Where do you find these great tools?

[GrantMLS]

Where do most of you look for these older tools you have? All the flee markets I have seen in the last 10 years seems to be nothing but new chinnese stuff - I havn't seen old tools laying around since the 80's.. Other than on here and ebay where can i start searching for some classic tools?

 

[Uncle Buck]

Where do most of you look for these older tools you have? All the flee markets I have seen in the last 10 years seems to be nothing but new chinnese stuff - I havn't seen old tools laying around since the 80's.. Other than on here and ebay where can i start searching for some classic tools?

Garage sales, antique shops, Pawn shops, flea markets, estate sales, auctions, old dead guys kin that give his stuff away once he is gone! That's about it!

 

[-B-]

I get a lot of tools passed on to me , I am a know tool user who appreciate the well used tools.

 

[jim m]

Garage sales, antique shops, Pawn shops, flea markets, estate sales, auctions, old dead guys kin that give his stuff away once he is gone! That's about it!

yep that about covers it

 

[Danglerb]

You have to find the "right" kind of swapmeet etc. some only have new cheap merchandise.

Digging through a lot of boxes of junk is how you find treasure.

 

[speed bump]

Patience anymore, I spent 8 months looking for a set of SO mini hook picks for a price I wanted to pay, stumbled upon an SAE New Britian tap and die set which is identical to the SO set for $10 here not to long ago.

 

[Coach James]

I bought a lot of my old tools from a guy on ebay that bought them in lots at government auctions and estate sales. Great tools and excellent prices plus he was cheap on shipping. Sadly, he passed away about three years ago.

I got a lot of my rifles from a similiar guy. He came to the gun show twice a year in Raleigh, sold old military rifles in beautiful condition, most for $100 to $200. I bought two a year from him for 5 years then he got pneumonia and passed away.

Coach

 

[philw]

speed bump makes a good point. Patience!!
Ebay prices are getting out of hand. Try to stick with the places that hholmberg listed, you will find better deals.
The exposure that this board and websites like Alloy give old tools seem to have inflated prices on ebay. If you can find the same thing local then you will probably pay 1/2 or less what you would pay on ebay.

 

[petty4243]

where are you located GrantMLS??? I am in north Iowa... around here there are lots of bi-weekly to monthly auctions that usually have boxes of these older tools(usualy cheap)... we also have monthly flea markets and special event flee markets that they are common at (though you will find asian stuff also)

 

[jerk_chicken]

I went to one in Stormville, upstate NY in 95-96 and picked up some tools that I had until last may, in fact.

Anyone know if this market is still running?

Edit: http://www.stormvilleairportfleamarket.com/directions.htm

 

[Frank Elson]

The car boot sales I go to in the UK often have whole stalls with nothing but old tools.
I pass them by and go to the stalls run by a young couple. On the table are loads of silly household stuff - and underneath is often a box full of dirty rubbish. That's where I find decent tools at a reasonable price.

I have no idea if that's anything like a US flea market !

 

[jerk_chicken]

German flea markets are pathetic. We have one that runs along the Elbe River on weekends and it's definitely junk people don't know they should be throwing out. I would love to pick up Hazet at a flea here.

 

[petty4243]

The car boot sales I go to in the UK often have whole stalls with nothing but old tools.
I pass them by and go to the stalls run by a young couple. On the table are loads of silly household stuff - and underneath is often a box full of dirty rubbish. That's where I find decent tools at a reasonable price.

I have no idea if that's anything like a US flea market !

that is most definatly the way it goes here also...


usually the person that only has a few does not know what they might actually have and are happy to not take it home with them... LOL

 

[billymade]

jerk_chicken, how do Germans get their tools at cheap prices? My family is of German lineage and the "tight wad" tradition is deeply ingrained; it is so bad, that when the relatives get together (the guys anyway), they brag about the "good deals" they got on something and the money they saved! My Dad is notorious, for driving across town to save 10 cents on gas (meanwhile, his "savings" are probably moot, since he drove extra miles to get there!). So, Germans are inventive and find creative ways to save money; how do they do this with tools? The governmental socialism, protective tariffs, health benefits, month long vacations and fixed pricing (except for special sales once or twice a year) would seem to make it hard to find "good" deals. Germans have historically, always found a way to get things done with little resources; how do they do it? The two times I visited Germany, everything seemed very expensive but from what you are saying Hazet and some of the other brands arn't too bad, if you live in Germany! There has to be a affordable used market, somewhere in Germany; is ebay a viable option or craigslist? Someone, also mentioned.... if you are a tech, the owner has to provide the tools (more socialism goodness!).... inquiring minds want to know!

