Buying a tool for ONE job then never using it again?

[anavrinIV]

Drywall holder-upper. Used a couple times, but has sat 15+ years.
5 gallon compresser - Rather use the big one.
Robeson? Robinson? Goofy square tapered screwdrivers.
Crowsfoot sockets {do use the line wrench versions.)
And finally, the most useless tool i ever bought - 1/4" breaker bar. Buck and change at sears when they were closing/clearing out. Never used. Bought for comic value and to keep the other breaker bars company.

I have a 40" 3/4 breaker bar that's been used....twice? Both times it came in clutch, but it's a damn near useless unwieldy thing for a DIYer

 

[jeffmoss26]

buddy needed to drill a hole for a gauge in the dash of his semi. I have the drill and arbors but no 2" holesaw. He bought the holesaw, I drilled the hole and got to keep it!

 

[MrSurly]

And finally, the most useless tool i ever bought - 1/4" breaker bar. Never used. Bought for comic value and to keep the other breaker bars company.

I recall working on a hydra static drive transaxle that had a ring of 1/4-28 bolts that surrounded a shaft and they were locktited in. Heat was out of the question on these parts and the bolts were too close to the shaft for ratchet clearance and too deep inside a housing for a wrench. I had an old Wizard 1/4” breaker and that was the magic for that one job. I think I still have it and this was a very long stroll down memory lane.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[lardy1]

I have a 40" 3/4 breaker bar that's been used....twice? Both times it came in clutch, but it's a damn near useless unwieldy thing for a DIYer

Interesting. I was just pondering buying one and a 22MM socket for my pickup wheels. I already have a nice Wright 3/4" drive set that never gets used. That bar would rarely get used but now I have to stand on a 24" breaker bar to break the ones my Bosch impact won't break.

 

[M6erfan]

I have a 40" 3/4 breaker bar that's been used....twice? Both times it came in clutch, but it's a damn near useless unwieldy thing for a DIYer

That reminds me (again). I bought a Ko-ken 600mm 1/2' breaker bar years ago. Shortly thereafter I got into 12v impacts. Haven't used that breaker bar in ages...

 

[M6erfan]

Oh please find it. I know some folks who could use it...

I'm not 100% positive but I'm pretty sure the M88 engine uses a different tool

 

[Higgins]

Depends if your talking commercial work, or as a DIYr.

Back in the 70's we installed communication equipment overseas. We had tool kits that were shipped with each installation, along with extra supply of drill bits, nuts, bolts etc. As it was impossible to purchase what we needed on the local economy! Equipment was either left on site, or given to our foreign workers that worked with us!

Fast Forward 40 yrs or so. Retired to a mountaintop in TN. BIG box stores are 1 1/2 hrs away, little HW store is 1/2 Hrs. So for project that I need a new tool I'll purchase a refubished, or HF if they what I Need. Just the other day, I purchased some PEX fittings for our current plumbing project. Well I miscounted, didn't purchase a few extra as mama doesn't understand that mentally. So now I have to wait 3 days for our next trip to town!

As a side note, several times it has been faster to order the material on-line and pay for shipping as I can get it faster, and a lot cheaper! Had I brought ALL my **** from IL when I moved, I would have been OK.

 

[steaks&anvils]

One of those thin shovels for digging or clearing out dirt from a trench. We installed our own in ground sprinkler system. Rented the ditch witch and used that damn shovel for spots that were too tight for the trencher. Yes it worked, but it took so long to get any amount of dirt out of the ground. A coffee can worked better to clear the loose dirt the trencher left. Back when coffee cans were metal of course.

I will never, ever install another sprinkler system, ever. Did I say ever?

I let her keep that shovel in the divorce.

 

[unslow1]

I have a 40" 3/4 breaker bar that's been used....twice? Both times it came in clutch, but it's a damn near useless unwieldy thing for a DIYer

I love mine. It sure beats struggling after some shop gets extra happy with an impact.

 

[Junkdrawer Dog]

I was in the final stages of a home sale. House was emptied and wife and I were ready to jump in the car and head west. An issue came up with the deck railing that needed repair 1 or 2 days before closing. I ran to the big box store and bought the cheapest 1/2 inch corded drill I could find and a deck bit. Total cost ~$50. Made the repair and emailed photos to the buyer. He says "Okay, good to go!" Took drill and bit to Habitat for Humanity and then left town. I had no attachment to those tools and no further need for them. They were just a means to an end.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I have a "one job" laminate router ... somewhere.

