Milwaukee 2803-20 M18 Fuel drill. Keep or return?

[rogersmithiii]

I need a cordless drill, and since I have a ton of Milwaukee M18 tools, I settled upon a 2803-20 Fuel M18 drill. I found one on Amazon, that was priced OK, shipped by Amazon, and had good reviews.
After waiting a week, the unit arrived. It was shipped in a non-descript box, no packing and no usual marketing material. It's obvious that the unit is either a return, a refurb, used, or anything other than new, factory stuff. The ad on Amazon did not mention this, nor was pricing discounted.
I called Amazon, and they essentially said "tough ****. send it back." They didn't care.
I did discover that the price at Zoro, Home Depot, etc is $189. I paid $115 so obviously it's not factory fresh stuff. My concern is whether this has any sort of warranty, was it really refurbed, or just pulled out of a pile as-is, and shipped out, or whatever.

The other thing is that it appears from the Milwaukee page that the 2803 has been replaced by a 2903, which has all kinds of high tech stuff that I don't need, and will probably break down the line.

Would you keep it, and take my chances? Use it until right before the return period ends, and make a decision then? Or tell Amazon to drop dead, and ship it back?

Amazon is really messing up by letting these fly by night vendors ruin their image. It's at a point where I am now starting to order directly from the manufacturers rather than taking the risk of buying ****.

 

[cgrutt]

My thoughts about this have evolved past several years. Essentially item is used first time you take it out of packaging and chuck up a bit so $75 (rounding) savings seems pretty significant if item does work. It would still piss me off though if I ordered it thinking it was new and received something else. Personally I'd probably use it and make sure it works properly if there are any issues send it back. Amazon is actually pretty good about returns I once returned a timing chain tool set that broke while installing chain. They sent me a return label no questions asked and received a payment as soon as Fed Ex notified them that product was in their hands. They didn't even wait until it was received to be sure it was correct part, actually broken, etc it's all automated.

 

[pbon]

I think you can get a 2804 - same drill but with hammer feature — for about $105 new in box if you google. I bought one for that price last year and have seen similar prices since.

 

[PelicanPines]

I'd keep it and never think about it again. If you can't do that... return it an go to Home Depot.

 

[Garcky]

Does it work? If so, just use it. I mean, you got a pretty good deal on it, so...

 

[subroc]

I have bought several tools from eBay resellers over the years. Many seem to break up kits and get deals on lots and sell for a fair price that is routinely lower than Amazon, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Those tools are new. They are often characterized as open box. They ship in odd ball packaging. Only you can decide to keep the tool or not

 

[bscman]

I've also purchased several out-of-box "new" m18 tools (on eBay, not Amazon). Resellers buy kits on clearance/sale and break them down and sell theninsividual parts for profit. Especially common on some of the older, or previous generation tools.

Any chance this happened to you?
I'd probably keep it, if you're sure it's 100% Milwaukee made

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I’d be concerned of it being fake so I’d definitely return it. Stuff like that I’d only buy in store or from somewhere trusted. Go to a store and get a real Milwaukee.

 

[Zeus36]

If you're writing about advice, then I'd say return it just for your peace of mind. Could be a fake, but I'm pretty sure it is a refurbished unit. Drop it off at a UPS store and find another deal. Get one that is new in the box with factory packaging and you won't be questioning the purchase every time you use it.

 

[rogersmithiii]

I

 

[Komet]

Amazon is just eBay in a fancy coat now, don't get your Milwaukee stuff from there.

 

[Firebrick43]

Look on the sticker of the drill. There is a date code. Because of where you bought it milwaukee will go off of that date code for warrantee. 5 years. If its some time has passed from when its made I would return it.

 

[finn]

Buyer’s remorse. If you didn’t buy it because you needed it, why did you buy it? Sounds like the price was at least fair, so what’s the beef?

All the refurb stuff I have picked up has some sort of marking burned into the plastic. I suspect it’s more probable that it’s a drill from a kit someone bought, then broke the kit up for resale. Pretty common thing to do, from what I have seen.

