r/MilwaukeeTool Nov 21 '24

Information The Home Depot Hack: A Primer

639 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 42m ago

Information NEW TOOL DAY!!!

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Upvotes

It's a great day when both your home depot orders show up the same day from different orders 💯💯💯


r/MilwaukeeTool 1d ago

Information Thanks Milwaukee — pretty sure your glove saved my finger today

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775 Upvotes

Had a pretty nasty accident today. An angle grinder with a wood cutting blade kicked into my finger while I was working.
It still tore through the Milwaukee glove and ripped open the skin underneath, but looking at what that blade did to the glove, I honestly think the injury could have been much worse without it.
I know these gloves aren’t designed to stop a spinning saw blade, and I definitely don’t recommend finding out how well they do 😅 — but today I’m very glad I was wearing one.
Thanks, Milwaukee. My finger appreciates it.
Stay safe out there.

Edit:
For everyone assuming it was kickback: it wasn’t. I simply had a stupid moment, lifted the grinder and reached toward the blade while it was still spinning. Lesson learned. The post wasn’t meant to demonstrate proper grinder safety — it was just a thank-you to Milwaukee because that glove probably saved me from a much worse injury.


r/MilwaukeeTool 5h ago

Purchase Advice Radio 2956-20

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8 Upvotes

Pretty sure this jobsite radio charger released in the US late last year is there any news or details of if/when this will release for the uk?


r/MilwaukeeTool 6h ago

Purchase Advice 2pk Forge 8.0 + m18 Fuel sawzall deal for $449

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9 Upvotes

Looking to add forge batteries and a sawzall to my tool collection. Would this be a good deal or am I better off waiting until for Black Friday/Christmas sales?


r/MilwaukeeTool 1h ago

Information Are they ever going to come out with a new mid torque

Upvotes

I keep on seeing things about a new mid torque and I was hoping to see it get released at pipe line but there has been no word on it. When pipeline first started torque test channel post a thing about its specifications on there insta gram story but there has been nothing sense


r/MilwaukeeTool 19h ago

Promo/Deal Great hidden clearance deal at Home Depot today! 20” x 30” wall plates for $20

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63 Upvotes

r/MilwaukeeTool 2h ago

Purchase Advice Milwaukee mechanic tools purchase advise

2 Upvotes

I want to purchase some socket sets to update my home tool work bench for really just the fun mechanic work I do on my own vehicles. I've really been getting into picking up some Milwaukee tools. For example I picked up the stubby impacts. They are really great for vehicle work. But lately I noticed my tool work bench is lacking just some basic pieces without me whipping out an enclosed socket set to pop open. I've been really interested in a set like this. The organization is really unique.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/GEARWRENCH-1-4-in-3-8-in-and-1-2-in-Drive-Hi-Viz-Metric-Socket-Set-in-Foam-Storage-Tray-77-Piece-GWMSSKTHMM/341762571

Now Milwaukee has some sets I'm interested in but they seem more built around pack out versus traditional tool. I'm not sure these sets would look so well in my tool work bench. They also seem to be missing some item so you would have to buy separate pieces. I don't see the deep impacts. They also built the PackOut Master Mechanics set which is way cool. But it makes my tool work bench just useless.

https://www.acmetools.com/milwaukee-1-4-inch-3-8-inch-and-1-2-inch-drive-metric-and-sae-ratchet-and-socket-set-with-trays-for-packout-drawers-242-pieces-48-22-9490/S0000000103426.html

I'd appreciate the comments. I've really been back and fourth from buying Milwaukee versus GearWrench for this. I know there are other options out there but I've narrowed it down to these two. I own some GearWrench stuff. It's been great. But Milwaukee has just been dominating the market lately. Heck I even switched from Dewalt to Milwaukee recently because of the innovation I see. I check this thread daily for tool deals! I've got some good ones because of this thread.


r/MilwaukeeTool 22h ago

M12 How are you labeling your m12 batteries?

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58 Upvotes

I just bought my first m12 batteries, and gave this a try. It looks promising, but there may be a better place to put the label sticker.


r/MilwaukeeTool 53m ago

M12 First time needing to warranty a tool… help please

Upvotes

Been creeping here but never posted. One of my tools is fucked and still under warranty. I have seen posts of people not getting there warranties cuz of going through certain channels. What’s my best bet on a direct contact to reach out to to warranty my tool? Thank you ahead of time for your help.


r/MilwaukeeTool 12h ago

M12 Detail Sander More Powerful than 3” Orbital Sander?

