r/MilwaukeeTool • u/shakenbaked238 • 7h ago
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/YIZZURR • Nov 21 '24
Information The Home Depot Hack: A Primer
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.

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.
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 • u/Far_Organization2045 • 5h ago
Information Crazy deal?!
Anyone know anything about this? Restock chance or is it an accident?
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/BeanswithBeef • 7h ago
Promo/Deal Fastback Combo Packs
Not sure if anybody else has mentioned, but check out your local Home Depot every now and then. Found this pack of 2 for about $20 which is what 1 of them cost alone if I’m correct.
The app has this same set for about $43 so I don’t know what’s going on, but checkout will ring you out at about 20 bucks.
Just something to keep an eye out for y’all!
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/cluelessk3 • 3h ago
M12 Not a new issue but ran into this today when I went to use it for the first time.
Bought the M12 impact and hammer drill on sale last week and went to use the drill for the first time today.
Hammer drill that came with the kit had the selector collar from the regular drill driver. Still worked but only while hammering through all the clutch settings.
Thought I was losing my mind until I compared it to my co-workers.
Correct label and part number.
Anyway Home Depot exchanged it without too much hassle. They seemed stumped as well.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/dvnnyxo • 8h ago
M12 M12 Fuel Drills
For those of you wondering, it arrived as advertised.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Am_Realest • 4h ago
M18 How we feel about this one, boys?
2k ft lbs of torque with forge battery. 10 tires per 8.0 forge battery. Will this make the bigger 1 inch obsolete?
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Professional-Oil-571 • 12h ago
Purchase Advice Worth a pickup?
Hard to pass at this price so grabbed one. Curious if anyone has actually used and what thoughts were on it.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Dazzling_Cap_5249 • 8h ago
Purchase Advice Good deal or pass?
Is this deal worth jumping on or are there better deals often? Ive been tracking these for a while at $599 tool only. That 8.0 forge with charger are no cheap bonus plus those safety glasses.
Internet # 318241585
Model # 2734-21-48-73-2010
UPC Code # 888234584486
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/According_Report1376 • 6h ago
M12 M12 1/2 stubby issues
I have the 3/8s with the hog ring, and have had issues (right out the box) with sockets not fitting tight. Figured I’d try the detent pin for the 1/2” and my god, what a pain in the ass it is. Main 2 issues: when impacting a very tight/stuck bolt, I literally have to pry the socket off the base with a screwdriver or pliers. 2nd and most annoying, I have to use a pick or something to actually release the detent just to change the socket. Anybody else run into these issues? FYI, using Milwaukee impact sockets…
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Itchy_Photo_1696 • 5m ago
Purchase Advice how would i hack this. new here
would appreciate some help thank you.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Artsydork • 9h ago
M12 M12 6.0ah battery with the Jobsite Fan
Hey all,
Recently I've been seeing 6 amp hour M12 batteries for less than the 5 amp hour batteries on eBay. I've heard the conversations regarding how "well and beloved" these batteries truly are. Okay. Seriously, I've heard nothing but bad talk about them here on Reddit. I've also heard that it depends on the tool whether or not they're worth anything or not.
So my question is this, do they work well in the M12 job site fan? What's their runtime on settings one, two, and three? Recently I was helping with a fair booth, where I needed the fan for about 12 to 14 hours per day. I currently have three 5.0ah HO batteries, two 4.0ah XC batteries, one or two 3.0ah and two of the 1.5ah smaller batteries.
The price I've been seeing on Ebay for lots of 2 6.0ah batteries is about $70-80. Their rating number is over 1k, so I'm guessing they're not scamming. If anyone's used these batteries in their fan, can you please let me know if they're worth that, or should I wait for more 5.0ah HO batteries to go on sale again? Thanks for your help, and have a good rest of your week!
Peace,
A dork behind the keyboard
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/The_annoyed_asexual • 11h ago
M12 M12 bandfile ever go on sale?
Looking to grab the m12 bandfile but never see it go on sale. Anyone know if it get daily deal on HD? Or maybe black friday?
