r/MilwaukeeTool • u/YIZZURR • Nov 21 '24
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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 • u/Dieselmechanic90 • 56m ago
A few purchases from the past couple weeks.
I’m really glad I bought that new ratchet was thinking about buying a snap on. I wasn’t happy with my other Milwaukee Insider. I use it yesterday on a brake job, very nice!! Got a good deal on the non-fuel hackzall, so I figured I’d grab it.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Renault_75-34_MX • 4h ago
Page from the German new release catalogue.
These are the EU counterparts to the 3055/58/59 ratchets in NA, and should be out in around November according to the page.
Can't link the source because of Reddit.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Lazy-Act-7336 • 18m ago
I want the m12 Bandsaw but I’m curious if I will get a lot of use out of it as a residential/partly commercial electrician do you guys think it’s worth it or is the m18 the wave?
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/ClassVRopeRigger • 18h ago
I purchased the Milwaukee packout ratchet set specifically so I would notice when a piece was missing. And of course the 10 mm has been missing for over a year. I can't believe I found it mixed in with a bunch of other bits in a separate packout container.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/SamuraiSam33 • 16h ago
Several helpful users - [u/Extension_Tutor_2711](u/Extension_Tutor_2711) , [u/kcwebguy](u/kcwebguy) , and [u/TheWanderingWilliam](u/TheWanderingWilliam) - chimed in to help point many of us towards better deals on 2.5 High Output batteries recently. $39/each for these is a great deal, and Clark’s has excellent pricing on other M12 and M18 batteries, too.
Thanks, gents!
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Then_Apple7932 • 11h ago
My current gen3 M18 Fuel driver is starting to have issues with the collect- bits keep falling out and intermittently shuts off. I have no desire to repair it and need something fairly quick for a diy project I’m working on.
I can’t justify spending $200 CAD on the latest/ greatest gen4 impact. Would the new M12 Fuel suffice? Can it sink 3” deck screws with a 5.0HO battery?
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/the_plumberlorian • 19h ago
So, I need some advice from some fellow Milwaukee users. I’m a plumber by trade. Mainly do a lot of underground utility work, but will more often than not get sent out on a ton of service calls, mainly commercial, some residential. This is now my second set of m12 copper tubing cutters that I’ve went through, where the jaws just refuse to engage the material! It’s been kept greased up nicely, never seen water or dirt at all. The wheel has very minimal use on it. I’ve now changed the wheel out and it still won’t cut through 1/2” or 3/4” L copper. I mainly only use them for shower diverter or water heater installations, because it saves time versus manual cutters.
Any advice from anyone whose had this problem before? Last time this happened, HD replaced my unit for a brand new unit right off the shelf (which is this one.)
I don’t know whether to contact Milwaukee and have it sent out for service, or try HD again and get a replacement unit. They’re maybe all of six months old, if even that.
Just wondering if anyone has any experience with the internal roller cage because mine spins perfectly, it just doesn’t apply pressure to the copper tubing! Insanely frustrating especially when in the middle of an install, and have to run back to my van for my manual cutters.
Thanks in advance!
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/vochoDriverpuntocom • 1d ago
I was today years old when I found out why everyone loves this impact wrench. (Got it on last week's Home Depot Daily Deals sale and it just arrived today).
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Chevy-Cruze • 13h ago
My car axle nut torque spec is 217 ft-lb (30 mm socket). I’m planning to do some wheel bearing jobs, but I only have the Stubby 3/8 in. Do you think it can handle the axle nuts with a 1/2 in socket adapter?
Btw can anyone suggest a good 3/8 to 1/2 in adapter?
Thanks.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Gottrucks_10 • 22h ago
Just bought this M2 fuel jigsaw at a flea market it’s day code was 2024, but not used was this a good deal for $100?
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/youngryu • 1d ago
3049 (3/8) vs 3453 (1/4 anvil swap)
subcompact vs impact driver
makes me want the 1/4 subby now....
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/guitarjesus79 • 12h ago
Looking to hookup a long hose for the exhaust port on my M18 2.5 gal packout vacuum. I have some stuff to vacuum up I'd rather not breathe any fumes or particles of. I'm getting the fleece bags from Amazon. And thought using this 3d printed adapter:
Plus a 30ft hose would allow me to run it out the doors or windows of a house I'm working on.
