Find the fault.
Fix the tool.
A plain-spoken power tool repair reference: the symptom, the likely cause, how to confirm it, and whether the tool is worth fixing. Properly researched and honestly sourced — every entry lists where its information comes from.
Latest Fault Entries
- Milwaukee 2606-20
Drill appears completely dead with a fully charged battery — no lights, no response, as if the tool has failed entirely
The tool has been remotely locked via Milwaukee's One-Key app, not a hardware fault — a locked tool looks and behaves exactly like a dead one
Electronics & Firmware 2026-07-11 - Numatic HVR200
Henry vacuum suddenly cuts out mid-clean and won't switch back on, even though it was working normally moments before
The motor's thermal overload cutout has tripped because of restricted airflow — a safety feature, not a failed motor — and it won't reset until the blockage is cleared and the motor cools down
Motor & Drive 2026-07-11 - Einhell TE-CD 18 Li
Drill is completely unresponsive even though the battery's own charge-level LEDs show it's fully charged
The battery isn't fully seated in the tool, or the contact points on the battery and/or tool have picked up dirt or light corrosion — the battery's charge LEDs work independently of the tool-side contacts, so a battery can genuinely show 'full' while still failing to make a working connection with the tool
Batteries & Charging 2026-07-11 - Prusa MK3S
Print aborts partway through with a THERMAL RUNAWAY error, usually right as the part-cooling fan spins up, even though the hotend was heating perfectly moments before
The part-cooling fan is cooling the hotend heater block faster than it can compensate — usually because the silicone sock insulating the heater block is missing, worn out, or the printer's sock/no-sock setting doesn't match reality — which trips the firmware's thermal safety cutoff and looks exactly like a failed thermistor or heater cartridge
Electronics & Firmware 2026-07-11 - Stihl MS 250
Chainsaw won't start or is extremely hard to start, even though fuel is reaching the carburettor, the air filter is clean, and the spark plug is confirmed sparking
A carbon-clogged spark arrester screen in the muffler restricting exhaust flow enough to stop the engine drawing a fresh charge — an exhaust-side blockage that mimics an ignition or carburettor fault even though fuel, air, and spark all individually check out
Motor & Drive 2026-07-11 - Bambu Lab A1
Printer shows 'printing' state in the app and on the display with no job running; won't accept new jobs until power-cycled
Stale print-job state left behind after an interrupted job or dropped cloud connection — the previous job's status is never cleared
Electronics & Firmware 2026-07-01 - Triton TPT125
Thicknesser motor sparks heavily at the brushes, loses power under load, and smells of ozone
Burnt or scored commutator segments causing arcing at the brush contact faces
Motor & Drive 2026-06-28 - DeWalt DWS774
Mitre saw cuts are out of square — 90° cuts show a visible gap against a square, and mitred frames won't close up
Fence or bevel calibration drift — the saw's reference surfaces no longer match the scale detents, usually after transport, a knock, or dust packed behind the fence
Blades & Alignment 2026-06-26 - Record Power BS250
Bandsaw cuts wander away from the fence — the blade drifts sideways through the cut no matter how carefully the wood is fed
A dull or unevenly-set blade, insufficient tension, or misadjusted guides — drift is almost always setup, not a machine fault
Blades & Alignment 2026-06-22