Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

A few weeks ago I posted about how impressed I was with Simplicity's new 208cc SS unit, looked well built and much more appealing over the Toro. Anyway long story short I was just looking for some tools at Sears.com and noticed the Craftsman  88782 thou I would probably never buy a craftsman again this thing looks really nice! Anyone have any insight on this machine?

That's true, that there are things they should do differently/better. I bought a used Craftsman lawn tractor that had a bent sheetmetal-style front axle. Before I bought it, I was pricing out the cost of the required parts to get it back in shape. I looked up the axle on Sears' site, it was $75, IIRC. Did some more looking around, and eventually bought the same part, new, for $20-25 on another site. That was a significant improvement.

For parts, maybe it's something of the nature of the beast. The Craftsman part number for your expensive belt/bolt/whatever will be somewhat more difficult to look up elsewhere. They presumably rely on the fact that you need to be more motivated before you'll find another source for their part. So hopefully you'll just overpay through them. I presume that helps the rest of their business. Like the person buying the $20 extended warranty on the $40 DVD player. I wouldn't do it. But if it helps the store, which then helps keep it open, then the other person is kind of helping me out. Put differently, I benefit from the $20 warranty/overpriced part being available, even if I'm not buying them. And some people are willing to go for it.

Sears built their reputation on Craftsman tools and they do have decent appliances for a decent price (got a couple small freezers there, and washer/dryer combo).  They are losing their reputation because of their OPE business model.  They subcontract to the cheapest manufacturer from year-to-year, so you're never sure of what you're getting without a lot of homework, and parts lookup is a nightmare.

That being said, I did get my lawn tractor and 2-stage blower there.  My wife's Dad always liked Craftsman, so she wants Craftsman stuff (I've slowly been educating her on their downfall), so we ended up getting stuff there.  BUT, I did my research, discovered the lawn tractor was made by Husqvarna and it was a few hundred dollars cheaper than the same exact Husqvarna's down the road.  Same deal with the Craftsman/MTD snowblower, cheaper than the clones down the road.  If I need parts, I go to Husqvarna and MTD.  I tried Sears once for parts, won't be fooled again - they have a BAD business model.  So, if you do your homework/research, and plan to do your own maintenance and get parts from other places, you can often find good Craftsman OPE deals when they have their sales on.

If/when they do go under, hopefully a third party will buy out the Craftsman tool line and keep it going.  It's the only thing really worth saving.

longboat wrote:  
If you look closely at the components used on the Husqvarna and MTD you'll most likely see that they are of a better quality than what is found on the Craftsman product. Not all of the components but certain items that allow the price of the Craftsman product to be chiseled down enough to lower the sell price and the overall build quality and longevity of the product. Older Craftsman OPE (like a lot of OPE these days) was solidly built and made to last. The overwhelming factor these days is cost of goods sold and the subsequent profit margin and nothing else.

Thus far, the parts that I've repaired/replaced have been identical.

I could see the Husqvarna tractor having nicer seats, pedals, wheels, paint job, etc., but I imagine the frame is the same, the B&S engine is the same and the Tufftorq tranny is the same.

Not sure how you could "chisel down" an MTD any lower than it already is...

longboat wrote:

You have a point there, but that's the market share they're after!

borat wrote:

Big article in the newspaper today concerning the dismal last quarter Sears and their sister store Kmart had. They are said to be looking for financing which if not found will spell the demise of the company. The article stated that the public"finds nothing positive about the Sears shopping experience". Another piece of America about to be lost-Very sad! Marc

FrankMA wrote:

I think one of the biggest differences is in final assembly.  I've had to make a few adjustments to my OPE as delivered by Sears.

My lawn tractor has nearly 100 hours on it - think I will drop the tranny this spring and add synth fluid and a parts kit, although Craftsman/Husqvarna are not to blame for the low-end tranny, as nearly all sub-$2500 lawn tractors with hydrostatic transmissions are afflicted with the same malady (search for TuffTorq K46 Repair Guide on the tractor by net forum).

The K46 Hydro is designed for light duty use on relatively flat ground. Most folks get into trouble when they start to use their lawn tractor (LT) as a garden tractor (GT) by pulling heavy loads or using ground breaking implements. I had a Craftsman YS4500 that I purchased with the best of intentions but then started to overwork it by using it like a GT. I could feel and hear the K46 being overworked so I sold it and bought a real GT. Yet another example of using the right tool for the job.

mml4 wrote:
What make it particularly sad is that it could have been totally prevented had Sears management opened up their eyes, listened to complaints and did something about it.  After all, what does it take to get the point across that your customer base is eroding due to arrogance and hubris and insensitivity?  

Sears is just as bad as Toro when it comes to arrogance.  The difference between the two is that Toro have very good products.  Despite their condescending attitude toward their customers, Toro survives.   However, that too could change.

I hate to see Sears go, it was a store that I spent a lot of time when I was growing up and it has corporate presence in my state.  I bought some Craftsman hand tools and a few major appliances over the years, but nothing since 2000.  Everything seems to go downhill with Sears when Walmart and Target gained steam on them.  Sears was too slow to catch up or change direction to retain customers. They insisted that their department store should be tied to a high rent mall space.  Big mistake !!!

Every once in a while, I would peruse the store to see if there's any new interesting OPE pieces.  Nothing exciting, just the same watered down stuff with their black and red paint on it.  They never had something out that was unique, always a generation behind in innovation.  Sometimes an OPE with a "Professional" banner would catch my eye, upon closer inspection, I was dissapointed.  I also had little confidence in their product line because I never knew who makes what year after year.  When I buy brand names, I expect evolutionary refinement and reliability, not fancy banners and unknown lineage.  I came to conclusion that Sears only practice badge engineering and cost control.