"01dyna" wrote in message
...

On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:51:47 -0500, dpb you wrote:



How picky are they in accepting them? Require receipts, throw out cases
of what would obviously have been abuse, etc., etc., etc., ...?

..in another life, I worked part time at a local True Value. Their
policy is, if it's broke, replace it. No receipt is required.



Sears has a track record, not so sure how the others' stands up in
comparison is all...

...what track record is that? That they will replace a defective
and/or broken item? They're not unique in that market, just the best
marketing.


Craftsman/K-Mart are now one and the same FWIW.

Not a thing in this context...

The point is, for a hand tool that would meet the objective of OP,
there's no doubt Craftsman will do the job at a reasonable price point.


..I wouldn't necessarily jump to that conclusion. Just because
Craftsman has a "no questions asked warranty", that doesn't mean
they're better, or even good. Personally, I'd rather buy *really*
good tools over one with a great warranty.

Working on something that *must* be fixed *right now*, doesn't give me
the warm fuzzies when a critical tool snaps on me and I have to drive
across town for a (free) replacement. I've had three Craftsman box
wrenches and two socket wrenches crap out on me. Murhphys Law, it was
a Sunday evening and the local Sears store was closed. Fat lot of good
a replacement warranty did for me then.


There may be others w/ the combination of variety, warranty and value
that meet or come close; if so, recommend them. There's no reason to
try to denigrate Sears/Craftsman in the process--in this case its
unwarranted.

I already did mention one. You tried to discredit it by inferring that
their warranty isn't a good or as flexible. Hey, if you're partial to
Craftsman, knock yourself out. I personally don' t have anything
against Craftsman, but they're not the only tool in town. It's
apparent you have a soft spot for them to defend them so blindly.

Me, I like to keep an open mind.

Incidentally, if Craftsman were *that* good, you'd see more of them in
professional mechanics toolsets but you don't. They have to use those
tools *every day* and time down running across town to replace a tool
is money lost. Snap On tools are some of the *best*. MUCH more
expensive yes, but some day, I'd like replace everything (except my
Proto socket set), with Snap Ons.

I agree. I was raised on Craftsman and I'm sixty. But lately, I've had a
lot of Craftsman stuff crap out on me, and there's items that seem just a
little cheesy. They're an okay tool brand, but definitely not the best.

What's the best? Whatever works, doesn't break or strip out when you're
using it, and lasts until you have gotten your money's worth out of it.
That can mean a tool chest of mismatched tools. A good craftsman can make
lots of marginal tools terminate in a good ending. And then, a guy can have
good tools, and not be able to do a lot. Talent and training are worth far
more than tools. Of any brand.

Steve