Thread: Reconditioned power tools - where do cores come from?

I ordered on Wednesday a Bosch rotary hammer drill, "factory reconditioned", from Bosch. I never have bought a reconditioned tool before, but for as much as I use one I figured I would never even wear out a used one, much less reconditioned.

The website said the tool would have cosmetic scratches, etc. and show sign of use but would be in good condition inside.

The drill showed up today and I swear it is brand new. It smells new, it looks flawless in every way. It's in the blow molded case with all papers and has a warranty and a return policy if I don't like it.

So what I am wondering is where do they get 'cores' from when they offer reconditioned tools? It's obviously a large business, since there are several locations across the US selling them. I just have to wonder how they come up with beat up tools to fix? Or do they just call them reconditioned and are actually selling off surplus new or demos?

returned goods. Many never made it into end-users hands (pallet fell off truck, boxes damaged, etc.).

Someone needed the tool, but couldn't/wouldn't rent it, so they purchase from Home Depot, or Lowe's, or Menard's, and then return the tool.

I purchased a set of impact sockets that had grease in one of the sockets.

Interesting. The price for this drill new was $279 and I bought it recon for $199, no tax and free shipping. I'm happy.

I get Thinkpads as "refurbs" and like the savings. Keep an eye out for such things when you buy computers as well as tools.

As a Cheap Bastard I'm always hunting the best deal.

I've purchased a number of reconditioned items, including, Bosch power tools, Husqvarna string trimmer, Shop Vac, Poulan chain saw, Canon laser copy machine/printer, HP computers, Canon digital camera, Panasonic cordless phones, and more. All looked and performed like new. The copy machine has been the most amazing deal. Bought through Amazon for about a third the price of a new one. It's made at least 150,000 copies in the past 7-8 years and I've never done a thing to it but feed it paper and replace the toner cartridges.

I've seen a couple of outlet malls that had discount tool stores stocked with many reconditioned items. Dunno where they get the stuff, but I've been pleased with the savings and results so far. Wouldn't hesitate to purchase more.

Watch the prices, though. Sometimes they're not all that great a deal. They've got to pretty deeply discounted to get my attention.

~TW~

Originally Posted by GregSY

I just have to wonder how they come up with beat up tools to fix? Or do they just call them reconditioned and are actually selling off surplus new or demos?

My understanding, from a friend in the business, is that the vast majority are removed from warehouses to check for potential problems, etc. Perhaps the company has had a dozen tools returned with a loose bolt causing problems. They pull the relevant inventory, and check or replace the bolts. Once the retail packaging has been opened, it is a refurb. My refurb Dewalt drill/saw combo had the battery packs opened and resealed with indicator tape, that seems to be the only change. Bosch definitely operates this way. My circular saw, angle grinder and recip saw are all refurbs, and absolutely pristine when purchased at the local outlet.

Dennis

It can be better (or worse) for electronics. There was a time when the number one cause for return of things like laptops was "no error found" - the customer "couldn't make it work" and returned it, the tech department opened it up and found it to be perfect. This is part of why most modern tools, you open the box and the first thing you see is a big yellow flyer that says, in effect, FOR CHRIST SAKE CALL US IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT WORK, DON'T RETURN IT. WE'LL HELP YOU.

BUT - if you go to someplace like Fry's and there's a box that's been retaped with a discount - it *IS* a return - no one is disputing that - and often the *reason* it's a return is that many low end electronics devices have *really* poor QC and that particular one doesn't work, or won't work without a software fix you can't install, etc.

Originally Posted by S_W_Bausch

Someone needed the tool, but couldn't/wouldn't rent it, so they purchase from Home Depot, or Lowe's, or Menard's, and then return the tool.

I purchased a set of impact sockets that had grease in one of the sockets.

"Bought this sawsall last week, don't like it. It vibrates too much. Want my money back.". Tool goes into the RTV hopper as it is now "used/defective" but likely fully functional. Sometimes the vendor (Milwaukee, Dewalt, etc.) takes the power tools back, sometimes they are crushed.

Originally Posted by GregSY

Interesting. The price for this drill new was $279 and I bought it recon for $199, no tax and free shipping. I'm happy.

Bosch Bulldog xtreme?

It's this drill:
Amazon.com: Bosch RH328VC 1-1/8-Inch SDS Rotary Hammer: Home Improvement

Note that with Amazon's recent bastard-ass plan to start charging sales tax, they put themselves out of the running for my purchase. In fact, I never would have thought to look at a recon tool if sales tax had not popped up in my cart when I went to check out at Amazon.

I looked briefly at the Bulldog drill but I had a couple construction guys tell me they didn't work that hot.

My guess is it failed some sort of check in their manufacturing process.

So its a repair. Likely due to the way their process works, just because you reject an assembly at any given stage doesn't mean it can just can be re-entered at the start of the process.

