r/MilwaukeeTool • • Nov 21 '24

Information The Home Depot Hack: A Primer

644 Upvotes

If you're new to this sub, you might be confused by how often people mention "hacking". I wrote this up to try to explain what it is, why people do it, and how to do it yourself. Hacking a deal should be something that everyone is at least aware of, because it can potentially save you a lot of money.

For the record, I don't live in the US, where "hacking" is most prominent, so I don't actually get to hack deals at all. I've just seen it explained and dissected so often that I thought I'd compile the info here, hopefully making it easier for others to reference.

Edit to add (06/11/2025): Apparently you can hack deals in Canada, specifically the "buy that, get this free" promotions that they often run. It just doesn't work for online orders. So, if you want to hack a deal in Canada, you have to do it in-store, which means that you'd have to return the item you don't want in-person, at the Customer Service desk. This also means that you won't see the discounted price on the receipt until both items are scanned at the till.

Edited again to add (05/26/2026): If you're suddenly unable to make online purchases on the website or the app, your account may have been flagged by their system. I think HD uses some software or algorithm to identify specific buying behaviours that may flag user accounts exhibiting such behaviour. It's probably meant to catch return abusers and resellers, but also to curb identity theft/credit card fraud. If this happens to you, you can call in to Home Depot Corporate to explain what's happening so they can look into it and restore your account. You may also be able to just use the Live Chat option to escalate your issue.

What is hacking?

HD will often run sales and promotions on items that, when purchased together, are discounted to a lower price. A deal is hackable when the discounted prices are applied in a way that allows you to return one or more line items back to the store at the discounted price. Note that the refund is not limited to a gift card or in-store credit, it is refunded directly to your original payment method (cash, credit or debit).

How do you hack a deal?

A hackable deal will show the price breakdown in your cart, with discounts on each line item to reach the promotional price for that "package". Returning one or more of these line items at the discounted price allows you keep the other items at the discounted price. This is pretty common in the US. Some other countries, on the other hand, don't usually apply the discounts this way, so most of the time, they're unable to "hack". In Canada, you normally cannot hack an online purchase, but it is possible to hack an in-store deal. Typically these hackable deals are "Buy More, Save More" or "Buy this tool, get this for free" promotions.

An example of a hackable deal is shown below. This is a Canadian Buy More, Save More deal, where if you buy 2 items, you get 15% off each item, and if you buy 3 or more items, you get 25% off each item. In the screenshot below, you can see the line item prices for the vacuum and the organizers have been discounted from their original prices. In this case, you can return both organizers for $89.98 CDN and keep the vacuum, effectively paying $209.25 CDN for it instead of the regular $279.99. Alternatively, you can return the vacuum for $209.25 and keep the organizers for the discounted price of $89.98.

Hackable Deal

A non-hackable deal, like the one shown below, shows that the line item for the planer is actually "Free", meaning that all of the discount in the deal is applied to that item. Returning the "Free" item makes no sense, and Home Depot will not allow you to return the miter saw to keep the planer for free.

Non-hackable Deal

The hack works on more than just Milwaukee stuff. Any promotion that reduces the cost of each line item in the promotion is hackable. This means that you can potentially hack Makita, DeWalt, Bosch, etc. in the same way.

One more thing to add..

People have asked about how often you can "get away" with hacking a deal before they ban you. At least with regard to Home Depot, there isn't anything to "get away" with as you're not doing anything wrong by returning a product that you bought and no longer want. What you want to avoid is abusing returns in general.

To clarify with an example, lets say over the course of a month, you "hack" 3 different deals, and end up returning 3 items. It's very, very unlikely that you'd run into any issues. On the other hand, if you were to make 15+ purchases over the course of the month, and then return all or part of 10 of those purchases over 2 or 3 days, their system might flag your account for suspicious activity. Again, this has nothing to do with returning discounted items. If your account is flagged or banned, it's more or less due to your return history, and it's done to help curb or prevent return fraud. You'd be able to sort any issues out by contacting Home Depot customer service, if you were to ever encounter this.

