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CB Department Stores Sears product does not work & sears refuses to do anything about it!
Sears

Sears review: product does not work & sears refuses to do anything about it! 32

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1:10 pm EST
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I bought the above mentioned item and have never used it. It is a portable power source (Charger) which is to be kept in a 'charged state' to be used in case of emergency. The problem is that the unit does not hold a charge, thereby rendering it a$100.00 door stop. I have shopped at sears for decades and always bought with the confidence that they would stand by their products. When I returned the item I was told that the 1year was up, and unceremoniously shown the door. It goes without saying that I am livid. Can you please help me find some just resolution to this problem? Thank you.

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32 comments
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xxxx xxxxxx
London, GB
Dec 13, 2022 7:24 pm EST

You can get a replacement battery, I have already replaced the original once and am now looking for a lithium replacement to upgrade from the 2nd lead battery after many years it has gone flat...however I will say this, I kept the Sears 1150 unit plugged into a power along strip with many other rechargeable batter sets that I keep as a part of my own DIY 72 HRS emergency kit and what I do is just flip the power strip button to ON on about the first of the month every month and let all the batteries and portable back up devices along with the Sears 1150 for about a day. It worked well for years but yes after a decade or so I am looking to upgrade to a lithium battery. It appears Mighty Max has a unit such as this but not sure if the charger will need to be upgraded, however I like the idea of the $24 Walmart Battery Tender listed below or above or wherever it winds up when this is added to the list of comment from Walmart but not sure if that works with a lithium battery...furthermore it seems here is the link to the lithium unit that ought to work but not sure if the charger sears has this Mighty Max Battery 12V 18AH Lithium Replacement Battery For Die Hard 1150 on its website but the product is not available https://www.sears.com/mighty-max-battery-ml18-12li76-mighty-max-12v/p-A063444777, and this Mighty Max 12V 18AH LITHIUM REPLACEMENT BATTERY FOR DIE HARD 1150, is also out of stock https://www.mightymaxbattery.com/shop/lifepo4/12v-18ah-lithium-replacement-battery-for-die-hard-1150/ nevertheless a lithium application of the battery does appear to exist and is available for what appears to be $165 and also note -"Weighing only 8.00 lbs. and being a direct drop in replacement for its sister sealed lead acid and Gel batteries which weigh a hefty 12.00 lbs.", Walmart appears to show the same battery, 12V 18AH Lithium Replacement Battery for Die Hard 1150 https://www.walmart.com/ip/12V-18AH-Lithium-Replacement-Battery-for-Die-Hard-1150/940225295 for $165 but again out of stock, I have contacted Panasonic who responded in the negative and informed me to check back with Sears...this leaves me to the Duracell availability...and am awaiting a reply...

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RubenRios
, US
Mar 13, 2018 11:51 pm EDT

My sears1150 works after 1 year.the compressor works but the pressure indicator does not move, anybody know why?

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Dean Chrispen
, US
Oct 24, 2017 2:28 pm EDT

Sears sucks and will rip off their own mother if they can make a buck... boycott these thieves.

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Karl Hechavarria
, US
Jun 30, 2017 2:38 pm EDT

After reading all of the above, I agree that we were all taken for a ride by Sears who assured me that this unit was the Rolls Royce of chargers. Had it for 2 years. Used once to put air in a flat tire. My next attempt at boosting a neighbor's car was met with no power although the meter showed 100% charged. A lousy product that took ua all to the cleaners. Lesson learnt. Buy local.

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Jon Smithright
, US
Jan 22, 2017 8:54 am EST

Mine quit charging too but I figured out a work around. Get your battery tender from Wal Mart for $24. and clamp the red to red and black to black - plug in the battery tender and turn the Die Hard switch to on...it'll be saying 100% in a day or two.

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John Knoper
, US
Jun 18, 2016 2:59 pm EDT

Mine is starting to die (battery) after about 3 years. Which should surprise no one that knows anything about batteries. They don't last forever! I'm a very pleased user, and will replace the battery and get another couple of years use out of it. Totally positive experience- kudos Sears! Great product. Follow directions, and, as always, YRMV.

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Sorry Sears
, US
Mar 11, 2016 11:24 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Sears used to be my favorite store. I purchased 3 of these 1150 units. So far, 2 have died. I am very disappointed
in this product. I currently have one sitting on my desk in pieces. I am trying to repair it. The battery is good but
it just does not power up. I guess the circuit board internally is shot. Checked all the fuses on both boards-ok.
Checked all wire connections-ok. The booster cables still work, just the light, 12 volt outlet, 120 volt outlet and light
don't work. Sorry to see Sears go. Losing one customer at a time will hurt eventually.

