Tools/machines you bought that were a mistake

[Oldiron2]

I have multiple air guns (nails and staples) that I RARELY use.

I have tools I rarely use, but when I do, most of them I absolutely need; nothing else can do the job.

[farmersammm]

Dial indicator style sheet metal gauge. Looked nice, but stupid. You can just use a mic.

Bathroom scale. Oh COME ON!!!!!!! Like yer ever gonna use it?????????

[jpump5]

Dial indicator style sheet metal gauge. Looked nice, but stupid. You can just use a mic.

Bathroom scale. Oh COME ON!!!!!!! Like yer ever gonna use it?????????

Yeah , those dial thickness gauges are probably not real useful in
most home shops. They are much better than micrometers for
“in process “ measuring of sheet materials in mills. Measuring
thickness of material that’s moving at a several hundred feet per
minute is pretty challenging with a micrometer. Also for good sorting
parts by size.

[shortfuse]

Big DeWalt plunge router and tenon-making tools...still in boxes for 15 years. Decided against making cedar furniture. One of my best friends just had his shop and 40 years worth of tools burn. Will be gifting those to him.

[VaughnT]

Gotta say, the Ultra Jig from Yesteryear Forge has been one of those things I really regret buying. It's top quality all the way around and I've used it to make thousands of hooks and whatnot, but now that I've had it for awhile I can see that I only ever really use it for making a few select sizes of bends. For the money, I would have been far better off trying to collect up circles of one size or another, making small jigs that were easy to move about. The UJ is 3/4" thick, 14x14", iirc, and is a bear to get in and out of the vise when I need it. Plus the holes for the pins don't go all the way through so any scale and dust just builds up in them until you either blow it out or flip it over.

For $400 plus shipping.... well, I wish I knew then what I know now!

[Sberry]

We are in an era now where a lot of stuff is soi much cheaper, all different than true production equipment but even a common grinder can be had for 30$ is really a trade worthy tool. Its still easy to get sucked in to the "best" and live in fear of a little loss so I spend out of fear instead of looking at a pretty good HF record now, beats the snot out of Sears the last 30 years. Today would look for the generic versions first and then upscale, kind of reverse of older thinking as much with the buy once idea. Truth is so much stuff we thought would be temp or utility ended up in real service, still there. Contrary to a lot of popular belief the cheap combo wrench has been a blessing, made more with those than the good ones in the long run.

[Sberry]

Yes, same with lot of jigs/pullers. So many a use or 2, dont need every one in the set and the universal not always the easiest,,, great some of it will do a 1000 things but we dont do that.

[Munkul]

Gotta say, the Ultra Jig from Yesteryear Forge has been one of those things I really regret buying. It's top quality all the way around and I've used it to make thousands of hooks and whatnot, but now that I've had it for awhile I can see that I only ever really use it for making a few select sizes of bends. For the money, I would have been far better off trying to collect up circles of one size or another, making small jigs that were easy to move about. The UJ is 3/4" thick, 14x14", iirc, and is a bear to get in and out of the vise when I need it. Plus the holes for the pins don't go all the way through so any scale and dust just builds up in them until you either blow it out or flip it over.

For $400 plus shipping.... well, I wish I knew then what I know now!

It's a cool looking jig though, looks well made!

[Munkul]

One of these grinders is a fake. It was 1/5th of the cost of the real one. I was really pleased with it for a while. Ideal having 3 cordless - one with a cut-off disc, one with a flap disc, and one for poly wheel or grinding wheel.

The brushless motor has plenty power, and it's got way more umph than the old brushed model, and the gearbox is quite decent on it.
...But it's let down with stupid cheap bits.
The switch failed altogether because the internal linkage was weak. Had to brace it with some sheet metal and epoxy. It still doesn't work reliably every time.
The spindle nut is cheap and loose on the threads. The side handle is horrible. (replaced these with old ones from a real grinder)
Worst of all, the spindle lock button is glued together. When it fails, it drops the pin into the spindle and locks it solid. It fell apart once and I re-glued it. Fell apart a 2nd time on a job site last month and I wasted an hour running back to the shop to get a 2nd grinder.

I was furious with myself for being a cheapskate and I've sworn never to buy fake tools ever again. Just not worth it, not if you need them to work!

[farmersammm]

One of these grinders is a fake. It was 1/5th of the cost of the real one. I was really pleased with it for a while. Ideal having 3 cordless - one with a cut-off disc, one with a flap disc, and one for poly wheel or grinding wheel.

The brushless motor has plenty power, and it's got way more umph than the old brushed model, and the gearbox is quite decent on it.
...But it's let down with stupid cheap bits.
The switch failed altogether because the internal linkage was weak. Had to brace it with some sheet metal and epoxy. It still doesn't work reliably every time.
The spindle nut is cheap and loose on the threads. The side handle is horrible. (replaced these with old ones from a real grinder)
Worst of all, the spindle lock button is glued together. When it fails, it drops the pin into the spindle and locks it solid. It fell apart once and I re-glued it. Fell apart a 2nd time on a job site last month and I wasted an hour running back to the shop to get a 2nd grinder.

I was furious with myself for being a cheapskate and I've sworn never to buy fake tools ever again. Just not worth it, not if you need them to work!

Nice table........reminds me of your disparaging remarks about my table.................which hurt me to the quick...........nay, hurt me to the bone!!

