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What Is a Lifetime Warranty?
What does a lifetime warranty actually cover? At Darn Tough Vermont, every sock we knit is unconditionally guaranteed for life, so we get how “Unconditionally Guaranteed for Life” is a big claim.
And what about other warranties — lifetime, limited lifetime, and otherwise — that you see out there in the market place? You might be looking for the fine print (which we actually encourage) wondering, where’s the catch? Whose lifetime are we talking here?
Maybe you’re asking these questions about what a lifetime warranty is good for because you just had a “Darn It.” moment, whether that’s a sock dropped into a campfire, claimed by the dog, or simply worn out. We know that when life happens, having a pair of socks doesn’t do much good if you’re down to one, or none.
So are your socks covered, or not? Let’s dig into the types of warranties (and our lifetime warranty socks in particular) to find out.
Types of Warranties
We all want products that last. A warranty is where we look to see if there’s something standing behind what we’re about to buy.
Merriam Webster defines “warranty” as “A usually written guarantee of the integrity of a product and of the maker's responsibility for the repair or replacement of defective parts.”
Seems like the word is serious — but how serious do companies take it?
Generally, there are three types of warranties – we’ll spend a moment defining each of them before landing on the fourth type: our own Unconditional Lifetime Warranty.
Limited Warranties
Your first stop is to see if the warranty is “limited” or “lifetime.” “Limited” is just what it says, conditional in multiple ways. The warranty clock will start the moment you buy the product and could last anywhere from 30 days to around year.
“Limited” also usually means the warranty only covers specific defects. Every company will have their own list of what’s covered and for how long, so it’s worth it to read the fine print.
Limited Lifetime Warranties
A “Limited Lifetime Warranty” is usually good for the lifespan of the product (as defined by the manufacturer), but it still doesn’t cover everything.
It could apply to specific components or materials, a certain set of defects, and/or exclude regular wear and tear or even a second owner trying to warranty the original product. Another instance where you’ll want to read before buying.
Lifetime Warranties
We know the main question you came here to answer is “what does lifetime warranty mean?” so let’s get to it.
Full “Lifetime Warranties” don’t have a ticking clock. They’re good for the life of the product, although each company will still have its own interpretations of what that means and what’s covered.
Some companies cover the entire product for as long as you own it, regardless of wear and tear. Others stop short of that, and almost none will cover accidental damage to the product (or a hawk swooping in to grab your sock while you kick your feet up mid-hike).
For any product, it’s worth digging past the “Lifetime Guarantee” headline into the “What’s Covered” fine print. The warranty might be for the life of the product but only cover manufacturer defects and exclude wear incurred in regular use. And usually random acts of adventure like a rip on a branch, a hole from a bike pedal peg, or theft from a highly-motivated squirrel aren’t included.
In other words, “Terms and Conditions May Apply,” so again, read up.
What Does the “Lifetime” In a “Lifetime Warranty” Really Mean?
Let’s keep this one simple. “Lifetime” almost always refers to the lifetime of the product. And again, it’s buyer beware. While most lifetime warranties cover the product for as long as you use it, some companies state the lifetime of the product, and once you’re past that point, the product is considered out of warranty, whether you’re still using it or not.
The Darn Tough unconditional lifetime warranty is different (more on that soon); we cover our socks for your lifetime, as long as you run, walk, hike, bike, ski, chill, work, etc., in them. If they’re uncomfortable, wear out, start to slip, or an act of life happens, simply send them back for a new pair. Your new pair is also covered, so if you manage to wear out those… send them back for another new pair.
Companies Offer Lifetime Warranties? People Do This?
We were the first sock company to offer a Lifetime Warranty, but we’re not alone in offering life-long coverage of high quality products. Whether or not these lifetime warranties are unconditional, it still takes a lot of hard work to put out a product that you’re confident in covering with a lifetime warranty.
We’re glad to have company in the mission for higher quality and respect for customers.
- Nemo Equipment offers a lifetime warranty on defects in product manufacturing for its range of camping and outdoor gear.
- Made-in-the-USA Duluth Packs takes their lifetime warranty a step further, covering hardware and stitching failure along with manufacturing defects.
- 1620 Workwear, another made-in-the-USA company, backs their products with a lifetime warranty covering defective materials and workmanship.
Ok, How About That Unconditional Lifetime Warranty?
A fair question if you’ve read this far. Given how much use a product like socks gets, who would go to the trouble of backing them with a Lifetime Warranty, much less an unconditional one?
We like to think that if your quality standard is high enough, and your commitment to your customers is strong enough, an Unconditional Lifetime Warranty is both an expression of your values and the start of a relationship.
Darn Tough was founded on a simple motto: “We have yet to produce our best socks.” To hold ourselves accountable and keep pushing ourselves to improve, we became the first sock company to offer this caliber of a guarantee. We mean it when we say “Unconditionally Guaranteed for Life:”
- If these aren’t the most comfortable, most durable, best fitting socks you’ve ever worn, you can return them to us for another pair.
- If you wear a hole in our socks, we’ll replace them free of charge, including threadbare spots caused by normal wear and tear.
- This includes inadvertent damage, because we know that you’re wearing our socks in real life, and “Darn It.” moments happen. If you accidentally put your feet too close to the campfire, we’ve got your scorched soles covered.
- You don’t need a receipt, just the Darn Tough socks in question. Even if you bought the socks from our very first batch back in 2004, we’ll cover that.
We know that if you’re looking for socks that last, you’ll likely be interested in socks with a lifetime warranty. That’s where the relationship starts.
And while we knit the most durable socks of any sock company out there, we know some will still come back to us. You get the best pair of socks you’ve had, and every pair that’s warrantied and sent back to us becomes an opportunity for us to study wear patterns, advance our process, and push our standards higher.
Does designing, knitting, and warrantying our socks all right here in Vermont make that easier? Yes, and that’s a happy byproduct of sticking by our community, our commitment to quality, and our mission to make the world’s best socks right here in Vermont, with the highest quality yarns from America and around the world.
At Darn Tough, Our Lifetime Warranty Means We All Get Better
In the end, it comes back to how making things better makes them simpler for everyone. Our sock customers get to shop and wear their socks with confidence, and we get to continually up our game and be held to the highest standard.
For Darn Tough, our Unconditional Lifetime Warranty is a win-win.
Fun Fact: Every sock pictured in this post was covered under our Unconditional Lifetime Warranty.
