125% of the whole saw. The rep actually tried to justify the expense. No more for Craftsman.

I would love to get a lathe and a mill for my garage. No way that's happening. I'll just keep using the 5 axes machines at work.

I don't particularily have a preference in power tools. Especially in the cordless area, I have to read up on each tool that I buy. No one has a lock on portables. I have been given a B&D 18 v Firestorm, which has served me well, but it's batteries and charger leave MUCH to be desired. I won't be buying them again most likely. When I get another, it will be between Miluwakee, Porter Cable and Dewalt. Of course, that means shelling out the bucks.
 
  • #27
I have a Dewalt 12" Compound miter saw, and she's a beaut! Smooth and sharp cuts every time.

When I did ironwork, we had Milwaukee, Dewalt and Skil tools.

Craftsman were OK for screwdrivers, wrenches (spanners), socket wrenches (which reminds me I still need to replace a socket I fractured), pliers, channel locks, and visegrips. :biggrin:

I keep an 18-inch socket wrench with 3-inch extension and the appropriate socket for the lug-nuts on the car. It has come in handy a few times.
 
  • #28
I don't use the Craftsman saw any more. I guess I need to figure out something to do with it and get it out of my garage. So I got a replacement. I was going to shell out the bucks for a Dewalt, but a couple of reviews caught my eye
(http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/articles/showarticle.asp?articleID=1554&position=2&type=article&partID=1) .

So, after reading up on the Pro-Tech, I decided to get one. So far, it kicks butt. I must say that I was skeptical of going with an unknown but it has really panned out well so far.
 
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  • #29
Sears go on your steak, not your hand.
 
  • #30
This drill is my baby:

http://www.makita.com/assets_product/BDF451/BDF451_400.jpg

it's very compact and has gobs of torque. It has a new "4-pole" motor system that really delivers compared to other drills I've had. I still love my 18volt rigid, but this one is my favorite.
 
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