What's the most expensive tool you've ever bought (with good intentions) and have never used?

Me?

It was a Colortune kit.

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&RS...

It seemed like a good idea almost 20 years ago (spent about $30.00 on it then) but it still sits in my toolbox drawer, unused.

FOR SALE HERE!

A high pressure airless paint sprayer for painting or staining houses. The pigments in the paint would clog up a filter after only a couple of minutes operation. Cost almost $200.00, would of been better off with rollers and paint brushes. Thing was a piece of junk.
 Automotive tools was a top dead center finder, you screw it into the plug hole and rotate the piston up till it hits the tip of the tool then back off on the tip and try it again. Somehow I don't like the idea of the piston hitting a sharp tip made of steel.

The pipe wrenches that incorporate a rubber strap.  Seems like it ought to work.  ???

Any kitchen chopper gadget.  They never work either.

has anyone bought a motorcycle jack from harbor freight? i've heard good and bad and i'm planning on picking one up tomorrow.  hopefully it won't turn out to be a piece of crap.  i've never had any problems with their mechanical tools before.  don't think i would invest in any of their electric tools though.

i have a jack from Harbor Freights and the problem is there isn't much frame under the Savage and it makes it unstable. I guess its pretty solid and works on most other bikes but not ours.

Yep, Savage feels a little teetery up on any form of lift, so you rope it down so it can't go anywhere.

Trick on a Harbor Freight lift is to rope it off with an inch of lift still remaining, then finish the last inch of lift pulling the ropes nice and tight.

I've also learned to take the time to put 2 tie downs per side when doing any heavy torque work like rear tire nut removal.  Rear tire removal causes a weight shift on the entire bike, so two tie downs per side is definitely needed !!!

I have changed the rear tire with the wooden pivot jack and with this one, so I can say that getting enough lift to GET THE TIRE OUT FROM UNDER THE FENDER is a good thing (with the wooden pivot I had to remove the liscense plate bracket to get the tire outta there).

Cost is considerably different though -- wooden pivot jack cost like $5 to make, bike jack was $275 to buy.

I considered a rafter lift, but didn't go that way since I leave a bike on the lift for weeks at a time when working on it.  Plus with the HF lift you can wheel the bike around and move it sideways, etc as needed.


(just remember to rope the sucker down good with two ties per side before doing so or you'll be picking it up off the floor)

There are no tool buying mistakes  

not buying enough of them