Do you shy away from recondition tools? If so, why?

[Banjorear]

Like many, I'm in the market for some new cordless tools. I've always used DeWalt so I was checking out their site.

They had an interesting deal: 20V ion hammer & 3/8th impact driver, both with batteries for $209.00 with case and not cheesy bag.

I was going to go with the Milwaulkee Fuel, but I may just get the Mil impact gun instead since the DeWalt deal is approx $200 less than the Mil kit.

The DeWalt stuff is reconditioned. Any reason to stay away from these recond tools?

Thanks.

 

[Xenocide]

Can't say it would bother me at all. You still get the same warranty with it.

 

[Stooge]

i dont shy away from reconditioned tools if they are rebuilt by the factory and offer some kind of warranty with it. the warranty for reconditioned tools is usually a fraction of a new piece so that usually plays a big factor. i just looked up a reconditioned 1/4 milwaukee impact driver has a 1yr warranty for $240, a new driver is $300 but has a 5yr warranty, something like this, i would just buy new based on the warranty and the new vs refurbished cost isnt huge.

down near the bottom, in the new vs refurbished section.
http://www.cpomilwaukee.com/factory...&xsell=milwaukee-reconditioned-power-tools--1

 

[72Anthony]

I have had zero issues buying factory reconditioned power tools. Its a good way to fill in your collection or perhaps get a deal on a seldom used tool that you only use sporadically.

Unless you are using the tools everyday to make a living, the reduced warranty shouldn't be a big deal.

 

[mayday0017]

I typically hunt for Reconditioned tools... Got my Dewalt miter saw for $150 instead of the $399 it is everywhere else. It came in a factory box and looked brand new. Now with that being said I agree with others, when I buy referbished/reconditioned anything I always look at price of new and my price. I also want it to look new, I take care of everything I own so even if it is a weedeater I don't want one that is new to me and looks all scratched up. Many things "reconditioned" are really just returns that people didn't want and lied when they returned it or the store didn't want to mark it down so they sent it back to the factory.

When I was in college I worked at Office Depot. If you bought a computer from us and decided you didn't want it but had opened it we would take it back. All of the computer companies however had a policy that we had to send them back. They would then resale them as refurbished after checking them out and returning the software back to it's factory state.

 

[bcradio]

I typically prefer recon tools because of the price. I usually buy only corded or cordless bare tools that are reconditioned though.

 

[neophyte]

I bought a reconditioned Hitachi nailer. Apparently they are graded. The nailer I got had initials carved in it and was somewhat beat up. I would have been better off just buying a beat up one that wasn't rated as reconditioned. Only reason I might buy a reconditioned power tool now is that is the only way to get the particular model, or if I new it was simply a display model, open box model, or something that was gently used and returned during a trial period. If for some reason a particular model had a defective part that was easy to switch out and then sell the tools as "reconditioned" that might also be a good purchase. Most power tools have too little a markup now for a reconditioned tool to necessarily be a good deal.

 

[thom1968]

I worked at B&D repair center (not recon) a few years. Reconditioned tools are usually tested more thoroughly than new tools before being sold. Fewer DOA tools.

 

[Farmall450]

Can't say it would bother me at all. You still get the same warranty with it.

Yup!

 

[rlitman]

Can't say it would bother me at all. You still get the same warranty with it.

Do you?
If the warranty is the same as new, I'd absolutely go for factory reconditioned at a discount. Reconditioned means somebody actually took the time to go over and test it.

But from what I've seen, reconditioned tool warranties are not as long as the warranty on a new tool. If so, I'd only consider it if the pricing matched the price for a used tool (which it rarely, if ever does).

 

[trogo]

Why take a risk buying recon when you can usually buy new for a few dollars more and get full warranty, expecially on battteries. I try to make new purchases during the Manufacturer Promotions several times per year.

Also have picked up some great deals on new Milwaukee bare tools from Ebay sellers breaking up kits.

 

[Davefr]

It depends.

There are no standards when it comes to "refurb" or "reconditioned". It boils down to the reputation of the supplier.