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Henry Norris
, US
Jan 10, 2016 6:07 pm EST

I purchased my 1150 a little over a year ago and it worked very well for one year. During that year I jumped off cars used the AC mode during power outages, and primarily to kept my tires properly pressurized. The Compressor went out the other day and Sears said my best option was "to buy another one". No thanks my friends, I've got a Stanley unit on order from Amazon that is rated better than the Sears 1150 ...for less priced. I'll still have the 1150 around for backup power during blackouts.

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tbone51merc
, US
Jan 03, 2016 2:29 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I have had my 1150 since they came out and never had to do anything except maintain charging it every month. I just purchased two of them from an Ace dealer for my two brothers and I am sure they will have years of great reliable service with there's also. Sorry for the ones that are ignorant to maintenance.

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Toddkw
, US
Dec 30, 2015 9:21 am EST

I received my 1150 several years ago as a gift. It served me well for several years. I work in an automotive dealer. I had used it many years to jump off dead cars. Pump up flat tires. Inflate air mattresses on camping trips. This box contains a sealed lead acid battery. This type of battery needs to be cared for, just like the one in your car. No one would expect their car to sit for two years then just start up, it would have a dead battery. The same goes for if you left your car battery on a standard battery charger for two years straight the battery would be compromised. I never left my Portable Power 1150 on a constant charge and I never let it go dead. From time to time I put an external battery conditioner on it. This box gave me a good 5+ years of good service. Now I am looking at buying a new battery for it to get another 5 years of service. Great Product, good price. Like any machine it needs to be cared for.

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Jaycee27000
, US
Nov 07, 2015 12:15 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I bought my Sears Portable Power 1150 exactly two years ago for an emergency and have not needed to use it. It has been continuously plugged to the wall and showing 100% charge. Today inspection reveals the unit at only 79% charged, where it should be 100% charged. I expected much better from Sears, and am sorry I did not do my research hefore shelling out $129 plus tax.

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Guillermo Vega
, US
Aug 04, 2015 8:02 pm EDT

I really don't know if mine works! I lost the charger to it. If anyone out there has no use for theirs, I'd be more than happy to take it and see if this thing works.

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Erianna2015
New York, US
Jun 02, 2015 10:42 pm EDT

I got my DieHard portable power 1150 a few years ago when we had a blackout and it worked great at first. I used it to jump my car battery and a few neighbors car batteries a few times and it did the job. I then lent it to my husbands friend who had battery issues in his truck. When he returned it, it was dead and would not hold a charge. I assumed he broke it, but looking at these posts, I owe him an apology. It probably just happened to crap out on its own. I put it aside for a year thinking it was junk but today I tried it desperately when my car battery died and it worked but was dead immediately afterwards. Apparently it will hold a charge for approximately 2 minutes. (Long enough to quickly jump your car when you are at home and can unplug it just for a quick jump). Thank you guys for all your tips and suggestions. I am going on a 3 week camping trip and really could use this, so I am going to try a replacement battery for it. Glad I didn't throw it away! It's sad that Sears sells such crappy stuff but thankfully some of you are mechanically savvy and have shared work arounds!

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CBXSmogman
Sobieski, US
Mar 01, 2015 5:00 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I too have had problems with the Diehard 1150. But after using mine for 2 years, the air compressor wore out. Also being a DIY person, I told everybody about it on my delivery route. Turns out that one customer gave me his unit that had one of the bad batteries. So putting my battery in it, I have a fully functioning assy again. Now I have a box of parts from the one unit with only a bad compressor.. NEED PARTS? I've got them. Hey buickwildcat, get one of the bad battery units from those listed here and swap parts like I did. Hey DiehardfaninTx, get your hose connector from me or another with a junk unit. Parts are always valuable to someone and it seems there are ALOT of junk units out there. mayers_929@hotmail.com There is no BS here, just looking to "pay it forward" like everyone should be doing. And I hate to throw away good parts :) CBXSmogman

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Carterjdrake
Moscow, US
Feb 15, 2015 4:49 pm EST

I got this pack for Christmas a couple years ago, and like most of you my warranty expired. My battery still works, all the accessories work, however my jumper cables stopped getting power when I would flip the on switch. I am a part time mechanic and DIY'er so I took mine apart to see why the switch wasn't working. Found melted plastic inside the switch on one of the posts and part of the switch body was melted pretty bad. Of course sears has no internal parts support for these products because they want you to buy new, but I found replacement internal parts online including my switch and replacement battery. The website is www.centurytool.net. If you're a do-it-yourselfer or have a friend who's part mechanic and you do take your product apart, the first thing I recommend doing is removing the cover on the lower, back side of the unit. Behind this cover is the battery posts and you can disconnect all power by removing the two sets of cables from those posts. The battery will then slide out. I stuck mine on my regular car battery charger for a few hours to give the battery a nice deep charge. I can't get my money back so I'm making the best of the situation! You should too!

