# Craftsman lifetime warranty **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 17, 2016, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craftsman-lifetime-warranty/749220 "2016-03-17T00:14:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craftsman-lifetime-warranty/749220/21 "2016-03-18T22:15:04Z")
Come to think of it, there’s probably another factor in Sears no-questions-asked policy: It’s a lot easier to tell your minimum-wage clerks “always honor the warranty” than it is to train them to tell exactly under what conditions they should honor the warranty. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craftsman-lifetime-warranty/749220/22 "2016-03-18T23:36:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Come to think of it, there’s probably another factor in Sears no-questions-asked policy: It’s a lot easier to tell your minimum-wage clerks “always honor the warranty” than it is to train them to tell exactly under what conditions they should honor the warranty. Now that is an interesting thought what with the quality of labor as it is now. ---
**Author:** ![bubba001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f17d59/32.png) [@bubba001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubba001)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craftsman-lifetime-warranty/749220/23 "2016-03-19T23:53:52Z")
> [@FluffyBob](#): > > If you are going to buy a cheap power tool from Home Depot, Rigid has a lifetime warranty that is supposed to be good, and the tools are generally decent. HDX is just store branded flotsam; sometimes you may get a reasonable tool for the price but much of the time what you get is basically disposable. > > As a professional I do not care much about warranty. Taking a tool in for even a free repair costs me a lot of lost time. I want a quality tool that is reliable and does the job well. I usually buy high end brands, whatever brand has the best tool for my purposes. Some brands slide. I do not buy Bosch or Bostich anymore after several expensive and terribly unreliable tools from both of those makes. I have had zero luck on getting Rigid power tools fixed or replaced. HD does not handle it, they tell you to contact Rigid’s claim center. I was never able to get a drill repaired or a shop vac repaired. The local guy doing the repair on drills could not fix it, they refused to replace it. Rigid Shop vacuum, the drill guy was not authorized to fix it, and there was no local place to get it done. Rigid kept telling me to take it to the drill guy, who told me that he had neither the authorization or the parts to fix it. I eventually gave up, I just avoid Rigid stuff now. Actually, now that I think about it, HD doesn’t handle warranty on anything, they just tell you to look up the service center. I don’t think even hand tools are replaced in house. but I haven’t needed that service. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craftsman-lifetime-warranty/749220/24 "2016-03-20T02:33:37Z")
Slightly off-topic, but is there an ETA for Sears going under? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craftsman-lifetime-warranty/749220/25 "2016-03-20T07:06:33Z")
Does the warranty specify WHOSE lifetime . . . yours or Sears’? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craftsman-lifetime-warranty/749220/26 "2016-03-20T14:44:52Z")
> [@crypto](#): > > Slightly off-topic, but is there an ETA for Sears going under? While it is hemorrhaging money at a seemingly alarming rate, it has a lot of real estate in its belt. It is basically converting itself from a retail (Sears and KMart) company into a real estate management company. When it ceases to effectively be Sears anymore (very few stores plus a crappy online site) remains to be seen. It may also spin off the “stores” to a separate company, but keep the real estate, and the former will go under. It always seems that it’s just “this close” to going under, but selling off real estate seems to keep it afloat and it may do so for a surprising number of years. At least 5, perhaps 10 or more. The Craftsman brand will continue to be valuable and some off-shore company will end up with and start making cheap tools under that label. When it does get sold off, the old warranties will probably go bye-bye. E.g., the new owners have a clause in the contract that excludes warranty liabilities in the sale. The old Sears (or whatever) is stuck with the warranty handling and will promptly lose that responsibility via some legal maneuver. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craftsman-lifetime-warranty/749220/27 "2016-03-20T19:34:25Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > While it is hemorrhaging money at a seemingly alarming rate, it has a lot of real estate in its belt. It is basically converting itself from a retail (Sears and KMart) company into a real estate management company. When it ceases to effectively be Sears anymore (very few stores plus a crappy online site) remains to be seen. It may also spin off the “stores” to a separate company, but keep the real estate, and the former will go under. > > It always seems that it’s just “this close” to going under, but selling off real estate seems to keep it afloat and it may do so for a surprising number of years. At least 5, perhaps 10 or more. > > The Craftsman brand will continue to be valuable and some off-shore company will end up with and start making cheap tools under that label. When it does get sold off, the old warranties will probably go bye-bye. E.g., the new owners have a clause in the contract that excludes warranty liabilities in the sale. The old Sears (or whatever) is stuck with the warranty handling and will promptly lose that responsibility via some legal maneuver. Thanks for this update. I drove by a Sears outlet some time late last year that was closing. I can’t remember exactly when this was, but I stopped by to see what kind of a sale they were having. They sold everything, including the shelves. This wasn’t a huge Sears (like the ones that anchor a mall), but it did have both tools and appliances. It was a liquidation. Until seeing this thread, I didn’t think it was an indication of a larger problem with Sears, but in retrospect, I guess it should have been obvious. They sold all of their hand tools at 50% off or more. By the time I got there, the place was gutted. I have some gift cards around here. Time to dig them out and make some purchases before the place disappears. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craftsman-lifetime-warranty/749220.md?page=1)