Thread: Pros/Cons Buying Old Hand Held Power Tools

I am no expert here, but have a number of aged power tools that have stood the test of time.

My rule of thumb is that motors either work, or they don't. One can hear if a bearing is worn, and it is pretty obvious just looking at a tool whether it has been looked after. If a power tool looks like it has had a hard life, walk away.

I have a 20 year old Panasonic 12v drill, and it is still going strong. Replacement batteries are available. My 25 year old Elu 177e is like new. Recently I acquired another Elu router, MOF97, I think. It was a late friend of mine's, and not working. All it needed was new brushes! It runs like new again. Parts are available for Elu (I have three of their routers).

I have Makita tools that are closing in on 20 years - jigsaw, circular saw. But I must admit that they have not been used in some years. Still, they are solid and reliable. Old Makita were excellent and reliable.

I purchased a Festo (before it became Festool) sander 20 years ago. It was used. It is still strong. Excellent sander and good for my needs - I do not use one often.

Regards from Perth

Derek

We see many old hand held power tools at the men's shed as members or their friends try to offload their junk onto the shed.

In general I don't like them precisely because of the issues you mention.
However, if you can work your way around these then I cannot see why they should not be used.

My biggest concerns are electrical, and missing guards and handles.
In terms of electrical issues a minimum check would be to perform a proper HV insulation test and to make sure it has an adequate earth
I tried to bring in a minimum policy of "no old metal bodied power tools" because they nearly all sooner or later fail their insulation test.
We do now have a couple of excellent sparky members that can usually test and fix these problems

Dad was a good enough woodworker to build a house which is still standing, some 60 years later.
I've inherited some of his power tools.
1. As contributed above, motors either work or they don't. I've learned it's often motor brushes and no, you can't buy replacements.
Electric motors, even the metals used, as far more sophisticated than they were, even 20 years ago.
2. Shaft bearings get flatted, shafts wobble and the results are ugly. These can be fixed. Or at least I've been lucky, every time.
3. Missing safety features (blade guards, etc). What used to be bolted on here? Google is your friend to see what the part might have been.
4. Major brands now which were major brands 30-50 years ago likely have better parts and service.
5. The risk goes up = you get one thing fixed today and some other tired and worn out part dies tomorrow.

Old but close to new condition would be great. Old and used and abused. No thanks.

Thanks for the advice - I will keep them in mind as I look possible purchases.

I'm a huge fan of older power tools and machinery purely because most of the stuff made these days is garbage or pricey as hell. In fact none of my corded power tools were bought new, I pieced together a circular saw, jigsaw, drill and orbital sander for $50 all up and they've served me really well over the last year.

Gumtree is the best bet, I got a near new 125mm makita grinder for $20 a couple of months ago. Just put a bunch of saved searches in, set up email alerts and wait [emoji3]

Originally Posted by bueller

Gumtree is the best bet, I got a near new 125mm makita grinder for $20 a couple of months ago. Just put a bunch of saved searches in, set up email alerts and wait [emoji3]

Interesting you say that. I reckon some stuff is really overpriced on Gumtree. A lot of it is very used and abused and realistically at the end of its life. I struggled to find much in my area that was in good condition. And a fair amount would have to be stolen.

I did buy a grinder off Gumtree probably 6 months ago. It has clearly been very well used but I am only leaving it at a holiday house for very occasional use. Don't like leaving anything expensive there as theft is potentially an issue. No fabrication more likely cutting down a star picket or cutting up a drum so it's not going to be used for very long at all but very handy all the same.

For more frequent use I think, long term, buying new or very near new is a much better choice.

No doubt if you are lucky there are bargains to be had.

Oh there is definitely a ton of overpriced junk on Gumtree, the reality is most people never see any bargains there as they are listed, sold and the ad removed within a very short period of time. That's why email alerts are handy ☺️

The watch list is handy there too, if the price drops on an item you're watching you'll get an email alert. That's how I got my Vicmarc VL200 for $250, he'd originally listed it at $500 and had nothing but time wasters.

Originally Posted by chris0375

Interesting you say that. I reckon some stuff is really overpriced on Gumtree. A lot of it is very used and abused and realistically at the end of its life. I struggled to find much in my area that was in good condition. And a fair amount would have to be stolen. .

