What has happened to Craftsman power tools?

[kyplowboy]

10 years ago when I bought this 100 year old house the very first project I bought an 18 volt craftsman drill. It lasted 5 years and I was more than happy with it so I bought another one just like it. Two weeks ago the second one slid off another barn roof and no amount of duct tape was going to hold it together this time. Was in town this week so swung by K-mart and pick up another one. First thing I noticed was the battery was diffrent, it didn't have a place to even tie a string to it (other two came with little rope loops, came in handy on barn roofs) and I used it for the first time today, the thing ain't stout enough to flatten the washer on a roof'n screw on high speed and the battery was dead after putting 4 sheets of 12' roof metal on. When did they go to crap? If this thing makes it through the year I know what I'm put on the Christmas list next winter.

Dave

 

[Old Bob]

Take it back. Ought to be a 30 day period to return it, no questions asked.

 

[kyplowboy]

Ok, another question. If I get my money back for it with out pay'n out the big bucks for a dewalt what's a good one out there these days?

 

[Anonymous-0]

Northern tool has a bunch of Ryobi sets on sale for $149 and some for $99.... Just got a Harbor Freight order that I got for the neighbor kid. He got an 18 volt drill and light for 40 bucks and his dad gave it a real good workout disassembling and reassembling a bunch of shelving and 2 small sheds... set's opn sale now for 24 bucks....

http://www.harborfreight.com/18-volt-cordless-38-drilldriver-and-flashlight-kit-68287.html

 

[Rick Kr]

Not cheap but I love my Bosch 18V Li-ion. I ran in around 20 1/4 x 5inch lag screws with no sign of slowing down. Then half of box of 3 inch drywall screws.

This is the impact model. Came with a drill too.
Bought it after using my buddys 12V model. Knew I had to have one as my drill was on its last leg.

Rick

 

[Anonymous-0]

That's right.... If you never used an impact driver, you owe it to yourself to add one to the mix..... I've got a 14 volt makita set that I got a couple years ago that I like real well... It'll be replaced with the harbor freight stuff when it quits tho...

 

[hoosierhog]

Well i've got some good craftsman stuff. never had a problem. but they do have different product lines that all have the craftsman name. Kmart is not a place to buy professional tools. go to a sears hardware store you will find the quality lines. Kmart and Walmart carry the entry level light duty homeowners stuff. i spent $$$ on my new craftsman
lithium battery drill and it is a beast. but id just take back your drill and find a real craftsman/sears store and get a real drill.
just my 2 cents.

 

[BCnT]

i bought a Rockwell set few years back i been happy with...drill,saw,flashlight,2 batteries,and charger...lifetime warranty on batteries too.

 

[MSD]

I love the Panasonic's. Good batteries and you will never wear out the drill or impact driver. Feel in good in your hand also.

 

[fixerupper]

I just returned my neighbor's Makita 1/4" impact driver with Lithium batteries after using it for three weeks and it was really sweet. Did what it was supposed to and the battery charge lasted really well for being a little thin thing.

I bought a Dewalt driver of the same size. The Dewalt works just as well,is light and handy but the lithium batteries don't last near as long on a charge as the Makita batteries. The old Dewalt NiCad batteries I have for my other DeWalt tools will interchange with the Lithiums on the new driver so the NiCads end up on this new driver and the Lituiums are mere backups, if needed. Spend the bucks and go with the Makita with Litium batteries. Jim

 

[omahagreg]

Makita 18V lithium ion. Will not disappoint like a DeWalt!

 

[TominKy]

Step up to the 19.2 volt drills etc. I have a package set including a drill, reciprocating saw and panel saw, work great, and have good battery life.
I'm still using ni-cad batteries, but would like to upgrade to lithium. Lithium
batteries charge is less time but are expensive.
My friend and I put plywood and hanging cabinets in my garage, worked all
day, never had to change a battery, althoug I had fresh ones ready to go, and still had good power.
I like Craftsman, they are less expensive than the most highly touted tools, and for me they have held up well for everything i ever asked of them.

Tom

 

[504]

Watch the Amp hour rating on the batteries, 20v DeWalt is 1.5ah and the 18v Makita is 3.0ah, and yes buy an impact driver and you will throw rocks at that drill.

