I was talking with some neighbors that work for Milwaukee Electric Tools the other day. From what they told me, once a tool leaves the factory is shipped, if it returns to the factory, it cannot be sold as new. On occation a shipment will go to the wrong address and will come back. Everything gets slapped with a "factory refurbished" label, even if it has never been opened.
They also have a big problem with people going to Home Depot, buying tools, using them for a weekend and then returning them. Those tools do go back to the factory and get torn down, rebuilt and sold as refurbished.
I have a refurbished welder and a propane heater and have had no problems.
The nice thing is I now have a connection for factory refurbished Milwaukee tools at cost./forums/images/icons/smile.gif The only downside is that it may eat into the mustang budget.