how many tools have you warrantied?

[TwoInch]

i am not sure if this has been done before, but what the hell.

how many tools have you warrantied in your lifetime so far?

responses could include a rough estimate, and if you are a pro, or DIY, and how long have you been turning wrenches...

 

[egnorant]

About 30 in my lifetime. My busted tool bucket has about 10 in it right now. Mostly Craftsman but I do have 2 Cornwall ratchets (purchased and broke in the late 80s) that I cannot track the truck down.

Bruce

 

[toolmutt]

Mostly screwdrivers at Sears from a DIYer. Despite all the Sears rants, the guy at my local store is first rate.

 

[chris142]

I'd guess 25ish. I try not to abuse them. My latest was a worn out 8mm Matco socket that would not grip a bolt any more and today was a 7/16 MAC combo wrench with a a spread open end.

 

[Jawn]

Not many. Less than five. Most recently, an Armstrong ratcheting wrench that had peeling chrome. I am a DIY, not a pro wrencher.

 

[Snapped-off]

Snap-on - 1/4" Drive Ratchet, 3/8" Drive 11" Impact extension, 9/16" Long Patern Combo Wrench

Craftsman - 3/4" Drive Sliding T-bar, 3/4" Drive 6" Extension Edit: Cman Pro Phillips P2

Not an auto tech, but I use tools daily at my job.

 

[Mastermind]

50 +. been a bodyman for 12+ yrs. alot of screwdrivers, bits. half dozen torx plus 55's, torx 30's. i tend to break alot of torx...hmm. and a bunch of sockets, a few ratchets, pliers etc.

 

[TwoInch]

i voted less than 10.

couple screwdrivers(have one thats needs it)
couple rebuild kits
one older craftsman RP deep double box that bent over like a spaghetti noodle
a socket or two
one pair of craftsman dykes

DIYer/side jobs

edit - i have been playing with tools for about 14 years...... wait... nevermind.

 

[The32nd]

replaced craftsman rp 3/8 ratchet broke when replacing brakes on a pontiac. who ever did it last thought it was a good idea to use a little red loctite on caliper bolts. broke lots of teeth inside the ratchet.

 

[CWP1616L]

You forgot to ask whether due to breakage or manufacturing defects. Most of the tools I've turned in for warranty have been new tools that had manufacturing defects.

 

[TwoInch]

You forgot to ask whether due to breakage or manufacturing defects. Most of the tools I've turned in for warranty have been new tools that had manufacturing defects.

i would say "i have warrantied 40 tools, but only 5 were from breakage" or something similar, if so inclined.

i made the poll thinking more about good tools that were broken or warrantied after some use for some reason or another. not factory mistakes/initial QC issues. my own number would be nearly double if including swaps when brand new.

 

[CWP1616L]

i made the poll thinking more about good tools that were broken or warrantied after some use for some reason or another. not factory mistakes/initial QC issues. my own number would be nearly double if including swaps when brand new.

OK then ... the only tools that I have broken were one pair of Snap-on duck bill pliers and one pair of MAC nose pliers; and even then, it was because I was using them incorrectly. The only other tools I've broken were drill bits, but everybody breaks those. I've never had a tool break when it shouldn't have.

 

[2oolhound]

I returned a stanley 25' tape back around 1980. I just bought it and it fell about 10' to a plywood deck and cracked the case pretty well the 1st time I used it. I had to argue a bit but they gave me a new one the next day when I took it in.

I was a pro at the time and had a biz account at the industrial supply firm where I bought it.

I've never bothered to warranty any other tools I've broken or wore out as I've always gotten my moneys' worth out of them before that happened or I'd chalk it down to a lesson learned and change brands.

 

[jamesc]

Lots of torx bits, handed my snap on guy 3 today, a couple ratchets, probably a dozen or more sockets, I don't think I have warrentied screw drivers before. I used to just buy new ones until I bought matco ones and they have yet to break or wear out. and a few swivel sockets.

 

[EvilWelder]

I am a welder and industrial mechanic, I can break a crowbar in a sandbox, and an anvil with a plastic fork.

 

[FiendFX]

Zero... Lol. Maybe because I don't use them as much.

 

[Hammell]

1/2 dozen sockets although I have broken many no names. worn out a couple 1in impacts.
a few adapters and extesntions of various sizes
mastercraft breakerbar (24in)
1/4 snap on ratchet
1/2 snap on ratchet (15in
1/2 huskey flex head (18in)
1/2 craftman std ratchet
quit a few torx bits from everyone
Snap on dead blow 24oz the old orange one, blew up, disintigrated
Snap on 18in stricking prybar, handle blew up, cap fell off. Was cold out thou.
Whole bunch of mastercraft tape measures, (working in the rain)

 

[uniballer]

50 plus, Craftsman mostly, few SO. Snap on can take a beating better than craftsman!

 

[davesnothere]

Just warrantied a snapon 1/2 to 3/8 impact reducer today.

 

[318fekim]

wrenching for 31 yrs, pro,most were due to rust, bought second hand. I've broken my share though.... Matco breaker bar, CM ratchet, alot of screwdrivers several sockets More since I joined here, yard sales are great!

mike

 

[Outlawmws]

I said <25, but it's probably closing on that figure. I've been wrenching > 45 years, a lot of that "semi pro" while I was involved with race cars.

