Cheap Ebay Unit

[WildWeasel]

The lawsuit you guys are bantering about is in reference to items like Power Tools sold by sears with the CRAFTSMAN name applied.

Much like the circular saw sold by Sears with the CRAFTSMAN name applied, it is clearly marked " Made In China ".

People also get confused about the Craftsman " Guaranteed For Life " policy. If you read that policy going back decades it clearly states " hand tools ". Even the old " Made In USA " Craftsman power tools are not covered by this.

Model # - 10860

There has been nothing mentioned in the complaint filed pertaining to " HAND TOOLS " i.e. non-powered tools with the CRAFTSMAN name.

Harcosparky - you are on target with the lawsuit. It was filed in Fed Court by New Yorkers attempting to get it classifed as a class action invoking California consumer law. Feds rejected it and I think it has been remanded to California State Courts for consideration as of last year.

[Slash]

Instead of a 'cheap' new unit, watch eBay for name-brand used equipment. I just bought a ThermalDynamics PakMaster 75XL Plus for $700. It is three years old, works and looks like new. The seller was ~200 miles away, so I went and picked it up in person. This saved me some money on shipping, and I was able to inspect prior to paying.

You will have to be patient, but deals can be found. I've been looking for a plasma cutter for almost a year. I've passed on a lot of 'cheaper' units. Remember - "The bitterness of poor quality lasts far longer than the sweetness of low price."


IMO, Sears/Craftsman has not made anything of good quality in 20 years or more. Their hand tools are poorly machined and the chrome plating is crap. The power tools are all imported plastic junk, manufactured by the lowest bidder.

85+% of the hand tools in my shop are Snap-On, maybe 10% Mac. Both dealers treat me well, and never asked questions on the rare occasion when I break a tool. My Mac dealer came to my house once on a Saturday when I was in the middle of a project and needed a tool. Does Sears make housecalls? I do keep a few Craftsman tools in my truck because they are cheap and I don't care if they get rusty/broken/lost.

I have more money invested in my Snap-On boxes than most people have in their entire tool collection. There is a difference in quality. I can pull out the bottom drawer and stand on it to access stuff in the top of my box (and I'm not a small guy ), let's see someone do that with a Craftsman toolbox. The old (~ pre-1980) Craftsman stuff was good, sadly that is not the case today.