Craftsman 10" SCMS....A DO NOT buy

I also looked at the Craftsman slider because of the attractive price. I then purchased a used Hitachi C10FSH http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-C10FSH-10-Inch-Sliding-Compound/dp/B00007J8CH from Craigslist for $280.00 including a good used blade and a brand new 80 tooth blade. The Hitachi saw quickly became one of my most favorite tools of all time. Now I would not want to be without one.

-- Still clinging to my guns and religion.

Sometimes it seems like craftsman tools are designed and engineered by completely different people.
Mechanics tools – decent
Table saw – nice
small power tools – not so nice

I have a Bosch and Makita, and except for the rear bevel control on the Makita I would have to say that it is my favorite. The Bosch can handle the jobsite much better than the Makita though. The Makita is more of a workshop saw.

-- Finding satisfaction in creation

I call them Crapsman

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Other than their hand tools , I’ll never buy anything else with the Craftsman name on it again.

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

My youngest son has the same saw, with the same problems. When he took it back to sears, the Mgr. petty much told him he bought it and now he is stuck with it. He too said he would never buy anything else with the Craftsman name. He now has me looking for a DeWalt like mine.

-- Mike The Termite ~~~~~ Working safely may get old, but so do those who practice it.

as the old saying goes ,
” you get what you pay for ” .

in this new business world ,
it seems you also get ,
” what they pay for ” .

which turns out to be ,
” next to nothing ” .

-- david ,new mexico ,allheart

Ken, thanks for the review. I have to agree with the comments about Craftsman power tools. I have the Hitachi 10” slider and it is one of my favorite tools.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

I guess I should have mentioned this saw was not cheap. If i remember correctly (IIRC) it was in the neighborhood of $375. I was a little skeptical when I bought it knowing the Crapsman has gone with value engineering. I also had a C-man table saw that I recently sold. I will not buy another power tool that has the Craftsman name on it. PERIOD!!

-- My job is to give my kids things to discuss with their therapist....medic20447@gmail.com

A little over a year ago I too was looking for a compound, sliding, miter saw. I looked at them all and decided on either a Bosch or Hitachi with Bosch being my first choice. Interestingly I purchased it at Sears (they carry some Bosch stuff) for not much more than the Craftsman. It’s a 12” by the way. They had it on sale for something like $150 off the regular price. At the time no one, Amazon, or other online store could touch the price.
My bosch saw rocks. I set it up once and have just checked it. No issues.

-- The smell of wood, coffee in the cup, the wife let's me do my thing, the lake is peaceful. http://web.me.com/deceiver6/Deceiver/Craftsman_on_the_lake/Craftsman_on_the_lake.html

“you get what you pay for”

mmmm… well, the problem is these craftsman models are inflated in price and often of quality lower than Skil or B&D, which cost far less.

Thanks for the Review… I will stop looking at Crapsman power tools…

-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?ppuser=1389&cat=500"

I think the problem came when they decided to just make tools that LOOK like everybody else, but didn’t work worth diddly. I have Craftsman Power tools but they are all over 30 yrs old and were built by people who actually cared about performance. My table saw is over 50 and the bed, bearings and arbor are still true to each other. It weighs a ton, but I would only give it up for a cabinet saw, and even then I would have to think about it.
Kind of like buying a Weber grill from the BORG instead of Ace Hardware, only thing in common is the name.

-- Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy-May all your dovetails fit tight and right the first time

Thanks for the update Ken. I was looking at some of the Crafts…er ah Crapsman tools lately. I think I’ll just keep looking somewhere else.

-- We are what we repeatedly do. Excellance, therefore, is not an act but a habit. ~Aristotle~

The Sears here in Victoria is always having specials on their chop saws, sliding and otherwise. Nobody appears to be buying them. Up close the fit and finish on these saws seemed a little iffy. Definitely not going to consider buying one now.

-J.

For people who purchase Craftsman tools, the first three numbers of the model is the source code. The 137 indicates that this is made my Rexon, who exports to 70 countries and is one of the worlds largest tool manufacturers. They did put some tools out under a private label that is seen here and there, called Tradesman. They make a full line of powertools though and are an ODM, selling their product mostly to other companies who put their labels on them. So it’s not surprising that you will likely see this saw under different names. Acer computers made components for the big name computer companies that we all own and then launched their own products, and now they practically own the new netbook market. Rexon is growing at a staggering pace also. If you google Craftsman source codes, you can see the list before you buy. This is a good way to check out Craftsman best buys as many are made by very good firms and for those who feel burned in the past may find the better deals this way. For example, Orion is actually a division of Steel City who makes many of their better table saws that have gotten very good reviews. I picked up a biscuit joiner that is really a DeWalt with Craftsman name and my dust collector is a Delta with Craftsman name. When they run the Craftsman days sales I use the coupons and sometimes the prices cant be beat for the same product with a brand name I dont want to pay for.

I’ll shoot myself before I ever buy another crapsman, I mean a junkcraft, I mean a shi#man, I mean a craftstard, I mean a… aww you get my point.

I agree that Craftsman makes awful powertools as of late. I have a few and certainly won’t be getting any from them anymore.
They really have nice Hand tools though.

I bought a Craftsman 12” Sliding Compound Miter a little over 10 years ago. If I remember right, it was in the $600 range, and I believe most others in that size were the same. I have to say I’m happy with it, and it’s still going strong, but from other Sliding Miters that I have seen, IMO I believe Makita seems to be tops…although the new Milwaukee look really nice as well.

I never buy tools from any business that sells ladies underwear.

I just don’t think they are all that focused on my market.

FWIW I have a Hitachi CMS 12 inch and I have and am putting a lot of miles on it without a problem.
I probably paid a bit more than I could have done with but it’s behind me now and I never think about that.

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner