Tool warranty

    I bought an 18” Kobalt breaker bar at a flea market for $2.... yesterday I was making sure my rear lug nuts were tight.....on the second nut the end of the bar snapped off.


    I remembered they were guaranteed for life....I searched for that info....these tools are exclusive to Loews. So I grabbed the bar and took a ride. I went to the return counter and showed them the problem. They said it’s a NO HASSLE exchange warranty. Go find one and bring it up here. I did they said ok bye.


    The Kobalt tools are made in Korea.... not a big fan of foreign stuff....the bar new runs $22....


    That said Sears has the same warranty except for one big difference....they started buying all Chinese stuff. I stopped buying sears tools. So maybe that’s why sears is on the rocks...stupid management decisions to save a nickel...and kill their reputation in one move.



    There is no way for me to know if the previous owner abused this bar in the past. Or if it’s just a faulty bar.

    Home Depot's brand, Husky, has a life time warranty on it's tools, made in China as well, IIRC.

    • Lifetime Warranty with no questions, no receipt required.

    I've got a lot of craftsman tools, most of it older that was made here. Also, Lowes is carrying some craftsman tools now and you can replace your old stuff under warranty there, but I haven't tested this.


    As a consumer, we are running out of options for good American made tools. Snap-on has manufacturing here in the US, but also has other facilities elsewhere, so I assume if you buy their tools here, it will be made here, but that also could be a bad assumption. They are also not really priced for consumers.


    Any other options I'm not aware of?

    I'd you want good deals on snap on and Mac Tools just ride by local auto shop on the last Friday of the month.


    At the end of the month they will give out excellent deals(50% off and sometimes even more for scratch and dent stuff)

    Is not that I am mean, I just don't sugarcoat what I say.

    Most retail tools are guaranteed but your looking at this totally wrong. I use tools everyday for work being a millwright. I will admit I have a few off shore one offs for quick non intrusive work but to look at what you did and break that bar let's go one step further. The bar is warranted for replacement but what would you do if you were to hit your elbow when it broke and ended up breaking it. Off work for weeks, possibly medical bills etc etc. Save a few dollars to buy shit tools and possibly put yourself in harms way. I literally have thousands in snap-on and a Canadian brand called Grey and yes I have broken a few items but I can honestly say it was because I was using them for shit they weren't made to do. Just my $.02 worth

    Quote from gooseman

    Most retail tools are guaranteed but your looking at this totally wrong. I use tools everyday for work being a millwright. I will admit I have a few off shore one offs for quick non intrusive work but to look at what you did and break that bar let's go one step further. The bar is warranted for replacement but what would you do if you were to hit your elbow when it broke and ended up breaking it. Off work for weeks, possibly medical bills etc etc. Save a few dollars to buy shit tools and possibly put yourself in harms way. I literally have thousands in snap-on and a Canadian brand called Grey and yes I have broken a few items but I can honestly say it was because I was using them for shit they weren't made to do. Just my $.02 worth

    I pulled wrenches for the last 20 years before I retired. It would surprise you what people do with tools and hurt themselves, good tools and cheap tools.

    Actually FunCycle I wouldn't be to surprised. Been around for a few yrs and worked in the local union for many yrs traveling to different work sites seeing all walks of life in many trades. Some days you would see things that were just unbelievable that the person was still alive lol . Not saying I have never done stupid things but as I have aged I believe I have gotten wiser and think about how this can hurt me before I do.

    Quote from gooseman

    Most retail tools are guaranteed but your looking at this totally wrong. I use tools everyday for work being a millwright. I will admit I have a few off shore one offs for quick non intrusive work but to look at what you did and break that bar let's go one step further. The bar is warranted for replacement but what would you do if you were to hit your elbow when it broke and ended up breaking it. Off work for weeks, possibly medical bills etc etc. Save a few dollars to buy shit tools and possibly put yourself in harms way. I literally have thousands in snap-on and a Canadian brand called Grey and yes I have broken a few items but I can honestly say it was because I was using them for shit they weren't made to do. Just my $.02 worth

    As I said...it was a flea market deal mixed in with mis mash of other sockets and stuff. So I have no way to know if it was abused before I bought it......right now I keep it behind my seat with a socket that fits the lug nuts...don’t forget my lug nuts are only tightened to 75 lbs.......maybe I don’t know my own strength. I’m a brute.... or it could have been a factory defect or kobalt tools suck....


    Does anyone know if there are quality comparison charts for different brand tools...


    That said before sears went Chinese how did their tools compare to Snap on or Mac? All American made. I know Chinese tolerances for stuff isn’t what USA stuff is.


    I’m a big fan of made in USA stuff. As to the quality of the kobalt tools I have no idea if they are considered good, better, best. I try to buy quality tools whenever possible.


    I used to have a car dealer license, car salesman license and a car safety inspection license. The majority of the shop tools were snap on.


    Sears used to be a quality tool maker....and I bought lots of them for that reason....not anymore. I had a brand new sears torque wrench which literally broke the first time I used it....unfortunately I had it for several years before that first use....sears would not do anything about it because they said torque wrenches are only guaranteed for one year... how much abuse does a torque wrench get over any other type of wrench? I would think a breaker bar would get way more abuse than a torque wrench.


