A gloat at Sears?!?!

[brianlanning]

My favorite one was about seven or eight years ago. Some popular retail computer site, I can't remember the url now something-online.com. It was bought out by egghead or someone similar. So they went on this huge liquidation sale. They used an online auction to unload everything. But there wasn't enough people who knew about it. So all sorts of software was going for $1 or $2, things that should have been a lot more. I ended up buying some server backup software similar to ghost for $10. When I received it, I discovered a few things. First, it was novell only, so I couldn't use it. Second, it normally went for about $1000 retail (i didn't know). Third, there was a $200 rebate in it. I ended up getting the rebate.

brian

[Tim]

Well, I could use the RAS I mentioned.

I am in the middle of 100 acres of oak/maple/cherry. Sure do.

I have three jumps, and just thought it was a nice knickknack; never planned to use it. Selling it for a 2000% profit was serendipidy.

[Tim]

I've never not gotten a rebate. Sometimes they were more trouble than they were worth, but I always get them. I'm funny like that.

[brianlanning]

My favorite one was about seven or eight years ago. Some popular retail computer site, I can't remember the url now something-online.com. It was bought out by egghead or someone similar. So they went on this huge liquidation sale. They used an online auction to unload everything. But there wasn't enough people who knew about it. So all sorts of software was going for $1 or $2, things that should have been a lot more. I ended up buying some server backup software similar to ghost for $10. When I received it, I discovered a few things. First, it was novell only, so I couldn't use it. Second, it normally went for about $1000 retail (i didn't know). Third, there was a $200 rebate in it. I ended up getting the rebate.

brian

[brianlanning]

My favorite one was about seven or eight years ago. Some popular retail computer site, I can't remember the url now something-online.com. It was bought out by egghead or someone similar. So they went on this huge liquidation sale. They used an online auction to unload everything. But there wasn't enough people who knew about it. So all sorts of software was going for $1 or $2, things that should have been a lot more. I ended up buying some server backup software similar to ghost for $10. When I received it, I discovered a few things. First, it was novell only, so I couldn't use it. Second, it normally went for about $1000 retail (i didn't know). Third, there was a $200 rebate in it. I ended up getting the rebate.

brian

[George Max]

Grin

It is hard to image what new corners could be cut if you think of making the most bottom of the barrel product possible. But that's not what has to be done. If Craftsman/Sears were to use the illusion of selling a tool that *looks* like a Bosch/PC/Milwaukee, then one only need to make one just like it inside and out, except make the appropriate substitutions.

I find it very easy to believe that a company may be willing to sell themselves and build a few tens of thousands of units for Sears with Sears's price point requirement. Bosch or Porter Cable would know what to do to meet the cost requirement.

[George Max]

Sam Colt as a negotiation tool. Funny.

We're talking Sears, not Guido & Co. with the truckload of hot washing machines.

In my experience they're doing a little more than asking. Maybe that's initiative on the part of the droid operating the cash register.

[CW]

Craftsman bashing is the in thing here. Some have had experience, most are just "me too" types.

[George Max]

Yes

That's nice. Any plans on converting any of that to lumber?

I'll say that's good luck for you. I really hope the buyer knows what he's doing and inspects it thoroughly before using.

I used to scuba dive. Skydiving is just too much. If my tank ran out of air, I could still make it to the surface. Probably. If my parachute didn't open, well, I can't get back on the plane. Houston, I have a problem.

[Allen Roy]

Hence why I said some....

I had a recip saw from Makita that broke 2 inches into the first cut. Fustrated, I took it back and exchanged it. It lasted about 6 months of use (light duty) then came time for some heavy use when the end of it exploded in my hand. A trip to the ER and OR fixed my hand but for some reason they were quick to settle before it turned into a lawsuit. And yes it was the same thing that broke the second time taking more of the saw with it this time.

Then to boot I had an older Makita drill that lasted through a lot of heavy use. Broke the day the doctor let me back into the shop and all I was doing was drilling a 1/4" hole through some pine.

But my dad swears by there circ saws.

Allen

[Bruce Barnett]

I once bought a can of compressed air (for cleaning keyboards) from CompUSA. I had to send them the UPC symbol can to get the rebate.

It was printed on the metal of the can itself.

I made a copy, and told them in a note that I'd have to cut the metal from the can (making the compressed air useless) to get the real UPC.

They rejected my rebate. I was pssssssssssssssssssssst.

[Prometheus]

Not exactly true, that. I've got some really nice tools from Sears in the past. They're all hand tools, but I wouldn't trade the chisels I bought there for anything else. Ditto for the dovetail saw, and a few other smaller items.

All of them have Craftsman logos, and they're all very nice. Couldn't say about the power tools, as there has always been a more attractive option elsewhere.

[Prometheus]

Makita belt-sanders are awfully nice as well. Tried one head-to-head against a Porter Cable, and the Makita was the better tool by far. Same guy who had the sander swore by the 2.6amp cordless drill as well.

[Gary]

"CW" wrote

It would seem so :)

I honestly don't give a crappe one way or the other... I guess my problem is with predjudice in any form (shrug)

I have Craftsman, DeWalt, Delta, Freud, Ridgid, and Ryobi power tools. Oh, and a B&D belt sander.... I buy whatever goes on sale (big-time sale, I mean) because I know that, by and large, there isn't much difference: They're either made in a place with good Quality Control and are expensive, or made in a place with poor Quality Control and are cheap. The rest is pretty much fluff.

As for hand tools, I used to be a Snap-On snob, but I fortunately grew out of that. In these days of no-questions-asked lifetime guarantees and most of the stuff coming from the same couple of manufactures anyway, paying for the Big Name is plain stoopit. Er, IMHO ;)

Cheers!

Gary

[CW]

A number of people I know have bought used parachutes. The first thing they do is to have it inspected by a licensed rigger. In any case, if it fails, they do have a reserve. The skydiving crowd tends to be a little crazy though. They do jump with some strange stuff at times.

[Rob Mills]

less than other places.

[J. Clarke]

It would cost more to retool to make 10,000 units than would be saved by the retooling.

It's not a matter of "knowing what to do", it's a matter of stopping the line, tearing out tooling and machinery, installing new tooling and machinery to produce the new design, restarting the line, making the run, and then repeating the whole process again to go back to regular production.

Making design changes with hand-made one-offs is easy, making design changes in something that is mass-produced is not a trivial undertaking and has very significant costs. Further, most of the cost of making just about anything is labor--substituting pot metal for aluminum won't reduce the labor.

[Rob Mills]

[Lee Gordon]

Me too.

[George Max]

Buying solely on price doesn't make much sense either. There really is a reason a Big Name became a big name. And I don't mean hype. I mean they perform well.

There are many reasons for buying one thing instead of another but lets face facts - some brands/tools that cost more are that way because they really are a superior product.