 

[LarryT]

I have had a Variable 18 volt Drill described below. I have had it for 4 years now and it has surpassed everything I had bought it for, The batteries charge faster than I can run them down and I have put up a complete steel barn and other little jobs around the farm. I carry it on my service cart. I love it. It has a Jacobs key less chuck and has never slipped. and for $30.00 what do you have to loose?
Untitled URL Link

 

[36 Coupe]

I have a holster for my drill.The holster cost 2 bucks.

 

[rockyridgefarm]

Wait a minute, you complain about the quality of craftsman one second and then ask for a [u:d3fcb93c33][b:d3fcb93c33]cheap[/b:d3fcb93c33][/u:d3fcb93c33] alternative to Dewalt the next?

THAT"S THE PROBLEM WITH TOOLS!!! You got two choices - quality or crap. You pay for quality AND you pay for crap. You've now paid as much for Craftsman (3 purchases) as I paid for my Milwaukee stuff in the same time period and mine is still working.

I have a set of Milwaukee 18 volt Ni-cad tools I got in 2000 - drill, saw, sawzall, and light. I use the heck outta them. Since I got em, I've gotten many more tools of the same style - impact, jobsite radio, 3 bay charger, hatchet, a couple more drills, etc - used off craigslist. It's nice to have 3 drills, 2 saws, and 2 sawzalls on hand when I'm doing a project and have help. Sure, they're heavier than the new Li-Ion stuff, but they WORK. Everything from the original set still works - well I have gotten new batteries once.

I'm not against cheap tools. I have a cheap pipe threader set because I seldom thread pipe. But the tools I USE alot are quality. I pay a premium IF I can find USA-made tools, but they're getting harder to come by - even my Milwaukee stuff is foreign.

 

[kyplowboy]

Milwaukee seem to be cheaper than dewalt. Thank you much, that's what I look'n for.

Your little rant is the same as mine. Five years ago the craftsman I bought was good quality and was cheap. Sorry my wanting something of fair quality at a fair price upset you so much.

Good day.

Dave

 

[greygoat]

DeWalt is just Black & Decker in a different
color..and, in my opinion, Black & Decker is the
ultimate in Cheap!

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I second that, impacts are designed for setting screws, drills are for making holes.

Can't find any dewalt 18v 3 amp-hr batteries. However on ebay you will find a battery made in china. It's an 18v after market Ni-MH 3 amp-hr for dewalts at around $50 bucks. Dewalt does sell a charger for the battery...go figure.

I've had one for over 4 years and it is far better than a newer 18v dewalt lithium battery, which I also have. Will only buy the Ni-Metal batteries in the future.
George

 

[Dave Sherburne NY]

Back in 1994 I bought a 12V Porter Cable because that's what Norm Abrams Used. Last year I had the batteries rebuilt because the originals were finally shot. The rebuilt batteries were no better than the originals I then bought a 14v Crapsman
with a flashlight Nice flashlight but the batteries are only good for 1/2 hour. Last summer I needed a battery powered saw for a job in a remote location and I was looking in Lowes for one.
I found a Porter Cable Drill and saw combo on sale for less than $80. About $40 off. . Charged it up took it to the job using the saw got about 5 feet of cut. I figured "Oh nuts they got me again" but Every recharge, It lasted longer and longer til I became quite satisfied with it.My grandson bought a Dewalt drill with flashlight for almost $200 And while it works great it looks to be closely related to my Porter Cable.

 

[mkirsch]

I've been using the Ryobi ONE+ tools from Home Depot for several years now. They're not top quality tools but I've been abusing them on and off and they seem to handle it okay.

The beauty of the tools is, the batteries haven't changed design in over a decade. Plus they have lithium batteries now that don't discharge sitting around and last a whole lot longer than the standard NiCds.

 

[Harold H]

Are you complaining about Craftsman tools or about the K Mart tools. There is a difference in quality between the two. You replaced a Craftsman with a K Mart so that is like comparing apples to oranges.

Harold H

 

[David Goode]

I bought a Craftsman 20v Lithium-Ion Drill kit 5 years ago and I have never regretted that decision. It did cost a little more then the other Craftsman drills but it was a wise investment. Used it one tons of small and large projects and have had no issues with it. some of the lower level stuff Craftsman is making and selling is crap, but they still have good quality tools, your just going to have to pay more for them.

 

[kyplowboy]

Ok, so how bout this. The drill that says CRAFSTMAN on the side that I bought this week at K-Mart is a pos compared to the one I picked up at K-MART five years ago that ALSO READ CRAFTSMAN on the side. Sorry for the confusion.

Have a nice day.

Dave