Then, after therapy, I recovered(somewhat), and got to thinking...................

My cheezy, but adequate, table represents maybe two Momma cows that I can afford without a thought.(Maybe not a huge thought, but a thought, none the less.......let's not get crazy). The Uranus portable table trestles (model 17t) do a fine job of making up for a table top that somewhat resembles Swiss Cheeeeeez. Southern Engineering at its zenith.

[Munkul]

hurt me to the quick...........nay, hurt me to the bone!!

Then, after therapy, I recovered(somewhat)

I'm glad to hear of your recovery

[Sberry]

Everyone buys little stuff they dont use but its the big early ones that hurt.

[bead-boy]

I have bought tools with spin'ny bits made of plastic. Plastic bits that spin don't last very long.

1) Low end Delta table top belt / disc sander with a plastic pulley on a metal splined shaft. Usable again after a dab of epoxy.

2) Remington brand 110v corded chainsaw with small metal drive gear to a large plastic reduction gear. New plastic gear +shipping was almost same cost as the saw, so declined. May find use for it's motor some day (wife accuses me of being a pack rat)

[smithdoor]

I agree 👍
They stick out like a sore thumb 👍

Dave

Everyone buys little stuff they dont use but its the big early ones that hurt.

[farmall]

https://www.chopcult.com/news/articl...rm-cycles.html

If you know any motorcycle enthusiasts who do fab and frame straightening they might like that table.

[whtbaron]

https://www.chopcult.com/news/articl...rm-cycles.html

If you know any motorcycle enthusiasts who do fab and frame straightening they might like that table.

Cool... I don't think I'd have any regrets about that one...

[CAVEMANN]

36" swing and 12.5" spindle hole.

Dave

That sounds like an oil field lathe. We had a 48 X 244" lathe at the machine shop, but it only had a 4 inch hole through the headstock, no idea what it weighed, but was one of my favorites, my other favorite was the Horizontal boring mill.

[In Utopia]

The only one that comes to mind is a 2 bladed saw I got at HF. Used it once and that was it.

[bigcreek]

Two things for me. First off Harbor Freight grinders. Garbage. But they were cheap at the $9.99 sale price at the time so no biggey. The big item I purchased that I am not pleased with is a Baileigh hydraulic programmable tube roller. It is about impossible to make repeat bends, even if the numbers on the display are the same from piece to piece. It marks up the tubing, NOT a good quality machine. Crap machine actually and it came with a big price tag. I still have it and use it but for repeatability and such there are WAY better machines out there. But that isnt news to anyone I am sure.

[Sberry]

Yes, a cheap 9.99 grinder isnt in the same class as the bender. Even though we hear about a few survivors with that HF grinder they are really junk and just cant make it only so cheap. Now days you can get a grinder as good as most 100$ or more ones for about 40$. While this will bring the comments about power and all day truth be known where the work really is on overhead etc most people are not strong enuf for long enuf to really utilize raw power in a small grinder for very long and really simply overloading the wheel past a certain point anyway. The user here is not a teenager in a production plant, its intermittent. We all wanna feel like a baddazz with a grinder but that really aint so and if you are a pro and still leaning that hard on it long in to a career you are doing something wrong/

[Sberry]

Freebird and Pop not leaning on grinders that much and worth noting in Birds pic working on heavy plate and a bat powered grinder sitting there, mostly cleaninmg grooves and slag from gap fill/stripper pass etc.

[Bob E.]

I've been disappointed with about every multi-miracle-tool I've ever bought. Swiss Army, Dremel, and Chicago Electric all came to mind right away.
I recently bought a 'smart' inverter battery charger that's supposed to pulse charge bad batteries to disulfate the plates. It will pulse away on a good battery and be like 'RePaIreD', but the dumb thing refuses to work on any battery that actually needs it. Definitely designed by some participation trophy twerps.

[N2 Welding]

Miller 330 abp tig machine. I have never used it and it just takes up space. Any one want it? Make an offer. Next is the millermatic 35s with no gun. Never tried it and it’s just taking up space.

[old miner called Pop]

This
Worst piece of crap I ever had the displeasure of owning or being owned by...started falling apart 1st day i used it...fought that thing for 3 weeks and finally took it off my truck and had the guy from Ingersoll come look at it, he couldn't find the trouble so I put it back on the truck same **** happened...took it back off the truck and shot the damn thing 4 times with my double barrel 12 gauge and bought a Champion...been runnin that Champion 5 years now.

Im not so sure about this Chief 4 1/2-inch air grinder I bought from Harbor Freight either, for the amount of time Im goin to be able to use it with the humidity I might just give it to Joe for the fellas to use in the shop

[12V71]

This
Worst piece of crap I ever had the displeasure of owning or being owned by...started falling apart 1st day i used it...fought that thing for 3 weeks and finally took it off my truck and had the guy from Ingersoll come look at it, he couldn't find the trouble so I put it back on the truck same **** happened...took it back off the truck and shot the damn thing 4 times with my double barrel 12 gauge and bought a Champion...been runnin that Champion 5 years now.

Im not so sure about this Chief 4 1/2-inch air grinder I bought from Harbor Freight either, for the amount of time Im goin to be able to use it with the humidity I might just give it to Joe for the fellas to use in the shop

Bought one of those compressors last spring. Total junk, the Kohler seems to be the problem. Shakes everything apart. Got an older one with a 13 HP honda that does great.