Shoutout to the guy who sold me a $50 used timing light that died after one job

I dropped cash on a bargain timing light off Facebook Marketplace, figured it was a steal at $50 compared to the $200 Snap-on ones. Guy swore up and down it worked perfect, only used it twice. First job, a basic Chevy 350 tune-up, it fired up fine then just went dark on me halfway through setting the advance. Had to borrow my buddy's old Craftsman one that cost him $20 at a yard sale and it still works like a champ. So here's the debate: do you gamble on used tools to save a buck, or just bite the bullet and buy new? I'm leaning toward new after this, but my buddy says I just got unlucky. What do you guys think, ever get burned bad on a used tool that looked like a good deal?

2 comments

2 Comments

sagep1920d ago

Man that sucks, I feel your pain. A buddy of mine snagged a used Snap-on impact gun off Craigslist for eighty bucks, looked clean and even spun up fine when he tested it with a battery. He took it home to do his lug nuts and the thing started smoking after the third one. Turned out the brushes were shot and the guy must've known, just cleaned it up and dumped it. He ended up spending another forty bucks on parts to fix it plus a Saturday afternoon, so he barely broke even. I stick to new or beaters from yard sales now because I've seen too many of those "barely used" stories end in headache.

milaprice20d ago

Speaking of "barely broke even" - @sagep19, that reminds me of the time I found a "like new" drill press at a garage sale for thirty bucks. Got it home, turned it on, and it sounded like a dying blender for five minutes before the belt just snapped.