Mastercraft tools, no longer warrantied.

[brslk]

Originally Posted by graybeard

All good info to know.....so, with the affordable middle of the road tools (Craftsman and Mastercraft) for the average home repair guy such as myself, where do you now go to buy in Canada?

Gray and Snap-on are out of my price. If I was a professional I would buy quality but for my application Mastercraft and Craftsman met my needs....

I buy most of my tools these days used or on Amazon or other online stores.
If you're looking for reasonably priced good quality tools, look at Gear Wrench, Tekton and Capri Tools.
I used to buy mostly Snap On but with the help of the internet, other companies have caught up and in some cases surpassed the truck brands.
Almost all tool brands have a lifetime warranty, I can break a Tekton tool, email them a picture of it and they'll send me a new one faster than the Snap On truck used to come around once a week and never have what I needed anyway.
I still like some Mastercraft stuff when it's on sale.

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by Bushleague

Its been coming down the pipes for a while, I could see it from a ways off, but today was the first time Canadian tire officially flat out refused to exchange a broken Mastercraft tool for me. It was also the last time I will ever purchase their tools, as I have promised them in the past would happen if they ever refused to stand behind their warranty.

It was a impact universal drive, a tool that they claim can only be purchased as a part of a kit, they refused to replace the kit on account of the broken U drive, and were also unwilling to separate another kit to give me just the U drive.

To add to my aggravation they also pointed out that I did not have a receipt, while I do have the receipt filed somewhere my argument has always been that warranty claim printed on the box is for the life of the tool.... a significantly longer amount of time than it takes a receipt to fade to the point it is cannot be used to return the tool. The day I need a receipt to return a broken tool to the manufacturer, the claim of a lifetime warranty is false. I do not need a receipt to return a Snap-on tool to Snap-on or a Channel Lock tool directly to Channel Lock, I should not need a receipt to take a Mastercraft tool back to Canadian tire. According to current store policies, even in a best case scenario a Mastercraft tool is only warrantied for the life of the receipt... roughly about 3 years in my experience.

So anyways, to anyone else out there that still buy's Mastercraft junk on the premise that although the tools will break, they can be easily exchanged... buyer beware. As far as I'm concerned they should no longer be allowed to advertise their tools as warrantied for life, or even at all in the case of tools that come in kits.

Sounds like you are dealing with CTire in Spruce Grove Absolute worst I have come across.
I gave up on buying anything of value at CTire ,even if the warrantee was good (rare) I find that if I buy it there it either is defective from the package or is a ticking time bomb

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by graybeard

All good info to know.....so, with the affordable middle of the road tools (Craftsman and Mastercraft) for the average home repair guy such as myself, where do you now go to buy in Canada?

Gray and Snap-on are out of my price. If I was a professional I would buy quality but for my application Mastercraft and Craftsman met my needs....

IMO the key to getting good tools for a good price is knowing what you are getting. That is, all of the cheaper tool companies simply brand tools made somewhere in the pacific rim. Therefore no cheap brand can be counted on to supply good tools across the board, but many of them sell some products that are great and others that aren't so good.

I already mentioned Titan ratchets, as well I've had excellent luck with Sunex sockets and impact tools, Fuller screw drivers and many others I cant recall offhand.... if you are careful and cherry pick your products you can put together a very good set of tools for relatively cheap.

About the only lower priced brand that I have found to be consistently good across the board is Jet. I've never bought a Jet tool that I didn't think was worth what I payed for it.

[javlin101]

Most of my stuff is either Matercraft or Craftsman and most of it on sale. Same with my wood working stuff. My table saw is a 20 yr old craftsman and looks and cuts like New.

Heck I have my Dad,s old B & D router that works great and it has to be 30 years old.

No complaints

[250mark1]

took a broken 3/8" mastercraft ratchet to red deer north store today
in and out in 5 minutes with a new maximum series ratchet
never asked for a receipt