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Omnipotent_Amoeba • 15h ago
Purchase Advice M12 Fuel Surge or M12 Fuel Impact Kit Deal
Hey all,
Some context... I'm not a professional but I'd like to get more DYI around my house. I currently need to replace trim, some sheet rock, and a pallet board decorative wall in my basement. I bought an M18 angled finish nail gun along with an M18 hackzall. I also grabbed an M12 circular saw and an M12 multi tool. I hacked the circular saw and the hackzall with HD using the tips from this forum, thanks everyone!
I need a little more advice though. I have a Makita impact driver, but at this point I'd rather stay in the Milwaukee system seeing as all my other tools are there. I don't have a drill.
I saw this deal and it looked really good after a hack, but I'm wondering if for my purposes I should wait for the fuel surge to go on sale? I rarely do large lag screws, but if I do I could create a pilot hole so I figured the more precision and reduced noise of the surge would make sense.
Also Black Friday is around the corner, but I figured this kit at the hacked price will likely not be much lower.
Any thoughts? Thanks
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Able_Motor_2276 • 17h ago
Purchase Advice M12 FUEL standard ratchet vs long reach
Hi all
I was going to buy the M12 FIR38G2 rachet but seen that the new M12 FIR38L2G2 long reach rachet is now out so im unsure on which would be better.
Will mainly used for suspension work, servicing and occasionally some DIY engine work.
Any advice on which one i should go for as budget only allows me to buy one.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Capable_Gas3653 • 1d ago
Purchase Advice What impact sockets do you recommend?
I just bought the M12 FUEL 3/8” Stubby, and I was wondering what impact sockets do you recommend (not necessarily only Milwaukee). I hear things about Tekton, Quinn, Icon, Gearwrench, etc. I want to be able to have all sizes, but I don’t need luxury. What are quality ones that you recommend?
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/RudeNTattood • 1d ago
M12 My First Milwaukee Tools
Been wanting to get a few small things for the house toolbox. I have been patiently waiting for Black Friday, but I don't think it will get much better.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/oaasfari • 1d ago
Purchase Advice Anyone ever tried these? Does the battery last a decent bit of time?
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Prior-Ad-7329 • 1d ago
Information Anyone else struggle using these with IPhone 16 pro max?
I bought these and they’re great. Sound quality is good, ear protection is great when in the right mode. The only issue I have is getting the mic to pick up. I got it working for a little bit earlier today when I disconnected them and reconnected them. They worked for one phone call, then the next phone call the mic stopped picking up again. Not sure if it’s an Apple software issue or what. I had the same issue with some JBL earbuds a while back so I quit using them. Then ended up getting these for the ear protection and realized that it had the same mic issue.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/Flimsy-Book-1452 • 1d ago
M12 M12 Surge slop/mushy selector
I’m wondering whether or not the mushy direction selector detent is common in this impact or did i get a bad QC unit? When i go to hit forward on selector it has no positive click or detent but hitting it in reverse it’s a little better. The slop i can live with but not being able to feel the positive detent and having to push in further just to get it in forward direction doesn’t feel right.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/hooknasty • 1d ago
Packout Pack out cases help
What’s the pack out case that hold the M18 2967-20 1/2” High Torque Impact Wrench with the XC5.0 battery?
And
Which one for the M12 1/2” stubby with the 5.0 battery?
Thanks!
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/lancelotworks • 1d ago
Promo/Deal Seeing lots of tools sales but has anyone seen some nice Packout/bag sales?
Please
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/KopperKale • 2d ago
M12 I guess I’m a M12 fan
This has been what I have gathered within a calendar year. I’m a huge fan of the M12 line. I know the hyper tough extended reach is out of place but my next purchase maybe? Any other tools on this line that are recommended? Sorry for the inverted picture.
r/MilwaukeeTool • u/LordButtworth • 1d ago
Information It didn't work yesterday
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My sawzall wasn't working yesterday. I plugged it in today and it works. I just noticed the sparking though. Does this mean the brushes are wearing out or is this normal?