Tools or Machines you DID NOT get...!!!

[bczygan]

But kind of wish you had, or REALLY wish you had...!

Or, are glad you didn't....


If you buy many tools, I'm sure you have regrets, both for the ones you got and wish you hadn't, as well as for the ones you missed getting, and wish you had gotten.

Various reasons for regretting a purchase. Tool or machine wasn't what you thought it was, or you find you didn't need it as much as you thought you would. Or you spent your last money, and shouldn't have. Or you find it needs more repairs than you have time and money for. Or you really didn't have space for it.

As far as not getting a tool is concerned, a lot of times it's because a deal came up and you didn't have the money, or you got outbid at an auction, or the timing just wasn't right, but you still remember the opportunity that you missed.

So post them up. Photos if you have them, of the actual tool or machine, or equivalent.

Two of mine come to mind.

A 400# Fisher anvil out of the Dayton GM plant. Went for $425 in an online auction. I had to drop out at $400.

A couple of days ago, a PEXTO 36" stomp shear with new blade for $450. Had offer accepted but had to decide not to get as timing was just wrong.

Bill

 

[RRmech]

Drill press

 

[Dog Garage]

Didn't buy a Backhoe..........................Yet!

 

[Raymond Fast]

I don't know if this counts, but ...

My ex-wife once stole and pawned all my hand tools. I found them and bought them back from the pawn shop. (I didn't have a lot of them at the time.) The next day, she stole them and pawned them again. I never did find them after that and I definitely regretted having spent the money to get them out of hock the first time.

 

[speed bump]

This last weekend passed on a Lincoln SP175 for $200, a matco 30" cab for $60, and a ton of other things.

 

[tool_scrounge]

When I was 12 years old, I passed on a Diacro 12" finger break for $15 at a garage sale. I do not know what I was thinking.

 

[pcmeiners]

Regretfully passed on a 1939 Packard in great shape for $500 in approx 1967.

Last week I hesitated 5 minutes on a Quincy 325 for $385 buy it now, on Ebay, lost it.

Regret on buying, 3000.00 camera..my cell phone takes pictures almost as good.. $3000 would have got me a used Miller 351P

 

[Cruzan80]

Wish I would have picked up the matching base for the Rockwell RAS when I saw it. Delayed due to it having a Super 990 attached, and I already had the 12", and worried about selling it. Haven't seen another one since.

 

[Thumper68]

Last summer I missed out on a craftsman 12 inch lathe with a ton of extras and tooling including the quick change gear box in a online auction, when I went to pick up the other stuff I bought I had a chance to look it over and it was like brand new, paint was perfect and it ran smooth with no wear on the bed. I had bid 600 and it went for 625.

There have been other machines over the years that I passed on and now regret.

At the moment I am a bit unhappy with the refrigerated air dryer that I bought last fall but when I get it set up and working I'm sure that the byers remorse will pass.

 

[turfgnome]

I passed on a jet band saw for $250 due to not having a need for it. When I got home my wife was pissed that I let a tool that cheap go. I did buy a 10" cabinet saw with very little use with a built in router table for $300 though.

 

[crerus75]

I went to look at a Sun diagnostic machine a couple of years back, one of the big roll-around ones that runs on a PC. It had all of the troubleshooting discs (Mitchell On Demand maybe?) with service and repair info up to 2002 or so and an OBDII dongle to retrieve trouble codes and diagnostic data. Not something I needed, but I like being able to do ignition scope traces, power balance tests, and exhaust gas analysis. The price was about $250, which is not a screaming deal but not bad considering all that I was getting.

Well, I'd forgotten how heavy they were, and the machine would have been a nightmare to load and even worse to unload. I didn't have a ton of extra space at the time, and it would've sat in storage for quite a while before I'd have gotten around to it. Everything except the exhaust probe worked, but it was absolutely filthy and would've needed a LOT of cleanup. Disassembling it to move it in pieces was not really an option. I politely declined. I felt bad too, because the owner was a really nice guy, but I would've been in over my head trying to move it by myself that day. Since then, I've worked on a handful of projects where it would've been nice to have. Some day...

 

[burnedonice]

Mine would be last year on Black Friday, Home Depot had the Ridgid table saw for $300, didn't buy it and needed it a month later. Paid an extra $100 i shouldn't have had to.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PSYKO_Inc]

Had a shot at 2 broken 170 amp Lincoln mig machines for $40 at a yard sale last summer, with the intention of piecing together one good machine. Didn't have enough cash on me so I turned it down. Called the guy back the next day and he said he still had them, so I got ready to head back over, and the guy called me back a few minutes later and said his father in law had sold them that morning and he didn't realize it. Still picked up a complete oxy-propane torch setup from him for $20 so it wasn't a total bust, but the Lincolns would have been a great addition to my garage.

 

[66354dream]

Glad I bought my USA made Craftsman reversible ratcheting combo wrenches, I was almost broke till next paycheck but I don't regret it one bit.

My biggest regret are those stupid elbow ratcheting wrenches they had years ago, I should have passed.

 

[ibedayank]

not buying enough tarps to cover the tools I bought then tossed all over my lawn... oh wait I have places for all mine in the shop were they should be NOT out in the snow and rain!!!

