There was a time when Craftsman’s return policy was legendary. You used to be able to walk into any Sears and get a brand-new tool on the spot. It didn’t matter if it was a factory defect or user error that broke the tool; you’d get a replacement, no questions asked. This all changed in the late 2010s after Stanley Black and Decker purchased the brand, upon which the wording on Craftsman’s tool warranty became significantly more restrictive.

There is still a lifetime warranty for certain hand tools and mechanics tools, though other products have more limited warranties, either in the types of damage covered or the length of coverage. Craftsman’s power tools, for example, only have warranties ranging from one to three years, depending on the tool. In any case, Craftsman products must be returned to an official retailer such as Lowe’s or Ace Hardware, and this is where some users have encountered friction. Some buyers stated that exchanges have been refused outright, while others have claimed that stores may not offer replacements for outdated models. 

While Craftsman’s warranty is comparable to most other brands on the market today, it’s no longer necessarily outstanding. Several other tool brands also offer lifetime warranties on hand tools, and some have coverage that’s better than what Craftsman currently provides. Those who are thinking of investing in a brand and want to feel secure in their purchases might first want to check what sort of coverage these other brands offer.

Tekton is a family-owned business based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that makes a wide range of hand tools. The brand has a reputation for quality and offers some pretty impressive coverage to complement it. In fact, some might argue that Tekton has the best and most customer-friendly warranty policy in the tool industry today. The company’s policy is simple: If a tool doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to, the company will replace it. There are no time limits, and it doesn’t matter how old a tool is or how long it’s been since it was purchased. You don’t need to worry about shipping costs, nor do you need to have a receipt. This is particularly nice for hand-me-down tools or those purchased second-hand.

The process is simple. All you need to do is take a picture of the broken tool and upload it to the Warranty page on the Tekton website along with the tool’s item number and a brief description of what’s wrong with it. You then provide your name, address, and contact information, and then Tekton will ship a new one to your home for free. You don’t even need to leave your house.

Reddit is full of first-hand accounts from buyers who have used Tekton’s warranty claim service and experienced no issues. Many have also claimed that replacement parts arrived within just a few days, with some even receiving replacements the day after they filed the report.

Harbor Freight has a reputation as a budget tool retailer. Much of the company’s business model is based on cutting out the middlemen, offering popular tools through its own store-owned brands at lower prices than the competition. The company also has a range of warranty policies for its different brands and tool types, some of which are pretty great.

The company’s best warranty is for its hand tools. If you have a broken Harbor Freight hand tool, you can walk into any Harbor Freight, and they will swap it out for a new one on the spot if you’re the original owner, replacing older models with comparable new ones if a product has been discontinued. This applies to all hand tools in the Pittsburgh, Quinn, Doyle, and Icon lines. 

Many Reddit users have even claimed that they didn’t need a receipt to claim a warranty, and that they were able to walk into the store with a broken tool and walk out with a new one, no questions asked. That said, others have suggested making an account, as it will allow Harbor Freight to track your purchase history and pull up proof of purchase if necessary. The company’s Hercules brand also boasts an impressive 5-year limited warranty for its power tools, significantly better than the 3-year warranty offered by Craftsman.

Sonic Tools is best known for its automotive and aviation products as well as its Sonic Foam System storage solutions. The professional-grade manufacturer is popular among mechanics and industrial technicians alike, and it promises a lifetime warranty.

Like Tekton, Sonic Tools has an online warranty claim process. Start by going to the Warranty page on the Sonic Tools USA website and filling in your personal information, shipping information, the reason that you’re claiming the warranty, and the tool’s part number. You then attach photos of the tool and a close-up of the printed part number on the tool and submit the form. Sonic claims that it will process the warranty within 24 hours and immediately ship out a replacement tool. This doesn’t require a receipt or any other form of proof of purchase. This warranty covers most Sonic Tools products, with only a few caveats regarding consumable items, products not marketed under the Sonic Tools brand, and items that have been subjected to clear misuse or modification.

While not all users are satisfied with Sonic Tools’ build quality and pricing, the sentiment regarding the company’s warranty is extremely positive. Redditors have reported receiving replacement tools very quickly, sometimes within a week of submitting through the portal, and it’s hard to find anyone who claims to have had a bad experience with the warranty process.

Kobalt, Lowe’s in-house brand, has an exceptionally large catalog of hand and power tools. These tools are often on the budget side of the spectrum, but are well known for offering decent quality and performance. Like Craftsman, not every product that Kobalt makes is covered by the same warranty. It offers 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, and lifetime guarantees, with power tools typically getting the 5-year guarantee and hand tools generally getting lifetime coverage. On top of this, Lowe’s offers a satisfaction guarantee that allows you to return or replace nearly any product you aren’t happy with within 90 days.

To make an exchange, you just need to take the tool to any Lowe’s. Most warranties only cover material and workmanship defects and require valid proof of purchase. That said, Lowe’s lets users create an account to track their purchase history, which can be used instead of a physical receipt. Additionally, products covered by Lowe’s lifetime guarantee can be exchanged, no questions asked.

On paper, you should be able to get any warrantied tool replaced at your local Lowe’s, but owners’ experiences have varied. Some buyers have stated that the process is smooth and easy, but others have claimed to have had difficulties getting Lowe’s to honor the warranty in-store and were told to contact Kobalt for a replacement instead.

Another automotive tool brand with a top-quality warranty worth considering is SK Professional Tools. The company has been a staple for decades and specializes in high-end, industrial-quality hand tools, and it offers a limited lifetime warranty on all of its products. This warranty covers damage acquired with normal use as well as any manufacturing defects, but doesn’t cover damage caused by misuse or modification.

To file a claim, you’ll need to go to the Warranty Claim section on the SK Professional Tools website. This gives you the option to request a return for store credit, exchange the broken tool for a comparable product, or receive a ratchet or breaker bar repair kit to fix your existing tool. You’ll then enter the product information, a description of the reason for the claim, a photo of the product, and your personal and shipping information. Once this is completed, the company’s customer service team will contact you and provide you with return instructions. 

This isn’t quite as hassle-free as some of the others, but it’s still a relatively simple return process with great coverage. Owners’ real-world experiences back it up, too, with customer reports on Reddit outlining positive experiences with SK’s return process. Some of them also claimed that they were able to resolve warranty claims simply by calling the company’s customer service line.

Craftsman was among the first tool brands to offer a lifetime warranty on its hand tools. That said, the company’s warranty, while still competitive, isn’t as legendary as it once was. There are now several other brands that offer lifetime warranties on their hand tools and many that offer longer coverage periods on their power tools.

To choose brands that offer coverage as good or better than Craftsman, we started by looking at the top tool brands and examining their warranty periods. Narrowing it down to options that offered lifetime warranties on hand tools and exceptional warranties on power tools (when applicable), we dug deeper into the return process to find the ones with the simplest warranty processes. We also screened out brands with excessive loopholes that allow them to avoid replacing a tool under reasonable circumstances. 

Once we selected our brands, we turned to owner reports and experiences, primarily on Reddit, to see how well the return systems work in practice. That way, a potential tool buyer will have as detailed a picture of a brand’s warranty coverage as possible before they spend their hard-earned money.