it's expensive to be cheap

[azguzzirep]

Ever buy a cheapie tool or tire or something trying to save money only to have it cost you more in the end than it would have if you had just bit the bullet and paid the higher price for what you needed in the first place?

Once I had to replace a power steering pump on my Chevy pickup . I had another pump but it had the wrong pulley on it, now for single belt and I needed the original two belt pulley from the original pump.

I was all set to buy a sweet but expensive puller from NAPA when I saw that HF had a set for half the price . I bought the HF one and it simply folded under the stress requires to get the original pulley off the pump.

So I went to NAPA and bought the good one  cussing myself for being cheap, er, thrifty 😊

So what is your story?

[Rotten Ralph]

Too many expensive/cheap stories to remember but one time I did buy the right tool for the right job. That was exhilarating! 

[MGrego]

Yeah, I bought a Norge that has never ending issues instead of an R1200RT ......  Just Kidding !!

[pikipiki]

Never buy cheap paint! that's sooo expensive.

[JJ]

When one starts buying tools / accessories at Harbor Freight / Tractor Supply company...this is what happens to their Guzzi!   (I personally like the "GAS MASK" - nice touch!

[Caffeineo]

For some reason this is a lesson I learned long ago and yet continue to repeat the process. It just has not penetrated my thick skull.......yet. 

[normzone]

The cat carrier luggage is nice, but I want to know how he mounted those horns. I have some Hella horns that need to go on the Bassa.

[nc43bsa]

Must be really concerned about the temperature.

I count 3 thermometers, but I may have missed one.

[atavar]

I don't know how many special tools I have bought to avoid that shop service fee and do it myself (ok, part of it is the fun of doing) that I have used exactly once. 
My Grandfather once advised me that to save money do what you do well and pay others to do what they do well.  You would think I could figure that out.

[JJ]

The cat carrier luggage is nice, but I want to know how he mounted those horns. I have some Hella horns that need to go on the Bassa.

I have used dual red HELLA (aka, loud German 139 dB) horns on my last four Guzzis and they replace those useless stock horns. - - and they pay for themselves the first time a moron cager cuts in front of you! :1:

[Arizona Wayne]

I was all set to buy a sweet but expensive puller from NAPA when I saw that HF had a set for half the price . I bought the HF one and it simply folded under the stress requires to get the original pulley off the pump.

So I went to NAPA and bought the good one  cussing myself for being cheap, er, thrifty 😊

So what is your story?
[/quote]



Hey, I resemble that remark !!     Actually tho I'm thrifty it usually doesn't backfire on me too much as far as $ goes.  And if it does I have no 1 to blame but myself. 

[drw916]

I have learned to by high quality tools.  Unfortunatly, I have not learned how to use them properly so it still is very expensive to repair what I have worked on.

[bobdar]

My friends send me things like this...

[ITSec]

I've bought some tools or other things that were intentionally cheap, since I figured I'd only need them once. Thinking back, the ratio is probably about 2/3rds success (i.e., it worked well enough and lasted long enough to meet the need), and 1/3 regret. I have gradually increased the frequency with which I 'invest' in better tools or products, but sometimes I still make a tactical choice to go cheap. I just have to remind myself that there's at least a one in three chance I'll be headed back to the store to spend what I should have in the first place.

[JJ]

We might have to start a separate thread in the spirit of Jeff Foxworthy something like this...

* If you buy your tools and accessories at Harbor Freight or Tractor Supply...you just might be a cheap Guzzi Geezer...

* If you ride your rear tire until the chord is showing through...just to get your money's worth...you just might be a cheap Guzzi Geezer...

* If you wear red suspenders...and still think its cool and fashionable...you just might be a cheap Guzzi Geezer...
 
* If you go to a Guzzi Rally, where the Friday night dinner offering is $5 for all the pizza and non-alcoholic beverages you can eat or drink...and you go: "Here's a dollar...I am only going to have one slice..." ...you just might be a cheap Guzzi Geezer...

The list goes on and on and on....(Just like the Energizer Bunny!!) :1:

[Noguzznoglory]

Every time I buy a cheap tool it aggravates me no end when I use it and it reminds me I should have bought the good one.