 

[brownbagg]

i bought a vinyl siding sheetmetal bender, one of those ten footers. havent used it yet, I just wanted one

 

[brownbagg]

best tool i ever bought and will never get rid of 36 inch snap on extension 3/8 male on one end 1/2 female on other, its great for the upper transmission bolts, with impact gun.

that all its for. $100, twenty years ago, its my pride and joy

 

[AA/FC]

At least 50% of the tools I own fit that description. I like tools. Don't really care if they do anything useful. I just like tools.

Exactly.

I like tools, too..... if I only need a tool one time that gives me an excuse to go buy that tool. Perfect!

 

[AA/FC]

I'm a professional and still have alot of tools that fall into that category.

So am I.... In fact we're all professionals at something.

 

[Coach James]

I try really hard not to do that. My spring compressor risked being one of those, but paid for itself on the first use, and have used it a couple times since then and loaned it to several very grateful friends.

M635, what compressor is that?

Also, what region of NC are you in?

Coach

 

[anndel]

I've got a high-buck (current retail $237) OTC strut compressor. Used it one time.

jack vines

I got the same spring compressor. Didn't have the room for a Brannick but I figured I may only use it once and I did. Then came 5 more other cars requiring strut replacements and it paid for itself.

 

[M635_Guy]

M635, what compressor is that?

Also, what region of NC are you in?

Coach

It's what BavAuto used to sell for $350, but was available on eBay for $130 shipped or something close. If you search "Spring Compressor" on ebay you'll still see them for ~$80-$100.

Mine is super-beefy and makes dealing with the spring very simple. It's not fast (you're supposed to use a hand-ratchet not a drill or impact, and I don't), but has worked flawlessly with zero drama. I suppose the castings could fail, but this thing is an order of magnitude safer than the damn claw-type. I have great respect for the amount of energy in those springs...

 

[Den69rs96]

I have a couple tools I bought and never used or used once or twice. The first tool I bought and never used was a Astro front bearing pulled and installer. I don’t own a vehicle I would need it for, but I wanted it. The second was a trans jack adapter from HF. This one fits a normal jack. It’s pretty much useless to me since you have to get your car high enough to get the jack and trans out. Hard to do without a lift. The next tool I used twice was a Ramset gun to drive nails into concrete. The one that uses gun powder blanks. I finished my basement and it sits in a tool box.

 

[Bad Jackson]

In my opinion, buyin a tool for a one time use, is EXACTLY why Harbor Freight exists. I hate junk quality tools & I avoid them at almost all costs. The only tools I’ve considered from HF are their small tire changer.
(Almost) Everything else I own is some type of quality tool. And if I only use it one time, and it sits, well... it’s there for the next time, or for one of my sons when I’m gone.

Invest in quality. Invest in safety. Invest in America.

 

[Fedwrench]

For me, it's a slight variation. I'll struggle through a job using what I have. I then find a tool to make that job easier, then never do that job again despite having the tool on hand to make it easier

 

[king nero]

hell...I've bought some tools that I've never even used it once. Thought it would a a good idea to have it on hand. lol.

this.

 

[bwringer]

Just last week I bought an inner tie rod remover from Harbor Freight.

First time I've needed one somehow in decades of driveway wrenching, and it very well may be the last. But for $30, the thing worked beautifully, and I might as well keep it in the collection in case this sort of thing ever comes up again.


For more expensive bulky stuff, it's often much cheaper and easier than renting to buy said widget, then sell it on CrackList when you're done.

I did this with a Harbor Freight engine crane; bought it, used it for the two weeks I needed, then put it up on CrackList. It was gone within two hours. Overall, I was only out about $40 and a bit of time and frustration assembling the thing.

The tool rental joint wanted $25 a day, so I still would have been money way ahead if I kept it. Even though it folded up, it was too bulky to be worth the floor space in my small garage.

I had similar plans for my hydraulic press, but it turned out to be so stinkin' useful I decided to keep it.

 

[Jazz1]

I have a few that have been used once. 52mm socket, power steering pump removal kit. Most are relatively inexpensive compared to time and effort to go and rent and return.

 

[engineer2]

1. My single foray into furniture building led me to buy a Porter-Cable Biscuit joiner. Never used it again. I did loan it to a buddy for a day, so it has done two jobs.

Same here except it was a Freud. Loaned it to a neghbor for a small picture frame job and was paid with a nice bottle of wine.

