Tools you've tossed out or given away

Blackmarket · Jun 12, 2013

Thought I'd start a thread about tools you've tossed out or given away because you didn't know much about them or were naive.

I kick myself in the *** regularily for this one. I acquired a large blackhawk (I think that's the brand) hydraulic floor jack from the dealership I worked at for not a cent. Just needed to be rebuilt. While cleaning and boxing during a move. I got tired of moving it and took it to scrap metal place with some other junk.

Knowing what I know now ( I was in my early twenties) I should have kept it, rebuilt it, and started using it instead of the crappy import jacks I seem to wear out and purchase over and over again.

Farmall450 · Jun 12, 2013

The stuff I see scrapped...sad sometimes.

ijroorda · Jun 12, 2013

I sure wish I hadn't passed up so many tools at my grandpa's farm auction. I was in college at the time and wouldn't have had a place to store most of it anyway; however, sentimental value aside, I know I'm buying a lot of tools now that he would have given me then if I'd taken the time to look through and ask.

jakemac · Jun 12, 2013

I didn't toss them out myself but ..... I was once offered a pair of small old milling machines from a guy that was moving and had to clear out his shed. I declined because I didn't have the room to store them, and wasn't interested in rebuilding them at the time. I'm still p*ssed at myself for that one. I don't even know what make they were.

rusty65 · Jun 12, 2013

The dumbest thing I've ever thrown away was an old craftsman corded drill from the 60s the cord was all electrical taped and the rotor was drilled into to rebalance it ect it was pretty worn but it probably just needed a new cord.

crewchief888 · Jun 12, 2013

my 1st machinists top box.

a '60's vintage CM that my dad gave me when i started my apprenticeship in '76

somewhere along the line, during one one of my many moves, dad's SK hand box ('58) got misplaced

papshadalac · Jun 12, 2013

Matco air hammer....

G_P · Jun 12, 2013

An old portable compressor with no motor. It was old and probably built like a tank.

Sent from my C5120 using Tapatalk 2

bobcatdan · Jun 12, 2013

I had both sae and metric shallow and deep 1/2" craftsman impact sockets I gave to a buddy. I bought sunnex master kits that gave me a much wider range then the craftmans. Now that my thrid set of tools is building up pretty nice, those impacts would be nice.

shampoop · Jun 12, 2013

When the space savings are worth more than the tool, and they aren't worth selling.

I.E. Cheap chinese stuff that you get as swag, but you already have 1 or 2 of the exact same tool except of good quality. Straight to the garbage.

Blackmarket · Jun 12, 2013

Lately it seems any tool I give my kids to use I regret. After a week or so raining, I always seem to find them in the yard. What is the matter with them? Must be brain damage.

bobadame · Jun 12, 2013

A Kerney and Trecker #2 milling machine, a Marvel power hack saw with a bunch of new blades, A huge engine hoist built to work with large trucks. The wheels were too big to fit under a car.

ganymede · Jun 12, 2013

A nice old Trimo brand adjustable nut wrench (pipe style).
It had 2 big cracks in the collar. I dropped it off at a local garage to have it welded and the stoop who did it did no prep work at all, just made a line of weld over the top of the crack. Didn't even go all the way through. To make matters worse i discovered 2 more cracks after I got it back. I got frustrated and tossed it.
I now have a smaller version and ... noticed 2 cracks in the same spot.
This time I tightened it on the drive plug of a t handle and looked at the cracks while I pulled on it. They didn't get wider so the wrench stays and will be used.

I'd still like to have it welded by someone who actually knows what they're dong though.

jd_1138 · Jun 12, 2013

I never have tossed out any tools. Whatever cheap Chinese tools I decide to get rid of, they go into the .25 bin at my friend's flea market stall.

I stock up on Harbor Freight basics like needle nose pliers, screw drivers, and adjustable wrenches. I gave a basic set to my friend's son for his bike. And I sold a van to a woman, and I let her take a brand new pair of HF screw drivers for her DMV trip to install her plates. She had stated "ah, shoot, I have to stop at the Dollar Store for a screw driver on my way to the DMV." I gave her a slotted and a Phillips to cover what hardware they would give her. And the hood release plastic tab was missing, so I gave her a pair of Pittsburgh Tools small needle nose pliers and showed her how to open the hood with them. I had about a buck in all 3 tools. No biggie.

retrobuilder · Jun 12, 2013

Generic Autocraft "spark plug puller" and fuel line tool---all just cheap stamped weak metal that were more frustrating than helpful..recycled or returned.

toolaholic · Jun 12, 2013

Dewalt dw160,the older 3/8 angle drill w/ 3.2 amps , no variable speed and no reverse. I gave it to my father in law znd bought a bosch 1132vsr 3/8 angle drill w/ 3.8 amps, reverse,variable speed and a speed dial. The dewalt w/ no variable was a poor driver. And with no reverse left no room for mistakes ie no backing a screw or bit out.

ilovevocs · Jun 12, 2013

Can't really think of anything I'm a hoarder...I'm organized about it, but still see utility in everything even broken or junk tools. Wait one exception, craftsman quick wrench.

Boiler · Jun 12, 2013

shampoop said:
When the space savings are worth more than the tool, and they aren't worth selling.

I.E. Cheap chinese stuff that you get as swag, but you already have 1 or 2 of the exact same tool except of good quality. Straight to the garbage.

This. Trash or a scrap bucket. I probably have 2000 sockets in a bucket waiting to scrap.

eborcim · Jun 12, 2013

Gave a nice box of tools to a kid I work with.

byoungblood · Jun 12, 2013

I've tossed or gave away some cheapo no name import stuff before when it was just taking up room and I couldn't get anyone to bite at a yard sale. This last yard sale I was a bit more successful with my .25 cent bin and managed to actually get rid of a lot of it.

I keep a few cheapos around as beater tools, though I've found I've needed them less and less as I've acquired more of the right tools for the job.

flamewulfe · Jun 12, 2013

Gave away a set of Craftsman raised panel wrenches, US made. Also all my duplicate cheap Chinese pliers, Allen sets, etc, enough to fill an old Craftsman toolbox. Gave it all to my neighbor, who's making janitorial wages supporting 3 kids. Nicest guy I ever met; I sold him our aging Toyota Avalon for a steal, but it needs work. He needed wrenches, and when I told him they were only $20 for a combo pack at HF, I could see it in his eyes that it was almost unattainable. So I gave him all that stuff. Considering I have tools in triplicate, not a big deal.

Don't regret it at all. Never much liked Craftsman anyway. Absolutely made his day.

Givl Reggin · Jun 12, 2013

After my grandfather died, my grandmother gave me a box of his tools. I was probably 12 years old at the time. In it was two drills, a circular saw, a jig saw and a router. Well the drills was missing their chuck keys and none of the ones I had fit it, the router blew a fuse when I tried to turn it on and the circular saw's cord was cut and taped a few times. Well, that box sat on a shelf for a couple of years and in one of my 'cleaning tornado - this has got to go' moments - I toss them out. It wasn't until my grandmother died years later and I found the owners manuals for those tools that they were all Rockwell brand, probably from the late 40s or early 50s.

rsieracki · Jun 12, 2013

A like new Wilton 600S... was missing the C clip that attached the movable jaw to the handle assembly... I left it in a storage unit I moved out of as worthless ... oh if I knew then what I know now

Steroblan · Jun 13, 2013

Gave away a 3' spanner wrench, 3 jaw huge USA gear puller with 1" screw in nice shape, Nice older Skil worm drive and full set of carpenters tools and tool box to various friends since I didn't need them any more.

tjmonsen5 · Jun 13, 2013

Gave my buddy my first pair of wrenches. Ace hardware Taiwan which honestly served me well for many years. I replaced them with craftsman professionals and then again with snapon.

Thumper68 · Jun 13, 2013

36 inch band saw, needed a new motor, f'ing stupid

Rigid 300 with all the attachments, gave to a friend who was starting his own fire sprinkler company, he went bankrupt and the court sold it off with his other biz assets.

really old compressor, no idea on the make but the tank was good only used it when I was painting or sand blasting as extra air storage, Sold it in the local free shopper for $50 and the guy never came back to get it, ended up giving it to the guy installing the new water line.

28 inch platen from an old printing press would have made a great rotating welding table for welding pipe flanges.

4x4gearhead · Jun 13, 2013

I tossed those cam lock "adjustable" wrenches, Im trying to remember the name on them. I also passed up a tin box full of random sockets at a yard sale once that had a ton of vintage snap on in it, at the time I didnt wanna deal with more loose sockets but I now kick myself cause the guy wanted $5...Not sure what the **** came over me.

djjsr · Jun 13, 2013

60 year old Atlas lathe in pristine condition. At the time I didn't have room for it. Now I have room and no lathe.

NHBandit · Jun 13, 2013

I'm about to but it's not a mistake and I know what I'm doing.. lol I used to build racecars and have "retired" from watching all my extra money go up in smoke. But I still have some of the tools that were useful when working on them like 2 air operated pop rivet guns. Yesterday a friend who hasn't come to his senses and still has a racecar asked if I had one he could borrow so I told him he could have one to keep as soon as I made sure it still worked. Going to run by today and drop off a vintage US made rivet gun made by United Shoe Machinery Corp that is probably 50 years old and will likely outlast him. (He is in his mid 60s and still driving a Super Late Model circle track car). Yeah it would look cool on my shelf as a "display" piece but it would be much more usefull attaching body panels to racecars. Besides I love being able to go to his shop and wrench on racing stuff without having to remove my wallet from my pocket. It's alot more fun this way...

crewchief888 · Jun 13, 2013

i came across a set of old wards powrkraft boxes with a bunch of misc CM tools a couple years ago.
when we moved out of our shop i had no room for the boxes at home.
i loaded up the boxes and all the "spare" tools i had and gave them to a friend of mine that seemed to never be able to even find a screwdriver when he needed one....

having the boxes he was finally able to put his meager amount of tools together in one place.
he came to the realization, he didnt have very much.

:beer:

ganymede · Jun 13, 2013

flamewulfe said:
Gave away a set of Craftsman raised panel wrenches, US made. Also all my duplicate cheap Chinese pliers, Allen sets, etc, enough to fill an old Craftsman toolbox. Gave it all to my neighbor, who's making janitorial wages supporting 3 kids. Nicest guy I ever met; I sold him our aging Toyota Avalon for a steal, but it needs work. He needed wrenches, and when I told him they were only $20 for a combo pack at HF, I could see it in his eyes that it was almost unattainable. So I gave him all that stuff. Considering I have tools in triplicate, not a big deal.

Don't regret it at all. Never much liked Craftsman anyway. Absolutely made his day.

joshmodelskidoo · Jun 14, 2013

i generally only get rid of tools when i upgrade. they usually go to a friend or family member. but some make it to the scrap bucket

daddy2coull · Jun 15, 2013

Everything from mac tools

Tools you've tossed out or given away

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