emery_craig•2mo agoMost Upvoted

Spent $80 on a used slide hammer from a shop closing sale...

It looked fine, but the threads were stripped on the main shaft and it failed on the first door skin I tried to pull. Now I'm out the cash and still need the tool. What's your rule for buying used equipment to avoid getting burned like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

patking2mo ago

Ever think a quick look was enough? I used to until a cheap jack stand folded on me. Now I test every function before the cash leaves my hand.

elizabeth_bailey262mo ago

Honestly that sounds like overkill to me. Most stuff from a decent store works fine right out of the box. Testing every single thing just holds up the line and wastes time. Patking, your bad luck with one jack stand doesn't mean every item needs a full check. For example, a new phone or a simple tool, you can see it's fine. That level of distrust seems like more trouble than it's worth.

julia_jones721mo ago

So you're saying trust is smarter than checking, until the next stripped thread leaves you stranded.