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Went to Sears last night to trade in my broken craftman tools. My 1/2 inch ratchet was the last casualty when I put the cheater bar on it to remove the king pins. Anyway. They had a 1/2 inch impact wrench (air) for $19. Don't know what I need it for but will figure it out. I think I saved money just buying it.

I am also trying to figure out what is the best way to get the rust off the truck body. I bought a 3/8 air drill and will use the stripper wheel. I usually use a 3 inch scotch pad on my small air grinder. It is slow but works well in the hard to reach areas. Any other suggetions? The rust is the extreme case stuff.

TIA

Check if your impact wrench says Craftsman on it.
If it says sears you have no guarantee. Read the warrantee carefully before you brag about it.
If you are still happy, I am going to go down and buy one myself.

I will have to look tonight. Thanks.

Funny thing about this purchase. The sign on the shelf said the tool was 50% off. The original price was $39.99. I spoke with the salesman and we agreed it was a heck of a deal. So, it rang up at $39.99 - with the brown bag discount of 15%. I did not catch this until I was in the car. I went back into the store. We went over to the shelf and noticed the 50% off was over on 5/28. OOPS. But the tag was still on the shelf so I got it for $19.99. The salesman pulled the tag and said that I will get my $20 plus tax back because they did not take the tag off the shelf.

The kicker is that I got the 15% off the $39.99 current price and not the $19.99 sale price. HA. I got an extra $3. So, the impact wrench cost $12.

Even better is if it is a Craftsman brand. Thanks Gazim. I will check tonight.

Life is good.

Dennis,

Rust can be considered a growing organism. To kill it completely, all traces of it must be removed. This is why people actually cut chunks of sheet metal out...sort of like cancer. If your sanding method grinds off the rust on the peaks but leaves any behind in the valleys, it will most likely return. The choices are to blast it, which gets into the crevices, or grind off the peaks and chemically treat(neutralize) the inaccessible valleys.

Stuart

Metal Rehab had a space at the Pate meet with a truck cab they had chemically treated. Unless you just like to spend hours and hours with the wire wheel I believe it's the way to go.

Seems like they said $600 to do a cab. I figure my time is worth at least $50 an hour and I think it would take a lot more than 12 hours to wire wheel a cab.

That's good for you Dennis, but I wish they were in Chicago instead of Arlington, Texas. All I've found round here is Redi-Strip and after talking with them I didn't have much confidance in them.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Sears sells junk most of their craftsman power tools are made in china with a 3 month warranty, so after you pull the tool out of your tool box to use it on your second project your warranty is up.

I used to believe in Sears tools and their non powered hand tools may still be OK. I haven't purchased a Craftsman wrench in a long time. Based on long ago experience I bought a Craftsman table saw, jig saw, disk/belt sander & 12" power miterbox, a substantial amount of money. All are junk and all lasted through the 90 day warranty before going to hell. Lets just say it'll be a cold day in the same place before Sears gets any more of my money for tools. Oh yes, one more thing. About 15 years ago I asked for a Craftsman 6" dial caliper for Christmas. Their tool catalog showed two, one listed as imported for $10 less. I specifically asked for the more expensive one assuming it would be USA made. It was made in Japan. I felt Sears was deceptive in their advertising and told them so in a letter but never got an answer back. The lesson there is read the package, even if it's a Craftsman hand tool.

not a big fan of sears power tools either. its frustrating to need parts to find out they're obsolete or it will cost you more to repair than replace.i started buying delta when i started replacing shop tools years ago. am very happy with quaility and parts availability.they even had some parts for the 1962 contractors saw i bought for $30.00 a buddy was able to make three pins from brass that were originaly nylon and discontinued. saw works great and i love it....dave

Craftsman hand tool stil have the warantee, Sears hand tools don;t Craftsman power tools have little warantee and are of poor quality.
Have a 18v drill that is kinda junk.

Someone has to explaing the difference between 18v and 12v, My old 12v had less power but a heck of a longer use time.

All I can say is what I personally have experienced. I have a table saw, band saw, arm saw, two routers and one sander that I purchased all in 1986. The only thing that I've done besides use them is I did have to replace the motor on the table saw about 5 years ago. So for over 20 years I have used these with no problems. I consider myself a hobbiest but for over a year I made my living (after a plant closing) doing nothing but woodworking. About 5 years ago I purchased a 80gal,175psi,19cfm, 7hp air compressor. The professional brand. It runs my pressurized blasting pot or my skat-blast bead blasting cabinet with no sweat. It actually catches up and rest some. NOW, I have not always been pleased with Sears and they really, really ticked me off over a defective Craftsman floor jack. At the is same time they CANCELED my sears card due to NO activity. I sent them a nasty letter and ask them since when did my CASH money mean nothing to them and got no response. I also told them I could buy good tools with same guarantee's somewhere else that my money was appreciated. No offense to ladies but I wanted to smack that little gal that was all up in my face but I don't hit women. NOW, just last Friday my son in law took a screwdriver that I had for the past umpteen years and my tool for pushing both calipers back in and they replaced both of them. So, I don't know what this means except I have used and abused Craftsman for years and not had any real problems but now that they have ticked me off I'll shop around....and if Craftsman is still the best buy for that particular piece then I will buy from them. Why beat myself up and not get what would work best? I think we all just use commom sense and buy what we think will do the job well and what our pocketbooks can stand at the particular time.....whew, I'm through now.

