don't shop sears black friday

shopping at sears on black friday? read this.


sales associates work off of commission. they will be happy to sell you everything.
don't talk to the ones who hang out with each other though...
look for the guy who is by himself and is very busy. he's the guy to talk to.

don't shop sears for your tools. i worked there for years. don't buy craftsman tools especially. only a few wrenches are even forged in the u.s.a. anymore and mostly from inferior foundries if they can beat chinese contracts for sub-par metal forging. don't do it. don't.

since sears is losing their battle with reality, craftsman value has plummeted. you can now buy a craftsman tool at an ace hardware, but beware, the lifetime guarantee is void. not to mention craftsman evolv, which is just made from melted down cars.

their forever warranties on things like sump-pumps have been discontinued and turned into three year warranties.

but if you have to, you really really have to, then i have some great information for you -

always buy the purchase protect if it's available, cause you can get a new tool every year and nine months guaranteed. imagine a cordless screwdriver always being new... forever... just keep buying that purchase protect and you're golden. i will talk more about this at the bottom, but first here's a little something you need to know about the "guarantees" that you get when you buy anything there.

so basically there's three types... basically
full warranty - most solid metal objects with no moving parts - forever warranty
limited warranty - moving parts - one year
limited lawn and garden warranty - two years

let me break it down for you. don't hold me to this... sometimes you get an awful manager and you're screwed. ask the cashier (not a sales associate) who the nicest manager is and have them come up there if there's any issues with the associate.

"hand tool full warranty"
defects only. not rust, not fire damage, not melted, not frozen ratchets... HOWEVER - try to get in good with an associate and they will usually do it for you when the manager isn't around. includes tap and die as well as hammers, tubing cutters, and the odd beam torque wrench... also, hacksaws and snips... but not hacksaw blades of course.

"craftsman limited warranty"
usually covers anything with moving parts. power tools usually come with it. normal wear and tear doesn't qualify for this warranty. keep your receipt!

"craftsman limited warranty"
bench top, stationary and compressors - one year
heat guns, vices, staplers, stud finders, laser, pneumatic tools, wet vacs, flashlights, electrical, air hoses, electrical diagnostics tools... to name a few.

"craftsman limited warranty"
most torque wrenches - 90 days

"NO WAY YOU'RE GONNA GET IT TAPE MEASURE WARRANTY"
try it. i dare you.

"craftsman evolv hand tool limited lifetime warranty"
evolve hand tools are replaced free of charge WITH A RECEIPT!!!

"craftsman evolv limited warranty"
one year with proof of purchase. MUST HAVE proof.

"NO WARRANTY" (from the website)
Warranty coverage is not offered on consumable or novelty items, including but not limited to the following: Bits, bulbs, replacement blades, alkaline batteries, filters, sandpaper, taps, dies, screw extractors, bolt-outs, safety glasses, gloves or other textile or leather products, plastic or metal hand boxes and outdoor grilling utensils.

here are some options that you can pay for

"purchase protect"
guarantees work done on your machine for two years. hand and bench and freestanding tools as well as lawn and garden.

do this!

buy the product
get the service protection warranty
it's usually two years long
whatever the condition of the product at 1 year and 9 months...
return it
get a new tool
buy the new purchase protect for the new tool

"repair protection agreement"
this is for the big stuff...

repairs are paid for, except cosmetic, which is 3 years. replacement is at their discretion. do yourself a favor, when you take it in and they call you to come get it back, TEST IT before you leave the store. if you're not satisfied, give it back to them and have them FIX IT AGAIN or replace it.

"master protection agreement"
mostly the same as the RPA

NOTE!
if you don't have the receipt, never tell them if you bought it at an ace or anywhere else. also, don't give them a phone number to look up your account. this is important as they track your sales.

questions? 
purchase protect customer care - 1-800-573-1088
warranty customer service 1-888-331-4569


real quick also, no matter where you are, don't buy anything from pink box. it's garbage... here's their warranty information