Factory Reconditioned tools???

[UncleJoe]

I am looking to purchase some new tools and I want to go with better quality than Craftsman. In my research I found this company CPOtools.com. They seem to carry factory recondidtioned tools for most of the higher quality tools.

I have only ever purchased one factory reconditioned tool and it was a cheap Campbell Hausfeld welder. It was $100 less than in the store. It came shrink wrapped in its original package and looked like it had never been used and I have been happy with it for what it is. (It is not a high end welder but it does for me)

Any thoughts on Factory Reconditioned tools? Am I missing something. The tools come with the mFG warranty and CPOTools has a 30 day return policy

 

[dodge610]

I am looking to purchase some new tools and I want to go with better quality than Craftsman. In my research I found this company CPOtools.com. They seem to carry factory recondidtioned tools for most of the higher quality tools.

I have only ever purchased one factory reconditioned tool and it was a cheap Campbell Hausfeld welder. It was $100 less than in the store. It came shrink wrapped in its original package and looked like it had never been used and I have been happy with it for what it is. (It is not a high end welder but it does for me)

Any thoughts on Factory Reconditioned tools? Am I missing something. The tools come with the mFG warranty and CPOTools has a 30 day return policy

I just have always had an eerie feeling about the reconditioned tools. How long did they last when they were new, were they junk to begin with and thats why they had to be reconditioned. Good price most of the time maybe I am paranoid guess i should try it see if the tools hold up everyone likes to save a buck.

 

[Recoil Rob]

I bought a reconditioned Milwaukee screwdriver kit a few years back. The tool itself was fine. But the charger and two batteries it came with were used, Milwaukee didn't mention that. First one battery wouldn't take a full charge and then the charger failed. They did replace both and pick up the shipping but for the $40 I saved it wasn't worth the hassle.

 

[atomicpunk]

I bought a Ridgid 1/2' drill from a Cummins tool sale that I used at work atleast 1 time a week for 2 years with no problems.

 

[scott37300]

I've bought a few items from CPO and been very happy with them. I bought a bosch flush cut saw, dremel multi tool, and some other power tools. Most of what I buy is tools I won't use to much so can't really justify paying the high price of. I've only paid about 50% of new. I've had good luck with them so far, always come like new condition, maybe a few marks or scratches and then refurb engraved in the tool somewhere.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I have no problem buying refurb items, but only from reputable manufacturers.

 

[Tink]

My understanding is that a lot of the reconditioned items are returns that were missing accessories and or had minor issues when sold as new. I don't think they are tools that were used and returned after being used for any length of time.

 

[RM209]

My understanding is that a lot of the reconditioned items are returns that were missing accessories and or had minor issues when sold as new. I don't think they are tools that were used and returned after being used for any length of time.

Same here; several years ago I bought a "reconditioned" Craftsman drill from the local Sears repair outlet. It appeared brand new and unused; when I asked manager what had been reconditioned on the drill, she explained that nothing had been changed out or altered. It was simply a new drill that had been returned, and therefore Sears could no longer sell it as a new product. That was almost 10 years ago, and the drill's been great.

It appears to be the same situtation with the stores located in some of the Prime outlets; they appear to be an outlet for used Ridgid (Home Depot) power tools.

However, when dealing with reconditioned items, Buyer Beware! and be sure to do your homework.

RM209

 

[rsanter]

I used to work for B&D / Dewalt
their factory recon tools came from a couple of sources
1 when testing a tool if everything was not just right it was sidelined and then repaired by a seperate team of people
2 cosmetic defects such as scratches can also make it a factory recon tool

I hve bought lots of B&D and Dewalt recon stuff and never a problem

bob

 

[larry_g]

Where I used to work, computers, a lot of the recon stuff was older/lastyears products. Kinda like buying a brand new car but last years model.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[TexasT]

I have no problem buying reconditioned/refurbished stuff. My angle is that they factory looked it over and fixed anything that could be wrong. I have bought refurbished desktop computers for years. They are never the biggest, fastest, greatest units but compared to those they work just fine for me and my family.

I have a 4 1/2" DeWalt angle grinder I bought years ago for $49 from HF and it still works great.

All of our current appliances, washer/dryer, refrigerator and such came from the outlet for much less than new. We look them over good and make sure they come with a full warranty. We can usually get one with a dent in the back or on the side that you never see because it is up against the wall.

 

[Ign]

I pretty much only buy Milwaukee but they back their recon'd stuff with full 5 year warranty, so it's never concerned me.

That said I've been sucked into CPO on many occasions thru search engines, and in the end their prices are just never that competitive - - and make sure you're comparing apples to apples, such as kits vs tools a-la-carte. Sometimes the recon tool alone was a touch cheaper but I could buy a whole new kit for, say, $40 more and get two batteries and a charger with that.

Also I'm not sure the recon tools qualify for all offers, like mail-in rebates, free batteries, or the awesome V28 promo Milwaukee did a few years back where they'd send a free tool of your choice if you bought a kit.

My point: research and compare.

 

[american lockpicker]

I prefer new but if you want a tool just for use and it has a good warrenty why not?

 

[rodm1]

I've bought Factory Reconditioned no problems. But most of the time the price is to much for reconditioned then I buy new.

 

[BuckHenry]

I have purchased several reconditioned power tools and been very pleased with them. Sometimes I've gotten tools that appeared to be brand new other times times they were obviously used, but they have always function perfectly for me. I suppose you are taking a greater risk with a reconditioned unit and agree with what others have said about making sure you get a good warranty.

I also agree with a previous poster about cpo's prices being too high (I haven't checked lately, but this has definitely been the case in the past. I would not buy a reconditioned product if I were not getting a much better deal than I could on a new one. If you like Hitachi products then I would strongly recommend Big Sky Tools (Reconditioned Sales). Their prices are better than most, and they run terrific sales. They also sell what they call "Grade C" stuff hat has cosmetic defects very cheap. Hitachi backs their reconditioned tools with their 1-year warranty. I am not affiliated with Big Sky or Hitachi, but have bought several tools from them and am a very satisfied customer.

 

[BuckHenry]

BTW, why in the world does Uncle Joe need to spend money on tools?
The most work I ever remember him doing was painting a few bed sheets.

 

[Zeke]

My understanding is that a lot of the reconditioned items are returns that were missing accessories and or had minor issues when sold as new. I don't think they are tools that were used and returned after being used for any length of time.

My Makita right angle cordless driver/drill looked brand new and or 100 bucks I love it. I've bought parts and whole tools from CPO. I recommend them.

 

[Greatbear]

I used to hit the B&D headquarters on occasions when they'd have sales. Some of the recon stuff looked brand new, others might have been slightly used. I used to bring home big hauls from that place in the 80s.

 

[Danglerb]

I've had terrible experiences and great experiences, so I usually want a deal that includes a large discount for rolling the dice.

Terrible, A place that bought up huge lots of car stereo returns, checked nothing, and sold them with a 30 day exchange only warranty. Items that were total junk and returned were put right back on the shelf, so it could take several try's before getting a working unit. After 30 days, SOL.

 

[darkk]

I don't know about this particular tool company but, they usually only give you a small percentage off the new price. Myself, I just look for sales on the tool I'm after. The price is usually so close at that point that new is the way to go....my $.02's worth...

 

[shoot summ]

I bought a factory reconditioned Dewalt Miter saw in 1995 that I am still using today. Bought a FR Dewalt portable planer that you couldn't tell from new. I have no issue doing on the larger tools at all as my experience has been good.

In both cases the price I paid was significantly less than the best sale price of a new tool.