Alvin had same here .
I been buyin Kobalt tools at lowes and find them as good if not better quality than craftsman anymore with the same your break we replace it gaurantee .
Juat a heads up in your shoppin around

Speaking of quality I have some Wizard tools that came from Western Auto in mid 60's that I still have and are my favorite's on many jobs. I like them because on one end is say a 1/2" and the other is a 9/16, boxed or straight end. Most places today push the combination wrenches (and yes I have a set) and the ones I'm talking about are getting scarce or you pay dearly. I also have a limited amount of S&K I bought back in the late 80's that have held up well but most all my hand tools including tool box are craftsman. I do have a Mac air rachet and impact wrench. BUT as sw_radial says, and we all agree there are others that perform just as well and have great guarantee. Nevertheless, it seems I always reach for the same wrenches every time unless situation calls for something special. As I mentioned earlier, depends on need..and pocketbook at the time!!

"Grebbing the same wrenches" quote
since I got some of those new ratchet end combo's I find myself using them a lot more than my socket/ratchet wrenches.

I love my Gear wrenches just wish i woulda waited till they came out with the switch like they have now ..so ya dont have to flip the wrench to go the other way , i got the first version ...but i still use em alot !

Sears has lost alot of market share over the years due to a poor ability to keep up with quality. I heard that Rigid made many of their tools back when they were a little higher quality. However, they jumped ship and cut a new deal with HD. Little by little Sears was left in the dust and as they tried to compete by making stuff off shore their tools became really bad. They've been trying to make a comeback over the past few years producing some innovative woodworking tools that compete with Makita, Milwauke, Porter Cable and such. Some of their stuff isn't bad but there are many places to buy tools these days and Sears is usually last on my list. The last time I went into a store to buy a tool, the kids working there were unhelpful and unknowledgable. Poor Sears. I don't think they're going to make it. They bought OSH and the one in this area is completely void of customers day and night. My grouchy stepdad loves OSH because he hates dealing with the crowds at Home Depot. It is nice to go into OSH. Not a soul around and they do have people to wait on you. Too bad they sell Craftsman stuff!!!

It's too bad they (sears) do not listen or reply too customer complaints. It will catch up to them someday. Went through this w/ Monkey Wards, Copeland Sports, wasn't long and they went under.I don'y miss' em a bit. Chevrolet needs to watch out. Don't let toyota walk over them. Be competitive w/ Quality, and customer Service.Honda was getting my oil change business until the Kid decided I should get out of the car to tell him what I wanted. Pi**ed me off. Sold that sucker and bought my chevy.
Ken

If you buy a $19 tool and it last,s for a year pitch it..Unless you are making a living with them.Cheap is fine for most tools that are used once a month..If you go to harbor freight you know in the back of your mind what you are getting it might do the job fine but you know what you are getting....doc

I looked last night. It is a Craftman brand and is warranteed for 12 months. I will use it for 364 days then trade it in.

life is good and I like Craftman tools. I have a hole bunch of them and they work fine for me.

A couple of years ago I took my 15 year old 1/2
drive torque wrench back to Sears (crack in plastic handel) They handed me a New Wrench!
Tell the young kids your building a Street rod
and they will give away the store!

Last week I needed a 1-3/8 socket...$17.99 at Sears. Went to Northern Tool $5.99

I grew up using Craftsman and Williams and S&k
Now at work they "GIVE" me Snap-on...Armstrong,
Proto,Williams.......But,I use my Craftsman.

Wick

Sears,not what they used to be.Their wrenches,sockets,ratchets,etc.still seem to be OK,and I will continue buying them,when needed.However their power tools are not worth bringing home.I have one of their high dollar table saws sitting in a corner of my shop,waiting to be sold at a yard sale.I replaced it with a Delta Unisaw.I have some older Craftsman power tools circa 1950,that still work very good after all these years.I bought a Ingersol Rand air compressor from Tractor Supply,about 6 months ago.It is head and shoulders above the Craftsman compressors,and was actually cheaper than the Crasftsmans.So from my point of view,look elsewhere for power equipment.