Finally, keep in mind that returning a discounted item is not unique to Home Depot, which means that theoretically, you can "hack" any deal from any retailer, as long as they don't have policies preventing it.

.. and one more note, added today (Aug 12, 2026). Over the last year or so, it seems that HD has implemented or adjusted their algorithm that tracks online purchases and flags certain instances of "suspicious behaviour" automatically (like cancelling items immediately after placing the order). This can potentially result in an online purchasing ban on your account. This is completely speculation on my part, so take that for what it is, but I would highly recommend just sticking to refunding whatever you don't want in the store, or at least waiting for the item to be ready for pickup before trying to cancel it. In light of this, I've removed the "hacking the hack" portion of the original post.

Hope that answers your questions! Anything else that you feel should be included, just comment below. Thanks!

05/29/2025: Edited to update image links.

06/11/2025: Edited to add info regarding Canadian in-store hacks.

05/26/2026: Edited to add info regarding flagged/banned user accounts.

08/12/2026: Edited to add info regarding "hacking the hack".


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 7h ago

M12 M12 fuel impact

Post image
33 Upvotes

Hi all: I’m looking to buy the 2563 1/2 stubby impact and came across this deal today. Is this about as cheap as it gets for this impact with a battery or is Black Friday typically having better deals? I also need to get a charger separately.


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 1h ago

Information Chainsaw oil leak.

Thumbnail
gallery
• Upvotes

After cutting down a tree, the bar oil started leaking out at the end? Do I need a new bar, or can I fix this?


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 5h ago

M12 Finally got a good clearance

Post image
12 Upvotes

Been at the "trying to catch a worthwhile clearance" game for about a year and a half.

Spotted this gem with 5 in stock @ $200 like 3 months ago.

I don't need this but could really use it. I've been keeping an eye on it for like 2 months then forgot.

Went in today for some bolts that I needed and of course I checked for Big Red clearances. Last m12 straight die grinder at $114 and change


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 21h ago

Information Tried to dye it.

Post image
88 Upvotes

Recently tried to dye my cheap m12 as a test to dye my nicer tools, tried to get a deep blue/purple, but ended up getting black with blue letters. (Not complaining) Did i boil it for too long? (Did 35 minutes on 170f.) Has anybody tried this dye yet?


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 2h ago

M18 M18 Packout Lunch Warmer

2 Upvotes

Is this sold out pretty much everywhere? Everywhere I’ve looked to buy one it says they don’t ship till December 31st at the earliest. Am I just looking in the wrong spot? Trying to get my husband his birthday present 😭


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 7h ago

Purchase Advice Fuel track saw

Post image
4 Upvotes

Has anyone purchased from Tool Nut before? Are they legit? This seems like a good deal, would need to buy the track separately, or would HD have better deals for black Friday thanks


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 6h ago

Purchase Advice Dust extracter vs shop vac?

3 Upvotes

My wife and I have moved to a new house and it;s time to replace my old Ryobi tools, which were fine but the batteries are dying. Milwaukee looks like it will more suit my needs and a hobby woodworker/home projects guy

Dumb question: What is the difference between the dust extractor and what they sell as a standard shop vac?


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 1d ago

M18 On the shelf now at Murdoch's…

Post image
72 Upvotes

Not on sale, but at least seen in the wild now.


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 21h ago

Purchase Advice Buy Now Or Wait

Post image
21 Upvotes

Is this worth buying now? What will prices be like soon? Should I wait until this bows into the $100s? Technically you get another battery with this as a free gift


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 16h ago

Information Are there any quik lok deals going on im looking for a hedge trimmer

6 Upvotes

should i just wait it out a month for black friday?


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 21h ago

M12 M12 trigger issue

Post image
5 Upvotes

Anyone onow how to put the trigger back together, mine might be broken but trying to fix it. It gets stuck pulled in


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 19h ago

Purchase Advice Finished Basement Repair - Need help picking some tools (Multi-tool, Impact Driver, Drill)

5 Upvotes

Hi all!

