Craftsman 2000W generator

[jesseannie]

Lowes is the new Craftsman tool retailer and has a 2000 watt inverter generator in Stock for 649.00.
Veterans get 10% off so if your a veteran this is a pretty good buy.
I am not a generator user I just saw this last night when I was at their store. I haven't seen any reviews of it yet.
Jesseannie

[armyeng]

WTP-GC wrote:

accsys wrote:

ol Bombero-JC wrote:
EASY - it's the bait to reel you in!..:R

BIG SALE!! BIG DISCOUNTS !! - - COME ON DOWN !!

No matter why -or to whom- it's offered. Simple retail marketing..:S
~

You my friend are a cynic! Of course it's basic marketing but Lowe's is one of the few that honors vets in this manner consistently. They don't have to do this to get my business but it definitely makes me a more loyal customer.

Of course, speaking of basic economics, why would I buy a 10 foot length of schedule 40 1" PVC from HD, currently priced online at 4.16 when I can get it at Lowe's, also online for 3.97 before my 40 cent 10% discount. So in essence Lowe's is selling this item to vets only for 3.57.

They both also sell a Dewalt 20V 1/2" drill set model DCD771C2 for the same price of 99.00 however a vet can get it from Lowe's for 89.10. That means I have $10 more in my pocket (not including sales tax savings) and $10 less in their pocket thanks to the vets discount which applies to every item every day of the year, not just on special sales days or items not on sale. You may call that a come on - I call it honoring our vets!

At the fear of opening a can of worms, I'm not entirely fond of all the discounts offered to the various "people groups"...that includes veterans. As someone who's family is heavily invested in military service, I find such discounts to be a pandering gesture. As we know, it's not enough to offer the discount to military service members, it then also extends to "first responders", defined vaguely as anyone who was in the LEO field, paramedics, firefighters, auxiliary officers, correctional, or even a front desk clerk at the PD. But what about a vet's family? The spouse of a deployed vet (and of course their children) have also sacrificed greatly. Many kids grow up without a dad due to being lost in the line of duty. Does the discount extend to them...and for how long?

I stand proudly to honor those who have served and are serving. But when you tell me there's a 10% discount for my service, you've essentially put a price on what that's worth. I stood behind a kid the other day that couldn't have barely been out of boot camp in a line waiting to get into a park. The admission fee was $2...and he asked for a military discount. He then pulled out his credit card to make payment. Most vets I know DO NOT ask about a military discount, nor do they purposely shop at places for the purpose of getting one.

I definitely go to Lowes because of the military discount if that is the cheaper store selling it, but my local HD offers the same discount, and another local (not nationwide, just within the state) company of the same type offers 15%. So it's a matter of shopping around.
Now as to who the discount extends to, at least for Lowes, anybody with a military ID,including a dependent ID so my DW, DD are included in that, also a VA card, or any other proof of service

[ol_Bombero-JC]

riven1950 wrote:
So I guess we should not use :

Lowes military discounts
Senior discounts at many places...
Old farts discounts ( 1/2 price to federal facilities, COE, etc. )
Good Sam discounts
Discounts at Hotels, car rentals, for seniors and various other reasons
ETc. ETc. ETc....

They are just pandering to us. I'm going to quit letting these people take advantage of me and insist on paying the highest price I can. It's my money and I won't let them tell me how to spend it.

Hmmmm.... A Craftsman generator "deal" has gone off track, ROTFL

Yes, surprise!! - some *ARE* pandering to you!..:S

"riven" if you can't sort which is which - the following won't help.

Buy your next vehicle at the hot advertised "sale" price of twenty percent off MSRP .....or at dealer cost (way less than the 20%) with a bit of effort..:(

RV show "sale prices" are another.

Get your Vets or other group's discount at the big box store (Home Depot also), only to see the identical item is on sale the next week for considerably less than what you paid with your affiliated discount..:R

BTW: Example of a true "discount" is when Vet stays at a Fam camp, shops at a base exchange, etc..:C

The general public can't do that, but they can belong to one of the camping organizations which has a set (discount) price for members.
Ditto some of the other (valid) "discounts" you mentioned.
(I am a 76 yr old ret 1st responder, w/military service)

If the discount isn't eclipsed ("beat") next week, you've done good!

If you're still happy with YOUR bargain (whether it was or was not) that's great also!

:C


~

[Dave_H_M]

good comeback riven. :R

I think this one has gone way down south.