So then its likely more or less "hand built" in some way or form, it might have plastic ultrasonic welds done by a hand held repair tool rather than a fully automated fixture in a cell just as one example.

Likely then since its not fully assembled using a controlled mainline process, its dependent on a human's skill. Which has variable results as we all know. Which likely puts it in a different warranty tree.

So it can't be sold as new, so its a proposition of scrapping it all, which nets 0$ or selling it as reconditioned, which gets say 75% of new price, and sold as "its not exactly right". Ideally the unit was skillfully assembled, you get a great deal. The other end of the continuum is it might not have any warranty and any initial failure would be fully at the cost and responsibility of the buyer.

Just my guess.

Originally Posted by GregSY

It's this drill:
Amazon.com: Bosch RH328VC 1-1/8-Inch SDS Rotary Hammer: Home Improvement

Note that with Amazon's recent bastard-ass plan to start charging sales tax, they put themselves out of the running for my purchase. In fact, I never would have thought to look at a recon tool if sales tax had not popped up in my cart when I went to check out at Amazon.

I looked briefly at the Bulldog drill but I had a couple construction guys tell me they didn't work that hot.

Amazon didnt come up with the idea of charging sales tax- they hate it.
Your own State of Texas is to blame for that one.

Me, I have been living in the land of Amazon for the last 18 years, so they have ALWAYS charged sales tax here. Kind of hard to pretend its not an in state sale when you can see the Amazon headquarters from the freeway.

Fair enough....but I still suspect Amazon didn't try too hard to get out of it. They could at least have informed their customers rather than letting me find out the hard way.

They have been fighting it for years, and lost.

Most if not all returns probably never make it back to the maufacturer. In the 20k sq ft warehouse behind where I work they get all the returns from a major hardware store. I've bought Dewalt power tools from there that varied from absolutely brand new, to some that were completely thrashed. I have a brand new BBQ with just a dented corner, a brand new fridge with just a scratch, 2 Husky compressors, all at 10-15% of the store price. Apparently it's to expensive for the store to segregate the stuff to send it back to the appropriate manufacturer. this place sometimes is a friggin goldmine.

A lot of the stuff I can see is used and intentionally taken back, after the hedge is trimmed/hole drilled/floor sanded/wall sprayed/weekend bbq/wood cut etc etc is finished.

Around the holidays each year, the local farm/home/grocery store (Anderson's General Store) gets a shipment of DeWalt 14.4V rebuilds... I have a significant investment in 14.4V stuff from the last 15 years or so. New batteries are $99 each in most places -- more expensive than their 18V. The rebuilds have a VSR 3-range drill with clutch and steel keyless chuck, two extended-run batteries, and a charger for $129. So I gift myself one each year.

One of these days I'll have to leap forward in battery/tool technology. Maybe next year...

Chip

The number one reason tools are returned to Sears is the angry wife. Alot of them never make it out of the packaging.

This probably has nothing to do with "cores", but I used to know a contractor who bought B&D circ saws to saw doorways in block walls. Dust wore the bearings out in one job, took back to KMart or wherever. Refund or exchange.

Wealthy man, owns a few businesses. Diabetic, had both legs amputated.

I have returned a couple pieces to the place that shall not be named. I doubt that THEY send a 20 buck Sawzall copy back to China to be repaired. THAT is a stupidly run place. Bought one of those mini cutoff saws. 20 bucks or so, couple hundred pieces of brass to cut. Done with that, box said it also cut steel, tried it on 3/16 CR, wiped the teeth right off. Took it back, they would either exchange the whole thing, or replace the blade. OK! Opened a package of 3, gave me one, 9.99 for 3,m "I'll buy the other 2 for 6.66." Nope. Gotta put the partial on Clearance for 6 bucks. I followed to clearance rack and bought them. Idiots. But I guess that is the rule.

Little bastard does a good job, for its size. Price is definitely right.

I have sent 2 monitors back under warranty, one CRT, one flat panel, both were replaced by refurbs, or I assume so, as the Made date was older than than the ones I sent in. Bought iPods for the grands, one dropped his on the drive, bought the extended warranty, gift card sent to go to the same store and get a new one, AND renew the warranty. One time, 35 bucks will get it replaced once. Pay 35 again to warrant the new one. Bought them both armour, that trip.

George

A few years back when Fry's was heavy into the DYI computer parts the quality control on some of the boards and components was very bad and some products never worked. It was sort of like they let the consumer do the produciton testing. Fry's would re-shrink wrap the returns and add a sticker to show it had been returned. My test at Fry's was not to buy any product where the ratio of boxes with return stickers to boxes without was greater than 5 to 10 percent. You would see shelf items where better then 75% had return stickers, not a good sign the item ever worked. They used to have sales on processor chips bundled with motherboards, discounted below the processor price alone. Folks would buy the bundle and trash the motherborads just to get a good deal on the processor. Doubt if anyone ever got the mother board to work, I even had a sales man tell me I would need a lot of luck to make it work.