What would you buy at Sears?

[BCR]

Ok, so long story sgort, I had an issue with a tool.
And was compensated for that tool.
So I now have 2 gift cards worth a total of $250.00 (1=100 and 1=150)

Craftsman for most part, is not considered the Pro tool choice for woodworkers (that I see).
(unless you buy their very best, and even then in reviews they score lower than other brands that are cheaper).

However, I am in need of some tools. A band saw, a miter saw, a Incra setup, etc...

I am currently looking at one of their Band Saws (catalog only model) Model #22450.
This one here - (for 1399.00) http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00922450000P?mv=cf&vName=Tools&cName=Bench+Power+Tools&sbf=Brand&sbv=Craftsman+Professional
It is a metal/wodd band saw, which suite me fine, I use to work for an industrial company and I had to fabricate all the time (so making brackets, etc.. is worth it to me). Also at 280 pounds, it should be rather stable (little vibration)

But I also have my eye on their best miter saw, this one - (600.00+)http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00921221000P?vName=Tools&cName=Bench+Power+Tools&sName=Miter+Saws
But this saw has not gotten the best reviews???
Anyone with exp. on this saw?

Any other ideas that you fellows know of (good deals) at Sears?
Or should I just pawn off these gift certificates, maybe lose 15.00 btu get cash and go elsewhere?
That would be easy to do, as most women love shopping at Sears, so telling them they can save an extra 15.00 bby buying my gift cert. may be worth it to them.

Thoughts?????:thumbup2:
Basically a what would you do with $250.00 at Sears question? (add to it and get something big, cut your loss and get something small, etc...)

[wrench spinner]

any craftsman hand tool, hands down I have had nothing but great luck with the price vs. quality

as far as power tools the sears by me has any and all brands of power tool, and they offer a price matching guarentee as well, so you can price it at the depot and sears will match it

[rofl]

When you buy smaller you can get other brands.

I picked up a Porter Cable 3X21 belt sander for $75 on clearance.

They probably carry some quality blades for various saws. JMHO.

$250 is kind of "no man's land". A lot for smaller tools, but not enough for bigger tools. I'm sure I'd be able to get rid of it pretty quickly though :D

[BHD]

I would go hand tools, (if needed), Wrench's, screwdrivers, or similar, (non electric),
accessories and supplies, blades, bits, router bits, taps things on that line,
stands, is a possibility or storage tool boxes, or similar,

Those are the type of things I would buy at sears, unless it not branded, and there reselling some one else's tools, then I may consider some electric tools,

[hewood]

There really are some great Craftsman tools, but they're made from an ever change list of suppliers so you really need to evaluate each one on it's own merits...it's tough to make generalized assumptions that are useful and current. I would take most reviews very lightly (pro or con) unless you find a recurring issue mentioned.

AFAIK, Richen Enterprises (Rikon) makes at least some of their bandsaws, but I'm not sure if they make the 18". Steel City's Orion subsidiary makes quite a few of their stationary machines like their bigger table saws, jointer, and DPs. The last I knew, TTI/Ryobi made their miter saws, but don't know if they make the particular model you linked....$600 is big bucks for a slider IMO. Their new routers are getting generally positive comments, and some of their saw blades appear to be made by Freud and are comparable to the Freud TK Avanti series.

I think I'd evaluate what you need and really want, and see if they have something good that you're interested in. If not, I'd convert the gift cards to cash.

Good luck!

[Vince the Plumber]

take your pick.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/v_10153_12605_Tools

Vince

i wonder why sears doesn't sell RIDGID?

[BCR]

Their new routers are getting generally positive comments, and some of their saw blades appear to be made by Freud and are comparable to the Freud TK Avanti series.
I was wondering about that, the tool I had issues with, was one of their older routers.
I was curious on their new routers, but have not seen many reviews (well, not many Pro reviews)
Yeah, I'm pretty sure their Pro blades are similar as Freud (you can see the made in Italy stamped on them) they don't look like punch out arbors and such.

