Craftsman Homes Connection

Horrible quality and experience from the two guys at Craftsman Homes /​Classic Grills, just maddening.
Their registers are flat rather than concave like most. So there is zero tolerance if the ducts are not perfect. Since other registers don’t require this, whose are? (Not mine!) As well, random texture variations tend to force Classic Grills to ride high even over the flattest of ducts. The choice is either big gaps, or hours to perfect the duct to pool-​table like flatness to make up for this slipshod design. But read on, there is more.
As molded plastic they have a natural curve. So figure an additional 1/​8″ to ¼″ bend outwards in the center, even if there is no texture encouraging deviation from the wall over the span. I tried drilling holes slightly further apart in the ceiling to stretch and minimize the natural curve, with little effect. Their solution, as always, is «caulk.» But slightly curved registers just don’t look right on a flat wall, even if caulked; do you think?
Adding dampers can «help solve» the bending problems, if you buy them, as they are metal. But their dampers are crudely tin-​snipped out of another product, often jagged and bent and extending ¾ inch (if viewed straight on) from the duct. And (of course) they don’t embed the damper into the plastic, as «caulk» is the answer to all height problems. So now we are riding ¼ inch or more off the wall… which is the thickness of the register itself! That’s a bit much caulk, no? No wonder all their photos are straight on, where they do indeed look gorgeous.
Finally, the dampers are «attached» with tiny screws that penetrate ~1/​16 of an inch into the plastic, and break out with the slightest movement – such as just removing from the plastic wrap. You’ll see the tiniest divot where the screw was supposedly «attached», and find yourself scratching your head at the sort of people who would ship these as a serious product.
So then, the registers are flat, curved in the middle, ride ridiculously high with dampers, and are not properly put together. Blame the duct for not being perfect, or you for being a wimp for not being willing to re-​construct it in the field, and of course their «caulk» instructions – sent helpfully to me several times. Oh, and they are SUPER EXPENSIVE. And oh, oh; there’s a 25% restocking fee on any refunds, and you’ll pay for the return shipping.
It was incredibly irritating to attempt to get either of these guys to comprehend these problems. The hackneyed response? «20 years experience,» or «governor’s mansion,» plus «caulk.» I suspect these are somewhat addled hobbyists playing around in a shop. To be sure, these are registers that only a governor could afford to install /​re-​manufacture in the field… and/​or only the sloppiest could tolerate riding so high and curved.
Man I wished I had NEVER spent ~$ 2,000.00 with these two. So here’s the review we wish we had read beforehand.

This company sold us 6 forced air heating vents. Return policy is 100% minus shipping. In the return, Cindy customer service rep, made sure to tell me to insure the product and that another customer sent something back and didn’t get reimbursed due to not being packaged correctly. I was meticulous in my repacking. It wasn’t difficult since out of the 6 vents I only removed one from the package. After the return Cindy informed me that they received ALL vents damaged and can’t issue me a refund. I hope you had insurance, she stated. I told her that it was impossible because of how it was packed and that I wasn’t going to allow this to happen and that I wanted to speak with supervisor. No one ever called me and I got a refund for 5 vents, with an email asking if that’s okay. When I pushed back again and told her that I feel like she is stealing from me and the post office and that i wasn’t going to accept just 5 vents returned and that I want to speak to her supervisor about this issue, I finally received an email stating «What issue». She refunded the 6 vents minus shipping and never called me back. I think this company tried to steal from me and I don’t appreciate it.