 

[Kev442]

Second place goes to my SDS used on one project. The HF cheapy more than paid for itself, went through concrete like butter.

First place is a concrete saw. I have never used it and couldn't be happier. The tail end of my 25 yo 3.5 foot railroad tie retaining wall was slowly bowing out from the pressure of my slab (and the vehicles on it). The plan was to cut walkway swaths of the concrete, maybe 2' wide and use it in other areas where it gets muddy. I would retire the end of my retaining wall from active duty and shorten it up.
Neighbor solved the problem by finally filling his lot to proper height. All I had to do was remove the top row of railroad ties and they filled things flush. Best waste of $275 ever.

 

[VolvoRyan]

Vehicle manufacturer special tools (or surrogates thereof) and diag equipment will pay for themselves quick. It might seem like you only use it once, but a lot of things come back around again.

-Ryan

 

[will335i]

I have a large thin wrench from AR designs to remove one nut on the rear diff of my 335i. Tool wasn't cheap but paid for itself in that one job.

I also have a ryobi tile saw. So worth it when I did my kitchen backsplash. So much faster than a tile brake.

 

[Robinson1]

(outside of finding 16d 30 degree collated galvanized nails, which I haven't yet).

Got atleast 3 cases in my job trailer. Where are you trying to buy them? Any good lumber yard that caters to contractors will have them by the pallet

 

[gtae07]

HF palm nailer, nail gun, plate compactor, and hammer drill, all for building my shop. Sold the compactor. Actually used the hammer drill a few more times since then...

Piston ring compressor and cylinder base wrenches for my airplane engine.

Pex crimper for installing a water heater. That got used again, too.

I tend not to rent tools unless they're so expensive that I simply can't buy them (like a skidsteer).

 

[lardy1]

Drywall hoist. I bought it because I was sheathing the ceiling in my shop alone and a rental was $25.00 a day and 15 miles away. It took me a few days so it paid for itself then sat taking up precious storage space since the project was completed. I seriously doubt I'll ever use it again.

 

[vavet]

I bought a used drywall hoist and later sold it. I think I broke even (not counting travel time). I also sold the drywall screw gun and a corded dewalt recip saw. It’s rare that I need a recip saw and I have a cordless unit, so the corded unit was really redundant.
i have a very nice high torque, low speed drill I bought for mixing thin set for one tile job. I’ve used a few times, but rarely.

 

[KnurledNut]

I happen to know where a brand new bottle jack is entombed in concrete.
It was used to raise a structure, purposely left in place under load, and poured around.

I can just imagine the looks if/when that mess is ever jack-hammered out.

 

[VolvoRyan]

I tend not to rent tools unless they're so expensive that I simply can't buy them (like a skidsteer).

That's my mindset, too. I asked the auto parts store if they had some tool... and they said they had one I could rent. Turns out the one that the website said they had in stock was the one they had to rent. But I wanted to buy. They said I didn't have to return it, I'd just forfeit my deposit (the cost of the tool). But why would I want to pay full price for a tool that's been used a thousand times?

-Ryan

 

[ratdoggy]

If it does the job and saves you a repair shop trip the tool and I become lifelong friends...
Many a tool even though it's a special purpose tool can be used for something else that comes along...
Then you're "I know I had one...Where did it go?"

 

[ratdoggy]

.
Dado blade for my table saw - not building much furniture anymore

I've been looking for a set if you're interested in making it go away......

 

[ratdoggy]

I bought a palm nailer from HF to put in 1 single gang box for an outlet in my garage ceiling. For $12 it was soooo worth it. Haven't used it since (maybe 3-4 years?)

I've done almost the same. Bought a palm nailer when doing floor joists as 1 spot was impossible to swing a hammer in.....

 

[Grant Gunderson]

I had to buy a specialty socket to replace the fuel filter on my sled. Saves me $500 so it was worth it. Sold my sled this winter but for some reason still have the tool.

 

[speed bump]

Ball joint socket for a Dana 44. I used it when I rebuilt the axle in my 71 -F-250 and my brother might have used it on his 77 but it hasn't been touched in 10+ years.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

My creeper that I have at home. Bought it to creep under my dads Freightliner to grease it but the lot he parks at is gravel just like my driveway and I kept running over my hands with it. So it just sits in the basement but the one at work gets used more. Other than that I think I’ve used everything I have more than once. Except the stuff I’ve never used and just bought to buy stuff lol.