A "What the..." moment

[N2IXK]

I can verify that you can still get free replacement tubes from Rat Shack, but the new tubes will NOT carry the lifetime replacement guarantee. You also need to be persistent about it, and talk to the store manager, not the cellphone salesdroid behind the counter.

About 3 months ago, I was able to exchange a pair of gassy "Lifetime" gold pin 6L6GCs for a new pair. The manager had to call the regional office, who said that the warranty was still valid WITHOUT the original receipt, but that tubes were now a "special order item" and might take a while. It took almost 6 weeks to get the new tubes, which were Russian "Sovtek" branded.

6L6GCs are one of the relative handful of tube types that are still in production, however. You might have a bit more difficulty having RS replace a 6CD6 or a 6BK4.