Ever regret buying an expensive but really good tool

Rob Keeble

Member
Messages
12,633
Location
GTA Ontario Canada
Many moons ago when i graduated and set up my toolbag (which i still have btw) i splurged on a good set of screwdrivers (German made Gedore) still have them going strong, long nose pliers , side cutters and Weller Soldering Iron that is still going strong working on a 110v to 220v transformer.

Well getting into woodworking i have over time done the same and had to agree with a ytuber by name of Ave in a review he did on his go to and not so go to screwdrivers , when he raised the point of how , you never really regret the price you pay for a really good tool.

By this let me define my version of good tool very simply by saying its not about the brand or price but how well it fits its purpose and how well you find you can do the job with it and how long it keeps doing that job the same way.

There are also those Gems that come at incredible prices for what they are and work equally well and totally a delight given the incredible value for money differential. One of those tools for me is the HF portable bandsaw this has to top out as best all time tool i have ever acquired in the performance value for money category.

Some woodworking really impressive tools for me are...

Lee Valley low angle block plane....how can life proceed without it.

The iBox jig by Incra...just works and really well.
My Incra Mitre gauge oh man totally changed my table saw.
Biesmeyer Fence on table saw.
Bosch orbital sander
DW 735 planer
No longer available zip code Sears table saw.
Flexcut carving knife.
Pfeil carving chisels
Lie Neilson dovetail saw
My ebay Stanley jointer plane
My Stanley #5 gift from good friend plane. (FREE)
Dremel tool and flex ext but all Dremel brand not no name version.
DMT diamond sharpening stone.
Milwaukee 3hp router
Jessem master lift 2 router lift.

Naturally i have many other tools and machines but these stand out for me right now such that my failing memory has absolutely no problem with recalling the great experience and delight each time i get to use them.

So what would your thoughts on this subject be and what Gems are on your list that you stepped up and paid for or were given by a friend but that perform with absolute and utter delight.
 
Last edited:
I have always found myself fretting over the price at the time of purchase.
Given some sufficient time after purchase I have completely forgotten price.

GREAT tools - just work great from time of purchase, and forevermore. Price long forgotten.

Junk tools work great for a very short time, frustration ongoing - money saved as a constant reminder, price never to be forgotten.
 
I bought an excellent biscuit joiner once and used it once. I guess I don't regret it since I sold it for about what I paid for it when the quality of so many tools began to take a dive.
 
I think that the main problem is that one only knows when it is a good when one uses it for a while, not just a few cuts when it is new, and how it performs after time. The word "expensive" comes into play when the expectations are not met, that can be inmediately after purchase which gives the opportunity to give it back and try to get a refund, or after some time when it breaks down and there is no possible refund.

If it meets the expectations the word expensive is substituted by "being worth it" if not then it may change to "rip off", "swindle or fraud"

ANother issue is when you have paid a price for it and then you find it at 20% less somewhere else.

Not to mention wether we should take into acount the after sale service which in some expensive tools is almost inexistent.
 
I don't recall many regrets, other than not having enough room for the expensive tools I bought and having to sell them. I had a grizzly 13" planer/moulder which had horrible instructions for the moulding use. Broke a set of blades sending part of them all across my shop. :eek: As a planer it worked really well and could run it half speed (moulding speed) and get the smoothest boards that didn't need a lot of sanding. Sold it to by BIL, whom has planed thousands of board feet with it since.

Tools that I have and are always impressed with:
My Delta contractors saw (about 30 years old now)
Sears Radial Arm
Hobart Mig Welder
Bosch Jig Saw
Dewalt Grinders
Dewalt Biscuit Joiner
Bosch Orbital Sander
PC Routers, 690 models

Now what impresses me are all the cheap tools I've bought and used for things that they were never intended to do. ;) :D

dont_worry_i_can_fix_it_640_34.jpg patentes-pigan-allo-epipedo-5.jpg there-i-fix-it-09.jpg 77537a0fabc13912d150a908dc088e09.jpg
 
Last edited:
I really hope that's your old truck Darren!

I've never regretted buying a quality tool. But I have regretted a few of the cheaper ones I bought.
 
Nice ride, Darren. :D I'll bet that JVC stereo really cranks!

Rob, I know the feeling you're describing. I have several tools that seemed expensive at the time that have been totally worth the money in the long run. But I tend to gauge my tools by how much they make me smile when I use them. Some are the expensive ones, and others were cheap. If they work as intended, every time, they generally make me smile. Some standouts, in no particular order:

Incra miter gauge
Incra fence on my tablesaw
Ridgid TS3650 tablesaw
Powermatic lathe
Stihl chainsaw
Bosch jigsaw
Grex 2" pneumatic ROS
Harbor Freight dead blow hammers
Asturo mini HVLP spray gun
Eaton compressor (way beefier than I need)
Echo string trimmer

I'm sure there are others that don't immediately come to mind.
 
No regrets with the Leig D4 dovetail jig or the Festool TS55 track saw. Glad I bought them went I did, saved $$ by buying early and saved a lot on material I did not waste. My prized treasure was free, vernier caliper hand made by my grandfather in 1875 during military engineer training at the U.S. Frankford ArsenalIMG_1248.jpg.
 
I've never jumped into the realm of the really high end tools, so my definition of a good tool might differ from someone else's, but I've never regretted buying a good tool in situations where a cheap tool probably would have sufficed. I've especially never regretted buying better bits and blades.

...that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good discount on a good tool though! :D
 
When I changed jobs a few years ago, my long time colleagues gave me a very generous Lee Valley gift card. I pondered what to buy for many months before settling on the Veritas medium shoulder plane. It's not a tool that I would have otherwise had at the top of my wish list, but I wanted something with lasting value. It quietly reminds me every time I use it, of the great friends I had the privilege of working with.
Mack Cameron's venerable 8 inch Rockwell jointer also gives me great satisfaction and reminds me of Mack every time I fire it up and the fact it's been too long since we last had one of our very enjoyable conversations! Have to do something about that on my next time through Toronto.
 
Mack Cameron's venerable 8 inch Rockwell jointer also gives me great satisfaction and reminds me of Mack every time I fire it up and the fact it's been too long since we last had one of our very enjoyable conversations! Have to do something about that on my next time through Toronto.
I'm still here, Peter! Just not as mobile as I once was. My 4 wheeled scooter lets me get around Brooklin, but I can still drive to Timmies by the 401 when you are passing by. It would be great to visit with you over a coffee and a Boston Cream doughnut!
 
I'm still here, Peter! Just not as mobile as I once was. My 4 wheeled scooter lets me get around Brooklin, but I can still drive to Timmies by the 401 when you are passing by. It would be great to visit with you over a coffee and a Boston Cream doughnut!

We'll make it happen, Mack! I haven't made that road trip for a while, but I do go through Pearson Airport quite often, so we'll get it organized. Had that jointer humming again just the other day, btw :thumb:
 
My pops always told me, "buy once, cry once" and I have lived by that motto! :) I was on the hunt for the best whittling knife recently and picked up that Spyderco in the list I linked and it sure is a sweet knife but it definitely set me back a few pennies.

With that in mind, I usually always go with the high end tools and have never been disappointed. I also look at my tools as an investment, and I would never invest in crap. I have had tools last a decade or more.
 
Last edited:
Top