r/Craftsman

If you’re already in the batter platform and looking for an inexpensive mower, this one’s $100 off for Memorial Day:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-2x20V-20-Volt-Max-Brushless-Lithium-Ion-Push-20-in-Cordless-Electric-Lawn-Mower-Battery-Included/5001583797

They keep sending them in paper envelopes and the hammers end up damaged and or missing. Maybe the 4th attempt will get me what I want 🙄

As this Wednesday marks exactly 99 years since Sears started the brand Craftsman on May 20th of 1927 I thought I would be sharing these pictures of what the Sears website's lawn and garden page looked like in the 2000's as well as the old pictures of various Sears locations from the 2010s decade: the first one in my home state of Washington, the last location in South Dakota that has since been slated to become a Dicks House of Sport, and some that made it through the 2018 bankruptcy and the 2020-2021 coronavirus (covid 19) outbreak / pandemic and closed in 2023 and 2024, as well as the 3 out of 5 that are still open to this day.

When and where did your local (and nearest) Sears store get rid of Lawn and Garden (L&G) and why did the retailer get rid of that site wide and in store ?
Mine did at the Southcenter Mall in Washington State sometime back in 2020-2021 due to the October 15 2018 bankruptcy

Sources and Credits
Wayback Machine 2001-2009
Sears Seattle Facebook Page 2013
Esteban De Armas (Google) April 6 2017
Mike Kalasnik (Flickr) New Year's Day January 1st 2018
Byron A. Nash (Flickr) February 23rd 2018
Christian Villa (Google) January 8 2019
Jodi Schwan (SiouxFalls.Business) May 31 2018
https://siouxfalls.business/sears-to-announce-more-closures-today/
Sears Tukwila Facebook Page March 25 2011
Nicholas Eckhart / Fan of Retail (Flickr) January 3 2013

Locations
1st and Lander Street in Seattle Washington (May 4 1925 - June 1 2014)
Coral Gables Miami Florida, address 3655 SW 22nd St Miami Florida 33145 (October 27 1954 - present)
Friendly Center in Greensboro North Carolina (August 29 1973 - May 28 2023)
South Shore Plaza in Braintree Massachusetts (October 6 1980 - present)
Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso Texas (February 24 1982 - present)
Empire Mall in Sioux Falls South Dakota (June 29 1988 - September 2 2018)
Southcenter Mall in Seattle (technically Tukwila) Washington (March 1994 - December 15 2024)
Sears Grand at Pittsburgh Mills in Tarentum Pennsylvania (November 5 2005 - January 18 2015)

r/kmart
r/deadmalls
r/retail
r/retailporn

Edit: as of the day of this post Kenmore grills still sell on Sears.com and Kenmoregrill.com and all 5 locations still have the grill department
- Coral Gables in Miami Florida 1954 - present (3655 SW 22nd St, Miami, FL 33145)
- Sun Valley Shopping Center in Concord California 1966 - present (1001 Sunvalley Blvd, Concord, CA 94520)
- South Shore Plaza in Braintree Massachusetts 1980 - present (250 Granite St, Braintree, MA 02184)
- Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso Texas 1982 - present (8401 Gateway Blvd W, El Paso, TX 79925)
- The Florida Mall in Orlando Florida 1986 - present (8001 S Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32809)

https://www.sears.com/outdoor-living-grills-outdoor-cooking/b-1024045?storeOrigin=Sears,Sears%20Authorized%20Supplier&filterList=storeOrigin
https://kenmoregrill.com/
https://kenmoregrill.com/kenmore-product-category/grills/

10th picture
*Lawn and Garden at the first Sears in Washington State and in the Pacific Northwest as well as on the West Coast in Seattle Washington circa 2013 (May 4th 1925 - June 1st 2014)

I have seen people having issues with the battery events, but I was lucky enough to grab the battery and this inflator for free!

Man, I really think the Craftsman/Stanley marketing department could use some help. lol. Am I the only one that finds “advanced” and “extra power” to be ridiculous names for the tabless batteries?

I bring it up because I like Craftsman but I think they need to do a better job of creating some excitement around the brand.

I recently picked up the Kobalt 1/2” impact for $99 at Lowe’s. This came with a 4ah battery and a carrying case.

I noticed, however, that Craftsman has their mid-torque wrench on sale for $99, bare tool only.

I probably know the answer to this, but all of my power tools besides this wrench are in the V20 series. I have multiple 4ah and 2ah craftsman batteries as well.

Is it worth it to return the Kobalt and purchase the Craftsman? I’m showing the Kobalt has 600ft of torque vs 275 for the Craftsman, but all I will really be using it for is changing tires on my vehicles and maybe driving some lag bolts.

Got tired of loosing track of my screwdrivers and made this organizer.

I also made a tray for the ratchet screwdriver on the right. The case for that tool is not great to begin with.

Share your feedback. This design fits perfectly in the Craftsman tool chest.

Hey guys I got a 1998 craftsman mower that runs and drives fine but wouldn’t shut off with the key. I replaced the ignition and made sure the magneto is grounded and that fixed the problem with the key but now once I let off the clutch to drive or mow it immediately bogs down and dies. The blades are disengaged. It doesn’t have a seat safety. And I’m at Witts end. Because now the only way I can mow is to disconnect the magneto ground, start it and mow like normal then choke it with a rag to kill it when I’m done.

This is the Sears in Concord, CA. Their tools department has like tripled in size these past few months. 😅

I purchased an S1000 drawer tool chest from Ace Hardware about a year and a half ago, and the internal locking mechanism is faulty. The top locking tab is misaligned upward, so the top drawer cannot fully close when the lid is open, and the drawer doesn’t lock when the lid is closed. At first, I didn’t think it was a big deal. The S1000 has a three-year warranty, and this is Craftsman, a brand known for its warranty support. Wrong.

The S1000, sold exclusively through Ace Hardware, is manufactured by Waterloo Industries, and you have to go through their customer support. Waterloo customer support is not there to help you; they’re there to dodge any responsibility for repairs, replacements, or troubleshooting. Dealing with Waterloo has been an exercise in self-degradation.

The most frustrating part is that if I’d bought the less expensive standard 1000 Series tool chest from Lowe’s, the simpler design likely wouldn’t have these problems, and if there were an issue, I’d be dealing with Craftsman corporate instead of Waterloo Industries. I’d heard Craftsman quality had declined, but this experience has severely soured me on the brand.

Doing Brake drums.