Is the Craftsman Club any good?

I joined today for the point of it, is it a good thing? I guess its just getting more for your money. Are there anymore types of clubs like it that are good?

Andrew

I joined 20 years ago and got a cool 1/2" open end wrench. Other than a lame calendar; I never saw anything ever again.

When I bought my garage door opener last month at Sears the dude asked me if I was and I said I was, but I was not in the Sears computer.

Ha, I'm a member and have yet to receive anything... Oh well.

The only thing I've seen is occasional emails and mailers that have special extra discounts on certain tools/etc for craftsman club members....

I think a couple years ago I got a deal on a 1/2" drive torque wrench that was about 30% off of the non-member price.

not too bad then, I have bought things in the past, but most of them have broken under repeated usage. I have yet to try their "professional" line, so I dunno if the quality is better.

Andrew

I don't use it to shop out of the catalog much, but I always mention it when I'm buying anything in the tool department and I've stumbled upon some good deals. Bargain torque wrenches come to mind.

This is your cue to hijack the thread and bash the quality of Craftsman torque wrenches.

I like it. Joined several years ago and have saved a lot of money. Like $200 on my table saw. Had to wait 8 months till the saw showed up on the flyer but it was worth the wait.

When I first joined the Craftsman Club you could get a 10% discount on any tool at any time. It was handy for when you needed something and could just run to a local Sears store and purchase it. That policy was later changed to a discount only on items listed in the Craftsman Club flier they send monthly. There are still some good deals to be had if you have the luxury of waiting for the tool to go on sale. I've purchased several tools that way.

It seems if you wait long enough you can purchase just about anything on sale at Sears. The majority of all my hand tools are Craftsman and they suit my purpose and needs well. For those that make a living using their tools there may be other brands that suit their needs better. For the most part I think Craftsman tools are a good value for the money.

Woody wrote: I don't use it to shop out of the catalog much, but I always mention it when I'm buying anything in the tool department and I've stumbled upon some good deals. Bargain torque wrenches come to mind. This is your cue to hijack the thread and bash the quality of Craftsman torque wrenches.

I broke a 3/8" drive torque wrench (ok, I was using it as a breaker bar in a pinch, and sheared off the nub). Took it back to Sears and they asked me if I'd rather have a 1/2" drive replacement (which cost about $30 more) straight swap. I said ok and I've been using it for 4+ years now with no problems.......

I've also brought in 4 20+ year old craftsman screwdrivers that I found buried in my garden.....they were practically rusted through and the handles were pretty much destroyed. Sears took the four and said "ok, go find 4 new ones"....I got 4 craftsman professionals for free.

Craftsman tools may not be the best quality, but they're good enough in 98% of the cases and less expensive. I'd love all Snap-On or Matco stuff, but I'm not made of money...

I broke a Craftsman beam style torque wrench - the rivets holding the scale on broke. There, I bashed it. Happy?

My wife has standing orders to buy any Craftsman hand tools she finds at yard sales or flea markets. if its broke I can always trade it for a new one.

Most of my tools are Craftsman. I worked there for a while in college so I got to see the sale flyers before anyone else. I used to hide tools in the back before big sales. I bought tools all the time that were 1/2 off sales plus my discount.

Just an FYI. All the sales guys at Sears (at least the one I worked at) are authorized to give you a 10% discount no questions asked. You just have to come up with a reason why they should give it to you.

SillyImportRacer wrote: My wife has standing orders to buy any Craftsman hand tools she finds at yard sales or flea markets. if its broke I can always trade it for a new one.

and snap-on, Mac, etc.... there's a list :)

The Craftsman Club? Is that a way to pay more for the same chinese-made club I can get at Harbor Freight only in nicer packaging?

its definitely a better quality the HF, i have nothing against HF, but their lack of quality and tolerances suck @ss.

Andrew

I like used tools. You can really tell the difference (even in Craftsman stuff) from old stuff and new stuff. We have a killer used tool store in town and it seems like everybody else wants the new shiny stuff. I go for the old stuff because if it hasn't broken yet in 30+ years, it won't.

90%+ of my tools are Craftsman. I did buy a lot of new stuff about 2-3 years ago when Craftsman Club messed up a $5 off coupon. Bizarre stuff like Torx, Hex head, star bits, and little bitty 12-pt sockets. I'm still in the club and I think besides that coupon the only other thing was a killer deal on a t-shirt.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: The Craftsman Club? Is that a way to pay more for the same chinese-made club I can get at Harbor Freight only in nicer packaging?

Wow, what a tool snob

Rusnak_322 wrote:

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: The Craftsman Club? Is that a way to pay more for the same chinese-made club I can get at Harbor Freight only in nicer packaging?

Wow, what a tool snob

Since when do snobs shop HF? Ever notice how every tool that isn't chromed you find at Sears looks exactly like the one you find at HF? Those jacks, dead blow hammers, jack stands... all crap in pretty colored boxes. I'd rather pay $1.99 for my rubber mallet & safety glasses than $17.99.

I'll buy a rubber mallet or safety glasses there, but I won't buy their low quality power tools, air compressors, or welders there. I've considered it, but everyone has problems with them.

Andrew