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Mr. Gary
, US
Nov 05, 2014 5:00 am EST

Just bought one, haven't used it yet. Upon seeing these posts--sort of backs up my hesitancy to have bought this MADE IN CHINA product. I just had two experiences with Chinese products--one a little 1200 watt generator, and the other a 150 cc motor scooter. Both JUNK. Thanks, America for outsourcing quality to overseas manufacturers. I only hope this thing will work when I need it, if not, I'll buy another brand new one, put the old one in the box and return it as the new one saying it didn't work. I've done this before, and as far as I am concerned, what's fair is what's fair. If I pay good money for something and it doesn't live up to expectations, I want my money back, or a free brand new replacement.

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MikeTFR
Holly Hill, US
Aug 14, 2014 2:21 pm EDT

For anyone that sees this in the future, the battery IS replaceable easily done. This is the exact same battery and will fir exactly where the old one was (I'm sure these are readily available elsewhere, too, but these are good and cheap.):

http://www.batterysharks.com/Universal-Power-UB12180-D5745-p/ub12180_b12-18.htm

To change it, remove the 4 phillips head screws on each of the side panels and spread them apart just enough so they're not "clamping" the main body of the unit together. Then remove the 4 phillips head screws holding the back panel of the main unit on and separate it from the front half. Everything else will be obvious from here. Remove the 8mm bolt/nut holding one positive (+) cable and three ground (-) cables from the battery. Pull the battery out, put the new battery in, and reverse all of the above.

For the record, I've had mine for 5 or 6 years and this is the first time I've had a battery failure with it.

Hope this helps someone!

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Fishfinder
San Antonio, US
Aug 09, 2014 9:48 am EDT

I used my unit on maybe 4-5 occasions. That's all! The battery failed and will not hold charge!

Useless!~

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Janie520
Kelseyville, US
Jul 30, 2014 2:45 pm EDT

Bought this for my son to put in his first car for emergencies from kmart a little over a year ago used it maybe 5 times now it's dead. I have to say I am pretty discouraged to see these posts. I have one of these boxes I bought from Costco 7 years ago for 65 dollars not sure the name but it has been the best little life saver in the world for me I made my mom get one also being we are miles away from services and they have both been fantastic. I guess I will be pitching the die hard and buying my son one from Costco. Shame on you sears/kmart and diehard you obviously have an issue with this product and should take care of it.

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SaddenedTony
, US
Nov 26, 2013 12:23 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Wow, I wish I had seen all of the dissatisfaction regarding this product before I bought one. I too have now learned about how poorly it was made and I too am very disappointed in Sears. I too now have a $129.00 door stop.

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Paul S chen
Long Beach, US
Nov 20, 2013 4:06 pm EST

I had the unit for two years and charged monthly by the instruction of the manufacturer. Saddle, when I use the USB port alone with the 120v outlet, the unit die and my bluetooth hand free unit was gone, too. No place to turn, not even replace the battery because the unit is not made for its second turn. Very bad experience and very badly designed and poor customer service, in all!

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danny cadarelli
tewksbury, US
Nov 05, 2013 10:15 am EST

I guess this complaint board is the committee of welcome to the fools club.I have a laundry list of complaints on my Platinum 1150. My plan is to replace the original Sears motorcycle battery that the unit came with, with a generic battery from Batteries-Plus on Rt.- 1 in Saugus...Perhaps this will cure the ills that I have.

Ya know what,
taking a financial hit on a battery replacement is not nearly disconcerting as realizing that SEARS is all done in the product- quality department...

Danny Cardarelli
283@reagan.com

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Thepistoloffense
Mount Morris, US
Jun 10, 2013 8:12 am EDT

When I first paid for the 1150 I was the happiest man. Playing paintball and using it's jacks for the air blowers was just what I needed . It seem that the 1150 had a solution for everything, Portable power, blowing up tires, Jump starting cars and blowing up balls. Soon the nightmare kick in, I tried to use the cables for jumping my mothers car and this piece of crap made me look like a damn fool. Fully charged this thing couldn't jump a hurdle. Next my air compressor couldn't even blow up a basketball. At that point I knew something was wrong with this sorry product. Some of us was lucky, It seems to work for a year or so and then die out. How ironic is that for the Die Hard. My judgement is 2 thumbs way way down.

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buickwildcat
Cleveland, US
Dec 14, 2012 1:09 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I've actually been happy with my 1150 Platinum. I have three cars, two of which sit most of the time without being used. I have used the 1150 many many times to start these cars when the batteries were dead. (I got smart and now have battery tenders on these vehicles) The 1150 seems very powerful as both cars are V8 engines. One a 455 Buick and the other a 4.6L Lincoln. I have never had an issue with the 1150 not kicking over one of those engines. I would charge the 1150 monthly just to make sure it was at full charge if I would need it. The air compressor is also handy. I little slow and I wouldn't recommend attempting to inflate a flat tire but it is perfect for adding a few pounds to keep the tires at the recommended psi. I also used the 1150 during the Hurricane Sandy blackout. Luckily, I was without power for only 3 days. The first night I used the 1150 to power a small TV and charge my cellphone. The second night, I got brave and used it to power the small TV and my DVR/Cable box so that I could watch cable news re: the hurricane. The 1150 lasted around 2 hours, which I thought was pretty impressive. The next day I charged the 1150 via the car charger and it was ready for night 3 of powering my TV. However my lights came on that evening so it wasn't necessary. Only problem I now have is that the air compressor stopped working. Not sure if I did something by powering the TV and DVR or if the compressor just died as a coincidence. So now, I'm not sure what to do. Have been looking around for another brand with similar or better options but haven't found anything that looks like a better deal. So, I will probably buy another one.

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yrucomplaining
, US
Jul 29, 2012 12:26 pm EDT

My 1150 took a dump after 2 years and maybe 5 uses. Sears... you took us for a ride when you made us think this was a nice investment. I'll sit back and laugh when I read in the paper that you guys went tits-up.

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tjsold8
east hartland, US
Mar 17, 2012 9:56 am EDT

What can I add to the accurate complaints? Nothing . Today I used this piece of junk for the compressor to add a few lbs of air to a single tire. Of course, like everyone else YES believe it or not the battery was DEAD. Yes it really was even though it indicated a 99%charge. Foolishly I now know, I used the double male ended 12v to 12v adapter to supply enough power to use the compressor. D O N O T D O T H I S repeat DO NOT DO THIS! using this burned up the compter control module in my Subaru. I can only advise DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! Lets all feel sorry for SEARS when they crash and burn in their own ignorance. This is not their only failed product. I didn't mind spending the above average price at Sear because they USED to stand behind anything they sold. Perhaps they will get a bailout too. I mean hey, it doesnt have to really work you just have to buy it. Wake up people the bailout comes from us and if we stop buying from the snake oil vendors. You do the math.

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Rajni Dayal
, US
Sep 07, 2011 3:03 am EDT

Mine also died partially. Outlets stopped working on the 1150 model but the 12V supply still works. What a pain to maintain! Why not just use better technology like the modern Li-Ion batteries in laptops.

rajni16@gmail.com.

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Rev C. Raymo
, US
Jan 07, 2011 4:11 pm EST

I got to use mine once before this problem happened. Although it should have given me hours of use according to the chart. I got a whole 1 & 1/2 hours of use. This coming from a Pastor folks - If you have not payed for one yet, please don't wast your money. And the Truth shall, , , Save you money and headaches.

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spoonboy
Catawba, US
Jan 05, 2010 10:16 am EST

Yes I just called sears to order a new battery for mine its $35.00 more then what I gave for the Booster. I will just throw it away and buy another brand. Sears don't stand behind this product. Iam a Police Officer and used mine on a regular basic and took very good care of it. The Die Hard Portable Power 1150 lasted less then 2 years . Thanks Sears. Last time customer... spoon_544@yahoo.com

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DiehardfaninTX
Carthage, US
Dec 05, 2009 10:05 am EST

Ours worked well. It comes with a charge, run that completely down. Then charge for approx 24hrs until 100% charge is read. We only charged ours 3 times in 1 yr. Use it for air compressor, works great. Now...we need a air connection on the hose. Any of you interested in helping me? Let me know. Thanks!

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Not_a_Diehard_fan
Arlington, US
Jul 30, 2009 10:14 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Same problem with mine, had to take the first one back and get another. Should have gotten my money back then. The second one is out of warranty, and is also a $100 door stop...

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james 101
Santa Cruz, US
Apr 05, 2009 11:57 am EDT

same thing is happening to me...my diehard portable power 1150 sat for two years unused but charged up...when i needed to use it as a power supply it just whistled and did not work even though it appears to have a full charge...i lugged it to sears and they sent me away without any help whatsoever...told me i had to dispose of the unit in a special dumpsite...