We all know how important it is to buy quality tools, but even quality tools can and will break. It seems no tool brand is immune to this.
In my opinion, a warranty is a great indicator that a company is willing to stand behind their products...
...but what happens when you actually need to use that warranty?
In your experience, what tool brand actually stands behind their warranty?
-- Tekton. I've had great experiences with Tekton. One night, I sent a warranty claim at 10pm just as I was going to bed. Tekton has an easy to access warranty form. At ~5am the next morning, I awoke to tracking numbers for a new, replacement torque wrench. I emailed Friday night, and received it Monday at lunch.
-- Harbor Freight. I've also had great experiences with HF. I walked in the store with a broken ratchet, and walked out with a replacement minutes later. Didn't need to show a receipt or anything.
Who doesn't?
-- OTC. This one is still in process, so they may still end up making it right. I have an extendable pry bar that stopped extending. There is absolutely no information on their website that mentions their tool warranty process. I emailed OTC customer service and they forwarded my email to their internal tech support. It's taken 5 days for them to ask me for my phone number to start the "warranty claim consideration" process. Very slow turnaround so far. Good thing I don't rely on these tools to make a living.
-- ABN. I broke a pry bar and emailed them directly to see about warranty replacement. They were very responsive in the beginning. After providing an order number, they told me to contact Amazon since they're the ones that "fulfilled" the order. It seems it doesn't matter who made the tool, just whoever shipped it.
In my opinion, a warranty is a great indicator that a company is willing to stand behind their products...
...but what happens when you actually need to use that warranty?
In your experience, what tool brand actually stands behind their warranty?
-- Tekton. I've had great experiences with Tekton. One night, I sent a warranty claim at 10pm just as I was going to bed. Tekton has an easy to access warranty form. At ~5am the next morning, I awoke to tracking numbers for a new, replacement torque wrench. I emailed Friday night, and received it Monday at lunch.
-- Harbor Freight. I've also had great experiences with HF. I walked in the store with a broken ratchet, and walked out with a replacement minutes later. Didn't need to show a receipt or anything.
Who doesn't?
-- OTC. This one is still in process, so they may still end up making it right. I have an extendable pry bar that stopped extending. There is absolutely no information on their website that mentions their tool warranty process. I emailed OTC customer service and they forwarded my email to their internal tech support. It's taken 5 days for them to ask me for my phone number to start the "warranty claim consideration" process. Very slow turnaround so far. Good thing I don't rely on these tools to make a living.
-- ABN. I broke a pry bar and emailed them directly to see about warranty replacement. They were very responsive in the beginning. After providing an order number, they told me to contact Amazon since they're the ones that "fulfilled" the order. It seems it doesn't matter who made the tool, just whoever shipped it.