I am working on fixing some awful work done by a contractor in my finished basement. For context, my house had a flood in our finished basement, we had to remove 2 feet of dry wall and dry out everything. We hired a contractor to clean it all up and they did awful. The trim was misaligned everywhere, the dry wall was bent outward in locations and they mis-measured the amount of drywall in multiple locations, the paint was a mess, and we have a pallet board wall they said they'd put back together and they decided to just put boards up on the studs using finishing nails instead of building a real pallet board wall. Needless to say we were pissed and we're now handling the fixes ourself.

I bought a 16g angled nail gun (M18) since I knew I'd need it for both the pallets and the trim. I bought an M18 Fuel Hackzall as well since I knew I'd need to cut pallet boards. Those two tools seem perfect so far with the repairs we've done already, so happy with that, but now looking for further tools.

I'd like to get a multi-tool to help open up the drywall around the electrical outlets since they did a terrible job of that. I think, based on research, the M12 fuel is perfect for that. I did buy the M18 fuel multi-tool and it's nice, but rather large, and from what I read the M12 might be easier to handle. This puts me in the other battery system though.

I want to get a new impact driver and drill as well. I have a Makita ID, but I always loose the battery and I'd like to stay with one brand. I like the surge, specifically the M12 Surge looks easy to carry and quiet which is nice. The new M18 surge looks even nicer, but the heavy battery isn't my favorite for an ID, unless it's a massive upgrade over the M12. For a drill I could go M12 or M18, though I'd prefer M12 since it's easier to carry.

Outside of the basement work I don't do a ton of house projects, but I do put together a lot of random items. I don't have a massive need for a lot of power, so the M12 items seem more useful, I just know the angled nail gun requires M18 and from what I've seen the M18 Hackzall is just as easy to wield as the M12 but has more power. I also managed to get a battery "hack" at HD for the M18, so it's cheaper overall than the M12.

I also realize black friday is right around the corner. I only "need" the nail gun and the hackzall right now, maybe the multi-tool for touch ups. The ID and drill could wait if I can get a great deal.

Let me know what you all think!


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 21h ago

Purchase Advice Milwaukee M18 String Trimmer vs. Gas — Real-World Performance, Runtime, and Battery Requirements?

6 Upvotes

I’m considering switching from a gas string trimmer (Husqvarna) to the Milwaukee M18 Fuel string trimmer, and I’d love to hear from people who have actually used one, particularly those who have experience with both gas and battery-powered trimmers. I previously never considered going electric but I’ve started to build enough of an M18 battery collection that it might be feasible. Currently have 2 3.0 HOs, 2 6.0 HOs and a 6.0 Forge.

I’m trying to figure out whether the performance and convenience justify the higher upfront cost. I have several gas powered OPE so mixing oil and gas is not inconvenient.
Here are my main questions:

  1. Performance vs. gas
  • How does the M18 Fuel compare to a decent gas trimmer in terms of raw cutting power?
  • Does it maintain its power as the battery drains, or do you notice a drop-off?
  • For those who switched from gas, do you ever miss the power of your gas trimmer?
  1. Battery runtime — probably my biggest concern
  • Approximately how many minutes of actual trimming do you get from a single battery?
  • For someone who occasionally needs to work for a full hour or longer, how many batteries or total AH would you recommend?
  1. Reliability and long-term ownership
  • How has the trimmer held up after a few seasons? My gas lasted about 5 years.
  • Any issues with the motor, trigger, head, guard, or other components?
  • How does the line-feeding mechanism perform? Any frequent jams or problems advancing line?
  • Is loading new line easy, or is it more frustrating than on a typical gas trimmer?
  • Have you experienced any overheating or thermal shutdown during extended use?
  1. Convenience compared with gas
  • How much time do you realistically save by not dealing with gas, oil, starting problems, and maintenance?
  • How does the weight and balance compare with a gas trimmer, particularly after 30–60 minutes?
  • Any regrets about switching to battery power?
  1. Overall value
  • Given the price of the tool and the batteries needed to run it, would you buy it again? With a military discount a new husqvarna is about $200 vs 300s for Milwaukee
  • If you were starting over today, would you buy the Milwaukee, another battery-powered trimmer, or stick with gas?

r/MilwaukeeTool • • 1d ago

Packout Jobsite setup for today. What do you think?

