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.)

One of my advertising professors in the 60s described Sears as
America's leading source of second-rate goods, including tools. And he
was right -- in the 60s. Sears brands were never best quality, but
they were adequate for the average woodworker.

Back in the 50s my father bought a Craftsman table saw and that's what
we used for years. Not spectacular, not super-accurate, but good,
solid performance.

By the time I started buying my own tools in the early 1970s this had
changed significantly. I still bought a lot of Sears stuff (because I
was stuck in the middle of 200 miles of stinking desert with a Sears
store in town), but the quality had definitely deteriorated.

By the 80s and 90s, fagetaboutit!

One of the reasons for the outrage at Sears is that the company has
been living off its reputation for the last 20 years. There are still
a lot of people who think Sears is a good place to buy power tools
because of word of mouth based on its old reputation. Consequently
Sears still sucks in many of the ignorant.

--RC


That which does not kill us makes us stronger.
--Friedrich Nietzsche
Never get your philosophy from some guy who ended up in the looney bin.
-- Wiz Zumwalt