 

[mercman86]

The things most warrantied by me are countless craftsman screwdrivers (most of them failed due to mis use). About 5 craftsman 1/4 in ratchets, 2 sk 1/4 in ratchets. One snap on needed rebuilding and a few craftsman rp wrenches. Ive never warrantied a snap on socket or wrench.

 

[darkk]

Around 20-25, but that's over a 45 year period. Most of those were cheapie tools like HF etc...

 

[snapmom]

I am on my third set of Snap on dead blow hammers.

 

[4x4gearhead]

Ive broken some ratchets and sockets, warranted a few snap on 30/60 angle wrenches I bought new because they were unusually weak and one wasnt even shaped right. Broken a lot of snap on bit sockets, maybe 2-3 screwdrivers, Other than that Im not a big gorilla so I dont always have the power to break a lot of things.

 

[Davefr]

<5 is the mean???

We should do another survey on how much GJ discussion is centered around warranty.

 

[Bill R.]

500 plus for me, thats over a 40 year period and during the 80's and 90
's there were a lot of junk tools.
Mostly Craftsman screwdrivers, some snapon screwdrivers, wrenches rarely except for chrome peeling. Snap on sockets one every 3 or 4 months. Cheap dead blow hammers from harbor freight, one a year, they get so beat up that the shot flies out. Lots of ratchet kits, craftsman, snap on , sk and proto, I don't think i'll ever break the newer snapon and gearwrench ratchets though.

 

[wornoutoldman]

<5 is the mean???

We should do another survey on how much GJ discussion is centered around warranty.

I would estimate around between 3-5 a year X 20 years while earning a living in the trades. Haven't broken a tool since (add 14 years here) although they see a pretty fair amount of use. That said the bulk of those needing warranty replacement were Craftsman. 1 maybe 2 per year were SO. Davefr hit the nail on the head. We need to find more/better things than tool warranty discussions to beat our chests, proselytize and wear out soapboxes on...

No disrespect to OP of course.

 

[TwoInch]

<5 is the mean???

We should do another survey on how much GJ discussion is centered around warranty.

i figured this might be an interesting poll, just random information. im suprised no one has been attacked for one reason or another. there are only so many topics when you are discussing hand tools...

i really figured the vast majority would be right in those lower numbers under 25. it is interesting though, the fairly even spread across the board.

 

[TwoInch]

soapboxing? beating chests? i only see people giving honest answers, and not a lick of "bad" discussion...

if the **** isnt interesting to you, dont click the link, the topic is right in the title..

edit - and none taken i would just like to see it stay honest, informative, and not go the route of someone bitching/giving opinions on others actions or warranty beliefs. this is the internets though... may be a pipe dream.

 

[Toolhorder]

I've broken a lot of stuff and also bought second hand and warrantied them. I lost count it's probably in the hundreds.

 

[crewchief888]

50+
ive been wrenching at const eq dealerships for over 25 years.

probably the most warrantied tool was a SO 3/4" dr breaker bar head, averaged one a month for 3 or 4 years.

other than that, broken ratchets, breaker bars, a few comb wrenches,
15/16" 1/2 dr impact wobble sockets,
more than my share of 3/8" dr 1/2". 9/16" & 3/4" impact wobbles

 

[rickhigginshtbr]

****, I voted under 5, but remembered my last day at sears I swapped out 7 ratchets... oh well. DIY'er, and umm... is it possible to be born with a screwdriver? Been taking apart anything since before I was 10.

 

[Jason280]

Not many, but right off the top of my head I can recall Kobalt and Gearwrench ratcheting wrenches, and a couple Craftsman ratchets.

 

[DrkMtnDew]

I haven't warrantied as many as I have broken. Most either didn't have a warranty or weren't worth the time to get replaced.

 

[byoungblood]

I think I'm right at ten. Off the top of my head....

2 1/2" drive Craftsman breaker bars (on the same day no less, no cheater! The square drive just twisted right off)
3/8 and 1/4" RP ratchets
Couple of craftsman screwdrivers
C-Man torx bit
SO 3/8" drive ratchet. In fairness, it was an older ratchet that I bought, used a couple of years when it started skipping. I was only after a rebuild kit, but the lady I spoke to sent me a new ratchet. I won't complain.
2 Pair of Cman pliers.

 

[Doktor Schnell]

Only 2 ... a Snappy screwdriver and a Cman screwdriver.

 

[Gary S]

I've warrantied 1 or 2 in my 40 years of use. I'm careful with my tools so they never seem to break.

 

[RCStocker]

1- matco 1/4" swivel head ratchet. I got a new one because it was so old they no longer had the parts to rebuld it.

1- snap-on 40" speed wrench. The berring in the handle went. It took me forever to get it replaced. I got a new one because they no longer had the kit for my model. 2 drivers could not be bothereded. I filed a complaint and my friend who had a garage got it replaced whe he spent over $400 on the truck. That was total BS.

All the rest of my tools and there have been a few hundred all have been Craftsman. I buy and sell so much that the ratchets are sold before I ware them out. I still have a few Craftsman and Wards ratchets that are 45 years old and still going strong.

I have only split one Socket in my life and that was a Craftsman with a 2 ft pipe on the ratchet. It was a construction job and I had to get it done. A $10 ratchet with a socket was nothing when you are charging $85 an hour.

 

[ajchien]

Off the top of my head, 1 hammer, 2 pairs of pliers, 1 ratchet, 1 socket, and a whole lot of Phillips 1,2,3 screwdrivers. Maybe a few slotted ones too.