Confess: What Tool Did You Not Really Need But Bought Anyhow? (Silly Stuff Included)
- Thread starter LazKat
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Madjik Man
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- Dec 3, 2015
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- 1,523
All my Toyota branded Vessel screwdrivers (red impactas). I literally have the exact Vessel equivalent sitting right next to them but since I'm a Toyota fanboy, I had to have them.
Nutria
Well-known member
I doubt if many people here have done something like that.
Ohmthis
Well-known member
^^^^^
Never……….
Never……….
Ohmthis
Well-known member
Years ago there was a group buy here on a plasma cutter. Did I need one at the time, no. Did I want one, YES! So I bought it and extra consumables. Fast forward 10 years or so and I used it to cut off the old front suspension from my project truck. It was worth the wait.
GaryM909
Well-known member
Small Miller plasma cutter. Although I have used lots of them and the bigger industrial ones were supplied for me when required I figured I needed one for at home. It sat for about five years before I decided to sell it a few months ago
Poodlehead
Active member
I bought a spool gun to connect to my MIG welder over 20 years ago to weld aluminum. I still haven't gotten the cherry on it...
Tynee
Well-known member
I've got a Surface Conditioning Tool I found on clearance and bought. It's still in the box almost a year later. I also have a benchtop belt/disc sander I thought I really needed. Haven't used it much. Then there's the sliding miter that was a great deal on FB...
duneslider
Well-known member
I got a scroll saw like 25 years ago, I have used it zero times. I let someone borrow it, they returned it with the switch not working and a different switch rigged into it. They should have just kept it, I guess, but they returned it hoping I would fix it so they could borrow it again...
whateg01
Well-known member
When the DeWalt construction jack sale came up here, I decided I needed them. I've made little toe jack for stuff before and I have an 8t toe jack so I didn't really need these. But they have been incredibly handy.
Mine is still in it’s original packaging
Just to stay on track. This tubing cutter came as a package deal. I might do some copper every few years at best. But ya never know
Same here. I bought a nice craftsman scroll saw at a yard sale about 20 years ago. I finally used it yesterday, lol. Only because my band saw was buried, and the scroll saw was easier to get to. It did the job.
Skyman
Well-known member
It'd be a very long list. But, I've ended up using most of 'em eventually. Which was kinda the point to begin with. And still is, for some of the tools I buy.
Vinny
Well-known member
Didn't buy it, but a place I worked had a broken Bosch blind rivet driver they were going to toss because it was broken. I took it since I have their battery system, and all it needed was a bearing replaced. Sits in my toolbox, and I doubt I'll ever use it since I've never encountered blind rivets on anything I've ever worked on.
woody 73
Well-known member
Today I was robbed at gunpoint, (teasing), the very nice man handed me two tools, a very large American made aluminum pipe wrench (retail new $100.00 dollars) and a very large crescent wrench (retail new $50 dollars) at his garage sale and he had them marked at $5.00 each tool. Oh, **** I need those like Madonna needs a comeback tour because she is broke, (teasing). Sigh (I gave him his asking price and now I have 40 pipe wrenches and 40 crescent wrenches) I did not need them but that deal I could not pass up.
whateg01
Well-known member
Those are called "collections"!... and now I have 40 pipe wrenches and 40 crescent wrenches) I did not need them but that deal I could not pass up.
woody 73
Well-known member
Oh man are you telling me, darn things keep following me home.
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
Micro RC Helicopters.
engineer2
Well-known member
I have a set and have used them for resizing small engine carburetor jets, converting a propane grill to natural gas, and cleaning propane torch orifices.
The real tiny ones are great for breaking off when you least expect it.
rooster59
Well-known member
I know it's not the question, but when I pass up something I think I won't need, sure enough 9/10 I'll need it. Soon.
niget2002
Well-known member
panel plug popper. That thing you're supposed to use to pop the plastic rivets used to hold cars together. I bought one. I've never used it. I saw it the other day and was like, "Dang. I sure could have used that last week." Maybe next time.
A while back I bought a really nice used set of Snap On Tech Angle Flex Head torque wrenches, 1/2 & 3/8. They were a really good deal and I was convinced I needed them.
They sat in my box for a year. One day I realized that nothing I do nor intend to do will require any sort of digital torque wrench, let alone one with angle.
I sold them, made about 5x what I paid for them, and I continue to use my old clock wrenches.
Boy…they sure were neat, though.
They sat in my box for a year. One day I realized that nothing I do nor intend to do will require any sort of digital torque wrench, let alone one with angle.
I sold them, made about 5x what I paid for them, and I continue to use my old clock wrenches.
Boy…they sure were neat, though.
stonesfan68
Well-known member
I've bought 5-6 3/8-in drive speeder handles from estate sales. I have Craftsman, Snap-on and Proto. I rarely use them, but I think that they are cool for some reason. At $5/each they are hard for me to pass up.
Bodj Built
Well-known member
Bought a body repair spot welder (Vevor) last year to repair the caved in side of my Silverado with full intentions to meticulously shape the panels back to factory, apply a skim coat of bodyfiller, and paint. Reality is that I shoved a baseball bat behind the panels and popped them out as best as I could. Hot glue gun and slide hammer got me close enough. Ran out of patience and didn't even flip the switch of the spot welder before the bodyfiller came out. The new welder is sitting on the floor. I'm sure I'll use it some day. The stud welding attachment will probably be used first
Skyman
Well-known member
And that's enough to justify a tool purchase.
jabberwoki
Well-known member
As a stinkin tool ***** there`s not enough room here to list them all.
drokihazan
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- Joined
- Apr 8, 2018
- Messages
- 271
I've gone out of my way to find ways to use most of the tools in my shop, just to help justify some of the more outlandish purchases.