[sign216]

My Grandfather once advised me that to save money do what you do well and pay others to do what they do well.  You would think I could figure that out.

Great advice, and yet, I'm not sure what I do well, or what other's do well.

[charlie b]

Well, I have a ton of cheap tools that do the job intended.

Cheap that didn't work.  HF battery powered stuff.  I used up two drills in less than a year before I got a used Makita (my son used it for two years as an electrician in a lumber mill).  Wore it out in 7 more yrs (NiCd batteries finally failed).  On my second one (lithium batteries) that has been going 6 years.

OTOH, I've paid good money for bad tools as well.  Craftsman battery powered stuff I won't touch anymore.  Their router wasn't that good either.  Went to Porter Cable.

[Scud]

I recently bought a blind bearing puller (slide hammer) at Harbor Freight. But that's because I went to Sears first, and they didn't have one. The guy at Sears didn't even know what I was talking about... then said maybe I should go to Harbor Freight.

So... I removed both swingarm bearings the day after I bought the tool. The slide hammer rod bent in the process. I returned it the next day.  Net effect?  Free rental (cheap-ass guzzi-content).  Next time I need a blind bearing puller, I'll buy a good one.

[derek533]

Power Equipment is my lesson learned.  Went through a couple of cheap weed eaters before I finally listened to everyone else and bought an Echo trimmer and stick edger.  10 years later, still running strong with only minor maintenance. 

[wymple]

To a point, you mostly get what you pay for. You can of course go overboard. At least buy middle priced on up.

[Tom]

When one starts buying tools / accessories at Harbor Freight / Tractor Supply company...this is what happens to their Guzzi!   (I personally like the "GAS MASK" - nice touch!

Wyoming plates on that bike.  He showed for the NV state rally in Dayton, NV.  The pet carrier caught my attention first.  He had that stuffed with gear.  What is memorable is that it's a Cal II and he came the distance.

[Arizona Wayne]

Wyoming plates on that bike.  He showed for the NV state rally in Dayton, NV.  The pet carrier caught my attention first.  He had that stuffed with gear.  What is memorable is that it's a Cal II and he came the distance.

Yes, I forget his name but saw him last year @ that rally. Seem to bump into him every year.     1 of the Guzzisti who ride all over and have done it forever.     Some times he has a dog in that pet carrier.

[mtiberio]

Old Chinese proverb:
Buy the expensive stuff, cry once
Buy the cheap stuff, cry 1000 times

[charlie b]

Yep, except that sometimes you buy the expensive stuff and cry 10,000 times cause the cheap stuff worked as well or better  :)

[Sheepdog]

I have had okay luck with HF. I've used up one of their 4.5" grinders, but I used the hell out of it for five years before it burned the windings. It's cost? 18 bucks. I've gotten superb service out of my HF tire changer, too...especially after installing a set of Mojo Blocks. My HF multimeter still works after six years...7 bucks. My 12v mini-compressor was a mess as purchased, but I took it apart and did a careful reassembly and the thing still works after six years (though I have replaced it with a Viair 70P). My secret? My shop is climate controlled...

[JJ]

Old Chinese proverb:
Buy the expensive stuff, cry once
Buy the cheap stuff, cry 1000 times

Spot on!! :1:

[Doppelgaenger]

I've bought some tools or other things that were intentionally cheap, since I figured I'd only need them once. Thinking back, the ratio is probably about 2/3rds success (i.e., it worked well enough and lasted long enough to meet the need), and 1/3 regret. I have gradually increased the frequency with which I 'invest' in better tools or products, but sometimes I still make a tactical choice to go cheap. I just have to remind myself that there's at least a one in three chance I'll be headed back to the store to spend what I should have in the first place.

This is pretty much spot on for me too.

Cheap tools have many uses, but when I need a good tool, like when trying to remove a stubborn transmission fill plug, the cheap tool (or cheap part/bolt) made of cheap alloy isn't going to be able to do the job no matter how creative I get. If you're lucky it'll just round it off and you won't damage the part you're working on,  if you're unlucky it'll break it off or break your part and create a much bigger problem. In those cases I find the expensive tool is always cheaper than the price/time to fix the problem.