 

[jerk_chicken]

Billy,

I can't really answer that question since my experience with that is limited. In addition, I'm in the former East Germany, so I'm going to assume that not too much of the used tools were worth keeping.

I think you're also encompassing and relating "socialism" with everything incorrectly. There are flaws in the economy here and most of them are not the kind related to socialism, but inherent flaws and failures in the governing of the country.

When I walked through the service floor of the Mercedes dealer where my car was being fixed, I looked for, but could not find any tools of any obvious substance being used. This is in addition to the kids they have ruining cars out on those floors.

As far as finding deals, I just used Froogle and fleabay. I got my 1/2 Wera Zyklop "top line" set with all the extras and top line extensions for €193 shipped. I see them going for the upper 200's on fleabay. There are also dealers that offer great pricing.

And yes, the Hazet and other stuff is way cheaper here. Even Facom seems to be a hidden gem. They're not CM cheap (and I'm also using monetary units and not actual currency exchange units), but in a relative sense, some items aren't too much higher than CM Pro, even from Hazet. Ratchets can be had in the 30-40 range fairly easily, but I see where things get expensive are the sockets. There's a wider variation in pricing, but they aren't SO high by a long shot. Combo wrenches are a bit higher than CM pro, maybe at the good pricing levels of SK.

However, if people in Germany aren't buying them and they are ungodly expensive in the US, who is buying these top brands?

To be honest, I've met with several people that wrench and use tools. Tools are considered throwaway items by most, and not investment items, or something that allows one to do a job properly and safely. Many think the pride I take in using the right tools, even, or getting good quality tools for the job makes no difference, but not only for me, but for those who are occupants in the car I own that I sometimes work on, I won't sacrifice. So I don't really know how this paradox works. Germany has great companies in Wera, Stahlwille, Gedore, and Hazet, but people here aren't using them, nor do they thing anything beyond supermarket tools are worth their money.

 

[goodfellow]

I live in the large DC metro area and the specialized car/tool swap meets and flea markets are pretty expensive. For that reason I always look for auctions, meets, or flea markets in more traditional "blue collar" and rural areas of the county or state.

It's the "blue collar" workers and mechanical trades that lived in rural communities and settled in established middle class communities. These folks valued good tools. Back in the day, they were the backbone of Sears and Wards tool marketing. They couldn't afford to have others fix things for them and were avid DIY'ers.

So in the spring and fall I go on road trips to rural areas in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Most all of my good finds have been in very rural areas where folks have lived for several generations. Many will sell some of Grandpa's tools at the local fleamarket or community garage sale. Farm auctions, or agricultural community fleamarkets will have many good tool bargains.

Only problem is that you have to get on the road and "off the beaten path". I actually like to "get lost" in some of these rural settings. People are usually much more friendly and helpful than in big Metro areas.

 

[Rickster]

Car show swap meets, garage or tag sales and my personal favorite the estate sale; if they're dieing, I'm buying!

 

[crashbumper]

I almost made a new post about something similar. I have been looking at some pawn shops here in AZ (Tempe/Chandler) and I have concluded that I will only score good stuff is if I can find one that does not have internet access.

Look at the prices at this place:

http://www.azgoodguys.com/products/tools/products.asp

Those don't seem like the steals other guys get. Maybe I'm just unlucky like that though.

meh.

 

[mikeatrpi]

I went to one in Stormville, upstate NY in 95-96 and picked up some tools that I had until last may, in fact.