[riven1950]

So I guess we should not use :

Lowes military discounts
Senior discounts at many places...
Old farts discounts ( 1/2 price to federal facilities, COE, etc. )
Good Sam discounts
Discounts at Hotels, car rentals, for seniors and various other reasons
ETc. ETc. ETc....

They are just pandering to us. I'm going to quit letting these people take advantage of me and insist on paying the highest price I can. It's my money and I won't let them tell me how to spend it.

[WTP-GC]

accsys wrote:

ol Bombero-JC wrote:
EASY - it's the bait to reel you in!..:R

BIG SALE!! BIG DISCOUNTS !! - - COME ON DOWN !!

No matter why -or to whom- it's offered. Simple retail marketing..:S
~

You my friend are a cynic! Of course it's basic marketing but Lowe's is one of the few that honors vets in this manner consistently. They don't have to do this to get my business but it definitely makes me a more loyal customer.

Of course, speaking of basic economics, why would I buy a 10 foot length of schedule 40 1" PVC from HD, currently priced online at 4.16 when I can get it at Lowe's, also online for 3.97 before my 40 cent 10% discount. So in essence Lowe's is selling this item to vets only for 3.57.

They both also sell a Dewalt 20V 1/2" drill set model DCD771C2 for the same price of 99.00 however a vet can get it from Lowe's for 89.10. That means I have $10 more in my pocket (not including sales tax savings) and $10 less in their pocket thanks to the vets discount which applies to every item every day of the year, not just on special sales days or items not on sale. You may call that a come on - I call it honoring our vets!

At the fear of opening a can of worms, I'm not entirely fond of all the discounts offered to the various "people groups"...that includes veterans. As someone who's family is heavily invested in military service, I find such discounts to be a pandering gesture. As we know, it's not enough to offer the discount to military service members, it then also extends to "first responders", defined vaguely as anyone who was in the LEO field, paramedics, firefighters, auxiliary officers, correctional, or even a front desk clerk at the PD. But what about a vet's family? The spouse of a deployed vet (and of course their children) have also sacrificed greatly. Many kids grow up without a dad due to being lost in the line of duty. Does the discount extend to them...and for how long?

I stand proudly to honor those who have served and are serving. But when you tell me there's a 10% discount for my service, you've essentially put a price on what that's worth. I stood behind a kid the other day that couldn't have barely been out of boot camp in a line waiting to get into a park. The admission fee was $2...and he asked for a military discount. He then pulled out his credit card to make payment. Most vets I know DO NOT ask about a military discount, nor do they purposely shop at places for the purpose of getting one.

[accsys]

ol Bombero-JC wrote:
EASY - it's the bait to reel you in!..:R

BIG SALE!! BIG DISCOUNTS !! - - COME ON DOWN !!

No matter why -or to whom- it's offered. Simple retail marketing..:S
~

You my friend are a cynic! Of course it's basic marketing but Lowe's is one of the few that honors vets in this manner consistently. They don't have to do this to get my business but it definitely makes me a more loyal customer.

Of course, speaking of basic economics, why would I buy a 10 foot length of schedule 40 1" PVC from HD, currently priced online at 4.16 when I can get it at Lowe's, also online for 3.97 before my 40 cent 10% discount. So in essence Lowe's is selling this item to vets only for 3.57.

They both also sell a Dewalt 20V 1/2" drill set model DCD771C2 for the same price of 99.00 however a vet can get it from Lowe's for 89.10. That means I have $10 more in my pocket (not including sales tax savings) and $10 less in their pocket thanks to the vets discount which applies to every item every day of the year, not just on special sales days or items not on sale. You may call that a come on - I call it honoring our vets!

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Dave H M wrote:

riven1950 wrote:
ol Bombero-JC, I agree with everything you said except the Vets discount just being a come on.

It not only applies to this " deal " but other stuff too. A good effort by a big company to honor our Vets.

i am curious also. how can a 10% discount across the board be a "come on".

EASY - it's the bait to reel you in!..:R

BIG SALE!! BIG DISCOUNTS !! - - COME ON DOWN !!

No matter why -or to whom- it's offered. Simple retail marketing..:S

BTW - How *NOT* to honor Vets (or anyone else, for that matter:
Of course the "Big Company" advised buyers (Vets, or?) that Sears stores and products (and service) will disappear *completely* very, very soon.
The 46 K-Mart & Sears store closings are just the beginning of the end.

Writing has been on the wall for a long time..:R

~

[Ron3rd]

WTP-GC wrote:

72cougarxr7 wrote:

WTP-GC wrote:

Ron3rd wrote:

As to the hand tools, the Craftsman tools I have are over 30 years old and where all stamped Made in USA and have held up well.

Few months ago I was looking for an inexpensive torque wrench on Amazon and checked out the offerings under the Craftsman brand; a common review was, "CHEAP CHINA JUNK, BROKE THE FIRST TIME I USED IT".

I ended up with a brand out of Taiwan that had over 1,000 reviews which were very positive. Turns out to be a great little wrench for about $40. The quality and finish seem to be outstanding.

I used to think Craftsman hand tools were the standard, but the last time I went in there to exchange a broken tool (ratchet in this case), they instead had changed their policy and the store clerk had to "fix it". That was it for me.

On the point about the taiwan torque wrench with all the great reviews, there's a few websites I started using so that I wouldn't be suckered by fake reviews. Do a google search for "amazon review analysis" and use some of those websites to evaluate whether or not the reviews are legitimate. I've found several products that look amazing and have superb reviews, but a careful analysis of those reviews shows that most of them are fake, inorganic, etc.

Repairing a ratchet at Sears is nothing new. I remember going to Sears with my neighbor in the 90's. He had a ratchet with worn out gears, the clerk replaced the gear set and we were on our way.
The handle does not really wear out, unless you bend or break it with a cheater bar!

Bring a Snap on ratchet to a tool truck, they will do the same thing.

Up to that point, every broken hand tool I had ever taken back to Sears was replaced. They would just tell me to go get the most comparable one off the shelf. I don't have a problem with someone fixing it, but when the store clerk doing the "fixing" is nothing more than a pimple-faced kid who looks like he could just barely figure out how to tie his shoes...we have a problem LOL

The operative word in you post is HAND TOOL. I used to have one of those "Digi-Torque" torque wrenches years ago and it gave up the ghost much too soon. I took it back to Sears and was informed a torque wrench is not a "HAND TOOL". The showed me the fine print in the warranty and sure enough, torque wrenches, and tons of other tools, are not considered HAND TOOLS and are thus not subject to the lifetime warranty.

[Lynnmor]

When I took a broken 3/8" ratchet to Sears, they handed me a repaired tool of an inferior design, with someones initials carved into it. When I objected they said take it or leave it.

A brand new set of ratcheting end wrenches had two that wouldn't function.

I won't miss them when they are gone.

[WTP-GC]

72cougarxr7 wrote:

WTP-GC wrote:

Ron3rd wrote:

As to the hand tools, the Craftsman tools I have are over 30 years old and where all stamped Made in USA and have held up well.

Few months ago I was looking for an inexpensive torque wrench on Amazon and checked out the offerings under the Craftsman brand; a common review was, "CHEAP CHINA JUNK, BROKE THE FIRST TIME I USED IT".

I ended up with a brand out of Taiwan that had over 1,000 reviews which were very positive. Turns out to be a great little wrench for about $40. The quality and finish seem to be outstanding.

I used to think Craftsman hand tools were the standard, but the last time I went in there to exchange a broken tool (ratchet in this case), they instead had changed their policy and the store clerk had to "fix it". That was it for me.

On the point about the taiwan torque wrench with all the great reviews, there's a few websites I started using so that I wouldn't be suckered by fake reviews. Do a google search for "amazon review analysis" and use some of those websites to evaluate whether or not the reviews are legitimate. I've found several products that look amazing and have superb reviews, but a careful analysis of those reviews shows that most of them are fake, inorganic, etc.

Repairing a ratchet at Sears is nothing new. I remember going to Sears with my neighbor in the 90's. He had a ratchet with worn out gears, the clerk replaced the gear set and we were on our way.
The handle does not really wear out, unless you bend or break it with a cheater bar!

Bring a Snap on ratchet to a tool truck, they will do the same thing.

Up to that point, every broken hand tool I had ever taken back to Sears was replaced. They would just tell me to go get the most comparable one off the shelf. I don't have a problem with someone fixing it, but when the store clerk doing the "fixing" is nothing more than a pimple-faced kid who looks like he could just barely figure out how to tie his shoes...we have a problem LOL

[72cougarxr7]

WTP-GC wrote:

Ron3rd wrote:

As to the hand tools, the Craftsman tools I have are over 30 years old and where all stamped Made in USA and have held up well.

Few months ago I was looking for an inexpensive torque wrench on Amazon and checked out the offerings under the Craftsman brand; a common review was, "CHEAP CHINA JUNK, BROKE THE FIRST TIME I USED IT".

