POS Craftsman Air Compressor

[legion]

So I came home from work today and my 18-month-old air compressor was running. Weird.

I watched it awhile (about 10 minutes). It stayed at 140 PSI. I turned it off. I sprayed it down with soapy water, no bubbles. I drained it. I tried to refill it. Now, suddenly, it won't go above 30 psi.

Now I'm pissed, this is the second expensive tool from Sears that has broken in the last year.

POS Craftsman Floor Jack

I go to the store, they tell me that I can pay $30 to have them send the air compressor to a service center, then they will call me and tell me how much the repair will cost. I tell them that I want to know what it will cost up front, so that I can go buy a new (non-Craftsman) air compressor if need be.

I also tell them that I received no such offer for repair with my floor jack. "We don't repair floor jacks.", was the response I got.

I end up getting the department manager. I explain to him that I've spent $400 for a floor jack and an air compressor and both have failed after 18 months. No mention of the warranty period was given with either purchase, nor was I offered and extended warranty on either. I ask him what he will do for me about the floor jack. He shrugs and starts to give me an 800 number.

I ask him again what he will do for me. He stutters and asks me to call Craftsman.

I ask him again what HE will do for me. He just shrugs this time.

I say: "All I'm hearing is that you will not do anything for me."

He starts in about the one-year warranty on floor jacks. I interrupt him: "A floor jack should not fail after 18 months. Craftsman is promoted as a premium brand. You have done nothing to fix this problem."

"You can try to call..."

"I want YOU to take ownership of this problem. I will not tolerate being passed off to someone else again." (As it took three hand-offs before I talked to him.)

"I can't do that."

"I'm done here."

I'll go back on Monday and talk to the store manager. I have little hope of resolution. These guys are trained to pass problems off and hope they get lost in the bureaucracy. They have no interest in solving problems for customers.

I stopped buying Craftsman when my floor jack broke and was told I was SOL. Today, I called and canceled my Sears card (which I haven't used in years anyways).

If I do not get satisfaction on Monday, I will never set foot in a Sears again.

It's too bad really, my grandfather retired from there in 1989, when it was a much different company.

[Tobra]

sounds like you are in the same place I was last year when my new fridge stopped working before it was 3 months old, too bad, I like their hand tools, but a lot of their stuff is now made in China, just like Harbor Freight, without the discount price

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Made in China.

There ya' go.

[HardDrive]

Gave up on Craftsman years ago.

Cheap chinese made garbage. About 10 years ago, I took a small sander back to one of their stores. It was broken out of the box. The kid took it back, slapped a sales sticker on it, then put it on a clearance table. I pointed out that I returned it because it was broken. He could care less.

I have a Makita 2.6 Gallon compressor, and I am VERY happy with it. Model# MAC700. I run my trim nail gun off it, and does a great job.

The last 2 tools I have bought have been Milwaukee. My nail gun is Dewalt.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Made in China.

There ya' go.

Hey, as long as we know where its purchased and we keep buying with our wallet and not our brains, part of the blame rests with the consumer.

In the old days Sears would stand behind their products but it seems no more. I used to buy a lot from them but have backed away after seeing reports like this...

[Dan in Pasadena]

legion, Jeff, I worked for Sears during highschool and college. ('70 to '76ish). In those days I sold paint, wallpaper and air compressors, spray equipment. People don't remember it much these days but then if you wanted paint? you went to Sears like many people go to Home Depot now. We sold HUGE quantities of paint and supplies on the Memorial, 4th and Labor Day weekends. Now in a Sears paint department? Crickets!

But I know for a fact that their stuff was good (though a bit overpriced) in those days. We sold DeVilbiss spray guns in the higher end lines and the Campbell Hausfeld stuff was domestically made then. I agree with you that a majority of their stuff is now made overseas...I don't really know if its in China and what does it matter if the quality is poor? Its too bad but to me, Sears is on a looonnng slide to the end. They got rid of their catalog operations which had been their mainstay for generations (does anyone else remember being excited to get the Christmas "wish book' catalog in the mail as a kid?), they let a then-upstart Home Depot take away their market share in a number of areas, hell they don't even have a candy counter anymore which I used to love. Craftsman really meant something in those days. Going to Sears was a family outing (which itself has gone the way of the dodo bird) much like going to the mall is now. But not anymore.