Anyone know if this market is still running?

Edit: http://www.stormvilleairportfleamarket.com/directions.htm

It was still going last year! I haven't found many old tools there, but there are plenty of new chinese tools - HF type things. I did find a guy who sold abrasives, and got lots of sandpaper from him. I went back to get more and I couldn't find his booth again.

 

[T56 Impala]

So how do you find these estate sales and auctions? I have tried looking in CL and the local papers but nothing comes up. What is the magic search word for find these? ALl the "Estate Sales" around here are nothing more than garage sales of stuff that should be in a dump.

Honestly, I'm getting sick of paying eBay prices. Sometimes they aren't bad, but they are starting to climb and the selection isn't that great. I'd like to stuble on something interesting. I'd say about 1/3 of my old stuff is from my dad, 1/3 from eBay and the other 1/3 from the folks on this forum. I would love to venture out on my own!

 

[speed bump]

So how do you find these estate sales and auctions? I have tried looking in CL and the local papers but nothing comes up. What is the magic search word for find these? ALl the "Estate Sales" around here are nothing more than garage sales of stuff that should be in a dump.

Honestly, I'm getting sick of paying eBay prices. Sometimes they aren't bad, but they are starting to climb and the selection isn't that great. I'd like to stuble on something interesting. I'd say about 1/3 of my old stuff is from my dad, 1/3 from eBay and the other 1/3 from the folks on this forum. I would love to venture out on my own!

Most auction companies have a website. Once you get a lead on a couple auctions its not to hard to get in with the other people who go to them all the time and figure out where the next one is.

Just to give you a taste of what you find at an auction the entire contents of this box including the Ridgid pipe wrench cost me $25.

 

[Chris Adams]

For those looking for odd, old and low priced tools you need to find a swapmeet that is in a smaller town. Not the big ones in the city as they are full of pro vendors and pro buyers, but the smaller ones. In our local swapmeet there are days when nothing is worth bringing home, but there are days you could spend the whole day just sorting through old goodies. Best deals on working tools come from regular vendors who buy estate sales. Best deals overall come from old guys clearing out their own and their neighbors garages.

Today I just bought some odds and ends, a nice very old but like new Kline heavy cutters for 5 bucks, an impact gun, older 24 volt for 15 bucks, just stuff like that. There were some OLD wrenches, middle old wrenches, lots of Armstrong, Bonney, heck even some Spanish (from Spain, not Mexico) tools that looked interesting. I've got too many wrenches now so I'm not looking but there were some decent bargains and some really old stuff at a dozen or more vendors.

 

[Itzkwik]

So how do you find these estate sales and auctions?

Best place I've found for auctions is http://www.auctionzip.com/ Type in your zip, how many miles you're willing to drive, and tools in the keywords box. You're all set.

 

[sk farmer]

if you live in the midwest try midwest auctions.com. my auction service uses that sight on every sale. it is more popular in this area

 

[GrantMLS]

I am in northern indiana - i found some cool stuff on craigs list - got a great deal on a old box just full of tap and dies - it was the guys father and he just wanted to unload - got it for 15.00 also got a southbend lathe and an old bridge port mills for a few hundred but mechanic tools have been hard for me to find. And I know what u mean about ebay - I remember 6 years ago getting a bunch of SO and proto tools dirt cheap - now I can't find anything on ebay that seems reasonable.

 

[speed bump]

I am in northern indiana - i found some cool stuff on craigs list - got a great deal on a old box just full of tap and dies - it was the guys father and he just wanted to unload - got it for 15.00 also got a southbend lathe and an old bridge port mills for a few hundred but mechanic tools have been hard for me to find. And I know what u mean about ebay - I remember 6 years ago getting a bunch of SO and proto tools dirt cheap - now I can't find anything on ebay that seems reasonable.

Man if I could find stuff like that I wouldn't be complaining. If I see that kind of stuff they generally want a lot of money for it.

 

[GrantMLS]

True - a lot of old metal/machine shops in the area - also got a few nice arbor presses lately but still would like some nice classic rachets..