    If I was a mechanic or such I believe in quality tools.



    When I bought my house I was going to buy all Milwaukee power tools for remodeling until they pulled a shit stunt on me. I had a few before that which I still have....but won’t even look at anything Milwaukee to buy now.

    Quote from gooseman

    Most retail tools are guaranteed but your looking at this totally wrong. I use tools everyday for work being a millwright. I will admit I have a few off shore one offs for quick non intrusive work but to look at what you did and break that bar let's go one step further. The bar is warranted for replacement but what would you do if you were to hit your elbow when it broke and ended up breaking it. Off work for weeks, possibly medical bills etc etc. Save a few dollars to buy shit tools and possibly put yourself in harms way. I literally have thousands in snap-on and a Canadian brand called Grey and yes I have broken a few items but I can honestly say it was because I was using them for shit they weren't made to do. Just my $.02 worth


    Gooseman, I'll agree with you, up to a point. If it's a tool that is something I'm going to use once or twice a year, or less, I'm not going to buy something high priced. A lot of the time, I'll try to borrow/rent it, but sometimes that's not feasible, and I'll hit up harbor freight or ebay for something cheap.


    All of my ratchet/socket sets are older craftsman before they moved to China. If I need another socket set or something, I'll research to see what I can find. It may be a used set of Snapon, but we'll see. I agree with Bigdog about something like the breaker bar, it's not something I would use that often, so I can't justify buying a $50 one (no clue what a quality one will cost, just throwing out a number), and will grab a $10 cheap one.


    In searching for a good set of t-handle torx recently, since our SS have so many of that, and I only have sockets and smaller ones in a allen style wrench, I found these : Eklind 68688 8 Piece 6" Series Power-T T-Handle Hex Key Set with Pouch Torx Sizes: T8 - T40 that state they are made in the US, but their warranty (per their website) is not a no questions warranty, and they only sell these types of tools. I'm going to order these eklind though, give them a try.


    To each their own...

    A replacement warranty or not makes a difference too...


    I bought a cheap Advance auto parts O2 sensor socket (was a rush job) and bent it like it was made of plastic.... as stuck as those can be a quality socket is worth it...

    so what you are saying is you would try to save $40 on a breaker bar that literally is used with extreme torque to "break things loose" and risk a knuckle buster or possibly bashing an elbow. Shitty screw drivers are the same. Don't fit the head properly and will twist and strip the head. I will stay with my quality tools and pay what they are worth and stay away from the box store brands

    Quote from gooseman

    so what you are saying is you would try to save $40 on a breaker bar that literally is used with extreme torque to "break things loose" and risk a knuckle buster or possibly bashing an elbow. Shitty screw drivers are the same. Don't fit the head properly and will twist and strip the head. I will stay with my quality tools and pay what they are worth and stay away from the box store brands

    I have to admit that I have had very few squabbles with the various tools I have purchased at Harbor Freight, and there have been no issues to date in getting one replaced if it malfunctions..............


    So, what is the definition of a "quality" tool, or "shitty" tool? I have had a Snap-On Phillips screwdriver for years that too date I have yet to find a screw that it fits properly. I also have a MAC 1/4 inch ratchet that stripped out within it's first month of use. Unfortunately I do not see either dealer any more so they have just languished in my tool box.


    Bill

    personally I think it all depends on your usage. For a tool you pull out once a month or less you dont need the durability you would need if you were using it professionally every single day. I also think that going top quality is more important with power tools than it is with hand tools. A craftsman drill that might last for years in a home tool box might not last a week in the hands of a trades person being used all day day after day.

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    There are millions of people perfectly happy with crappy tools....doesn’t mean they know how to use them or know how really crappy they are..people with no skills think a screw driver is a screw driver and paying $15 for one that I can get for 99 cents is stupid....


    So it comes down to your skill level....skilled craft persons will gladly pay for quality. Knowing it’s true value comes in reliability...not cost.

    Bigdog good find, glad it worked out for you but part of me disagrees with your screwdriver post. A screwdriver is just a screwdriver. Some people use the wrong size or use it in a way it's not supposed to be used. Like a prybar for instants. I agree with gooseman with his post, if a tool breaks, you may be out of work for a while, and that cost could be a lot. I'm just a hack when it come to mechanics and have a bunch of cheap stuff. I do have some quality tools that I use when needed. It really comes down to what it's used for. Bought an air saw at Harbor freight for$20, used it a few times, works great. A quality air saw would cost at least $100, $150 plus. I can't justify the cost for the use. Just my .02

    Quote from Shatneyman

    Bigdog good find, glad it worked out for you but part of me disagrees with your screwdriver post. A screwdriver is just a screwdriver. Some people use the wrong size or use it in a way it's not supposed to be used. Like a prybar for instants. I agree with gooseman with his post, if a tool breaks, you may be out of work for a while, and that cost could be a lot. I'm just a hack when it come to mechanics and have a bunch of cheap stuff. I do have some quality tools that I use when needed. It really comes down to what it's used for. Bought an air saw at Harbor freight for$20, used it a few times, works great. A quality air saw would cost at least $100, $150 plus. I can't justify the cost for the use. Just my .02

    Air saw....is that like an air guitar....it’s there but it’s not....