“I notice that some companies seem to have too many of these reconditioned tools available.” The question would be, is the percentage of tools they sell that come back higher than another company. In other words, if Brand X sells 100,000 routers and 1% come back, that’s 1,000 reconditioned. If Brand Z has only 500 come back, but only sold 30,000, that’s 1.66% coming back. Hard to know without statistics.
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl đŸ˜‰
Replies
My point in posting was that for someone on a tight budget, reconditioned tools can be a good buy. As for your comment, we cannot know all. Sometimes we just have to jump in and take a risk. I think the risk here is small. Anyway, taking a chance now and then makes life more interesting.
"Sometimes we just have to jump in and take a risk. I think the risk here is small." Oh I agree! I've picked up two reconditioned tools, one a cordless drill and one a Wagner HVLP sprayer. Both have performed quite well and waaaaayyyyy less than the new price.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I have no comment -- I think you understand the reconditioned tool market very well.
Most of the tools are in virtually new condition, but occasionally, you will get a saw, for example, that some guy built a house with, and then managed to convince a big box to take it back.
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"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
The way I look at it, These tools go back to the Manufacturer where they get INDIVIDUAL attention to see what, if anything is wrong with them. They will be scrutinized more closely than a tool just comming off the production line. This is why the Manufacturer is comfortable putting a new tool warranty on it. He's confident it'snot going to come back again and show his product as junk.
Edited 2/18/2006 9:03 pm ET by Phone Guy
hi,
i have recently purchased a recon air compressor and i would have to say i would go this route again shold i come across something i needed (ok, wanted, but need sounds better to the wife) and the price was right. i got a tool that was in factory new condition (save for one scratch in the paint) with a full warranty, for 1/2 the price of new. Assuming manufacturers do what they say they do and actually recondition the tools, then this is a great way to save some money, to spend on wood, of course.
I would think that if you get lucky and find just the right reconditioned machine in stock it is a good plan.
I have read that on the reconditioned tools, they go back to the factory and go thru a comprehensive process to make sure they work 100% when sold. With that being the case, I generally prefer to buy reconditioned, as I know that that one has been tested fully to make sure it works, where normal production takes one out of who knows how many to test - so a bummer can get thru easier.
I have owned a reconditioned Porter Cable 333 random orbit sander for about 5 years now. Not a lick of trouble!; knock on wood:)
Bob, Tupper Lake, NY
One friend recently purchased one of these 'factory reconditioned' SCMS's. The mechanical part is perfect in every way BUT the blade that came with it was re-painted 'factory yellow', but was quite dull. You could tell it was a re-paint job because the edge where the paint and bright blade met was quite fuzzy. When we went to use it, you could easily tell the blade had quite a bit of use on it. He was going to replace the blade anyway and said it was not worth the time to push the issue. Bottom line... machine excellent, blade useless.
SawdustSteve
One thing you could do is to read the reviews and forums such as this one to get an idea of the longevity and durability of the tool you may be interested in. I just recently bought a compressor from a client. He bought the unit for his son who was interested in getting involved with body work. Used very little because his son lost interest. I would imagine this may be the case with a lot of the tools returned also.
A bunch of years ago, I bought a Delta 12" lunchbox planer as a reconditioned unit. Actually, it had neve been reconditioned. The salesman and I went over it in excruciating detail and found that there was a hairline scratch on the top shroud. He explained that it couldn't be sold as a new unit because they have to be perfect.
It has functioned very well for the 12 years I've had it. I would have no problems buying reconditioned based on my experience.
Bruce
Seriously, most of the time that I've ever tried to find a good deal with a reconditioned unit, I've been able to find a new one for not much more than the reconditioned, simply by shopping around online. If you go with Amazon, for example, and hit a good coupon deal, you're going to get something new, with free shipping, etc., usually at a pretty decent price.Unless I'm just looking in the wrong places, I've never seen a reconditioned tool at half the price of new, it's usually no more than 10-15% off.
