Tool Buyers Remorse

[555]

Not really a regret over a tool purchase. I bought a Craftsman tool box combo set in 1997 that ended up being too small. It was on sale and I wish I had waited and saved a little more money and purchased a larger set. I ended up selling it at a yard sale for $45. I got mixed up on a rolling cart once and ended up buying the lessor item. It worked out OK, but I wished I had taken it back and bought the better of the two.

 

[L.Cheapo]

My 18v DeWalt compact drill. I have a fullsize one for over a decade and its flawless. Got a good deal holiday time on the compact with case and 2 batteries. The chuck wobbles like a fat lady's ***. Its especially obvious when drilling holes with small bits, so I just use it for driving screws now. Considering it was nearly free with the purchase of the two batteries it came with and I needed at the time, I don't lose sleep over it.

Bought a few Harbor Freight 1/4" air hose couplers in a pinch. I should have just duct taped the end of the hose to the impact gun, it would have leaked less.

 

[Art From De Leon]

I am kind of on the verge of being not at all impressed with the Stihl string trimmer, blower, and especially the chainsaw I bought.

If I had known how easy it turned out to get my John Deere (Echo) 4-stroke blower, and my John Deere (Subaru Robin) 2-stroke trimmer back to running after they had set 5 years, I would have not bought the Stihl. As far as the chainsaw, as hard to start as it is, even using the pre-mixed Stihl fuel, I couldn't have done any worse with some no-name branded one.

For as many pages as the Stihl manuals have, they still wind up telling you nothing.

 

[Al Borland]

I regret buying tools for use at work. Not because there is anything wrong with the tools, but because I KNOW those poor tools are going to get broken, lost, thrown and generally abused but the Amalgamated Association of Morons, Local 6 and 7/8ths.
These guys:

 

[Infinia]

Over 30 years in sales and marketing here.
Doesn't matter what sort of **** you're selling - it's the best thing since sliced bread.

haha
Willy Loman is that you?.... doesn't sound like you respected your job /products after all that time.
I thought all salesman are told to believe that they supplied a needed service.

 

[TheQball]

I've never had any real regret. I've bought some cheap stuff that didn't really pan out but because it was so cheap, It didn't hurt my wallet. I learned a lesson so it's all good.

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[four.cycle]

Willy Loman is that you?.... doesn't sound like you respected your job /products after all that time.
I thought all salesman are told to believe that they supplied a needed service.

We carried a mix of premium and low-end product lines when I was working in retail. I had/have no regrets about what we were selling. If the customer wanted to pony up the bucks for blue-chip Niehoff or Fel-Pro, that was fine. If he was a tight-*** and wanted "cheaper", we had that option available.
When I was wholesaling exhaust parts we only carried OEM replacement stuff - there isn't really a "cheapie" line in that market, and the installer market we catered to wouldn't have bought less than OE quality anyway.
The engine business was a weird deal. The guys in the shop did good work, product quality was usually first-rate, but the owner wouldn't stand behind his warranty, which got kind of discouraging. Independent repair shop owners don't have short memories. I still had faith (and respect) in the product, but not my employer.

Sales, in its essence, is filling a need. One tries to fulfill the needs of the customer. Over-selling is part of the game. As long as the customer leaves the parking lot happy, there's no problem.

Mr. Loman and I had little in common. I was at the top of my game when I got out of it - responsible for more unit sales in my 7-state territory than all of my competitors combined.

 

[srr]

I would say my only " remorse " is not buying a much larger toolbox when I had the chance. my current set up is a craftsman 40'' top and bottom ( older model - 9 drawer top and 15 drawer bottom ) also has the 40'' single drawer middle box. I have had the craftsman part of the set up for 20 years. added the HF side locker and the HF 7 drawer side cabinet. it is stuffed full. currently looking for a 72 '' triple bay, thinking about getting the 72'' from HF and putting the HF 56'' top box on it and adding my HF locker and 7 drawer. then perhaps I will have " enough toolbox " LOL.

NO such thing as enough tool box!
I had two large roll-aways packed so bad I couldn't find what I was looking for without digging or have sh*t I mean stuff falling on the floor. I got lucky and scored a really large Snap-On roll-away and merged the two into one. NOW every thing is laid out and when I was loading it I heard myself say several times: I didn't know I had one of these!

The tool I regret buying was my first air compressor. It was a 20 gallon, oil-less loud as an F18 CH. I then up-graded to a 60 gallon and was happy for a while...then scored an 80 gallon two stage USA made one. Wish I had just did that in the first place. Ironically the 80 is quieter than the other two.

 

[Tatsuya]

Anything Makita. I don't know if it's the tool brand or me but I've never had good luck with Makita.

Say what...? It's you.

 

[Super90]

Wow the Craftsmen ratchets were bad in the late 1980s. Nothing like leaning on it a little and having it jump a couple of teeth and your hand smacks against something hard. Take it back and they gave you a new one that would do the same thing!

