RokJok
Gold Member
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2000
- Messages
- 4,198
Here's $0.02 worth of advice from someone who's fiddled away a couple fortunes on tools, mostly woodworking:
Visit your local manufacturers' outlet stores for factory returns and refurbished units.
Check to see where in your area is located the factory repair center for Delta/Porter Cable, Bosch, Jet/Wilton, B&D/DeWalt, Ryobi, or other manufacturer of your choice. To find them, look in the yellow pages.
These factory outlet centers typically have a fair number of various tools that were returned to the mfr by retailers or customers due to packaging that got crunched in transit, the customer checked their bank balance AFTER the purchase, their spouse found out about it
, or other reasons. When the unit is returned, the mfr tests and/or refubs it to insure it works, then sells it at a discount (usually about 30% IME, sometimes more of a discount, sometime a LOT more) at these outlet centers with the same full factory warranty as a new unit would carry.
From one such factory surplus outlet, for just shy of $250 I got a Jet JDP-17MF (16-speed drill press) which normally sells in the $350-$400 range. I have passed on some incredibly good deals at such places, simply because I didn't have a use/need for the hot bargains they had (large industrial size metalworking mills when I was looking for home shop size woodworking tools, air compressor almost too big to physically fit in my shop, etc).
BTW, you know you're hanging out too much in such a place when the guys who work there know you by your first name and call you when they get in "Something we thought you'd like to take a look at." 
Visit your local manufacturers' outlet stores for factory returns and refurbished units.
Check to see where in your area is located the factory repair center for Delta/Porter Cable, Bosch, Jet/Wilton, B&D/DeWalt, Ryobi, or other manufacturer of your choice. To find them, look in the yellow pages.
These factory outlet centers typically have a fair number of various tools that were returned to the mfr by retailers or customers due to packaging that got crunched in transit, the customer checked their bank balance AFTER the purchase, their spouse found out about it
, or other reasons. When the unit is returned, the mfr tests and/or refubs it to insure it works, then sells it at a discount (usually about 30% IME, sometimes more of a discount, sometime a LOT more) at these outlet centers with the same full factory warranty as a new unit would carry.From one such factory surplus outlet, for just shy of $250 I got a Jet JDP-17MF (16-speed drill press) which normally sells in the $350-$400 range. I have passed on some incredibly good deals at such places, simply because I didn't have a use/need for the hot bargains they had (large industrial size metalworking mills when I was looking for home shop size woodworking tools, air compressor almost too big to physically fit in my shop, etc).
BTW, you know you're hanging out too much in such a place when the guys who work there know you by your first name and call you when they get in "Something we thought you'd like to take a look at."
It doesn't seem to have much run out, although I never have put an indicator on it to truly check it. I figure if it starts getting sloppy, I can probably replace the bearings and it should continue for as long as I'll need it.