I'm done with anything made by Craftsman if it has a gas engine

[grampi]

I have a Craftsman lawn mower and a Craftsman snow blower. I purchased the lawn mower new about 3 or 4 years ago. The engine is a 163CC B&S which is fine, but the rest of the mower is a total POS. The exit chute on the housing was designed out of cheap plastic, and it falls off even if I bump something lightly with it. It's also held in place by a rod passing through two eyelets, with nothing on the ends of the rod to hold it in place. Engine vibration causes the rod to come out on a regular basis. I have since modified both so they at least stay on now. The gas cap will also loosen from engine vibration and come off while mowing. I haven't figured out a mod to correct this issue yet.

The snow blower was purchased from the original owner who purchased it new in 2018. He never used it, so it was still basically brand new when I bought it. I have literally used it 4 times, and it's now leaking oil. I remember when Craftsman made quality products. I guess their quality control has gone to **** since they started having all of their stuff outsourced, or bean counters within the company are dictating the corner cutting. Either way, I'm done buying anything with the Craftsman name on it if it has a gas engine on it...

 

[doitmyself]

The quality associated with the Craftsman name went down the toilet many years ago. I have to chuckle a bit, because your statements seem to indicate that you are not aware of what has been happening for the past 10 to 15 years with nearly every aspect of retail, manufacturing, parts sourcing, labor, etc.. A few years ago I saw some bicycles at Walmart with the Schwinn name on them, LOL. Like anyone would believe that there was some quality there by association with the Schwinn name.

 

[walterjay]

I bought a Craftsman electric string trimmer. It found its way to the dump.

 

[Zee09]

The quality associated with the Craftsman name went down the toilet many years ago. I have to chuckle a bit, because your statements seem to indicate that you are not aware of what has been happening for the past 10 to 15 years with nearly every aspect of retail, manufacturing, parts sourcing, labor, etc..

This is shocking. Wow
Not really..

 

[Dave Sherman]

Knock on wood, my Craftsman leaf blower has been working fine, but it's only 3 years old. Got nervous when I couldn't start it one fall, until I realized I had forgotten that it had run out of gas when I last used it and I hadn't refueled it (oops).

 

[joekingcorvette]

Sears sold a lot of Craftsman products and Sears left out town several years ago. There are only about 100 Sears Hometown stores left and I believe they are in Chapter 11 BKR. Black and Decker used to be high quality too however now they are considered some of the cheapest made.

 

[Jethro_Bob]

The Craftsman's name is "owned" by MTD. MTD is owned by Stanly - Black and Decker. Craftsman is a name even a "Walmart brand" distances it's self from.

 

[grampi]

So I'm curious, are there ANY quality walk behind mowers and snow blowers, or have they all fell victim to the cheap monster? I'd bet even many, if not all of the big name equipment (like John Deere and Cub Cadet) has also gone the cheap route...

 

[ChrisMU]

So I'm curious, are there ANY quality walk behind mowers and snow blowers, or have they all fell victim to the cheap monster? I'd bet even many, if not all of the big name equipment (like John Deere and Cub Cadet) has also gone the cheap route...

John Deere appears to have exited the homeowner-focused walk behind mowers. They appear to still have commercial sized walk behind mowers. I use a hand-me-down mid-90’s JD 14SB with the Kawasaki engine. It cost my folks about $700 new, but has been an excellent mower with the exception of the carburetor. They’re great if you can find a good used one. If you want new, it looks like Honda is making their gas-powered mowers through this September and selling them until they run out of stock. That 14SB was a replacement for their (still running) 1986 Honda HR214 that no longer propels itself. If you can still find a high end Honda walk-behind at a Honda equipment dealership, that might be the way to go.

 

[jeepman3071]

So I'm curious, are there ANY quality walk behind mowers and snow blowers, or have they all fell victim to the cheap monster? I'd bet even many, if not all of the big name equipment (like John Deere and Cub Cadet) has also gone the cheap route...

