Rolled the dice on a used spot welder from a pawn shop in Reno

Bought a 10 year old spot welder for 150 bucks at a pawn shop near the airport last month. The old one died during a quarter panel on a 2014 Civic. Took a chance because the gun looked decent, and after cleaning the tips and testing on scrap metal, it pulled clean welds. Saved me from dropping 600 on a new one, but I still keep my backup flanging pliers close. Anyone else ever score shop tools from weird places like pawn shops or estate sales?

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evan_jenkins2mo ago

cleaning the tips and testing on scrap metal" is exactly the move. I found a beat up floor jack at a garage sale in Sparks for 40 bucks, looked like it had been through a war but the seals were good and it held pressure all day. Ended up using it for two years before the pump gave out, and by then I'd saved enough to get a decent one new. Also grabbed a set of vice grips at a flea market in Carson City that I still use, the locking mechanism is smoother than some brand new ones I own. Pawn shops are hit or miss but when they hit, they really hit.

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