How To Buy Reconditioned Power Tools

Buying good woodworking power tools can get really expensive especially when you are just starting out and have a tight budget. If you are money strapped because you can't afford the best new brands on the market I have the solution for you...reconditioned power tools.

What's A Reconditioned Power Tool?

Reconditioned power tools or factory reconditioned tools are those that have been sold at retail, used by a customer and then returned to the manufacturer. Then the tool goes through a process of reconditioning, cleaning and repairing, and then put back on the market for resale. In most cases a certified technician will make sure the tool is working properly before returning it to market. Once these reach the market again they can be purchased for a fraction of what the new tool would of cost.

It is not unusual for manufacturers to offer a one year warranty on these used tools and some come with a thirty day money back guarantee. You end up getting a great tool with a good warranty for way less than you would have paid originally.

The disadvantage to purchasing reconditioned power tools is that not all of the items in a power tool line will be available and sometimes you will buy a lemon but if they offer a good warranty then this should be no problem.

I am finding that most manufacturers offer reconditioned items for just about every tool they make. Some companies you may want to look at are:

Milwaukee
Makita
Bosch
Ryobi
Bostitch
Dremel

Want to know if the tool is any good before you purchase it? Here is my research method:

1. Head on over to Amazon.com and select the "Tools and Home Improvement" category.

2. In the search box type "reconditioned power tools" and click "Go". You can also type in a specific tool like "reconditioned circular saw" and get specific results.

3. Next, on the right side of the page you will see another box labeled "Sort by". In the drop down menu select "Bestselling".

4. Under each product you should see some gold stars. If they are there that means someone has written a review for that product. Click on those gold stars and read the reviews. This will give you a good idea of what other people think who have already purchased the product.

I use this method often when I want to purchase a product. It is also best to read 8 to 10 reviews of that particular product. The more reviews the better.

Reconditioned power tools will save you a bunch of money and by using the research method I described you can save time on shopping.