There are, but be ready to pay for them.

 

[chemman]

Unfortunately, about 10 years ago Sears switched from Husqvarna over to MTD as the manufacturer of most of their Craftsman lawn mowers and other outdoor power equipment.

Their Craftsman snowblowers were already being made by MTD at least as far back as 2006, and at least the MTD manufactured Craftsman snowblower I purchased in September 2006 was built like a tank, and I have had zero issues with it.

If I had to purchase a new walk behind mower, I would purchase a self propelled Toro Super Recycler from a Toro dealer and not a big box store. I have two Toro self propelled Super Recycler mowers (a 1996 model and a 2007 model - hers and his), and they both run great with only minor repairs (a drive belt & wheels on the 1996 mower because they wore out). As far as new snowblowers - I cannot make a recommendation.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

The Craftsman's name is "owned" by MTD. MTD is owned by Stanly - Black and Decker. Craftsman is a name even a "Walmart brand" distances it's self from.

This.

Almost every cheap lawn mower is made by MTD, so whatever you replace it won't be any better than the Craftsman you're complaining about.

You say you're done with buying anything Craftsman with a gas engine, then you say there is nothing wrong with the gas engine itself

If a cheap MTD lawn mower is adequate for your needs, you're better off with an electric lawn mower. Even the cheapest Sun Joe is as capable as those cheap Walmart mowers, and you can get a cordless mower for well under $200

 

[benjy]

higher prices + lower quality is todays normal!! my almost 20 year old hydrostatic rear bagger Honda that i paid $900 back then is still great + unfortunately Honda is going OUT of mower production + as noted many brands are actually the same sans paint color!!

 

[BigCahuna]

I have a Craftsman mower I bought 26 years ago brand new. It still starts on one or two pulls the most, after sitting all winter. I use treated gas from my 5 gallon can that I mixed myself. The only issue I ever had was a spark plug went bad on me once. I keep it in my garage when not being used. I can't believe so many people have so many issues with theirs. I guess if you leave it outside all year in the rain and snow, it might act up on you. Not to mention rust away, or have cables break or seize up. And lets not forget the ones who never check the oil. Yea, those mowers are pure crap I tell ya.,,,

 

[totegoat]

My 20 year old Craftsman mower still does the job.

 

[Lubener]

Craftsman OPE was very decent for the money years ago (older than 10 years) .The Husqvarna made units were decent. I have an old 1984 Roper made Craftman lawn tractor that still holds its own.The lower end MTD made units have always been junk. I have a barn full of Craftsman lawn tractors, walk behind mowers and weed trimmers. Other than belts, tires and a couple coils, they have been very reliable for me on my farm... As with anything else, new stuff isn't built like it once was and I will keep my older units going instead of replacing.

 

[Malo83]

My 20 year old Craftsman mower still does the job.

My 10 year old Crafty mower still kicking.

 

[doitmyself]

Cub Cadet is MTD. Troy Bilt tillers? Remember when.................................

 

[grampi]

This.

Almost every cheap lawn mower is made by MTD, so whatever you replace it won't be any better than the Craftsman you're complaining about.

You say you're done with buying anything Craftsman with a gas engine, then you say there is nothing wrong with the gas engine itself

If a cheap MTD lawn mower is adequate for your needs, you're better off with an electric lawn mower. Even the cheapest Sun Joe is as capable as those cheap Walmart mowers, and you can get a cordless mower for well under $200

I specified anything with a gas engine because that is the type of product I'm referring to, as opposed to something like Craftsman tools, which as far as I know are still decent products. Yes, the engines have been fine, but the rest of the machine (on both machines) is total garbage...

 

[grampi]

I'm seeing a trend here. It looks like Craftsman's older mowers were pretty decent. What is this MTD company, and why do they seem to have their mitts all over every walk behind mower? Sounds like these are the ones to stay away from...