Worst Purchase Ever?

dougo83

dougo83

Joined
Feb 28, 2008
Messages
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Ok...we can all go on and on about other people when they purchase crappy gear. From Hi-Point handguns to over-priced customs and Sebenzas to Dork Ops or CS knives, we can all shake a finger and talk about a fool and his money. So...I wanted to see how many people here would fess up.

What is the worst investment/purchase you have made? It can be gear, knives, whatever.

I'll start: I bought a Lansky sharpening system some years back and wish I still had the $30. The thing is almost as handy as a rock when it comes to sharpening knives. I found that I am much more efficient freehanding.

Anyway, there's mine. How about y'all?
 
GATCO sharpener system. The Vulcanus from Boker worked without fuss.
 
Cheap $20 bags, the threads always go loose after a few weeks, basically most cheap stuff, I always go for the cheap stuff then find that it sucks, then I'll buy a mid priced quality item and feel like I wasted money on the cheap thing.
 
I bought a Quantum spinning reel with the trigger release without trying it first. One of their less expensive lightweight models. I hated everything about it.

Used it on two trips. Had enough about an hour into the second trip. Its at the bottom of Lake Erie about 100' from shore now :p.
 
Boker "Magnum" pocket knife from the big online auction shop.

Advertised as genuine stag, 5 blade congress, with bids starting about $30 below a genuine Boker RRP. I won it with what I thought was a reasonable bid (for a real Boker) and this cheap potmetal and plastic junk "knife" arrived three weeks later. :grumpy:

Caveat Emptor. I should have done my homework about "Magnum" first.
 
Genuine COLT single shot .22 magnum bolt action...probably out me into the S & W and Ruger camps for the past 45 years or so. I recall a FRUIT stamped ejector that DIDN'T.

Did come back for AR's and 1911's.

Gave it to one of my wife's fine old country uncles before we were wed..fortunate he did not stand up at the wedding when they asked if anyone knew why we should not be married.
 
A 1972-ish Montessa 250cc motorcycle. I had just decided to get a "real" dual-purpose bike, having learned to ride on a couple of different Honda 90s.

I read a glowing review of this particular machine in one of the motorcycle rags at the time, and thought it sounded perfect. My local Honda dealer carried these, and he had one in stock.
My God... My first impression was pretty good. It was powerful, relatively lightweight... However... I carefully broke it in according to the instructions and then took it out on the highway. At 65 the vibration was so severe I could hardly hang on to the handlebars. Then it stopped, largely due to the dime-sized hole that had been burned through the piston.
Fortunately 2-strokes are pretty easy to repair (even with loose roller bearings in the little end of the connecting rod).
So I got it running again but then noticed it's other faults like the forks leaking, the air cleaner falling off, the gas tank (fiberglass) leaking...
When I took it out in the woods, I found it had a siphon-like ability to inhale water into the magneto area as well, regardless of how much goop I applied to the cover.
A terrible bike. I finally traded it in and bought a Hodaka which was wonderful.

Funny thing was, the dealer told me that the guy who bought the Montessa loved it.... Go figure.
 
I once rented a raft from Willow Air in Willow,AK. Unusable piece of junk frame. Had to hike to a wilderness lodge and beg the use of their radio to call Willow. They flew in a replacement that was a very, very barely useable piece of garbage. From then on, I checked rental equipment MUCH more carefully before loading a floatplane.

DancesWithKnives
 
High in the running of frustration vs. satisfaction are the multitudes of products which have Microsoft products installed.

The amount of regular hours I have spent 'fixing' things, and installing glitchy updates, and add-on must-haves for their product to work with efficiency is mindboggling.

We just accept this. I still own one PC and a laptop. I'll never learn, will I ?

Coop (Typing this from his 3-yr-old Mac which has NEVER failed.)
 
A Sunbeam bread maker :barf:---It caught on fire in my kitchen.:eek:
 
Pre-owned 2002 VW Jetta. Chose it over a Honda as a "high mpg" daily commuter due to the heated seats/mirrors ("necessary" in the NE) and 'cuz it was a few thousand less. I had owned a 1986 VW made in Germany that I loved (now they're all made in Mexico). In the meantime, I've spent that $$ difference replacing the water pump 3 times (1/yr) :eek: and now I have an exhaust leak...meanwhile my fiancee's 2001 Honda simply asks for oil changes and continues to trundle along at 30+ mpg while her resale value is about double mine. ALthough I love those heated seats in the winter, I'll never buy another VW.:grumpy: BTW, anyone want to trade a good used American-made pickup truck for a Jetta?:D
 
I had a Hodaka 100 but lusted after the Bultaco Pursang, Ossa Stiletto and Montessa Capra. Guess I was lucky I never landed the Montessa!

DancesWithKnives
 
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