Some refurb products are undistinguishable from new and priced very aggressively.

Some are even new that can't be sold as new. Unopened returns from retailers like excess inventory, damaged outer packaging, etc

With some other products there's always tons of refurbs on the market. To me that indicates a quality problem.

Others are simply used returns that are just resold with no quality control.

You need to do research before decided.

 

[tarbellb]

Ive had good luck buying recon. Again, they are tested throughly before leaving.

Things to note:
Often the warranty isnt as long
Batteries in my experience are NEW not recon'd
Some recons come from "one and done jobs" then returned, others just warranty issues

Check out www.bigskytool.com - awesome site and Ive personally had excellent experiences with them.

 

[thebeekeeper1]

I guess I generally stay away, as the only experiences I've had have been bad--first was a reconditioned Ryobi cordless drill set. Both batteries would only hold a few minutes charge. Bought on Ebay, so no recourse.

The other was a "factory reconditioned" Dremel brand multi-tool. It lasted for ten seconds, then just quit. I took it back for a refund and that was that. I ended up with a Fein Multimaster from a pawn shop ($400 kit, like new, in box, all accessories--for $139 OTD).

I'm sure the vast majority of recon stuff ends up being just fine, but two strikes and I'm out. Bleh!

 

[Bruce Lancaster]

I like the idea that their weakest part has already broken and been fixed...this is a way to take advantage of mechanical Darwinism.

 

[doodah man]

I'll put in another vote for recon tools. I have a Milwaukee angle grinder, a dewalt router (corded) and several dewalt 18V tools that I bought as recon bare tools (purchased from CPOMilwaukee, ToolKing and CPODewalt). All the tools appeared to be in new condition. I don't use them everyday, so I'm the longer warranty doesn't represent as much value to me. The tools and batteries I have are working great after about 2 or 3 years. I will continue to buy recon tools over new when available.

I also have computers (Dell and Ipad) that are factory reconditioned. Those have both worked fine.

 

[X1 Mike]

Most of the Recon tools I've bought you couldn't tell anyone ever had them in their hands. I generally get only bare tools, seem to get the better deal than a recon with battery.

 

[John Odom]

Except for cordless/battery tools it is usually a good deal.

 

[Major Ramifications]

I guess I generally stay away, as the only experiences I've had have been bad--first was a reconditioned Ryobi cordless drill set. Both batteries would only hold a few minutes charge. Bought on Ebay, so no recourse.

The other was a "factory reconditioned" Dremel brand multi-tool. It lasted for ten seconds, then just quit. I took it back for a refund and that was that. I ended up with a Fein Multimaster from a pawn shop ($400 kit, like new, in box, all accessories--for $139 OTD).

I'm sure the vast majority of recon stuff ends up being just fine, but two strikes and I'm out. Bleh!

Beekeeper,
Yes, you could have sent/brought the batteries to a service center and they would have replaced them. The reconditioned Ryobi stuff has a 1 year warranty.

I sell recon tools and have no problem buying them for myself.

 

[kazlx]

It all depends on price/warranty/whatever else, but I have no problem with it if the price is right...prefer it actually.

 

[thebeekeeper1]

Beekeeper,
Yes, you could have sent/brought the batteries to a service center and they would have replaced them. The reconditioned Ryobi stuff has a 1 year warranty.

I sell recon tools and have no problem buying them for myself.

I frankly didn't even know Ryobi has service centers. I appreciate knowing it, so thanks.

 

[klwolff]

I have had very good luck buying recon'd tools, especially on Amazon. Usually they look brand new, seems that a lot of these may have been returns, and Amazon sells under "Used-Like New...Item may come re-packaged". Just got a reconditioned Bosch hammer drill today, for about 1/2 price of new, on Amazon!

 

[djjsr]

If you decide to buy new, there's currently some pretty good deals on DeWalt stuff on Amazon.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I ahve bought a couple of factory refurb Craftsman corded power hand tools (multi-tool and 4.5 angle grinder). They were perfect. No issues. And less than 50% of the "list" price.