I ended up with a brand out of Taiwan that had over 1,000 reviews which were very positive. Turns out to be a great little wrench for about $40. The quality and finish seem to be outstanding.

I used to think Craftsman hand tools were the standard, but the last time I went in there to exchange a broken tool (ratchet in this case), they instead had changed their policy and the store clerk had to "fix it". That was it for me.

On the point about the taiwan torque wrench with all the great reviews, there's a few websites I started using so that I wouldn't be suckered by fake reviews. Do a google search for "amazon review analysis" and use some of those websites to evaluate whether or not the reviews are legitimate. I've found several products that look amazing and have superb reviews, but a careful analysis of those reviews shows that most of them are fake, inorganic, etc.

Repairing a ratchet at Sears is nothing new. I remember going to Sears with my neighbor in the 90's. He had a ratchet with worn out gears, the clerk replaced the gear set and we were on our way.
The handle does not really wear out, unless you bend or break it with a cheater bar!

Bring a Snap on ratchet to a tool truck, they will do the same thing.

[WTP-GC]

Ron3rd wrote:

As to the hand tools, the Craftsman tools I have are over 30 years old and where all stamped Made in USA and have held up well.

Few months ago I was looking for an inexpensive torque wrench on Amazon and checked out the offerings under the Craftsman brand; a common review was, "CHEAP CHINA JUNK, BROKE THE FIRST TIME I USED IT".

I ended up with a brand out of Taiwan that had over 1,000 reviews which were very positive. Turns out to be a great little wrench for about $40. The quality and finish seem to be outstanding.

I used to think Craftsman hand tools were the standard, but the last time I went in there to exchange a broken tool (ratchet in this case), they instead had changed their policy and the store clerk had to "fix it". That was it for me.

On the point about the taiwan torque wrench with all the great reviews, there's a few websites I started using so that I wouldn't be suckered by fake reviews. Do a google search for "amazon review analysis" and use some of those websites to evaluate whether or not the reviews are legitimate. I've found several products that look amazing and have superb reviews, but a careful analysis of those reviews shows that most of them are fake, inorganic, etc.

[Ron3rd]

theoldwizard1 wrote:

keymastr wrote:
I thought Craftsman was bought by Ace Hardware? Were they sold again? Have to admit I don't trust them much anymore.

The "Craftsman" brand name was bought by Stanley-Black & Decker (SBD) last year. They have recently "relaunched" the brand. They are sold at Sears, Ace and Lowes.

Sears/Craftsman NEVER owned any manufacturing facilities. All most all of the Craftsman tools were built to Sears specification. SOme were just re-branded. For the past 15-20 (?) most of the tools were made off shore. Quality varied depending on who the manufacturer was (that year !).

Many of the "new" Craftsman tools, are other SBD brands with different colors and labels (SBD owns several tool companies including DeWalt). SBD has said that they will bring much of the manufacturing back to the US over the next few years.


If you are shopping for hand tools, don't overlook Harbor Freight. The hand tools are better than they used to be. The "jury is still out" on power tools, but I have not heard of any major complaints about the newer Predator generators. I think I would buy one of theirs (with an extended warranty) before I would buy some of the "other" brands.

...this info is true. "Sears" is basically done and of no value itself. The only thing they had of value were the Craftsman, Kenmore, and Die Hard trademarks and their respective product lines. I don't know what they sold for but an article I read a few years ago said they could be worth over a Billion dollars.

As to the hand tools, the Craftsman tools I have are over 30 years old and where all stamped Made in USA and have held up well.

Few months ago I was looking for an inexpensive torque wrench on Amazon and checked out the offerings under the Craftsman brand; a common review was, "CHEAP CHINA JUNK, BROKE THE FIRST TIME I USED IT".

I ended up with a brand out of Taiwan that had over 1,000 reviews which were very positive. Turns out to be a great little wrench for about $40. The quality and finish seem to be outstanding.

[colliehauler]

theoldwizard1 wrote:

colliehauler wrote:
thought Sears would be gone by now. Warren Buffett stepped in with some cash so there has to be some value.

Not exactly !

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has agreed to loan $2 billion to Seritage Growth Properties – a real estate investment firm created by struggling retailer Sears.

So this real estate holding company is where the REAL remain value of Sears Holding is ! Of course, in my area, there are 3 or 4 very large Sears store sitting empty in decline malls. They have anounce that more will be closed.

Thanks for the clarification.