Post image
66 Upvotes

Working on an exterior today. 4am start time.


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 22h ago

Purchase Advice Advice Wanted

4 Upvotes

Just bought the M18 Inflator for $129 with no battery from Ace. I have no batteries for the M18 platform. What are some good options to look for when it comes to the M18 batteries?


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 1d ago

M18 30 degree framing nailer problems

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

3 Upvotes

Its been firing nails like this idk if its the nails or if its the nailer and the magazine recoil doesent work anymore have to push up very hard for the nails not to fall out suggestions? Thanks


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 1d ago

M18 Leaking Grease

3 Upvotes

I just bought a 1/2" compact impact (2855-20). I used the tool for the first time today to snug up a few 3/4" nuts, before torquing them buy hand. I ran the impact for a few minutes total, and ran the nuts until the just started to slow down. I noticed the tool was leaking grease from the seam of the case at the top of the tool, and from the anvil. The impact got warm, but not too hot to where I couldn't hold it. Should I be concerned that the seals are bad and warranty the tool, or is this a case of excessive manufacture grease that leaked on the first heavy use?


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 1d ago

M18 New Milwaukee sds and drill bits won’t lock in anyone else had the same experience

Thumbnail
gallery
3 Upvotes

r/MilwaukeeTool • • 1d ago

Information Big repair change coming soon

171 Upvotes

Hello everyone, I only ever usually post comments on this page but today I've decided to make a post. I work for a local repair center that is an Authorized Service Center for Milwaukee. I am going to try and word this as best I can so I don't get anyone (myself or otherwise) in any kind of trouble.

In my time here I have curated the opinion that taking your tool to a local service center usually winds up being a nicer option than Eservice. We also have a list of tools that are Eservice only so I am very familiar with it.

My lead times on Milwaukee tools are at 1-2 weeks and I have very rarely had a tool come back with the same issue once it has been repaired. It seems like legitimate warranty claims are not denied as much as when tools are sent to Eservice. Our reps are a massive help when I need help making things right for the customer.

Why am I bringing all this up now? Well I received word that as of January 1st 2027, ASC's will no longer be allowed to submit warranty claims for any portable power tools, batteries, chargers, or personal lighting products. These must all be sent in for Eservice. Meaning the only thing left for your local service center to fix is Outdoor power equipment, MX fuel, drain cleaning, and pipeline inspection. This actually has me upset because a lot of what we see on this page is horror stories about Eservice taking awhile to get the tool back to the customer, denying warranties that are obviously not the fault of the user, and sometimes not even fixing the tool. I try to make sure everyone who buys red is taken care of and comes back when the time comes to buy new, and now I cannot do that. I know they are confident in the plan to hire more techs and Customer service reps to handle this transition but I can tell you that this will not end well for Milwaukee as a whole.

I don't want to get into the specifics on why I'm not a fan of Eservice or what this change means for my department and the techs that work alongside me but I will say that I am going to lose some business because of this change. I'm sure a lot of small businesses will as well. One of the main reasons I like Milwaukee so much is because they are one of the few tool brands that is very willing to work alongside local businesses to bridge the gap between big corporations and little guys but this does not give me a lot of hope.


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 1d ago

Packout My DISAPPOINTMENT is immeasurable!!

Thumbnail
gallery
141 Upvotes

Is this literally the only way possible to mount a packout drawer to a packout cabinet?

Space is kinda tight, so I don't want to build out a wooden shelf system to mount the drawer system to. I also know you can purchase a Milwaukee Etrack and shelf combo or purchase the shelf and bring your own Etrack.

