Are factory refurbished Milwaukee Tools a good deal?  Let’s take a quick at what a refurbished or renewed Milwaukee tool (or any other brand for that matter) is and what you can expect when you buy one.  As you are searching you may want to use the term “renewed”, “refurbished” or “reconditioned” as they can be listed different ways.

When Milwaukee, Bosch, DeWalt, Makita, Metabo or any major tool manufacture offers a refurbished tool, the logical question is where did the tool come from?  In these days of ecommerce and easy returns, many of these tools are purchased and then returned without even being used.  Most tool manufactures have a 30 day no questions asked return policy so, a customer may try the tool and just not like the feel or want something with more power or whatever.  Some tools will fail right out of the box.  Usually it something simple like a bad solder joint on the motor or switch or a battery may have become damaged in shipping.  It can even be something like the tool is missing a component that was supposed to come with the tool.  At that point, the tool is not new and the manufacture will run through the tool, clean it up and refresh the packaging and offer it as refurbished.

I have about 5 different refurbished tools in my collection.  Most of them are Bosch.  Every refurbished tool that I have bought looked brand new.  Maybe they had a scuff or two but really they were in excellent shape.  Sometimes they will have a brand like an “R” on them to signify that they are a reconditioned tool.  When you consider that you intend to put the tool to work, any minor blemishes will soon be covered by new ones.

Yes!  Reconditioned or renewed tools for the most part have a full 1 year warranty.  Most new tools have a three year warranty but you will need to register the tool to qualify for that.  Rest assured these tools are put through the paces by the manufacture during the refurbishing process.  There is now way Milwaukee or any other tool manufacture wants a sub-standard tool floating around out there ruining their reputation in a very competitive market.

In my opinion, refurbished power tools are definitely worth checking out.  Often times you can step up from a big box brand tool to a brand name like Milwaukee, Bosch, DeWalt, Makita or Metabo for just a little more.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the quality of reconditioned tools.  As I mentioned earlier, most of my collection is refurbished and I haven’t had a single issue.