PSA: guy at the Hartville flea market told me my $1 tool bin was junk and he was right

Drew Martin · 2026-10-08T18:20:02.985567+00:00

I used to grab any rusty hand tool from the $1 bin at Hartville flea market, figured a file is a file. Then an old guy named Ralph watched me dig for 10 minutes and said "you're buying other people's trash, not tools." Now I only buy stuff where I can read the maker stamp, and I pass on anything with deep pitting or a wobbly head. My last 3 trips I spent $4 total and got a clean Nicholson file and two chisels that actually hold an edge. Anyone else got a rule for sorting the junk bin from the good bin?

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PSA: guy at the Hartville flea market told me my $1 tool bin was junk and he was right | Bargain Bin Finds - nhfree.com