10 Hand Tool Brands With Better Warranties Than Black & Decker

When you're using a hand tool, there's always a chance that something bad will happen and cause it to break. While the first instinct might be to fix it yourself or buy a replacement, it never hurts to look at a company's warranty policy. Many give you the chance to come in and get a replacement, but the details vary.

If you have a Black & Deck hand tool, the policy is specific about what is allowed. All Black & Decker hand tools have a 2-year limited warranty, so long as the item was not broken due to normal wear, abuse, accidental damage, or defects caused by unauthorized service centers. It's better than nothing, but there are far better hand tool warranties out there by other companies.

We've gone through to find 10 different hand tool brands that offer a better warranty than Black & Deck. We don't know if the products themselves are better or less likely to break, but these brands provide more insurance for a customer and a chance to get a tool repaired if the worst should happen. Several of these brands have lifetime warranties.

A company that has a robust warranty is Snap-On, known for bringing a wide variety of high-end, professional tools to a large market, thanks to the 11 different brands it owns. When it comes to hand tools, Snap-on provides customers with a lifetime warranty, with no set end date. This includes any Blue-Point products, a Snap-On brand. This warranty covers almost all hand tools but not torque wrenches. Snap-On's warranty covers hand tools, even if a customer did not receive a warranty at the time of a sale.

A customer can only follow through and use this warranty by reaching out to a Snap-on franchisee about repairs or to another representative of the company. If, under examination, it's proven that the tool was not mistreated but failed due to defects in the workmanship or materials, the warranty will remain in effect. Otherwise, if someone misused a hand tool in an improper way, the warranty will become void.

Beyond mistreating the hand tool, the Snap-on warranty does not apply if the tool has a separate warranty.

Facom, a French manufacturer that has a breadth of professional hand tools and equipment for sale, offers a diverse set of warranties. The length of the guarantee comes down to the type of product you choose, from a lifetime replacement or lifetime repair guarantee to a minimum of 2 years. When it comes to hand tools, Facom places these under the lifetime replacement or lifetime repair, depending on the tool.

The lifetime placement guarantee allows you to replace a hand tool if it becomes defective due to faulty materials or workmanship. If instead a hand tool falls under the lifetime repair guarantee, the team will repair it. Both are free of charge.

Facom might not honor a warranty if the tool was used improperly. Natural wear and tear, along with some parts of specific hand tools, are not covered by the warranty either.

Manufacturer Channellock, known for its hand tools and especially its pliers, has a big "lifetime warranty" stamp on its website. This warranty means that if there's an issue with a product, a customer can take any hand tool made by the company (pliers, wrench, snips, driver, pry bar, or level) and have it replaced, either at a local retailer or via shipping from the company's primary manufacturing center in Pennsylvania. Local retailers include The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Do It Best.

However, there are some caveats with this warranty. On Channellock's warranty page, there's a large section dedicated to reasons why the team may reject a warranty claim. Every hand tool submitted is reviewed, and it could be rejected due to the product suffering from standard wear and tear, signs of alteration or tampering, lack of maintenance, contact with hot wires, and general misuse. If none of these issues are present, the company will replace the tool.

SK Professional Tools, a tool manufacturer from the United States, has been in business since the early 1900s in Chicago and provides a limited lifetime warranty for its hand tool products. The limited lifetime warranty means that SK Professional Tools protects the tool for the expected lifetime of the product. This will vary based on the type of hand tool and the materials used to create it.

To replace a tool under warranty, you have to first fill out a form and submit it for review. The company notes that it only provides this service for those in North America, but it's still one of the best hand tool brands with a solid warranty.

Before approving a warranty request, an SK Professional Tools representative will look for any signs of hammering on a tool not designed for that, if the ends are bent or show that they've been struck, and if they've been near excessive heat, to name a few cases. If a tool has signs of not having been used as intended, the item will not be replaced.

Klein Tools, a United States-based hand tools and safety gear specialist founded in Chicago, offers a limited warranty for its hand tools, along with a robust list of other warranties for many of its products. When it comes to hand tools, the company provides coverage for the expected lifespan of the tool. This includes other products offered by Klein Tools, such as tool storage, rods, flashlights, and more, but not the brands owned by Klein Tools.

