Craftsman/Quality? That is only true if you look at the price verses AVERAGE lifetime of product and that would be true if they had a long lifetime. Look at the number of posts for people needing help in the Craftsman section. The only one that beats them in JD. Craftsman lawn products are built for Joe home owner who wants something to maintain his yard at a low cost. He thinks that if it has the Craftsman name on it, they will back it just like their hand tools. Anyone in the repair business will tell you that they see more of these units than the other brand names. The less than 1% of you out there that religiously maintain your equipment, will get a longer lifespan out of you Craftsman equipment, but Craftsman gives very little room for error in maintenance, which the average buyer normally exceeds, which causes an early death. Being in the repair business, I like to see Craftsman units come in. I have a chance to educate the customer on maintenance procedures, get a new customer, pay a few bills and/or receive a good engine and have the scrapyard pay me for the frame. I win either way. My question is, if Craftsman is such a quality piece of equipment, why don't they make it easier for the customer to get service on their products? At the present time the customer has two choices. 1. Take it to a regional service center at the customers expense. That could be 100 miles away. 2. Bring it to the local repair shop, where they will be charged more, because it is not the brand the store sells. Bottom line, you get what you pay for. It's just that some of us know how to extend the life of a lower end product.