Also, it’s been discussed here that Milwaukee’s warranty policy is to only cover tools purchased from authorized dealers, and they specifically can and have declined coverage, in some cases, from Amazon resellers.

 

[kngelv]

I'm trying to be objective here but threads like this bother me. No one posts "justification" threads unless they already know they screwed up a bit. The 2903 is $159.00 at Home Depot. It has a mechanical clutch that is miles better than the one on the 2803. It allows the torque selector to actually work unlike the one on the 2803. With the 2803 if you have the clutch on #1 you cannot hold it with your hand because it does not slip like it should. This is why the 2903 has a new clutch. It also has a better chuck. So for a whopping $44.00 you could have a tool with an actual warranty that is new in the box. Return the 2803 and save yourself a headache.

James

Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 1/2 in. Drill/Driver (Tool-Only) 2903-20 - The Home Depot

Introduce a versatile device to your workstation with the choice of this extra ordinary Milwaukee M LithiumIon Brushless Cordless Drill Driver.

www.homedepot.com

 

[rogersmithiii]

Just looked closely, and it’s not even a 2803. It’s a cheaper model. Going back.

 

[Skiff Builder]

For that price and that it's already in hand, I'd put it to work. After a week in my boatshop it would look like this anyway

 

[M635_Guy]

I'm trying to be objective here but threads like this bother me. No one posts "justification" threads unless they already know they screwed up a bit. The 2903 is $159.00 at Home Depot. It has a mechanical clutch that is miles better than the one on the 2803. It allows the torque selector to actually work unlike the one on the 2803. With the 2803 if you have the clutch on #1 you cannot hold it with your hand because it does not slip like it should. This is why the 2903 has a new clutch. It also has a better chuck. So for a whopping $44.00 you could have a tool with an actual warranty that is new in the box. Return the 2803 and save yourself a headache.

James

Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 1/2 in. Drill/Driver (Tool-Only) 2903-20 - The Home Depot

Introduce a versatile device to your workstation with the choice of this extra ordinary Milwaukee M LithiumIon Brushless Cordless Drill Driver.

www.homedepot.com

The 2903 seems absolutely worth the extra $$. For that alone the Amazon one would go back, but the warranty would be icing.

 

[rogersmithiii]

I'm trying to be objective here but threads like this bother me. No one posts "justification" threads unless they already know they screwed up a bit. The 2903 is $159.00 at Home Depot. It has a mechanical clutch that is miles better than the one on the 2803. It allows the torque selector to actually work unlike the one on the 2803. With the 2803 if you have the clutch on #1 you cannot hold it with your hand because it does not slip like it should. This is why the 2903 has a new clutch. It also has a better chuck. So for a whopping $44.00 you could have a tool with an actual warranty that is new in the box. Return the 2803 and save yourself a headache.

James

Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 1/2 in. Drill/Driver (Tool-Only) 2903-20 - The Home Depot

Introduce a versatile device to your workstation with the choice of this extra ordinary Milwaukee M LithiumIon Brushless Cordless Drill Driver.

www.homedepot.com

Thank you kindly.

I returned the Amazon POS, and ordered the 2903 from HD. Got a 15% coupon, which brought the price close to what I paid for the Amazon junk. I did some homework, but missed the details that you provided. Thanks for caring enough to clue me in. You rock.

Thanks for keeping me from making a huge mistake.

 

[dnschmidt]

A huge mistake is marrying the wrong woman not buying a less than latest model drill.

 

[jeepinerdeep]

For future reference, Amazon is not a place to buy Milwaukee period. Not an authorized seller, and its pretty rare an authorized seller posts up there.

I do gamble on some smaller items less than $75 open box on ebay.

Otherwise it's authorized sellers. HD, Acme Etc.

 

[engineer2]

If there are no marks on it, it's likely "B stock". New, but auctioned off because the box was damaged or it was an unused return. If it works fine, keep it.