Shoutout to the $12 pipe wrench I bought at a pawn shop... saved me $200 on a plumber.
Everyone online says you need a brand new $50 name-brand wrench for DIY plumbing, but my rusty old pawn shop find has done every job from the kitchen sink to the main shut-off valve without slipping once. Has anyone else had luck with cheap, beat-up tools over the fancy new ones?
That $8 garage sale wrench is probably stronger than half the stuff sold at home centers now. I bought a cheap socket set from a flea market five years ago and it still turns bolts fine. The problem I see is people assume old and beat up means bad when really those tools were made to last. New tools from big brands are often just rebranded chinesium with a markup. You don't need to spend big money if the tool does the job. My grandpa used the same rusty crescent wrench for thirty years and it never failed him.
Buddy of mine picked up a $5 hammer at a flea market ten years ago, still uses it every weekend on projects. The handle's a bit loose but he just wedges a shim in there and keeps going. Sometimes the cheapest stuff ends up being the most reliable.