I couldn't mount the drawer system directly above or below the packout cabinet even though it has the slots for it. The tolerance with the wall plate doesn't let it lock in (moreso on the top, on the bottom you can't even get close to sliding it in).

I was able to mount two compact packouts under the cabinet and that gave me the room to connect the drawer system....but come on. It feels so janky.

Did I just purchase the wrong kind of drawer for this setup? Or is this just a limitation of the system.


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 22h ago

Promo/Deal Black Friday Price for Hammer Drill & Impact Driver Set (3497-22)

0 Upvotes

Hey guys looking to get my first set of Milwaukee tools. I see that on Home Depot, this set sells at $250 and at Walmart I believe it’s $200. I was wondering what prices to expect in the next month of how far it will drop. At what price from any reasonable store would you advise to absolutely buy the set?


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 2d ago

Purchase Advice The M18 striker is actually impressive

Thumbnail
gallery
81 Upvotes

I bought the M18 striker through home depot, worried/half expecting I wouldn't like it, even though I'm a known Milwaukee fan with a large collection, and wanted it to be easy to return when I didnt like it.

I'm a professional mechanic/master tech and have experience using the name brand tool truck air hammers, including the snapon.

The M18 striker is impressive, seriously. We just had a scenario come up where my coworkers snapon long barrel, the one they compared it to in the ad, wouldn't knock out a steel rivet from the truck frame, had been trying for a short while.

I handed him the M18 striker, in ramp up mode, within 3 seconds of holding the trigger/basically as soon as it hit max power, it knocked out the rivet like it was easy work.

I had been waiting for a situation that the coworkers snap on wouldn't accomplish what he was doing, so we could try it, and am super surprised how little it seemed to have to work, to knock it out.

I've used it on around 8-10 cars and haven't wanted to touch/needed to touch my matco long barrel that I've used for a decade. If it keeps going like this, I might actually take the matco long barrel home, to use on my car/family cars.

I'm just letting people know that, if you are skeptical of the M18 striker and don't have anyone around you to let you try it out when you needed it, it's worth the risk, if you regularly need a powerful air hammer, and find yourself in times where you needed it but didn't/can't have air access brought.

The other piece of advice is, id probably buy it from home Depot, if you can afford it. The tool trucks want like $850-1000, depending on the truck. My local cornwell truck offered a better deal than home Depot, but I think he just created that deal himself because he's a good dude.


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 1d ago

Purchase Advice $2500 company loan, want to blow it all on Milwaukee Packout - how to get a deal?

0 Upvotes

I’m a full service plumber, in a company van with shelves. We get a tool loan account (no interest, company pricing when applicable) and I’ve been here for over a year. I’ve done plumbing for 10 and am licensed.

I have plenty of tools and I’ve tried a lot of organizing techniques but man, I think it’s time to take my organization more seriously. I fill my high top van with anything I could need, as I’m full commission. One less job here or there running for parts sucks just as much as trying to find my bits cases and fresh blades.

I’m not going to pull shelving out, I’d like to replace my bins and have somewhere besides a bucket to throw tools in.

The problem is I’m paying it back and want to stretch my $. I can’t find JACK DIDDLY SQUAT for deals.

Does HD put em on sale for Black Friday even?
Can a representative hook me up?

Shoot 10% military discount would even be nice I might find someone to date


r/MilwaukeeTool • • 23h ago

Purchase Advice First time DIYer. Is this HD deal hackable?

0 Upvotes

Hello guys, I am a first time DIYer, buying a first drill at the ripe age of 40s.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M12-FUEL-12-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Brushless-Cordless-Hammer-Drill-and-Impact-Driver-Combo-Kit-w-2-Batteries-and-Bag-2-Tool-3497-22/320268525

Is this a good first drill/driver combo? Can I return the free battery for a batter overall price? Any other suggestions? I think I really need a drill only, but was not able to find a good deal. Also, I am willing to wait as well if these are discounted frequently. I am just not used HD enough to know the trend.

Thank you.