Threw those things as far as I could. Then bought nothing but Snap-on, Facom, Hazet, etc. I never regretted that change.

Likewise for Craftsmen floorjacks. I've been AC Hydraulics only for 15 years. Pricey, but again, safe as houses.

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[buckwheat_la]

Anything Makita. I don't know if it's the tool brand or me but I've never had good luck with Makita.

I am sorry to hear that....I will gladly take anything unwanted off your hands if it helps

 

[Infinia]

We carried a mix of premium and low-end product lines when I was working in retail. .

Thanks for the responses. I'm sure you are a valuable resource for forum users,
I wouldn't mind picking your brain about the auto parts game, I still haven't figured that stuff out. I reckon consumer retail is simply 3 levels> good, better, best. knowing how to choose which one is equal or better than OE is key.

When I was wholesaling exhaust parts we only carried OEM replacement stuff - there isn't really a "cheapie" line in that market, and the installer market we catered to wouldn't have bought less than OE quality anyway

Is it possible to buy a OE grade cat. converter on the aftermarket outside the dealer? of course being in Calif makes it harder.
there's only a few manufactures and they 'close the ranks' I'm sure ( Ive seen the one man online parts dealers from their apartments sometimes before they get shut down.)

 

[southalabama]

My primary regrets are not taking advantage of some tool deals when the opportunity arose.

The tools I regretted buying are few and far in between but I do regret buying ... Sorry I tried. Still can't think of anything

 

[brandon523]

I know I may catch some grief for saying this, but I've been disappointed with almost every Mac tool I have purchased. The quality is just not there. I feel like I'm paying near Snap On prices for Stanley tools. I've learned though, and do not purchase Mac anymore. Not saying everything Mac is ****, just my experience with the tools I've purchased.

Another regret is my Fowler Roto-Cal Mic. Piss poor quality and unreliable.

One last comment is that a lot of tools I own are good, but I wish I had of invested a little more (or a lot more lol) money at the time to get something nicer. But at the moment, these tools still help me get the job done and have not failed me.


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[Corndoggeh]

Craftsman Homeowner series tool box. Not because its bad quality, its actually pretty decent, but I somehow was able to fill it up much quicker than I could have anticipated and wish I got atleast a 44".

 

[four.cycle]

Is it possible to buy a OE grade cat. converter on the aftermarket outside the dealer?

We're going off-topic here, but I'll address your question the best I can:
The exhaust parts gig was in the late 1980's - so cat converters were still relatively new. We carried Walker, Goerlich (AP), Ansa (aftermarket stuff for imports), and a few lines of oddball bits and pieces. Over 90% of our sales were to professional installers. We carried a line of "universal-one-size-fits-all" replacement converters, which at the time would get a vehicle through the emissions test. I would doubt (although I can't say for sure because I've been out of it so long) that those would comply with current regulations, and I would doubt you could even use them on newer cars - I suppose there's enough room under a pickup you can weld any ol' thing up under the carriage, but I'm speculating there.
My gig there was recovering old inactive accounts and working the phones to drum up new business, so as to what "worked" I can't state with absolute certainty. Doubtless a lot of those installers called dealerships for OEM replacement converters, because we didn't really sell that many of those "make-it-fit-and-weld-it-on" numbers - maybe a dozen a week.

And now back to the topic at hand.....

 

[Westozfixer]

A roll of Metrinch spanners, they are absolutely useless and fit nothing properly and they were expensive as well.

 

[joseph.a.owens.9]

The only tool buying remorse I have is not buying the 2 USA made dbe that was like 3 inch box end and 3 foot long..... they would of look good on my wall.

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[Rickster]

I have several of the IR IQ battery tools and I like them a lot but..... I bought the 3/8 ratchet and I just don't use it. Works fine, but just sits and collects dust.

 

[rockinacummins]

Craftsman toolboxes, dewalt 18v tools.

 

[M6erfan]

Makita electric chainsaw. Very light use but the oiling mechanism crapped out right about the time the warranty expired. Tried going through Makita for a resolution but long story short, I now have a $200 door stop in my shop...

That experience turned me off anything Makita for good

 

[T_Roze]

This has been a good read!

I think my biggest regrets have come when I "under" bought something. Like a previous poster said, buying a 7hp snow blower instead of 9. I have learned that saving for that extra month or two is worth it.

Stanley air tools would be a regret. Bought a Stanley set when I started my apprenticeship, and within days was buying a better (albeit Napa) impact gun. Learned from that, and saved money till I bought my ir impact. Even so, that Stanley is still working, just in my home garage along side my Napa one. Not really wasted.

Money not spent is also a regret. A few deals have come and gone that I wish I could have back. But such is life. Buying tools with credit is something I have tried to steer clear of as much as possible.


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