5 Tools Best Bought Secondhand
Days when you buy a new tool are bright spots in the seemingly endless slog of working on a project car. Placing a shiny new tool onto a bench covered with rusty, crusty parts and pieces can reinvigorate your desire to work. Often that new tool makes or breaks our ability to get the task done. Tools are important, but that doesn’t mean you need to go into debt when buying them.
Finding used tools has never been easier for people with a little grease under their fingernails. At times it’s almost easier to find used tools in good condition than it is to find new ones of high quality. Remember, if you can’t test the function of a tool, assume you’ll need to rebuild or repair it. You can consume a great deal of time and money getting a cheap used tool up to the condition you thought it was in when you bought it.
However, not all used tools are money pits. Here are a few that make sense to purchase used.
Box-End Wrenches
Box-end wrenches really don’t wear out if used properly. Since they are easy to inspect, you can easily know whether the ones you are buying are damaged or abused. For DIY newcomers, there is no better option; even if you do buy a “better” set of wrenches later, this one will be perfect for filling out road-trip tool kits. You might even modify a few for special jobs.
Ratchets
When it comes to ratchets, you can save a lot of money if you are willing to put in a little extra work. Get familiar with the one you want, and what it takes to refurbish it. Rebuild kits can turn a beat-up, high-quality ratchet into a near-new one in an afternoon and the process is easier than you might think.
That said, success isn’t guaranteed. I love my Snap-on ratchets and didn’t hesitate for a second to buy them right off the truck because I was having a hard time finding the tools I wanted, in rebuildable condition, for a price that made any sense.
Hack Saws
These simple saws come in clutch from time to time. Hack saws pop up at garage sales regularly and are often only a couple bucks. Since the blade is a consumable, something you will be replacing anyway, you only need to inspect the frame to make sure it’s not twisted or broken. That’s easy to check by eye. The consequences for error are relatively low: Should a hacksaw frame fail, there is not much risk of significant injury, so long as you are using it properly. Plus, the design has changed little over time.
Clamps
Since evolution has yet to give mechanics the third hand we so desperately need, it’s basically impossible to have enough clamps in your shop—anything that can help hold pieces of your project, from locking jaw pliers or long pipe clamps. Finding good used examples can save some money, and the only difference between new and used may boil down to appearance.
Punches
To be honest, I can’t tell old hardened steel from new hardened steel if you put both in my hands. Even the best punches eventually get used, as they are tools that are either sitting in storage or being struck with other tools. They lead a rough life, but punches can last a very long time, especially specialty ones or oddly sized versions. Those make for great swap-meet finds.
What else in your toolbox would you rather pick up used than purchase new? Tell us in the comments below.
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Three main criteria: Good Brand Names, Decent Condition, and (Most Important) “Made in U.S.A.” Otherwise, consider them as disposable…
While my preference is U.S. made, have you ever used German or Japanese tools? Those can absolutely be top tier.
If you work on Japanese vehicles then Japanese “Philips” screwdrivers fit much better, as their standard is different than actual Philips. If memory serves it’s called “JIS” for “Japanese Industrial Standard”. Their engineers didn’t like the fact that Philips design would push the screwdriver out, so they modified the design to grab the screw and give a flat plane perpendicular to the shaft of the screw to apply torque. It works considerably better, but I don’t think it works any better on actual Philips screws.
i bought roughly $10k in assorted tools for $300 (from a gal whose jack-of-all-trades father ascended) about 25 yrs ago. it included about a half dozen hack saws. one of the things i learned from having so many is to put a blade of a different tooth count in each one. now, i don’t hafta change the blade when needing one with a different tooth count. can i call this a mechanic’s hack???
Now that’s a HACK hack – FOR hacks!
Older bench grinders. The new ones are mostly junk, lean into them a little and the junk stops turning. Bought a used one off marketplace last year. I took a piece of steel and tested a it out before buying And old bench vises. Usually decent prices for an older quality one better than most new ones
Hammers! Another easy to inspect tool that can be had for pennies on the dollar when used.
Young People and Tools? What is a wrench or screw driver ? Why doesn’t the pointy end work in the slot? Will I get my hands dirty? Thank God my kids helped me with my car and around the house. Had a customer once who answered my question of why he didn’t hang the pictures on the wall. Answer: ” I don’t know how” as he plopped his butt down on the couch to watch cartoons. Oh well, we don’t need to know how or why when all we have to do is pick up the phone and make a call for HELP!
Make a call? What’s that? You mean ask Siri for help, right? 😂
I was a flea mafket vendor yearly for 25 seasons . The most important advice I can give is to research what a tool you want costs new verses the used price of any thing for sale. When you find a treasure at a market or else where you won’t get burned on the price.
So true. Box end wrenches from the past are also better made than new ones, even within the same brand. I prefer old Macs – if you compare them to new ones, the older ones are thinner and more delicate — which is what you want. A modern craftsman, kobalt or other cheap brand will be much thicker metal, since the metal itself is softer and weaker, so there needs to be more of it to equal the same strength. That’s not what you want when working in a tight area. If you are looking for something old and used, besides searching for known US brand like Mac or Snap-On, search for Japanese brands like KTC or German brands like Hazet or Stahlwille. You’ll be hooked.
I have many hand-me-down tools, some close to 100 years old and still as good as the day they were made. I always look for tools at garage sales, older tools are made of metal not plastic.
What I want to know is how you got into my garage and take a picture of my main toolbox drawer. Hmmm.
Best tools to buy used, a quality USA made bench vise. They are indispensable and last forever. Drill press prefer US made Craftsman or Rockwell. Snap-On hand tools are my favorite but not often found used. A lot of mentions on here about Craftsman hand tools, I prefer Craftsman hand tools made in USA. The Craftsman tools not identified as USA made are usually Chinese made and not as reliable, I have learned this from experience. Mauls and sledgehammers preferred with wood handles. 6 point sockets, 12 point sockets do wear out. Same goes for box wrenches. Corded electric tools, batteries have a relatively short life and are often discontinued after a few short years. IR or CP air tools. The CP air impact wrench is one of the most copied on the market, they are often rebuildable and if properly cared for can last a lifetime.
I inherited much of the tool selection in my cabinets including the cabinets from an uncle who passed away in the 80s. Uncle Walter grew up mechanically inclined and owned a number of businesses over the years including a couple of Texaco stations over the years. Most of the tools were acquired in the 1950s thru the 70s. from my uncle’s MAC tool dealer. A few of the really specialty tools I sold to a friend in the 80s who had just become a journeyman. Tools I knew I would never use. Tools I have never needed since. The tools I kept and use are worn like only well used old tools can be and I love using them. Many more tools I picked up in local second hand stores since. Occasionally we go Stateside and the Bellingham Wa. Goodwill has provided a few jewels. Any tool with ‘made in USA” or “made in Canada” is worth consideration. The one exception is a set of metric wrenches my Dad purchased new in the late 70s to repair my Mom’s 1969 Toyota. These were made in Korea and I still use them today. Occasionally I come across a need for something unique in a hurry and give in and buy from a store like (Canada) Princess Auto or Canadian Tire. Some of these have held up. Most were stamped “made in China” and were an inexpensive one use items.
It’ s a little late first set a tools I bought from sears in fall 1968 had all these items in it except the clamps the full tool box & tool only cost me 199.00