I don't support them anymore because I think they are just irrelevant and largely unable to compete. I wish they'd prove me wrong!

[cmccuist]

Those oil-less compressors will fail after awhile. You can buy the whole piston/sleeve assembly for about $40. That should get you back up and running again.

I bought a 5 HP Craftsman compressor at a yard sale the other day for $20. It was the vertical tank, 20 gallon. The owner said it stopped building pressure. I broke it down, bought the piston/sleeve kt - it even has the o-rings and got it running again pretty quickly.

You just need to take off the cover, unbolt the valve/reed assembly on the top and see what parts need to be replaced. You can type in the model number on the Sears web site and pick them up at the parts counter.

[wrecktech]

I remember the good old days for sears. Back then their craftsman tools was a premium brand. It is not worth a premium price anymore because the quailty is so bad.

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by wrecktech

I remember the good old days for sears. Back then their craftsman tools was a premium brand. It is not worth a premium price anymore because the quailty is so bad.

I remember saying that about Snap-on until some of my replacement items of late have been china made junk. We all wanted lower prices, walmart and the others answered.

[wrecktech]

Originally Posted by Scott R

I remember saying that about Snap-on until some of my replacement items of late have been china made junk. We all wanted lower prices, walmart and the others answered.

I guess my complaint is it is hard to find quality in almost any brand. I don't care for throwaway tools. You get what you pay for.

[Rondinone]

Too bad, I've had great luck with Craftsman. Parts are much easier to get than with any other brand IMO.

Just wondering, why do you leave your compressor on?

[notfarnow]

I got the exact same response when I brought in my impact gun. I only used it half a dozen times, and then all of a sudden I can't even take lugnuts off with it. Nice.

I had it 13 months, and they wouldn't do ANYTHING for me. Never again

I agree with Joe, we need to be more discriminating as consumers. I thought I was paying a bit of a premium for a better tool... guess not. I hate junk tools.

I think there is a gap in the market now, for well-made reasonably priced tools. Absolutely no cheap junk, and everything with a good guarantee. I'd be willing to pay a premium for that. Sears seems to have abandonned this market in the "race to the bottom".

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by wrecktech

I guess my complaint is it is hard to find quality in almost any brand. I don't care for throwaway tools. You get what you pay for.

I hear yea, can't agree more.

[Zeke]

Only air compressors with a separate motor, belt and pump are worth buying. And they are much quieter. I don't run any of my compressors (5) to 140#.

[legion]

This particular model is designed to fill the tank to 150 psi, then shut off. I can't change or adjust that. I left the power on accidentally.

[notfarnow]

Originally Posted by milt

Only air compressors with a separate motor, belt and pump are worth buying. And they are much quieter. I don't run any of my compressors (5) to 140#.

Harbor Freight has one for under $300, sweet!

(kidding)

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by milt

Only air compressors with a separate motor, belt and pump are worth buying. And they are much quieter. I don't run any of my compressors (5) to 140#.

Neither do I, have a 90 gallon Devilbiss it sits around 100, runs on 220 and is always reliable.

[john70t]

The most I usually run the Sears compressor to is 90psi, even though it will go to 175psi, drain the water out in cooler weather, and lube the air tools really well every other usage.
Seems to be working so far(fingers crossed).

[Rot 911]

I agree that Sears has gone down hill. However I did buy one of their 120 gallon oilless compressors about 10 years ago, have treated it like a cheap whore, and it is still going strong.

[TimT]

I bet one of the reed valves broke. This happened to my home compressor (sears craftsman) earlier this year. Same symptoms, wouldn't build more than 30-40 psi.

I got a new reed valve, gaskets and sleeve/piston for about $50.

Then again my compressor is over 10 years old so Im pretty satisfied...