Overheard a guy at the hardware store say 'buy cheap, buy twice' and it hit different this time

I was grabbing some pruning shears yesterday and this older fella told the cashier he learned that lesson after his $8 loppers snapped on the third branch. Made me think about my tree service truck. I spent $200 on a used chainsaw last spring that died after 4 jobs. Just replaced it with a $450 Stihl and it cuts through oak like butter. Has anyone else found that one cheap tool failure finally changed how you shop?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade_jenkins13d ago

Totally changed how I look at tools now. I used to be the guy grabbing the cheapest thing on the shelf, thinking I was being smart with my money. Then I bought a $30 drill that smoked out after two weekends of light use. Had to borrow my neighbor's $100 DeWalt to finish a fence project and finally understood what he meant about investing in good stuff. Now I'd rather wait and save up for something solid. That "buy cheap, buy twice" saying is way too real once you've been burned a time or two.

victor_robinson13d ago

Wait, so you're telling me my collection of $15 tools from the gas station isn't going to last me through retirement?

oliverhernandez13d ago

I grabbed a $12 socket set from a gas station outside Phoenix once to fix a tire on the side of the road and the ratchet snapped on the third twist. That was the moment I realized you can't just buy a tool like it's a snack and expect it to do real work. So after jade_jenkins mentioned that $30 drill that smoked out, what did you end up replacing it with? Because I've got a whole drawer full of burnt up cheap stuff and I'm trying to figure out where the line is between spending enough and wasting money.