A while back I posted about the Mastercraft Life-time Warranty because I was able to replace a measuring tape with no questions asked. That post has received a number of comments from people who have had problems exercising the Mastercraft warranty.

I decided to contact Canadian Tire, the retailer who sells the Mastercraft  tools brand in Canada, to ask them about their warranty policy. The response I got back from one of their Corporate Customer Relations people was:

Limited lifetime warranty is issued on certain types of Mastercraft tools and can only be exercised with a proof of purchase and/or the visible marking of the Mastercraft name. Without either one of these criteria, the store is unable to honour the replacement of a tool.  The warranty excludes any damage resulting from apparent negligent handling, misuse or lack of maintenance or care.

Based on this policy, we would be able to exchange the tools that meet the above criteria. In the event there is no replacement tool available, the store would then issue a refund.  The stores reserve the right to refuse to credit or exchange the article should a receipt not be available or a defect cannot be found with the product.

From the response above, it would appear that if your tool has an obvious Mastercraft marking, Canadian Tire should replace it with the same tool, as long as it is available, no questions asked. Of course, don’t abuse your tools or they won’t honour the warranty.

Unfortunately, it also sounds like each Canadian Tire store can refuse to honour the warranty if you don’t have a receipt. If you are lucky enough to live in an area where there are multiple stores, you should try a different store if the first one rejects your warranty exchange. If you do get refused, you should contact Canadian Tire and request their help in exchanging the defective Mastercraft tool.

Good Luck!

I really like life-time warranties. Canadian Tire’s Mastercraft brand carries a life-time warranty on almost all of their hand tools. It’s one of the reasons I will actually spend the couple extra bucks on a Mastercraft branded tool instead of one of the no name ones.

I recently had to return my Mastercraft 25′ measuring tape as it had sprung out (or whatever it’s called when the tape will no longer retract). Interestingly enough, this is the second one I’ve had to get replaced for the same reason. I’m not entirely sure why I’m “lucky” like this. I barely use the measuring tape. I had to get the first one replaced within a week of buying it. The second time was just last week.

So, instead of having to go buy another $14.99 measuring tape, I just walk in and show them my broken one. They get me a replacement one and I walk out with a new measuring tape. Fantastic. The best part is you don’t need your receipt to do this either, well, as long as they can identify the tool is really a Mastercraft tool.

Of course, for anything with a long term warranty it’s always a good idea to keep those receipts.