Same experience with a couple of electronic devices.

 

[rick carpenter]

I worked at B&D repair center (not recon) a few years. Reconditioned tools are usually tested more thoroughly than new tools before being sold. Fewer DOA tools.

This is why I chose my recon'd CPO Bosch 18v impact driver several years ago. I've not ever had one problem with it, so never had to think about warranty. I don't know if the batteries were new or not, but the Slimpacks still last a nice long time per charge. I'll def go recon'd Bosch again!

 

[fivespdcat]

I buy recon all the time. Why? Because they're cheaper! I currently have a lot of Bosch, a bulldog rotary hammer, 18v heavy duty driver, mx25ec multi tool, 1617 router, maybe others too. I just compare prices and see what's best. All the tools came to me looking new with the exception of the reconditioned sticker and some had the "r" melted into the housing. I wouldn't hesitate to buy any Bosch tools, can't really comment on the others though.

 

[Danglerb]

Not shy but I use caution and it has to be worth my while for the reduced warranty and chance of failure. Varies from item to item.

 

[eeprete]

Always read the fine print. Apparently a lot of the CPO product has limited warranty periods. In the case of ridgid tools they have a more liberal warranty and service policy on NEW whereas their CPO stuff doesn't have anywhere near the same coverage.

 

[454ragtop]

It's kind of funny, I'm not scared of used tools at all, but I won't buy recon elec items. If I knew they were just store open box items, fine, but if they actually had a problem, I want nothing to do with them. They way I figure it, they already broke once, not a good track record. And I wonder about the ability to repair what may be an intermittent elec issue, can they even duplicate it in the shop? A guy I know got me a "deal" on a Bose 3-2-1 system years ago, because his BIL worked for Bose. Imagine my horror when he shows up with a factory recon. And sure enough, sometimes it would **** out with no warning. Finally got him to just take it back and give me my money back. I'm glad most of you have had good luck with the recons, but they're not for me.
Jim

 

[2tomplum]

I've bought a few refurb Milwaukee M18 tools and had good experiences. I started w/ a 4 tool set w/ bag- ended up getting absolutely free Via Amazon as the seller was a d*ck , shipped me the wrong set and wouldn't swap out the 1 wrong tool that I volunteered to send back. In this set every tool was new- not a mark. The batteries were rebuilt however. One battery had a crack at a screw where it had been tightened. Milwaukee being who they are, replaced it w/ free shipping both ways. Other M18 purchases were the same from cpomilwaukee.com -described as refurb- were spotless new. Warranties are less on MKE cpo items, but I have had not a problem.

 

[RM209]

Several years ago I bought a Craftsman cordless drill from Sears at their clearance center / parts depot. Came with the full warranty, looked (and worked as) new, but wasn't in the original packaging. Asked the ***'t manager what parts had been reconditioned, she said that nothing had been repaired; it was a new tool that had been returned, and by law Sears (and other retailers) could no longer sell it as a new tool. A few years ago Home Depot distributed some of their returned tools in the same way through storefronts in many of the Tanger Outlets store.

There are some great deals available on re-conditioned tools, but I recommend that you purchase reconditioned tools in person vs over the web, as the condition of the tool varies considerably, and to many of us, condition is everything.

RM209

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

i got a dewalt recip saw that was reconditiond when i was in my late teens and im 33 now and not 1 issue yet

 

[Flivver250]

I don't buy reconditioned electrical tools. Don't want something that already broke and can't trust a company to hire smart people to fix it.

 

[The Ratchet Man]

I've purchased a couple of tools that were "reconditioned" and havent had any problems. I have 2 rules though. I have to be able to see it in person and it has to be half price or less. Not worth the risk to me if both conditions are not met.

 

[X1 Mike]

I don't buy reconditioned electrical tools. Don't want something that already broke and can't trust a company to hire smart people to fix it.

Half the time they won't even be used. I just got a recon Wii and it was obviously never touched. My assumption is it was sold and returned in a crappy box. I also don't think that everyone is an idiot.