Something I've never used and potentially never will is the Milwaukee M18 die grinder I randomly bought used off eBay a few years ago. I have no need for it, it's enormous, and the new right-angle M12 die grinder is the bee's knees anyways.
I've also never used the the steering wheel remover set I bought off the tooltruck. Only removed a few steering wheels ever, and they all just kinda came off.
Something I've never used and potentially never will is the Milwaukee M18 die grinder I randomly bought used off eBay a few years ago. I have no need for it, it's enormous, and the new right-angle M12 die grinder is the bee's knees anyways.
I've also never used the the steering wheel remover set I bought off the tooltruck. Only removed a few steering wheels ever, and they all just kinda came off.
I have never used a single one of mine… and I have 1/4”-1/2”… multiples of some.
whateg01
Well-known member
I have a few. The first one I bought years ago after watching somebody disassemble a motor with one. Break the head bolts loose then spin them off. I think I may have used it once for an engine rebuild. Then I bought my first cordless drill, a 9.6v DeWalt and figured out it was faster and easier. Aside from moving them out of the way in the toolbox every now and then, I don't think I've touched any of the 3 I now have.
RoninB4
Well-known member
-While purchasing machinery for a machine shop I was trying to get up and running I came across this on CL. Way out of my budget but the attraction was considerable. Put in a stupid low bid and apologized for the insultingly low offer. It disappeared twice from the list but kept popping back up over 3-4 months. The seller (Denso Automotive) finally contacted me saying they'll accept the offer if I get in no later than 2 weeks as it was scheduled for scrap value just before Christmas. It still has 80% of the factory scraping on the ways, lived the entire life in a climate controlled room. Denso paid $300k for this machine when new, I got it for $1500 with two cabinets full of dedicated tooling and an expensive DRO. This was not about bragging rights at all, I still feel a bit foolish for purchasing something I didn't really need because of a great price for something I was enamored with. Beware of what attracts you.
Depends who you ask. According to my wife, every single tool I ever bought was not really needed. According to me all of them were needed, even if I already had a dozen of the same in my toolbox with some still in the wrapper. So with that said I have never purchased a tool I didn’t need, I mean you have to be prepared, right? Let’s say I am in the middle of a project and I break 11 of said tools that are needed to complete said project. Redundancy is the safest path to ensure project remains on schedule…
dnschmidt
Well-known member
ALL OF THEM. I'm a tool junkie.
I'd like to say I've never done that... I really would.
However, the evidence contradicts that...
Track Saw - Purchased December 2019 - First used 2022 (maybe 2023)
Router Lift - Purchased Feb 2017 - First used - Still in the box waiting for me to build my router table
Template for router lift - Purchased April 2021 - First used... Sometime soon(?) when I build the router table
Motor for router lift - Purchased November 2024 - First used... Still waiting to build the router table
And, the two all time winners....
Belt/Disc Sander for my Shopsmith - Purchased 1985 - First used - Still new in the box
Jointer for my Shopsmith - Purchased 1985 - First used - Still new in the box
I have made progress (sort of) on the router table. Needed some 2x2 blocking and bought that last month. Yay! Baby steps.
Would love to sell the Shopsmith pieces. Just haven't done it yet.
Seeing it in writing is kind of depressing.
Other than the Shopsmith stuff, it was all bought when there was a killer sale - they lured me in.
However, the evidence contradicts that...
Track Saw - Purchased December 2019 - First used 2022 (maybe 2023)
Router Lift - Purchased Feb 2017 - First used - Still in the box waiting for me to build my router table
Template for router lift - Purchased April 2021 - First used... Sometime soon(?) when I build the router table
Motor for router lift - Purchased November 2024 - First used... Still waiting to build the router table
And, the two all time winners....
Belt/Disc Sander for my Shopsmith - Purchased 1985 - First used - Still new in the box
Jointer for my Shopsmith - Purchased 1985 - First used - Still new in the box
I have made progress (sort of) on the router table. Needed some 2x2 blocking and bought that last month. Yay! Baby steps.
Would love to sell the Shopsmith pieces. Just haven't done it yet.
Seeing it in writing is kind of depressing.
Other than the Shopsmith stuff, it was all bought when there was a killer sale - they lured me in.
LopezBart
Well-known member
Some years ago, there was a really nice sale on a 12" Mitutoyo caliper.... I ordered and I've used it once as the project I was working on that needed it got put aside. Someday, I may get back to it; in the mean time, the caliper sits ready for use.
gatewaysysop
Well-known member
PelicanPines
ALLIANCE MEMBER
New 3D Printer...
I bought a dewalt cordless palm sander about a month ago. I already had two corded palm sanders. A cordless random orbit sander and a corded random orbit sander along with a couple handheld belt sanders a bench top belt/disc sander and a large horizontal belt sander on a floor stand.
Why did I buy the sander? Because I wanted it
Why did I buy the sander? Because I wanted it
logical
Well-known member
I bought 4 of these, never used, on Craigslist for $40 total...because they are over $400 retail. I suppose if I use them once it will make sense but so far they are just perched above some cabinets.
