railman44

I've wondered this for a long time. Is it something the factory produced that was a lemon from the beginning and returned by an unsatisfied customer? Or, could it be something a customer changed their mind on but boogered up the box opening. Or, could it be an item the factory maybe accidently put a scuff or two on? Could it be something else?

Nate1778

Yes


I beleive it is a bit of all those, obviously returns being the larger percentage of it.

Terry Beeson

"Reconditioned" simply means that the item has been gone through, checked, and had any parts that were "bad" replaced and then tested. Many times reconditioned tools are a bit "better" than the production models due to one person giving it the royal once-over and making sure it is in good condition. Most of the time, the production models are put together and tested for a few seconds... Long enough to see if they come on and run...

Yes, they can be returns for whatever reason or even factory seconds - ones that did not pass the test or had a ding...

Think of it this way, every tool in your shop is "used" once you've taken it out and used it. If something goes wrong with one that is out of warranty, or if you just like to keep them up, you will "condition" them... Reconditioned is the same thing really except the tools are not old.

I've had good luck with reconditioned tools and like the price difference. Many times the warranty is the same as on a new one.

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John in Tennessee

In a nut shell. Fixed...

FXST01

and back in spec

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Handyman

I have bought reconditioned tools before and have had good luck with them. I bought 2 pallets of Harbor Frieght returns once from a tool wharehouse going out of business. 70 tools in all, inluding 8 or 9 tools still in sealed boxes. After going through them all I throw 2 away. Out of 8 air nailers, all 8 had a jammed nail. 2 hammer drill missing parts not needed to drill cement. 6 cordless drills had bad batterys. 11 automotive block sanders assembled wrong from factury. But the best out of all was a brand new table top Scrollsaw missing 2 scews that hold the switch cover on. Cost me .27 cents to fix. I figure I got each tool for a dollor, and already sold 2 tools for 70.00.

I am not sure about what that means in tools, but car parts sold as remanufactured, are parts remover from wrecked cars, tested, cleaned and put into new boxes and sold at Advanced Auto, Auto Zone, and ORiely's as new.

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cabinetman

Retailers may or may not do anything at all to a tool. It could be just a returned item. Does the term "caveat emptor" ring any bells? I bought a "reconditioned" skill saw from HF a few years ago, appearing to have never left the box. No problems...guess I got lucky.

What is interesting is that a year or so ago, HF's fliers used to have tools on sale that had the printing in the ad reading: Factory reconditioned, factory perfect. I haven't seen that in quite a while.

Terry Beeson

Having worked for two different remanufacturing companies, you're very close Handyman, but let me clear it up... Remanufactured parts are taken from wrecks (auto salvage) or units that have just gone bad (take the old alternator off and replace it with another.) These units, scalled cores (starters, alternators, water pumps, clutches, brake cylinders, power brake systems, ac compressors, carburetors, etc.) are sorted by "type" (Delco 90A alternators vs. 60A or Denso starter vs. Delco starter) and then taken apart in batches. The parts are then cleaned, tested, repaired, and then they are re-assembled with some new parts in batches. Then they receive a final test before being boxed and sent to O'Reily's, AutoZone, Advanced, Chief, or your local independant.

If you take your old part back to AutoZone, you will receive "core credit" for it. This is the "core" referred to above.

Units that are tested, cleaned, and repaired one at a time are considered "rebuilt." This is done mostly by small independant shops.

As for tools, most of the reconditioned ones are more akin to the "rebuilt" scenario. The vast majority are returns and display units or shelf pulls within a year or so of original manufacture.

I have several reconditioned tools that I work with that are as good or better than new ones... and at a much lower cost... For example, I bought a sander, returned it, returned the replacement, then found the same exact model in a recon shop. For about half the cost, the recon has worked longer than the three others put together.

Sometimes, the independant reconditioner can find a "fix" for something that is a design flaw or just an upgrade that takes care of the problem. I've seen this on many occasions with reman auto parts and some in reconditioned power tools.

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lifeisgreat1

In another nut shell. You're just simply buying a used product....

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Terry Beeson

They are ALL used once you fire them up in your shop...

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mmtools

I agree with Terry, the vast majority of "reconditioned" power tools we sell are items that are pulled from the assembly line at the factory for spot checks, found to be missing something or something misadjusted. They are sent through the line again, fixed, and sold as "recons" at a reduced price. I never have encountered a problem with a "reconditioned" power tool, they almost always carry a full factory warranty
MikeO- www.toolsandmachinery.com

boondocker

Twenty five years ago I use to haunt the pawn shops in New Hampshire looking for Milwaukee tools. I could buy a Drill for $15 then take it over to the local Milwaukee authorized service center for an overhaul for maybe $30. When I got it back it functioned just like a new drill with a limited warranty although, a couple of them had some severe cosmetic problems I did not try to correct. I still own those tools and they still function. I have bought several reconditioned power tools from Tool King in Denver and never had a problem either.

However, if I were making my living as a furniture maker or woodworker I'd think long and hard about how much the recon tool is going to be used and if I can afford to risk a break down?

GeorgeC

I am not sure about other places, but at Sears it generally means "very good buy."

George

BHOFM

I have bought some "returns" at Lowes and had
good luck with them. If they are Bad, they will
refund after a few day only. B&D 1/4 sheet sander
with dust collector $20 and a Tradesman 3.5"
hand power planer for $15, the "on" switch is
stiff. Big deal, makes it safer.

Harbor Freight has a store here and they have a
life time warranty, but you must have the receipt.
They want you to be happy. My wife calls it my
toy store...

Shamus

I happened into an auction house a year or so ago and they had power tools from Sears' customer returns. All makes/models to the highest bidder. Not Recon as such. I bid a delta plunge router up to $32, none of them ran, and brand new. Auctioneer asked me how many I wanted and I took all 8 of um. Turns out the hot wire was unplugged from the switch terminal. They were in warranty and push come to shove I could have sent a couple back but didn't have to. Same auction, Porter Cable cordless drills. Heavy duty, never run and still in the case. I bid up to $18 and bought 10 of um. They all charged up and ran fine. I gave routers and cordless drills for Christmas presents.

Some power tools go back to the Mfg and they have a Recon area and use it as fill work for line employees. These tools have no risk of personal injury to the end user and can be sold (legally) as a recon item. Can't sell it as new as that's against the law. Some Mfg won't touch a return, regardless of condition. I've see some come back to a mass merchandiser missing the owners manual. The tools never been touched, sometimes the attachments are missing, etc.

Larger electro-mechanical items are usually not touched by the Mfg. Liability issues. These are often sold off to a small company that does recons and will package in a generic box and tag them as recon. This relieves the Mfg of any lawsuit should someone get hurt. As an example, Torpedo heaters, garage door openers and space heaters. Mfg won't touch these.