Dale I have to agree with you 100%
I have a 1972 planer and sander,router,
Drill motor and 5hp air compressor from 1986.
Everything works like new!

Now the 3year old table saw (plastic frame) and the compound miter saw....are JUNK! Bad bushings.

Remember there old lawn and garden tractors
(Blue and white...yellow and white) They bring
big bucks now!
They also sold David Bradley equitment.

I did buy a Milwalke 4-1/2 grinder the other day
from Arcet....6Lbs! only $119.00 Im very happy with it so Far.

Wick37,I got stung for the last time when I bought a table saw in 1999,it was an $800.saw on sale for $700.No matter what I tried I could not get this saw lined up to cut accuratly.I have A Craftsman radial arm saw that I bought used it is probably a 1960 model,and it works just fine.I also have a Craftsman lathe and jig saw that I bougft from an auctioneer.They were both bought new in 1950,and work just great.Also in my woodshop are a Craftsman drill press and miter saw,that atre about 10 yrs. old and they are so so .But from now on I will nuy better stuff than Sears sells.

when i was 16 my Mom asked what i wanted for x-mas i told her a 1/2 inch drill ....soo whalla x-mas day there it was ...Craftsman ....been usin that ol galever since 1982 ...it still works fine and still has enough tourque to twist outta your hand if it grabs .....now my brother got 1 2 yrs ago ...an he threw it away a yr later ....so see how much there quality has gone in teh toilet on power tools over 20+ yrs .

Call me a tool snob but my tool box full of
Snap On is worth more than my old truck. Yea they are very pricey but since I use them to make a living it's worth it to always reach in and pull out a reliable tool. The other thing is the warranty. No questions asked from screwdriver tips to air tools. They get replaced or repaired on the spot. That way I get to deal with a real tool guy instead of some nitwit at sears.
I do have a bunch of craftsman wrenches and sockets on hand specifically for when I need to cut, bend, grind smaller or otherwise mutilate for a particular application. And when you fix airplanes, you end up making a lot of the tools you need!

Right On the Snap Ons are the Cadilac of tools. I have used Craftsman wrenches,sockets,ratchets,etc.all my life and they have served their purpose very well.In 1958 I purchased a Craftsman toolset ate Sears,and I still have about 95% of that set in my cabinet.Oh yeah, I paid $39.95 for it.Course I have added many hundreds of dollars worth of tools to my collection over the years.They have been used mainly for use on my personal vehicles,and used to make a living for a few years.I think the Craftsman line is OK for most of us hobbiests,a a lot less money than SnapOns.They also have a very good guarantee.

Snap-On has dropped in quality in the last several years, especially in the performance of their air tools. Their prices have stayed up above the rest making them less desirable to do business with. I've had better luck with Mac and Matco. Matco used to be the "cheap" tool company but has really come a long way in the past few years.

I use a lot of Craftsman stuff at home, especially wood working tools. I can't afford 3 sets of professional grade tools so the home shop gets the cheaper stuff. If I have to, I'll haul home something from work if I need it on a personal project.
Scott

I have 3 broken sears socket wrenchs...do they still replace them for nothing?

Keith

I regularly shop the pawn shops for used Snap-on & Mac etc. air tools, seems the quality was better yrs ago than it is today. I have gotten some good tools there, prolly lost outta somebody's truck or garage but what the hey.

Sears guarantee is still in effect.

My wife has got to be proud of me.I walked right thru Sears tool dept. then went and got a haircut. Then I walked back thru the tool dept. and never bought anything. She probably wont believe me.

I have a wide assortment of Sears tools that I have purchased over a lifetime. When buying the power tools, I always bought the top of the line. I have owned tools like my 12" table saw, 10" radial arm saw, 7 1/2" circular saw, 3/8 and 1/2" air rachets, side grinder, die grinder, and many others for almost 40 years and never had a serious problem. I use my tools hard, but don't abuse them.

I am not crazy about the wrenches because I always thought they were a sloppy fit. I have picked up some over the years and find that there are even some cheap overseas wrenches that fit and work better. I have never broken a Craftsman wrench, but I have never used them for the difficult jobs because of the looseness of the fit. ( I prefer 6 point wrenches rather than the 12 point, and these were not available in the Craftsman line for many years).
I have no regrets about the Craftsman tools I have purchased, and think it is more about how we take care of our tools.
Bob

I have a large tool chest filled with hand tools,wrenches,ratchets ,sockets,etc.About 99% of them are Craftsman,and I have had very good luck with them.Over in the woodshop I have some older Craftsman woodworking power tools which are AOK.Not so with the newer power stuff.I have upgraded my table saw to a Delta Unisaw and am very happy with it.As for sockets I too prefer 6 points,they are about the only ones I use.

were can u buy any thing new that has the same quilaty as it used to?