On Sat, 6 Nov 2004 09:10:51 -0600, "RonB" wrote:

Let me start by saying I am not trolling - I am curious. I am looking for
opinions and if the subject bothers you, move on.

We see lots of opinions regarding tool brands here and Craftsman sticks out.
It appears as though our opinions on Craftsman power tools run from very
supportive to downright venomous. Personally, as I read some of these posts
I try to imagine who sent them - particularly in terms of experience and
age.

I am beginning to think some of the more disrespectful comments are coming
from the older crowd who remember the power equipment Craftsman offered up
until the early 80's. In fact some of us older geezers might still have
70's vintage routers, circular saws, sanders or other machines that are
still serving us well. A lot of the maintenance on these old machines
amounted to replacing power cords and brushes. We also remember when it
took three guys to move their cast-iron winged table saws, drill presses or
old jointers.

My theory - Much of the venom is coming from older folks who feel betrayed
by Sears and are just ****ed. Any truth to this?

(BTW - this is aimed at power tools, not hand tools, sockets, etc.)

IMHO, you not only get what you pay for, but research is important, as
we all see here with folks asking opinions here before buying..
This has ALWAYS been a key to buying Craftsman power tools,
appliances, etc... (been buying there since they came out with
ergonomic rocks to pound sticks with)
Since they have never (afaik) made their own products, you have to
know who makes each one for them..
I have a Craftsman biscuit joiner... go to sears.com and look at the
picture... hmm... rack & pinion fence... I thought only Dewalt had
that.... OH!

I just got a sears 1/2" cordless drill.. might be skill, might be
dewalt... no idea, since it was a present and I didn't shop for it,
but the one I was going to get (3/8" at lower volts) was a Skill, not
my favorite drill maker..

OTHO, my Orbital 1/3 sheet sander from sears is a skill, and I like
it...

I still have my over-worked sears router that either wife #1 or 2 gave
me a LOT of years ago... don't know who made that, but it's still on
it's original bushes and runs great..

As others have said, Sears and maybe Monkey Ward were the choices for
most folks before Harbor Freight, Home Depot, etc., etc. changed the
way people bought tools and hardware..

Maybe the bottom line is that a lot of the folks in the wreck are used
to high end tools and you don't go to sears for high end..