Buying Cheap

conetip

conetip

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I got a cheap bench grinder.
The 1st had to be returned, would not turn over.It was locked solid.
I really wanted my money back,but store policy is no refunds.Only store credit for other goods.
Anyway the replacement one needed a sign on the side of the box.


Correction
Required
After
Purchase.

It runs well now, that I spent 3 hours fixing what should have been done at the factory.
 
My rule of thumb is to never buy cheap on anything you plan on keeping for years.

I skimp on some things, but not tools, computers and not anything billiard related.....especially sight unseen. If I have a chance to look it over I can decide, but cheap, unplugged and in a box I will pass.
 
a bench grinder is a little off hand grinder for sharpening tools that sits on the side of a work bench.It has a fast spinning wheel for ruf and bulk shaping,and a slow wet stone for finish grinding.
It now runs quiet, smooth.
lol
 
buy American !

bet yer dadgum cheap benchgrinder wuz a furrin' impert from offshore !

Next time , try purchasing American made quality .

and you must always grind the surface of your benches to avoid those painful , nasty asssplinters !!!!!!
 
I am more a believer in quality before price, but this happens every now and again.

Recently I was involved in a deal (with a friend) that seemed like a bargain. Although not exactly what I wanted, it was cheap.

That exchange has cost me many, many wasted hours and potentially thousands of dollars in missed revenue... I wish I had gone another way.

Sometimes cheap, and free too, is way too expensive!
 
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Funny, how I was searching "bench grinder", as I am looking to add one to my shop (thinking cheapie), and this thread came up - I should take my own advice :grin-square:

Silly how sometimes we forget...
 
For bench grinders specifically, see if you can find a used baldor at a junk or metal yard. I was stupid and thought 50 that the guy was asking was too much.

I have never regretted paying too much for a top quality tool. Never. I have often regretted paying too little for a junk tool.

Also, with the advent of amazon reviews, you can now see real people reviews. I know after buying a new PC router to replace my trusty 20 yr old #690, seeing all the issues it had, and then reading about the exact same issues going back 5 yrs on amazon, I will never in my life buy another pc tool.
 
conetip said:
I got a cheap bench grinder.
The 1st had to be returned, would not turn over.It was locked solid.
I really wanted my money back,but store policy is no refunds.Only store credit for other goods.
Anyway the replacement one needed a sign on the side of the box.


Correction
Required
After
Purchase.

It runs well now, that I spent 3 hours fixing what should have been done at the factory.
Click to expand...
I have a bench grinder that is over 70 years old. I also have a band saw that is equally as old and they work perfectly. The wheels in the band saw are cast and weigh like 8 lbs apiece not like today's that are aluminum and have run-out the day you get it. I love older better built machinery and am always on the look out. By the way, the band saw, I paid $15.00 for it at a garage sale with no motor or blades. I reached up and gave the wheels a spin and they didn't stop spinning for 2 minutes. Brought it home, turned it up, hooked up a motor and that was it. The grinder was my grandfathers and I use it every day.
 
pains me to admit it . . .

It pains me to admit it but I have got good service out of the small power tools and grinders from Harbor Freight. I bought them as throw-aways and surely haven't treated them kindly.

I prefer quality tooling but too often I find the new stuff with the old school name on it is the same new school crap for four or five times the price. I like old iron, I'm not impressed with the new "american iron" that is usually made in Taiwan. Loved my old Starrett measuring tools too. They were all stolen years ago so being short on funds when I needed more I spent a few hundred on chinese crap instead of several thousand on Starrett tools. After awhile I bought several "nice" Starrett measuring tools at five times the price of the crap tools, and got exactly the same quality! In fact the first Starrett 0 to .5" mike I paid a hundred dollars for and another eight for a case for it wasn't as accurate as the fifteen dollar chinese crap that came in a wooden box. I sent Starrett their mike along with a nasty letter and the next one was much better.

Old iron is fine. New iron pretty much with any nameplate on it is a lot like sausage, you are often better off not knowing how it is made! Pulling the covers off of a $3000 lathe and a $17500 lathe the same size revealed about the same quality innards.

