Shoutout to the $12 pipe wrench I bought at a pawn shop... saved me $200 on a plumber.

Everyone online says you need a brand new $50 name-brand wrench for DIY plumbing, but my rusty old pawn shop find has done every job from the kitchen sink to the main shut-off valve without slipping once. Has anyone else had luck with cheap, beat-up tools over the fancy new ones?

3 comments

3 Comments

jessica_miller1mo ago

That $8 garage sale wrench is probably stronger than half the stuff sold at home centers now. I bought a cheap socket set from a flea market five years ago and it still turns bolts fine. The problem I see is people assume old and beat up means bad when really those tools were made to last. New tools from big brands are often just rebranded chinesium with a markup. You don't need to spend big money if the tool does the job. My grandpa used the same rusty crescent wrench for thirty years and it never failed him.

derek_ramirez1mo ago

Found a $8 wrench at a garage sale years ago, still going strong.

noah_webb18d ago

Buddy of mine picked up a $5 hammer at a flea market ten years ago, still uses it every weekend on projects. The handle's a bit loose but he just wedges a shim in there and keeps going. Sometimes the cheapest stuff ends up being the most reliable.