Same goes for Cashies. OTOH my brother just always seemed to have a nose for a deal and picked up a Festool ROS in fair nick for $35, but every time I went in the power tools were always crap or over priced.

Originally Posted by BobL

Same goes for Cashies. OTOH my brother just always seemed to have a nose for a deal and picked up a Festool ROS in fair nick for $35, but every time I went in the power tools were always crap or over priced.

Dodgy as.

There is a cash converters at a shopping centre I visit once a week or so. I often go in and have a browse. The tools are generally priced at 70% or more of retail and are generally at the end of their life.

Yeah I stopped visiting cashies a long time ago, their prices are completely absurd. Half the time their power tools are like 10-15% off retail for something that's been through the wringer.

Quick safety check for power tools.
Are guards and handles present? Yes - continue, no - can they be easily obtained? Yes - continue, no - fail, reject tool.
Look at the plug. Are all the pins that are meant to be there present and straight? Is it a molded plug - continue, if it is a replacement plug can you see that it is wired correctly with wires anchored? Yes continue, no - consider if it is worth replacing the plug before continuing.
Check the full length of the lead. If there is any tape on the lead remove the tape and check what it is hiding. Is it free from cuts, nicks and grazing that exposes the colored insulated wires (or worse the actual conductors)? No faults - continue, visible damage - is it viable to replace or shorten the lead? Yes - consider further testing for earth and leakage, no - reject the tool and consider cutting off the damaged lead and disposing of tool.

This sort of thing can be done without plugging in the tool so can be done at garage sale's, second hand shops or else where. If in doubt it can be safer to reject a tool than to accept it.

Other faults that might be hidden include faulty power switches and speed controls. Adjustment screws and stops might be worn preventing accurate setting. Even tool holding nuts/bolts/chucks could be worn. Some of this will not be seen until the tool is powered up and perhaps put into use. Is accepting the tool worth the risk? Having a bit of history of the tool could be worth a few extra $.

Second hand tools - proceed with caution. If there are too many flags stop and reject the tool.

As per all the above advice. I'd add that for a circular saw then about the only accessory you'll probably get is the saw guide and maybe a spare blade or two plus the wrench for tightening the blade. For the planer then try and get the hex head spanner for undoing the nuts that hold the blades, the jig for setting the blades to the holder and the guide also.
For spare parts I have always had Makita gear and even on older tools have always been able to find replacements although with the really old stuff you are probably going to be able to get brushes and bearings only.
I've found bargains on both Gumtree and ebay although some people as mentioned above think their gear is worth a lot more than it is really worth. I recently picked up a used but perfectly functionable Makita LS1017L SCMS with a recently sharpened 60T blade for $60 , 5 mins from home. I was the fourth guy to ring up about it but the first one to have a look at it so I got the goods.
You just have to sift through all the other crap for sale - overpriced, thrashed, broken etc etc.
I picked up a 2.5 tonne pallet jack for $65 not long ago too in very good condition. The guy advertised it as broken so no-one else bid on it but after contacting him all that was wrong with it was a snapped release cable. I fixed it by brazing it back together - 5 mins job.
Similar to a near new Makita jigsaw ( RRP - $350 ) that was advertised as broken that I got for $35. A $15 part and it is as good as new.
So even tools that appear knackered can be picked up a lot cheaper as a lot of people including the owners can't be bothered fixing them.

Stewie

I have only browsed 2nd hand power tools because they seem to be overpriced most of the time.
In my mind a used power tool depreciates dramatically and rapidly. I don't know if people are actually paying close to these asking prices or if the sellers are just wasting their time.
I think to get the value for money some guys are talking about you have to do a fair bit of digging. Like how Stewie fixed things up, for example.

Depending what the tool is and what your usage is, old power tools are not the value they were 20 years ago or even 10 years ago. I think a lot of sellers and buyers are still waking up to this.
Keep in mind the price of an el cheapo new tool such as Ozito, etc. If you are only going to get a year of service out of it, and it is a similar price, may as well get one of these cheapies new until it fails or you can afford to upgrade. Some of them last for years. If you can get a decent brand used with better features for less cost then fine - but if it is more, think about if it is worth the price difference.
It's not the same as good hand tools.