 

[egnorant]

Went to an auction a while back and spent less than $100 on tools.

This was one of those times where I should have gotton drunk first and unclenched the wallet.

These are pics of stuff I DID get...often for the $5.00 opening bid!

Don't even know what the machine in the next pic is, but it was $5.00 and I liked the DoAll light and it was bundled with the Barker mill on the floor from the first picture!!

Auction had big Bridgeport mills going for $400 and industrial drill presses for $40. I really should have bumped the bid on that Delta with the tapping attachment up from $50.00.

I really should have just bought wildly.

If you ever watch American Pickers, they do an episode in Texas where they deal with "The Colonel". Shown is a Sun testing machine that was talked about for around $250.00. I went to the auction later and it sold for $60...I dropped out at $50.00.

Bruce

 

[DocsMachine]

What do you mean "did not get"?!?

Are you telling me it's possible to not buy a tool?!?

Doc.

 

[BK13]

This ratchet:



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[maxpower_hd]

Regretfully passed on a 1939 Packard in great shape for $500 in approx 1967.

Last week I hesitated 5 minutes on a Quincy 325 for $385 buy it now, on Ebay, lost it.

Regret on buying, 3000.00 camera..my cell phone takes pictures almost as good.. $3000 would have got me a used Miller 351P

I went through this recently with a 1966 Chevy truck. Well a couple of years ago now. It was sitting in a barn at a friend's where he was renting and managing the property. It actually belonged to his landlord obtained through lack of rent.

I hedged for about three years. Could of gotten it for $600 but I kept waiting because I was busy. The barn burnt down. DOH!

 

[454ragtop]

Egnorant the machine with the DoAll lamp is a die filer, good score.

 

[FigureItOut]

A couple days a ago I contacted an ad on CL about some 10 year old, unused OA regulators and torch with two small bottles for $100. Guy didn't know the maker but was gonna go to his storage and look. He got back to me half a day later to tell me they were all Victor, but he'd sold it to a guy who called after I did. Why the jackass felt the need to call and tell me what I missed, I don't know.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk

 

[woody 73]

I still kick myself I should have given the guys asking price but I lost out; I said never again and sure enough a few years later on a different deal I wanted to pay just a little less and the guy sold it to someone else.

Rule # 1 you will never see it again buy it when you see it.

Rule #2 Don't be a pig head sometimes just pay the asking price.

Rule #3 I will forget rules 1 & 2...Sigh When will I ever learn???

 

[egnorant]

At swap meets we have learned that when we find something we want, buy it now! Don't do the "I will swing by on the way back" excuse. 99% of the time the item is gone or we can't find it again.

Really ***** when you walk past something and change your mind before the end of the row so you rush back to buy it and it is gone! Then I discover that my own brother had left our spaces to get a sausage on a stick or something and bought it (for half price) and has it back at our space when I arrive...

Bruce

 

[Corndoggeh]

There was an old rockwell table saw that was practically brand new with a bad motor for $25 and for some reason I thought I could get it cheaper if I come back later in the day. When I came back it was gone and I always kicked myself in the **** for it.

I also get sad when I go to estate sales when they have everything 50% off and I see older compressors for less than 100 that have over 10 gal size with high scfm after I had gotten my husky 8 gal compressor. Well at least I got a 7 year warranty with the husky for pretty cheap.

 

[gtae07]

My old boss has mentioned three times now some different tools (80gal compressor, welder, lathe) he acquired dirt cheap and eventually sold off because he didn't think anyone wanted them. I would have taken all three.

But this guy just falls into good deals like that; he almost does it by accident. I never find them, and I try.

 

[bsaint]

A Dynabrade air drill for 450. Can't find them less than 650.

 

[rattlesnake436]

I never have that issue except when it was with me wanting a drill press but good thing I turned down the offer back when I was in shop class in HS the shoo teacher wanted me to take a bench top drill press home but a friend of mine took it after I refused to and my friend said after he got it home and plugged it in the motor burned up almost got his house on fire

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[brooksdr]

I really wish I wouldn't of had a impulse buy and paid $850 for this Craftsman Premium Tool box Combo New. I did like the box and it worked out good well I was using it, but after reading this site over the last year. I now realize used truck boxes are the way to go.

 

[Super Sport]

In the past year, I've passed up both a vintage Craftsman metal lathe for $250 and a vintage Craftsman belt/disc sander for $150. The lathe came up at a time I didn't have the money and space, and the b/d sander I was trying to get cheaper. Both sold to other people. I'm still kicking myself over them, and have yet to see another of each come up for sale for anywhere close to those prices.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I don't pass on a DAMN thing unless I flat out just don't want it or want to deal with it. I buy plenty of tool and utility items just for goodwill giving to friends or for trading material for something I may run up on that a person does not want to sell, but I may have something he wants worse.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I did not get that cherry 3hp, 30 gallon Craftsman compressor that Bill snapped up !

 

[Amann34]

I passed on a jet band saw for $250 due to not having a need for it. When I got home my wife was pissed that I let a tool that cheap go. I did buy a 10" cabinet saw with very little use with a built in router table for $300 though.

Really!? Your wife was pissed?

Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk