Handyman Club

[Bernie Weishapl]

Does anyone belong or know anything about the "Handyman Club of America". Is it worth joining? Thanks.


Bernie

[Randy Moore]

Bernie,

I thought about ONCE, looked over the mailer and decided no. IMHO it is a scamm.
However you do what you think is best for you.
Just my.02
Randy

[Joe Blankshain]

Was a member about three years ago. They send books, tools and various other c__p and charge you through the nose for it. They do this under the assumption that you will pay instead if sending it back. I collected about 8 months worth of the junk and sent it back all at once. Never heard from them again. I would suggest avoiding this club at all costs and invest the money in the tools and books you want. Just my two cents.

[Jim Becker]

Run...don't walk...

No, it's not worth it, IMHO. And I was a "charter member"...just like everyone else...

[Phil Ordway]

I have seen this question come up before on other tool group sites. I have never seen anything positive posted.

[Lou Morrissette]

Bernie,

I was a member and found out real quick that it was not worth it. The stuff they sent me was junk and the magazine was worthless.

Lou

[Bernie Weishapl]

Thanks one and all. I figured as much. It is like my granddad always told me "if it is to good to be true it probably is." I did the same thing with a golf company and that is why I asked. They sent me golf clubs to try for 3 months and then for $395 for each club mind you, I could keep them if I liked them. Most times I could get the same clubs at a golf store for $125 to $150. So I boxed everything up with my membership card cut up in small pieces and told them to keep it.

Forgot to add I did get a darn fine black plastic drill bit gauge. Should last a lifetime.

Anyway thank you all. I appreciate it.

Bernie

[Scott Parks]

Forgot to add I did get a darn fine black plastic drill bit gauge. Should last a lifetime.
Bernie

Hahaha... Handyman club... My drill bit guage is white, and as I remember correctly, it got round-filed while cleaning out for the big shop move... But I got a couple of nice sanding sponges over the last few years. They must have ran out of membership money and switched from 3M sanding sponges to the drill bit guage....

[Dale Rodabaugh]

There are all kinds of these clubs out there.I think they are all rip off schemes.I joined a fishing club a few yrs. ago.All they send you is junk and they want big money for it.I just recieved a flyer on the Handymans Club.One short trip to the burning barrel and it was gone.

[egon reske]

I belonged for a mounth. Got one book and then sent everything back. Refused to accept any further mail from them.

Egon

[Robert Ziegler]

Belonged for a couple of months. Recieved junk - sent back same. kept the plastic bit sizer. I use my metal one instead though. The magazine was worthless. Never did get to "test drive" any tools.
IMHO - it's a scam - run away.
Z

[Lee Schierer]

I'll confess that I was a member once. I got a 2 year subscription. The magazine was pretty basic. I never got a tool to test, but I regularly received packages in the mail trying to get me to become a lifetime member.

I got tired of the junk mailings and found I could get everything I needed from their magazine in about 5 minutes, so I didn't renew. I continued to get "Charter Membership" offers every month for about 5 years with either sanding sponges or drill gauges included to entice me to join. They also included a personalized glue spreader (membership card). I started returning all their stuff in the postage paid envelope, including the envelope that it had come in. Now I don't hear from them anymore.

If you think about it....How many tools could manufacturers give them each month? If you say 100 tools (which frankly would be a lot of tools), and they have 10,000 subscribers. Then you might see a tool in 100 months (8.3 years) to test assuming no one ever got a second tool to test before everyone had one. If they only get 10 tools per month then you woudn't see your tool for 1,000 months (83 years). The odds of getting a tool get much smaller with fewer tools per month and more subscribers.

If you like the magazine, then sign up, but don't go for the free tools routine.

[Frank Pellow]

I got the free trial membership about a year ago, but once that expired, I never paid for a membership. Even though I did not pay, I am still receiving the magazine. I confess, that unlike what others have said, I do usually find something of interest in the magazine. My guess is that I spend about half an hour reading each issue.

[Andrew Ault]

I open the envelopes when they come. There's usually some funny things inside. I think there was an official I'm a Handyman sticker in one...I stuck it on my shirt pocket which caused make my wife laugh at me. I kind of appreciate the fifties and sixties huxterism and sensabilities. If I join, I'm definitely going to start smoking a pipe, drink highballs in my den and mess with all my new free tools, especially the really sharp ones.

If only they would send a decoder ring that could decipher things like DAMHIKT and perhaps a chart with various secret Handyman handshakes - then we'd be talkin'. Instead of "Handyman Club", how about "Woodwright's Lodge" or "Miter Makers"?

Other than the idea of actually sending money for the slim chance that I might get a random tool to "test", it seems like harmless fun.

Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to go measure some bolts with my new plastic guage and do something with my new stickers.

[Steve Clardy]

Same as all the above. It's been fifteen years or so since I was in it.
Never got squat to test, all the freebies were junk.
Got out of that real quick.