Hu
 
Appliances, furniture, tools were engineered to last. Once upon a time that is. How many people have an old round fridge downstairs for a bar fridge?
We had one. An appliance tech told me that these days appliances are built to last 4 to 6 years.

At one time, engineers, scientists built things to last. Now, I truly believe that time lines can and are built into our products.
Your TV will go south one day past 4 years and exactly when your warranty runs out, by one day of course.

We live in a throw away buy again world. I just bought a 42" LG LCD 1080p 120hz TV for $600. If I get 6 years from it and have to buy another, then $100 a year is not too bad. We are being trained to think this way.

I have an old All State battery charger that is probably 40 if not more years old. It still does the job. Last year I bought a new fancy shmancy
charger with a boost feature on it. I had to take it back twice before I got one that actually worked for more than a day.

I have old carpentry hand tools that my father gave me. Planes, braces and bits. There is no way on earth you can find that kind of quality in hand tools these days.

I think we can all agree that we all have a few stories to tell where this is concerned. Truly sad isn't it?
 
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Blue Hog ridr said:
There is no way on earth you can find that kind of quality in hand tools these days.

I think we can all agree that we all have a few stories to tell where this is concerned. Truly sad isn't it?
Click to expand...

Just something for you to consider -

ct17_glamour_shot_02.jpg



Chris
 
Blue Hog ridr said:
Appliances, furniture, tools were engineered to last. Once upon a time that is. How many people have an old round fridge downstairs for a bar fridge?
We had one. An appliance tech told me that these days appliances are built to last 4 to 6 years.

At one time, engineers, scientists built things to last. Now, I truly believe that time lines can and are built into our products.
Your TV will go south one day past 4 years and exactly when your warranty runs out, by one day of course.

We live in a throw away buy again world. I just bought a 42" LG LCD 1080p 120hz TV for $600. If I get 6 years from it and have to buy another, then $100 a year is not too bad. We are being trained to think this way.

I have an old All State battery charger that is probably 40 if not more years old. It still does the job. Last year I bought a new fancy shmancy
charger with a boost feature on it. I had to take it back twice before I got one that actually worked for more than a day.

I have old carpentry hand tools that my father gave me. Planes, braces and bits. There is no way on earth you can find that kind of quality in hand tools these days.

I think we can all agree that we all have a few stories to tell where this is concerned. Truly sad isn't it?
Click to expand...

Our water heater is now 48 years old...and it doesn't make noise or leak.

Jeff Livingston
 
so;d my business in '84

Blue Hog ridr said:
Appliances, furniture, tools were engineered to last. Once upon a time that is. How many people have an old round fridge downstairs for a bar fridge?
We had one. An appliance tech told me that these days appliances are built to last 4 to 6 years.

At one time, engineers, scientists built things to last. Now, I truly believe that time lines can and are built into our products.
Your TV will go south one day past 4 years and exactly when your warranty runs out, by one day of course.

We live in a throw away buy again world. I just bought a 42" LG LCD 1080p 120hz TV for $600. If I get 6 years from it and have to buy another, then $100 a year is not too bad. We are being trained to think this way.

I have an old All State battery charger that is probably 40 if not more years old. It still does the job. Last year I bought a new fancy shmancy
charger with a boost feature on it. I had to take it back twice before I got one that actually worked for more than a day.

I have old carpentry hand tools that my father gave me. Planes, braces and bits. There is no way on earth you can find that kind of quality in hand tools these days.

I think we can all agree that we all have a few stories to tell where this is concerned. Truly sad isn't it?
Click to expand...


I sold my business in 1984 with the agreement that some things stayed. Hated leaving my old ice box and most particularly my old enamel topped copper coiled water cooler. The water cooler was set about halfway up. Any colder and it hurt your teeth on 100 degree days. I think it would have started spitting ice.

The day after the new owners took over the ice box and cooler were in a dumpster. Dumb sh!ts!! They went and bought a bright shiney new cooler that didn't get the water cold set to max.

Hu
 
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