Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > Simplicity or Craftsman??
Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions |
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borat
Joined: Nov 10, 2007
Points: 2692
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Re: Simplicity or Craftsman??
Reply #22 Dec 29, 2011 10:07 am |
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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 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.
This message was modified Dec 29, 2011 by borat
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aa335
Joined: Nov 29, 2008
Points: 2434
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Re: Simplicity or Craftsman??
Reply #23 Dec 29, 2011 10:31 am |
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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.
This message was modified Dec 29, 2011 by aa335
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longboat
Joined: Feb 11, 2009
Points: 103
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Re: Simplicity or Craftsman??
Reply #24 Dec 29, 2011 1:56 pm |
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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. Agreed. I have a DYS4500 (2442); however, the lawn I have now is hilly. I don't pull ground-engaging equipment, but the hills take their toll. What bugs me the most is that you have to pay double the price for a tractor to get a transmission upgrade that likely costs the dealer one or two hundred dollars more. AFAIK, you cannot buy a new tractor under $2500-3000 with an upgraded tranny.
What about the poor sucker who buys an expensive JD X300/304. If the dealer doesn't guide him correctly, the end-user can get royally screwed. By upgrading to a JD X320/324, the end-user can get a MUCH stronger tractor for not a lot more cash. I'm not sure how to classify the X300/304 ("expensive lawn tractor, do not use on hills!?!"). Anyway, my point is, it would be nice if at least one mfr. would offer the K66 hydro in a budget (<$2k) lawn tractor. No, you don't have to pull ground-engaging equipment with it, but maybe you could mow on hillsides with some peace-of-mind, and have enough $$ leftover to buy a pull-behind leaf sweeper.
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royster
" It is the use of power tools that separates man from animals"
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Joined: Feb 11, 2011
Points: 284
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Re: Simplicity or Craftsman??
Reply #25 Dec 29, 2011 4:28 pm |
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aa335, " I hate to Sears go." Sears are not going out of business. It was a poor choice to buy the over 100 K-Mart stores and now they are closing or selling these K-Mart stores and keeping and improving the Sears stores. In Canada there hasn't been any K-Mart stores for many years so there is none to sell. Sers Canada is once again showing a healthy profit.
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royster
" It is the use of power tools that separates man from animals"
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Joined: Feb 11, 2011
Points: 284
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Re: Simplicity or Craftsman??
Reply #26 Dec 29, 2011 4:28 pm |
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aa335, " I hate to Sears go." Sears are not going out of business. It was a poor choice to buy the over 100 K-Mart stores and now they are closing or selling these K-Mart stores and keeping and improving the Sears stores. In Canada there hasn't been any K-Mart stores for many years so there is none to close or sell
This message was modified Dec 29, 2011 by royster
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aa335
Joined: Nov 29, 2008
Points: 2434
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Re: Simplicity or Craftsman??
Reply #27 Dec 29, 2011 6:24 pm |
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aa335, " I hate to Sears go." Sears are not going out of business. It was a poor choice to buy the over 100 K-Mart stores and now they are closing or selling these K-Mart stores Sounds like it was a poor decision for a failing business to buy another failing business. Like I said, I hate to see Sears go away. Let's hope they can turn around and improve their business.
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