Bit Ruined In A Shipwreck? It's Guaranteed For Life!
A customer's boat sank. His Bad Dog Multi-Purpose Drill Bits went down with it.
That's usually the end of the story. Saltwater gets into a drill bit set and most people write it off. They toss the case, buy new ones, and move on. But this is exactly the situation our drill bit lifetime guarantee was built for. He sent the set in. We fixed it. It's back on a job site right now.
Here's what actually happened to those bits when they hit our bench in Bristol, Rhode Island, and what happens to yours when you send them in.
Why Most Tool Warranties Aren't Worth the Paper
You've read the fine print before. Proof of purchase required. Original packaging. Normal wear excluded. Register within 30 days. By the time you've dug up a two-year-old receipt, you've spent more time than the tool is worth. Which is precisely the point.
Ours works differently, and it's simpler than you'd expect: if your Bad Dog bits are dull, damaged, or broken, send them back and we'll repair or replace them. No receipt. No registration. No proof you bought them new. You cover return shipping. That's it.
We've been making drill bits since 1988 and we've put over six million of them into the world. We can afford to stand behind them because we made them, right here, and we know what's in them.
What We Did to a Set That Spent Time on the Bottom
The bits came in corroded. Here's the sequence, start to finish:
- First sandblast. The whole set went into our tumbling sandblaster for about 30 minutes. That's the workhorse step. It strips corrosion off the flutes and shanks without taking a wire wheel to each bit by hand.
- The case. We soaked it in oil and wiped it down, trying to save it. It was too far gone. More on that below.
- Second sandblast. After the first pass, a few bits still weren't clean. Back in they went for another round. We don't send out "close enough."
- Tip replacement. With the corrosion gone we could finally see what we were working with, and the tips on a couple of bits were damaged past saving. Those got replaced completely.
- Sharpening. Every bit we saved got sharpened. Not just cleaned up, sharpened. back to cutting.
Set went out ready to work.
The Part About the Case Is the Part That Matters
We couldn't save his case. It had been underwater and no amount of oil was bringing it back.
So here's what we did, and we want to be straight about it: we didn't send him a brand new case. We sent him a better one than the one he shipped us. That's the honest version of the policy. The guarantee covers the tools because the bits are what you paid for and the bits are what we make right. On a case that's been to the bottom of the water, you'll get an upgrade over what you sent, not a factory-fresh replacement.
We'd rather tell you that up front than have you open the box confused.
Quick Reference — Bad Dog Lifetime Guarantee
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Covered | Dull bits · damaged bits · broken bits (send the remaining piece) · Biter and Versa Clamp bodies |
| Not covered | Abuse or alteration — modified shanks, spindles, or arbor holes · Biter cutting heads and blades (wear parts, sold separately) |
| You pay | Return shipping only — a couple of dollars per bit. Current rates are on the guarantee page. |
| Turnaround | Repaired and back out the door within three business days of receipt |
Ship to: UPS/FedEx — 24 Broadcommon Rd, Bristol, RI 02809 · USPS — PO Box 851, Bristol, RI 02809
How to Send Your Drill Bits In
- Pack them up in a padded envelope or a sturdy box. Include your name, address, email, and the return shipping fee.
- Figure your shipping fee from the table on the lifetime guarantee page — it goes by tool type and quantity.
- Print a label and ship UPS, FedEx, or USPS.
- We receive them. If you forgot the shipping fee, we'll call or email — we won't just sit on your tools.
- We inspect, repair or replace, and ship them back within three business days.
Questions before you ship? Call 800-252-1330 or email topdog@baddogtools.com. There's a person on the other end.
What This Means for What Your Bits Actually Cost
A cheap bit is a consumable. You buy it, you dull it, you throw it away, you buy another. Run that math over a few years and the "cheap" bit starts looking expensive.
A Bad Dog bit that gets sharpened, retipped, and sent back to work isn't a purchase you repeat. That's the whole idea behind our multi-purpose drill bits and it's why we're still family-owned three generations in.
If you want to get more life out of the set before you ever send it in, our drill bit tips and tricks guide covers the basics.
Your Bits Aren't Done. Send Them Home.
Dull, chipped, or dragged out of a lake, we'll bring them back.
Guaranteed for life. No receipt required.
Questions? 800-252-1330 · topdog@baddogtools.com
Less Bark, More Bite.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Bad Dog drill bits really have a lifetime guarantee?
Yes. If your bits are dull, damaged, or broken, send them in and we'll repair or replace them. There's no time limit and no proof of purchase required. You only cover return shipping. Typically a couple of dollars per bit.
Can drill bits be sharpened instead of replaced?
Ours can, and we do it in-house as part of the guarantee. Bits that come in dull get sharpened and sent back. When a tip is damaged beyond sharpening, we replace the tip entirely rather than scrapping the bit.
What if my drill bits are rusted or corroded?
Send them anyway. The set in this story sat in water after a boat sank, and it came back to service after sandblasting, tip replacement, and sharpening. Corrosion is a cleaning problem, not a death sentence.
Do I get a new case if mine is damaged?
Not a brand new one. If your case can't be salvaged, we'll send you one in better condition than what you shipped us. The guarantee is built around the tools themselves.
How long does the drill bit repair take?
We inspect, repair or replace, and ship your tools back within three business days of receiving them. Transit time each way depends on the carrier you choose.
What isn't covered by the lifetime guarantee?
Abuse or alteration like modified shanks, spindles, or arbor hole configurations. Biter cutting heads and blades are wear parts and are sold separately. Everything else on a Bad Dog bit is fair game.
Bad Dog Tools has been making drill bits in Bristol, Rhode Island since 1988. Over six million of them, across three generations of family ownership. Made in USA. Guaranteed for life.
Written by Joseph Strong on 19th Aug 2026 I’m JJ Strong, a mechanical engineer and third-generation tool designer at Bad Dog Tools, our American-made, family-run company built on durability and innovation. I grew up hauling booths and talking tools at trade shows before I could even drive. Now I design and build and improve our next generation of lifetime-guaranteed tools - our custom induction brazing system to our precision sharpening technology. On weekends, you’ll find me restoring my ’86 Land Rover Defender or ’54 Jaguar XK120 and seeing just how much I can build (or break) with Bad Dog Tools.