As far as hand tools, wrenches, ratchets, sockets, files, clamps, etc.. I am good on, as I have around 15K in tools from mechanic days. (filling up 3 tool boxes)

Kinda figured the amount was, as someone stated, 'no mans land'.
May add to it, as my brother has a 100.00 gift cert. he may part with for 80.00
So at that point, I would have 350.00 in gift certificates. (still in a waivering area).

Someone mentioned the miter saw as being expensive at 600.00 but this is about what most brands charge for their higher lines (Dewalt, Hitachi, Milwaukee, etc..)
But I agree, they charge more for it than a good table saw (with much more material into it).
Not sure if I read it right, but I saw a thread where the fellow got the Pro saw (12" slider) claiming it was on sale for around 240ish. (man, I wish I had bought then).

Anyhow, thanks a bunch for the ideas fellows. Great work.:idea:

EDIT:: Oh, forgot to mention. I have a Craftsman drill press, that works great (kinda pain to change speeds, but otherwise it is great)

[Don233]

I bought a craftsman 12 inch Band Saw on sale for $3oo including free shipping to local store. I had to pick up.

The saw works great. Set up was easy with few adjustments. Reviews on the saw were very positive.

I would research any Craftsman tools before purchasing.

Don233

[Altima 3.5]

Hand tools and I purchased a band saw. The band saw has to be made by Rikon. Looks exactly the same with the same features as the Rikon saws. Many extras on the Craftsman band saw that you don't find on Delta, Ridgid, etc... Like roller bearing guides, wheel brush, X large cast table, fence, etc...
Love mine.

[Dan-0]

Last time I was in Sears, they had a small but nice selection of Footprint hand tools. I haven't been able to get my mind off them since.

[BCR]

Ok, well was looking at a 13" planer. (in catalog) and I went to click buy on-line, but NO luck.
They don't carry it, yet I can find a review on it.
It is rated #2 on a list of about 10 planers, with only the Dewault 735 coming ahead of it.
But the digital display, seems to work well. And could be a time saver.
At 20% off, it should come to around what I want to spend.... (439.00) (or rather, willing to spend)
But no luck.

Will have to go in store.....:rolleyes:
(just rambling)

[wiz]

I was wondering about that, the tool I had issues with, was one of their older routers.

Me too. Had to get 3 routers before I finally got a good one.

[BCR]

Me too. Had to get 3 routers before I finally got a good one.

So which one did you end up with, being good?
I was looking at some of their new Pro routers, with soft start and VS, they look decent.

[Roadster280]

How about something nice for the wife, and then bask in the glow of knowing you have done a good thing?

[ronan]

I wouldn't waste your money on craftsman power tools. They are junk in my opinion. Their hand tools are decent though. I've owned a few of their power tools and will never again buy one. Years ago when Emerson Electronics made them, they were great but the quality has since spiraled down the tubes.

[hewood]

I wouldn't waste your money on craftsman power tools. They are junk in my opinion. Their hand tools are decent though. I've owned a few of their power tools and will never again buy one. Years ago when Emerson Electronics made them, they were great but the quality has since spiraled down the tubes.

Your view is overly simplistic and overlooks the reality that some are pretty darn good, and only some are junk. It's kind of like labeling all Fords as junk based on an assessment of the '74 Pinto...that's was a lousy car by many people's standards, but it has nothing to do with a current Mustang. Sears offers tools to a huge market at varying price points and intended usages, and some of the current tools are very good.

Your statement says that these saws are junk, but I suspect you're not familiar with them (all are made by the same company making the current Ridgid R4511):
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Your statement also says this these routers are junk...I'll bet you a whole bunch of Bosch 1617 owners will disagree with you.
67086709

The basic little $150 Craftsman plastic table saws are the same type of saws that are classified as junk regardless of the name that's on it, but their 22124 is terrific hobby saw that's nearly identical to the Steel City 35601. I've torn apart quite a few Emerson made contractor saws...they have similar guts to the current Ridgid line, and are functional saws once fitted with a decent fence, but they don't hold a candle to the current saws that replaced them.