IIRC, I got this planer for a little more than half list price. This was from Acme Electric in Bismarck, ND, which is part of a small chain that owned Tool Crib, ultimately bought out by Amazon. Seemed like a good deal to me.
bruce
Unfortunately, list price really has little meaning when it comes to retail. Most big retail chains (and online outfits) routinely sell for much less than the manufacturer's suggested retail price because the manufacturer puts a huge margin on it's "suggested" price, usually a 100% markup or more.That means that if you can get a brand new tool at $100 and a reconditioned at $95, there isn't much of an impetus to go with a reconditioned tool, at least IMO. With so many online retailers fighting to have the lowest price, unless you're going to get a significant savings over their already low price... well, you get what I'm saying.Now sure, if I could get a reconditioned Powermatic 66 for $500... ;)
I have bought recond from PC for at least the last 7 years, the premo decidicated mortiser with the rack and pinion fence and a full set of NEW bits and chisels , the largest VS belt sander kit in case, a mag 7 1/4 left blade saw kit in case. From a ww internet supplier the 19 volt cordless drill kit in case with the really great chuck and pads on the grip-this was found to have been over sold so they sent me a new one- all of these at much lower than the normal street price.
Please note that of late, I have noticed that the recond prices are getting closer to the usual street price BUT, probably seeing how slowed sales have been because of this practice they send out email on specials-even with free shipping- when the stock gets too high, so get on their mail list and pay attention if you need a tool. Needless to say all of my tools were factory true, except for a few scratches on the side of the belt sander. Pat
Edited 2/23/2006 1:58 am ET by PADDYDAHAT
There has been some speculation/rumors that the reconditioned market is sometimes used to reduce inventory -- but the manufacturers always deny it. It is interesting though, that you see a lot of reconditioned stuff for some brands, and hardly any for others.********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
I bought a reconditiond Makita 14.4 volt drill about 4 years ago. the drill and charger are excellent but the batteries only lasted about half what a new battery lasts
Have a nice day Lee
Sorry to hear that, you didn't perhaps let them lay fallow for a while? I made that mistake in two respects, but only once each. The old stuff, 14 volt and less used to come with cheap chargers that would cook the packs if left plugged in. The new stuff has smart chargers like cell phones that shut down to a trickle as soon as the battery is happy. With my radio control model air craft junk I let them sit -uncharged - till they died over one winter, never to live again. I did buy new chargers-and $$$ batteries.l now pay great attention to batteries in both worlds. Pat
I've bought several reconditioned tools and never had a problem, I don't do this professionally so they don't see the hours of usage of a pro. I have a reconditioned Makita sliding compound miter saw on it's way right now, bought it on ebay for $310 and $39 shipping. The retail price of new I found was $489 to $509 typically.
MJ
I'm with you, wdrite. I'm especially fortunate to live 3 miles from a regional factory repair center for a major brand. I have no fear because the tools come with a new warranty, and, again, the factory is right there. Some of the tools are new tools returned from a big box store, some are rebuilds. A cordless hammer/drill had a guy's initials etched into it. Everything is half-price. I go in there like, "What else can I get?" I have never had an experience to disabuse me of the notion that it's a great deal.
Another place I like to hit every once in a while is the local Sears repair center. They have a sectiion wher ethey have the "scratch and dent" items at a good discount.
I picked up a benchtop belt/disk sander, that sells in the store for $129 for $69. The box has crushed/torn corner. We opened the box and the item had not been damaged or even scratched in the least. I see Drill Presses, air compressors, miter saws, lawn mowers and lots of other items in there all the time.1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go 4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
Hi.
I've been looking for a specific 13" planer for a while and watching prices.
Recon $379, New $499. With coupons, often get $50-70 off from Amazon.
However, MANY of the reviews mention poor packing and broken parts on this product when bought reconditioned.
I agree with other posters....read reviews from sites that sell recon. I suspect the more plastic add-ons there are to get broken....the more will.
Ryan
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