Wasted $150 on a cheap mortar mixing paddle last week

I thought I was being smart saving money on a no-name mixing paddle from a discount tool store. First two batches went fine, then the shaft bent sideways on the third mix. Had to stop work on a garden wall for a whole day while I hunted down a real one. Anyone else learn the hard way that some tools just arent worth skimping on?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannahm3917d ago

35 seconds into my first batch of thin set and the cheap paddle I bought threw the shaft bearing out the back of the motor. Sounded like a gunshot. Scared the neighbor's dog so bad it jumped through a screen door. Had to borrow my buddy's mixing drill for the rest of the weekend and the bearing was rattling around inside the paddle housing like a loose marble. That $40 Chinese special sat in my shed for six months before I finally chucked it in the metal recycling bin. Now I just stick with the name brand stuff for anything that spins or cuts.

the_brian17d ago

Dude, that hurts! I did the exact same thing trying to save cash on a chisel set and ended up mangling a piece of oak and my thumb in the same afternoon. The cheap stuff just bends, chips, or breaks at the worst possible moment. It's like the universe punishes us for being "smart" with our money. Now I figure the extra cost is basically an insurance payment against losing a whole day of work. Lesson learned, right alongside the lesson about not buying the store brand cement that turns into gray dust.

elliotm7017d ago

Heard this from a guy at the hardware store once - said you buy cheap tools twice, and once you factor in your time it's never a deal. @the_brian nailed it with calling that extra cost an insurance payment, because a busted chisel or bad cement just eats up hours you can't get back. Better to spend a bit more upfront than waste a whole day fixing something that should've worked the first time.