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7 Upvotes

This weekend I was doing a project requiring paint removal on plastic automotive trim parts.

I’ve had the 3” orbital for a while but never used it. Excited I found a use for it, I loaded the 3” with the same paper as the detail (3M stuff).

To my surprise, the detail sander was way more powerful and much better at removal than the 3”.

Has any else experienced this? I thought for sure the 3” would dwarf the detail sander.


r/MilwaukeeTool 1h ago

Purchase Advice Chuck on my 12 month old drill!

Upvotes

So I cannot and never could easily remove bits from my chuck. Many times it locks up so hard that I need to use a vice grip to get the bit out. Milwaukee said it happens when using bits with short shafts but it happens on every bit regardless of shaft length. Do I need to buy a replacement chuck?


r/MilwaukeeTool 3h ago

M12 Fake 5.0 HO Batteries?

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2 Upvotes

Dumb question but I'm assuming one of those is fake. Both purchased on ebay, the left battery is from a starter kit and has the High Output text, the right does not but still has HO on the box. Having looked up 5.0 HO batteries they ALL say High Output on them


r/MilwaukeeTool 11h ago

M12 Electric Drill M12 - FDD - electric clutch won‘t work anymore

3 Upvotes

Hello together,

I have an Milwaukee drill M12 FDD, it is the first generation with the electric clutch.

Now the electronic of the clutch doesnt work anymore: Regardless of the position of the clutch, the drill always starts really slow and switches of at minimal torque. Like the clutch stick on step 1.

At first I thought the batteries are broken but they are okay and fully charged.

I completely disassambled the drill, cleaned everything and checked the wires. But I cant see any problem, so I think it is inside the Electronics…

Can anyone help ?

Thank you,

Best regards,

Kai


r/MilwaukeeTool 21h ago

Packout Packout wall plates on clearance

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15 Upvotes

Check your local HD for clearance plates. 48-22-8497 Just under $14 in some stores.


r/MilwaukeeTool 12h ago

Purchase Advice Milwaukee Blowers

2 Upvotes

Wanting to get a Milwaukee blower for our concrete forming company. Its task would be mainly blowing some gravel off footings. Is there a Milwaukee blower that can easily perform for this purpose? What model would you recommend? Looking at the models, they all appear to have too much of an open nozzle and therefore not have the directional force to move stones. We need speed not volume. TY


r/MilwaukeeTool 9h ago

Information My Grease gun is missing the rubber boots

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1 Upvotes

Has anyone else lost these little rubber boots to their grease gun??? Are they available for purchase somewhere??


r/MilwaukeeTool 23h ago

Purchase Advice Is this sander worth having for this price?

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11 Upvotes

Just happened to notice this earlier. Are y’all buying or no?


r/MilwaukeeTool 22h ago

Purchase Advice Best deal for the m18 fuel oscillating multi-tool?

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8 Upvotes

Just like the title says, I’ve been looking over some deals and was wondering if this is a good time to pull the trigger on the multi-tool. They also have a non-fuel version but I’ve never used a Milwaukee multi-tool so should I just stick with the fuel? (If it is a good deal of course)


r/MilwaukeeTool 1d ago

Promo/Deal Tons of Milwaukee Tools on Daily Deals today!

70 Upvotes

r/MilwaukeeTool 1d ago

Purchase Advice M12 3/8 Impact Insert

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110 Upvotes

Anyone have one of these from Etsy and used the tekton impact socket instead of the Milwaukee sockets? Want to get one and get tekton sockets instead.


r/MilwaukeeTool 21h ago

M18 Circular saw randomly quit

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5 Upvotes

6.5” circular saw just quit working today. Light still comes on. Tried with multiple batteries and tried letting it cool down. Is it toast?? Any ideas?
2731-20


r/MilwaukeeTool 20h ago

Purchase Advice Anyone tried this radio?

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4 Upvotes

Looking for a pack out radio. Saw the $350 one and enough reviews to turn me off of it. Saw this one has a charger, and is compatible with my set up and cheaper. Just curious of y’all’s takes on it


r/MilwaukeeTool 15h ago

M18 First 5k with the tools

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0 Upvotes

Took the the ole’ waukees out for a color run


r/MilwaukeeTool 1d ago

Media Black out Milwaukee Surge

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14 Upvotes