The lifetime warranty doesn't cover specialty hand tools, which includes all products that are insulated, tools made for mining and heavy industry, and all two-handed bolt cutters, torque tools, and shears, among others.

A tool's warranty is also void if the Klein Tools representative reviewing the hand tool notices any signs of abuse, alterations, lack of maintenance, or if the tool is going through normal wear and tear. When submitting a hand tool to Klein Tools, customers must have a Warranty Return Authorization number, which they can get after the purchase or from Klein Tools directly.

Minnesota-based hand tools manufacturer Malco Tools was founded in the 1950s and continues to offer a wide range of tools and HVAC attachments to this day. When it comes to its warranty, the company's policy provides limited lifetime protection for all products. If a customer brings an item they purchased to a Malco representative and they can prove that the item had a defect or poor workmanship, everything will be repaired or replaced free of charge.

Malco Tools will also not replace or repair a hand tool under this warranty if it can prove that a customer misused it, if it was not properly installed based on the written instructions, or if it was broken by normal wear and tear based on long-term use. Otherwise, if you submit a warranty claim for a Malco Tools hand tool that was not up to the company's quality standards, you will receive a full refund or a new tool.

Irwin Tools, a company known for its professional hand tools and power tool accessories for woodworking, carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work, has a limited lifetime warranty for its products. The policy casts a wide net, which can work to the benefit of a customer, especially when it comes to hand tools. It all comes down to whether a hand tool has any issues with materials or workmanship. Any product that falls under these categories is replaced or repaired based on the damage.

However, it's quite possible the company might deny a warranty for your hand tool. A representative at Irwin Tools will be looking for any signs of misuse, improper maintenance, or whether the tool is going through natural wear and tear. So long as you don't improperly use an Irwin Tool, there's a good chance you'll get a free repair or a replacement tool.

Another company that has a lifetime warranty is Milwaukee Tools, known for its wide range of hand tools, power tools, safety equipment, and much more. When it comes to hand tools, Milwaukee offers a limited lifetime warranty and a lifetime guarantee. The lifetime guarantee means that you can get a replacement tool if yours fails before the end of its expected lifetime.

It's an encouraging sentiment for any customer, but it comes with much of the same scrutiny as the other tool companies for honoring these lifetime warranties. For both policies, a Milwaukee representative will need to receive and examine the tool to ensure there was no misuse. Additionally, they're going to be looking for any alteration and whether natural wear and tear might have caused the issue. If so, this will void the warranty, but Milwaukee's lifetime guarantee could still be beneficial if there was no misuse or abuse of the product. The company recommends that customers keep the receipts to prove the age of the tool.

DeWalt, a company known for its extensive power tools, batteries, and hand tools for use in the construction, woodworking, and metalworking industries, offers warranties for many of its tools. The hand tools warranty is more straightforward than its power tools, which come with a 3-year warranty, 1-year service contract, and 90-day return policy. Meanwhile, all DeWalt hand tools receive a limited lifetime warranty, for which the company will replace a product if it is proven that it was manufactured improperly or made with poor materials and stopped working before it reached its lifetime.

DeWalt does note that this warranty is void if the product was misused, abused, or altered in any way, or if there was an attempt to repair it before bringing it in. Additionally, a customer needs to prove that they bought the item from an authorized DeWalt store or an authorized DeWalt seller. Any DeWalt hand tool purchased from an unverified third party does not fall under this warranty, and the company won't give that tool the same limited lifetime warranty.

Craftsman, originally owned by Sears and now by Stanley Black & Decker, does have a superior warranty policy compared to its parent company. The company has different warranties based on the product, with two available for hand tools. For hammers, finishing tools, hex keys, knives, multi-tools, nut drivers, pliers, screwdrivers, wrenches, and ratchets, there's a full lifetime warranty. Should the product, for whatever reason, fail to continue in use, Craftsman will replace it. A tool is excluded from this policy if incidental or consequential damages caused the problem.

Other hand tools (torpedo and standard digital levels, staplers, miter boxes, and squares) have a limited lifetime warranty. Should these products fail to perform within their given lifetime due to material defects or workmanship, Craftsman will replace them.

Most hand tools made by Craftsman are covered by a generous full lifetime warranty. The policy does not reference natural wear and tear, but you are expected to submit a photograph of the tools if you submit the claim online. No receipt is required.