We're all entitled to our opinions, but your opinion will be more credible if you base it on experience with individual tools as opposed to a broad base generalization based on a small non-representative few.

[CWSmith]

Back in the late 60's and early 70's I purchased a number of Craftsman tools, both power and hand tools. As far as the power tools are concerned, I still have all of them and they work every bit as good today as they did when new. My 1974 Craftsman RAS is still my favorite power saw. It was made for Sears by Emerson Electric. All the rest of my hand-held power tools were made for Sears by Ryobi. They are still going strong and the only one that I consider to be flawed is the small router, which has a poorly designed collet assembly. Never could hold a shank very good. A shame really as I love the micrometer depth control much better than most of the modern depth adjustment types.

So what would I buy today? Well, probably quite a number of tools. I think their 9-, 12-, and 14-inch bandsaws are very well made. Likewise with a few of thier table saws. Today's RAS is more than twice what I paid for mine, and I confess that I like my 1974 cast iron column saw much better. But for the price, I don't think you'll find another RAS anywhere. I've looked at the Delta, but I hate the machining.

With hand tools, you really can't beat the lifetime, no questions asked warranty. There are of course a number of other so-called lifetime warranted hand tools out there, including a great "Tempo" set of screwdrivers tha a relative bought me several years ago. "Tempo"... ever hear of them? I didn't think so, and that's my point... a "lifetime warranty" doesn't do anybody any good if you can't find the company a year or so after the purchase!

Only problem I have with Craftsman is that the one-year power tool warranty is NOT at all competitive. Still, I've bought a couple of Craftsman compressors that have specifications that simply stood out from the crowd. My 33-gallon oil-less is about the noisiest beast anyone ever made, but it supplies much better CFM than the others at the time. I also recently purchased a little 2-gal lube unit that is perfect for driving my nailers. Less weight, smaller footprint, and much quieter than anything else that I've seen anywhere.

Bottom line, is that one shouldn't form a bias against Craftsman (or any brand for that matter), based on one or two instances. Surely Craftsman has some lower quality stuff in their line-up, but they also have some very good tools. I just do a lot of research before I take the plunge for anything.

CWS

[toolaholic]

DIE HARD work boots are reasonable priced,and oh so comfortable !

Wore Red Wing Irish Setters for years. Great boots,tired of paying all the $$ for them!

[BCR]

I wouldn't waste your money on craftsman power tools. They are junk in my opinion. Their hand tools are decent though. I've owned a few of their power tools and will never again buy one. Years ago when Emerson Electronics made them, they were great but the quality has since spiraled down the tubes.
Well, sorry, but I don't quite generalize Craftsman that much.
Yes, some tools are junk.
But I have one of the best air compressors (in its class)
Also so you know, they sell some top line stuff, just check the catalog.
You can get Freud, Kreg, Dewalt, etc... from Sears.
And as I stated before, the newer routers are clearly a step towards top-line equipment (for its class), from the reviews I am seeing.
And, I don't think I will pass on them. Looking on getting their 4pc kit (which has their trim router, a 2 1/4 motor, plunge, fixed, & D bases.)
And I am really debating their Pro Band saws (not the ones you see in the stores) I am looking at a 18" Metal/Wood band saw at around 1300.00

However, by not shopping smart there (when you have had a few), is not always a good thing. Because yes, they do carry some junk (you are better off cataloging it).

Anyhow thanks again for all the responses, you ALL have given me more choices than I care to use. LOL.
I can now scratch off a Plate Joiner that I had been meaning to get (if you have seen my other post) Yeah, the Dewalt (plate joiner) NEW for 60.00 was hard to pass on.:grin-loving: