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OT: Useless Chainsaw

D

dgasper

Member
Tried to order a chainsaw part. The saw had a total run time of five minutes before catastrophic failure. I know, it's my fault. Should have read the label: Made in China.

Here's the last e-mail received from Sears parts:

Thank you for contacting Sears regarding replacement parts for your
Craftsman chain saw.

We apologize for the delay of our response.

We regret to inform you that the original manufacturer no longer has the
gear and bearing assembly available, and unfortunately we do not have a
substitute or alternate part available. We regret any inconvenience this
has created.

If you are interested in purchasing a new saw, you may visit your local
Sears store or visit us on line at www.sears.com.

(I don't think so)
 
If that saw is brand new.. why don't sears back up their word on a first time replacement or is it because you forgot to mix the gas ?

Managemyhome.com has many downloadable manuals and part numbers I use it a lot to order myself. just click on machine for me it's mostly garden tractors and search the model number.
 
You"ve obviously had the saw for a while or warranty would be valid.Look for a store that sells AND services saws.Way better off in the long run.
 
Because I bought it two years ago and didn"t use it until now
and of course the warranty ran out.
 
Son-in-law bought a generator made in china. Needed a new needle in the carb. None availavel anywhere. I had to put my machining experiences to work and made a new pull stem on the old needle. I suggested to him to sell it asap. Stan
 
i had the same thing happen with a torque wrench from there they gave me the run around in the store so i took a free catolog and left i went home and called customer service i explained to them what had happened they said the same thing warrenty on torque wrench only good for one year. i told them i used it twice and thier motto was satifaction garenteed or your money back and i wasnt satisfied. two days latter i got a certified letter in the mail stating that i could exchange anything i bought at sears no questions asked so back to the store i went. Same little fat guy waited on me and told me "i told you we could not exchange that i said i think you can and showed him my letter he said oh your that guy and went to get the boss they gave me what i wanted and appologized. so call them and raise some cane youll get a new one.
 
I have been so disappointed with Sears tools, I quit going! I should state, though, that their shop vac is the only one I like! The Shop Vac brand ones we have on jobsites are usually missing the filter, or the bag. No one tells you, then you just blow the dust around. With the Sears vac, if the filter is in it, you are good to go. Sorry for your bad experience!
 
bought a chainsaw from sears a few years back(penny wise pound foolish for sure). Put gas in it and proceeded to cut a small tree the size of a mans wrist-it died and would not start-Took it back-the store said since I put gas in it they would not take it back without a 15% restocking fee, they would not even try to start the saw, said if I wanted they could have their mechanic look at it and if it was the saws fault they would replace, if my fault no replacement. I argued how could I even check the saw without gas to no avail-paid 15% restocking fee-I
have never and will never back in a sears store.
 
I thought sears saws were made by Poulan, and you can get some parts through them. My son has a sears saw and he got a new oiler for it last year and I changed it for him.
 
A chainsaw is a piece of equipment that I will pay good money for because of what it is doing. I will not trust my life to a piece of schitt saw made in China, I trust Stihl for making chainsaws that I will use.
 
I'm on my second Sears shop sweeper. Had the first one a long time and gave it to my son, it still works. The newer one - now at least 10 years old- isn't as good as the first one in my opinion, at least the filter isn't. I commented that to the salesman and he agreed, they cheapened them up to keep the price close to where it was.
 
Sears don't make anything but catalogues. They buy from anyone that is willing to put Crafsman on their their product.
 
I had problems with Sears many years ago, I even even called the district office and they sided with the store.
Long story that every person I talk to says Sears was wrong!!
Sears doesn't sell anything that I can't buy someplace else.
 
I am bad to buy something and not use it for a while. I have two or three tools now that I bought over a year ago. If they don't work properly, I will just have to eat them. That's where Sears has you dead to rights, unfortunately.
Russ from MN, Poulan did make saws for Sears for many years, and darned good saws too. If the model number begins with 358. it was mfgd. by Poulan.
 
(quoted from post at 23:19:15 10/06/11) I had problems with Sears many years ago, I even even called the district office and they sided with the store.
Long story that every person I talk to says Sears was wrong!!
Sears doesn't sell anything that I can't buy someplace else.
Click to expand...

It's like when I want spark plugs and filters for my mower... I can go to Sears and buy a $6 spark plug and a $12 filter... Or I go to my local farm and home supply and buy the same plug for $2 and the filter for $5. :shock:
 
Years ago I bought stuff from Sears. When I decided that thier quality was slipping in the early 80's I quit shopping there and paid off my Sears card. I made what I thought was the final payment and got a letter from Sears saying I still owed the 45 cents. I bet they spent more writing that letter and mailing it! Haven't shopped Sears sense.

Rick
 
I got a Polan Pro in 2005. I still use it semi regularly. I have been through more than a few bars and many many chains, but that is about it.
 
(quoted from post at 17:34:26 10/06/11) Because I bought it two years ago and didn"t use it until now
and of course the warranty ran out.
Click to expand...

If they still sell the same one, get it and take the broke one back for a replacement...... Then return the new replacement for a refund. Or just throw it away and spring for a stihl.....
 
The last thing I bought from Sears was a Ready Heater. Its one of these cylinder kerosene heaters. I put fuel in it and after sitting overnight I noticed a drop of kerosene on the floor. I thought, its new, the tank shouldn"t leak so I took it back and exchanged it for another one. I got the second one and took it home and when I opened the box the whole thing was completely disassembled, just a box full of parts. Then I went back to the store and took it back to get another one and this time I checked it before I left the store. The box was pristine, not a wrinkle on it but the heater inside looked like you dropped an anvil in the center of it. This time I got my money back and never went back.
 
Some things you buy from Sears, and some you don.t. A chainsaw is in the don,t dept. Go buy a Stihl and be done with it. I have 3 and am tickled pink with each of them.
 
Yep, Stihl. Most dependable saw I ever used. I have several. Best part is the dealers are never a huge store, they're all small home-town stores owned by the man in the store. Always dependable service, by a man who wants your repeat business.
 
Buy Stihl, husky or Dolmar.

Doesn't matter all three are great saws.
Pick a dealer that’s convenient and will take care of you.
Between me and 3 nephews
2 ms 460's Thats the saw I use all the time
2 ms 270's
1 MS 250
1 little top handle stihl that I don't remember the number of.
 
Ive used 2 Stihl in the last 40 year.The first an 015 cut all the wood I needed but I wanted a chain brake and anti vibration feature.Bought an 023 and its given good service.Ive replaced a fuel line and sprocket and many chains.Running the same bar because its got a good oiling system.Friend bought a Poulan, couldnt keep it running.He bought a Husky.Ive cut wood with friends over the years and the poulan saws were trouble.Friend had a new Sears saw made by Poulan.I picked it up to cut down a stump so I could back the truck in.The vibration was awful,cant see how any one could use the saw.Most of the woodsmen around here use Stihl.My Stihl take about 3 pulls from a cold start, after that it starts on 1 pull.Sears is not the same as it was years ago.The have a 30 buck minimum bench charge and if you have to order a small part it will cost you 14 bucks for shipping for a gasket or a few screws you have lost.A friend got mixed up with Sears credit and it took a long time to get rid of them.I was with him at Sears when he got hooked on their credit.The was a wheel barrow on display for 74.95.He said thats a good buy.I said no, I had just bought the same wheel barrow at a rural hardware store for 43 bucks.
 
Heres a joke an old friend told me many years ago.An old fellow had cut his wood with a bow saw and axe since he was a boy.He heard about the new fangled chain saws.He went down to Sears and bought a chain saw.He cut wood with it for a month but didnt like it so he took it back to Sears.Met the saleman who had sold him the saw.He told the salesman his old bow saw cut wood much better than the chain saw.Salesman took the saw out doors. pulled the rope twice and the engine roared.The old man said,whats that noise?A farmer told me this one.His father had a cordwood saw powered by a Witte hit and miss engine.They got into some big wood that was too much for the engine so Clyde bought a bigger engine.He sold the smaller engine to a farmer in the next town.He showed the fellow how to start it, adjust the carb and oil it.Wasnt long before the new owner was complaining at the general store that Clyde cheated him, sold him a junk engine that wouldnt run.He got mad ,took a sledge hammer and broke the engine in to small pieces.Clyde went to see him and found the farmer was turning the engine the wrong way to start it.
 
Don't buy a Husky from a box store though... You'll end up with the same as what you got from Sears.

Stihl MS290, maybe MS291 now, is a good value. It's the latest evolution of their classic/legendary(?) 028 model. A little heavy for its size and power but it's almost competitively priced with the high-end throw-away saws.

...and don't think that every Stihl/Husky/Dolmar dealer is this friendly little shop that knows everything about saws, though... You WILL be disappointed. A lot of these little mom & pop shops know nothing about service. Half the time, they won't even look up from their newspaper when you come in. If they do you're just as likely to get the stinkeye as a smile and a warm welcome.

I've walked in, stood around 5-10 minutes, and walked out of MANY small chainsaw shops. Couldn't get anyone's attention (owner on the phone yakking about the deer he killed, or talking politics with the fat old guy who doesn't work there but sits on a stool in the corner all day), saw the ridiculous prices (way over suggested retail), got disgusted, and left.

