Craftsman Professional Battery-Powered Power Tools

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Craftsman Professional Battery-Powered Power Tools

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thatmanguy Jefferson, GA

posted on May 01, 2009 at 12:14AM to Product Feedback

The Craftsman Professional battery-powered power tool line has not caught on very well with the public. A complete makeover is well overdue.

The next lineup of Craftsman Professional battery operated tools needs to be brutally tough, commercial grade equipment and have a strong warranty to back it up.

There are only two brands that the producers of Craftsman Professional power tools should focus on: Ridgid and Dewalt, both powerhouses in commercial equipment.

Ridgid is very popular due to it's strong, heavy tools that have a free lifetime warranty on them, and this includes battery replacement.

Dewalt is the industry leader in power tools. When I was talking with a Makita factory rep, I asked him who his company shoots for. Dewalt, and no one else, he told me.

So that's my idea, remake the Craftsman Professional line into a heavy, well-warrantied commercial line of power tools.

Latest comment: July 27, 2009 at 08:55AM by turboted • Total: 4 comments • leave a comment

BlueCrewGuyInMA Lowell, MA

posted on May 05, 2009 at 10:00PM

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The Craftsman Pro line does have a 2 year warranty, commercial or personal use, and it is far easier to exercise than DeWalt's or anyone else's (no mailing, insuring, 12 week wait, etc.). Since the warranty is far more convenient, I think its timespan is acceptable. However, the 16v Pro drill did have some problems, and the 7.25" circular saw didn't have quite the power it should have because the blade is full-sized. That one's a toughie, because smaller blades are less convenient, but it lacks the take-no-prisoners oomph that professionals want.

thatmanguy Jefferson, GA

posted on May 07, 2009 at 12:36AM

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Well, you are correct in Dewalt's warranty being a bunch of **** compared to the 2 year warranty on Craftsman Pro. It's basically a one year full warranty, and no more. In Dewalt's defence though, their line is one of the most versatile in the industry with dozens of tools that can be run from their powerful 18v battery. Milwaukee tools have a 5 year warranty, and are made by Techtronic industries (TTI), the same people who make Ryobi, Ridgid, and the ever popular Craftsman C3 line. They are really heavy duty but their warranty also excludes normal wear and tear. Their battery packs are warranted for 2 years. Ridgid, on the other hand, comes with a 3 year warranty standard, and all you have to do to get a lifetime of support and repair and batteries is to mail a copy of your receipt in with the UPC from the box. The lifetime coverages starts after the standard 3 year warranty, but it's still the best warranty in the industry. Craftsman, on the other hand, has TTI making the C3 system and someone else making the very unsuccessful 20v Craftsman Pro line. One factor I believe helped sink the line was the unwillingness by the powers that be to expand the line. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy. They came out with the system and its few tools and judged sales off of the system at hand. People would come in and say, "I'll buy it later when there are more tools." More tools never came, and sales suffered as a result ... and the poor sales "justified" never expanding the tool lineup ... which would help sales ... you see what I'm saying. Basically, almost everyone else has more tools for their professional battery systems. Customers want versatilty in their tools, which is why the Craftsman C3 lineup is so popular. I know we have a great, easy to use 2 year warranty, but without the other factors, people haven't been touching the 20v system, which has been taken out of a lot of stores due to horrible sales.

BlueCrewGuyInMA Lowell, MA

posted on May 07, 2009 at 09:08PM

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In response to thatmanguy's comment from May 7, 2009 at 12:36AM:

I know, Chervon has not invested enough in researching what professionals want in a tool. They made tools that, generally, are high quality, but fail to cater to the desires of contractors. Now, what I think would be a great professional system would be a larger cylindrical battery as a pro version of the NexTec system. With a new oscillating multi-tool coming out, the NexTec suite is aiming for the multi-purpose market for consumers and light-contract work. A larger Li-ion set, say, 16v, that mirrors the NexTec set with greater power and better construction would probably be a much better seller. The Hammerhead blew out the door during Christmas, so clearly the platform is viable. As for warranties, Milwaukee seldom finds its warranty exercised, as the components are incredible and the tolerances are ultra-precise. That's what drives the price. Well, that and being made in America.

turboted Minnetonka, MN

posted on July 27, 2009 at 08:55AM

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I am slowly, but steadily moving away from battery powered Sears tools toward Makita . I have most of the C3 family which perform OK. but are not smooth like Makita, Dewalt, and others. I also have several 9.6, 12, 18v Makita tools which have served me well. Most recently I purchased an 18v Makita impact driver (tool only) for a replacement for a well used c3 impact driver for about the same price $70 including shipping. The Makita is much superior. The latest rap on Sears: A few months ago I purchased a 16v lithium-ion drill driver from Sears. I like the tool a lot; however, it seems that Sears has dropped the product line. Thanks for nothing Sears. Ever since the merger with K-mart, my respect and purchases from Sears have declined. I hardly go in their stores anymore. I'm interested if this was a marketing issue, my suspicion, or something else. I won't be trying any more new Sears tools.