Ripped off on a used welding hood at a flea market

I spent $80 on a Miller welding hood from a guy at the flea market over on 6th Street last Saturday. Looked clean on the outside but the auto-darkening lens was totally shot after 10 minutes of welding. Called the seller and he said 'all sales final' and hung up. Now I'm out cash and stuck with a fancy paperweight - has anyone else gotten burned buying used gear like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.robert1mo ago

Hang on, you sure it's a Miller? There's a lot of Chinese knockoffs that look just like them now, especially at flea markets. The real Miller auto-dark lenses have a little serial number sticker on the side, but the fakes usually don't. Also, $80 for a used hood seems way too high for a flea market deal, you can find the same thing new for maybe $90 on sale at Tractor Supply if you wait a week. Did you check if the batteries were even replaceable or if the lens just had a dead switch?

aliceg611mo ago

Man, you got me there. I always thought those hoods were the real deal if they had the right look, but I never paid attention to the serial number sticker before. That $80 price tag makes a lot more sense now if it's a knockoff with a dead switch.