My buddy at the shop changed my mind about buying cheap tools

I was talking to Jake at the auto parts store on 43rd street last Tuesday and he told me he's been using a $12 harbor freight torque wrench for 3 years straight with no issues. Made me realize I've been dropping $80+ on fancy ones just because I thought they were better. Has anyone else had a cheap tool last way longer than you'd expect?

3 comments

3 Comments

kai_chen28d ago

Right, because who actually needs precision when you're just tightening lug nuts to "yeah that feels about right"? My neighbor has a set of those plastic calipers from the dollar store that still measure everything perfectly after five years. Meanwhile I bought a fancy digital micrometer and the battery died after two uses. Sometimes the cheap stuff is just built different, or maybe we're all just paying for the name on the box.

williamhenderson8d agoMost Upvoted

You mention the battery dying after two uses, and I wonder how much of that is just bad luck versus the design of these tools being too complicated for their own good. @kai_chen2, my dad has a pair of those el-cheapo plastic calipers he bought at a hardware store closing sale back in 2008, and they still slide smooth as butter. Meanwhile I have a digital caliper that I have to tap the zero button three times before it actually resets. Do you think there's something to be said for simpler tools that just work, or is it mostly about how well you take care of them?

beth_park8d ago

My neighbor bought a $15 rice cooker from a flea market back in 2017 and it still makes perfect rice every time, no buttons or timers or anything. Meanwhile my fancy one with all the settings just stopped working after a year. I feel like @williamhenderson is onto something with the simpler tools idea, it's like the cheaper stuff has less to break so it just keeps going. Reminds me of how my grandpa's old corded drill from the 80s still runs but my new cordless one crapped out after six months.