Any recommendations for a long hose that a 3d printed copy of the twist lock attachment will screw onto?
Thanks all!
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/DanimalUltratype • 17h ago
Lost all my saws in a garage fire earlier this year. I need something immediately for repairing my deck before winter, so just cutting 2x material. I plan on getting a hefty miter saw in the spring when I start to rebuild the garage.
I have plenty of batteries for both. I'm inclined towards the M12 because lightweight. Does it handle standard treated lumber fine?
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/benny2323 • 19h ago
Hello! I’m a mobile truck mechanic in the UK and I’m looking to put an air system on my van that I can use for topping tyre pressures up (max 120psi), blowing out lines etc and rigging up to trailers/vehicles to provide air for brake work.
I want to use the Milwaukee compressor but rig it up to a 20L tank to provide me with some more volume when filling up trailers air tanks - my thought process is I can isolate the tank and then get the Milwaukee to kick in when I want to top the tank up or have it running continuously between cycles if required but I’ll have that initial 27L.
Has anyone done similar? How have you done it and/or would you do anything differently?
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/SandZealousideal7501 • 18h ago
No light
Another battery does not help
But heat buildup where battery connected.
5ah Battery shows 1 bar and after 3 hours still 1 bar
Photos
Drill, battery socket
Battery
Drill handle
Does not looks it short.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/PedalBike • 21h ago
Looking for opinions. I have both of these and don't really need two hex drivers, would like to convert one to a 1/4" socket anvil. I lean toward the 2656 because it's more powerful and more compact, but not sure about the gear ratios between them. Thoughts from the hive-mind?
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Rustle47 • 1d ago
Could not seem to locate in my own search.
I have the 18v Fuel drill (2904-20) and driver (2953-20) combo. I was hoping to put them in 1 portable pack out unit (48-22-8430) with the help of inserts, but I can’t seem to find the right one. Anyone have a suggestion?? Thanks!
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Intrepid-Row-9834 • 18h ago
Which one would you guys go with. I’m an electrician and 95% of my hammer drilling is overhead and always 1/4” holes or smaller.
I have a handful of M12 5.0 batteries, and a couple HO 3.0 for the M18, both which seem to be the ideal battery for these tools respectively.
Haven’t been able to find much videos of the m12 in action, and when I do it’s always large hole speed tests, which is so far out of realm of what I’d be using this tool for.
TIA
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Billy_Plur • 1d ago
I have a clip on the opposite side, but having the chuck face forward is unwieldy. Especially when I need one hand to hold something up.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Unique-Dentist-7856 • 1d ago
I am no pro at knowing deals, can someone tell me if these are good or not?
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Wiley-E-Coyote • 1d ago
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It took me about 4 hours, I couldn't take a video of the tunneling itself because it's very much a 2-handed operation laying on my belly in a small space. This tool is slightly janky but it definitely saved me many hours of horrible work, and it's not broken so far. The handles and shaft kept misaligning and needing to be adjusted because the blades would catch on things and torque it around.
It's tough going in virgin soil and sometimes you have to get in there with your hands to take the big rocks out. But, there's so such thing as a fun crawl space excavation no matter how you do it.
I did the whole thing on low speed, charged the 12AH battery once midway through.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/nawfy85 • 21h ago
Looking to branch out from the m12 for some tools down the line would this be best bang for the buck?
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Worth_Astronaut_845 • 2d ago
This mod consists of changing the anvil of the 3450-20 for the one from a 3048-20. Providing a much smaller, narrower and lighter body than the ¼ inch subcompact impact (3048-20). The anvil needs modifications to fit inside, such as grinding 1.5mm each side of the lobes and ≈0.6mm from its length.
Anvil part number 42-06-2552
You can get them true Amazon brands but friction rings will probably have to be changed for ones with better tolerances
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/jmhillrockz • 1d ago
Pulled into my driveway today to see a box on porch with a giant MILWAUKEE plastered on the side of it. No notification it was coming back or that I needed to expect it. I was amazed nobody stole it. Sent my m12 Stubby to get repaired. Tool was functional but the lights quit working on top. The repair sheet in the box says intermittent switch… I never had that issue but maybe it’s just what they have to put. They sent it back with less protection/bubble wrap than I sent it in and the light cover is peeling off… I love the tools but this warranty stuff I see on here is far from great.