I'm not saying good shops don't exist, but you might have to "shop around" to find one.
 
i dont like them either, i bought one a couple of years ago, not for me, its my "loner saw" that way when my "friends" come over to borrow my saw, i givem that thing, not one of my nice high quality cherrished stihls, i once made the mistake of actually trying to use the sears, as i need a saw and it was sitting on the back of a nearby truck, what a usles piece of junk! i wondered why nobody had been by lately to borrow my saw lol
 
Watch out for the Still 211. Bought one this spring and just started it again this weekend, set it on the workbench and a puddle of oil was on the table (after about 30 min). Searched online at apparently that particular model has a problem with the bar oil leaking around where the hose goes into the tank underneith (exposed hose). Running it a bit seems to have slowed the leak down but it is still present. For as much as I use the saw I will just drain the oil out of it, but it is still a slight nuisance.
 
Don't you know that Sears always sources from
the LOWEST BIDDER? Think about it when you go
there for a TV, Refriderator, Washer, or clothing
made in 3rd world sweat shops!
 
hey Gu Ru... I have a Question for You, I have a stihl O31AV about a 1980 model thew last one they made with Points Ignition.. and has only been used about five hrs total... are these sought after saws or considered obsolete or other ?? myour thoufhts please!just wondering what i have here i Bought it New and still looks new. Larry
 
You go to Sears to look up the part you need then do a search on the net and Ebay. I"ve bought for half of Sears prices or Sears only carries a complete assembly and you may only need part of it.
 
Many years ago, I had a Kenmore double oven range. After replacing the lower oven element three times in as many years, I was advised to go to a local plumbing and electrical supply.
As luck would have it---I was next in line with a man that needed an element just like mine. He paid about $15. I told the lady I needed the same thing and she brought one out, looked at mine and said "you have a Kenmore" Brought another back and the price was about $22!
I asked what the difference was and she showed me the electrical "spade connector".
Thats what was BURNING UP!!! I told her to give me the $15 one and I would modify by substituting a metal ring with small screw and nut.
I did so and never had another problem!
My point is---Sears has their own parts network and has their supplier to modify items. In most cases, only genuine Sears parts will work!!
I was told this by a Sears technician and he said virtually all Sears items are modified in this way.
That's another reason for me to boycott Sears!!
Spayed connectors are cheaper then the ring with screw and nut!
 
It's an absolute shame what some of these companies have done with once good brands in order to sell them at the box stores. On the farm we still have and use grandpa's little blue Homelite with the steel casing and the manual oiler. Our bigger saws were the old reliable Poulans. Both of those brands turned into garbage when they started selling them in Fleet and Walmart. After the last Poulan died in the early nineties we got a Stihl 039 with a 20" bar. Needless to say we have never looked back. When we finally wore out that saw we got a 390. Almost forgot to mention the Stihl 029 Farm Boss that we bought 11 years ago and is still running just as good as the day we bought it.
 
its possible to get parts sometimses from the original supplier to sears.the three or four digit code in front of the model number is the supplier number.if you can find out who that supplier is, you may find a part there.sears didnt always have junk,at one time they went out of their way to find the best suppliers.But unfortunatly these days everyone has to compete with walmart.small places cant match their prices,and large places like sears cant sell quality anymore simply because of the consumer. its a shame really,but its been going on since we became a nation.That very thing was the leading cause of the civil war.south wanted and needed cheap goods to feed and clothe their huge black labor force,north couldnt under sale the importers and stay in buisness,north wanted to shut down imports to sell their goods,and the south wanted(and needed) to trade where they pleased and buy stuff on the cheap.thats what the states rights deal was all about.of course cotton by the war had went from around 20% of the us exports to over 60% in just a short space of time.and the northern manufacturing areas wanted their share of it.
 
I thought of that. Unfortunately the design was so bad Sears stopped carrying them and the supplier quit making them, thus no parts.
 
Sears sent me an Email about like the one they sent you for wood planer parts...suggesting I buy a new one as the parts were not avail. I bought a new one alright, a DeWalt.

I have noticed the tool Dept. at my local Sears store slowly getting smaller and smaller. Maybe they will learn somesay.
 
I worked fairly high up at Sears for many years, so take this for what it's worth: go immediately to the back office and ask to speak to the store SGM. Tell him your saw failed 5 minutes into using it, creating not only an inconvenience but a safety hazard. Tell him you want a new saw, because you don't trust your saw any longer- fixed or not. If he doesn't fold immediately, ask for the name and phone number of his regional manager, and the name and phone number for his divisional VP at Hofmann.
You'll get a new saw.
Some day, I'll tell you the story about my Sears well pump.
 
SOmetimes...but also sometimes the bid goes to the vendor who puts the most cash in a white envelope for the back pocket of the company buyer. Google " Diehard purchasing indictment"
 
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