What have you ‘overbought’?
Discussion
3 examples from me:
1) Power tools - always no better than an average DIY’er, I buy metal gearbox de Walt when something cheaper would do. Used weekly.
2) Garage tools - I don’t go too mad, Halfords advanced (spanners, screwdrivers, socket set), some wera (Allen/hex keys) and some knipex (latter because I’ve never found any other pliers as good). Used weekly.
3) IPad - bought a pro to replace a mini, when another more modern mini would’ve done. Used daily.
In contrast to 1 and 2, my dad, who uses power tools and spanners daily, uses cheap crap and complains about them (a cheapo angle grinder will often last less than 6 months with his usage).
Buy once, or buy twice?
1) Power tools - always no better than an average DIY’er, I buy metal gearbox de Walt when something cheaper would do. Used weekly.
2) Garage tools - I don’t go too mad, Halfords advanced (spanners, screwdrivers, socket set), some wera (Allen/hex keys) and some knipex (latter because I’ve never found any other pliers as good). Used weekly.
3) IPad - bought a pro to replace a mini, when another more modern mini would’ve done. Used daily.
In contrast to 1 and 2, my dad, who uses power tools and spanners daily, uses cheap crap and complains about them (a cheapo angle grinder will often last less than 6 months with his usage).
Buy once, or buy twice?
Torches and headtorches. Used to buy anything because it was a new release. At one stage I had 450 torches. 
Now the lumen race is ridiculous. Sometimes you can't tell the difference between 10k lumens and 20k lumens.
So most AA/AAA torches have gone because you can't squeeze any more light from AA/AAA cells and they leak if the batteries are left in. Anything I buy has to be rechargeable - 18650/21700 or proprietary Li-Po packs such as the Petzl Actik range. That means for decent headtorches it's now £40-50 minimum.
Now the lumen race is ridiculous. Sometimes you can't tell the difference between 10k lumens and 20k lumens.So most AA/AAA torches have gone because you can't squeeze any more light from AA/AAA cells and they leak if the batteries are left in. Anything I buy has to be rechargeable - 18650/21700 or proprietary Li-Po packs such as the Petzl Actik range. That means for decent headtorches it's now £40-50 minimum.
Life's too short to be dealing with s
te tools.
I think everyone "over buys".
You hear of families of 5 living in a two up two down mid victorian terrace. At the other end of the spectrum you also hear of couples living in a 5 bedroom detached house with multiple en-suites.
99% of RR owners don't need a RR. I'd hazard a guess that a golf or a focus would serve thier purposes.
I think my daily car is probably "more" than I need. A D5 S80 - but it's oh so comfy on long runs (married, no kids).
Headphones- I have a few pairs. Bose and B&W (probably >£500 worth), when a £30 pair would "do".
Same with TV, HiFi, Phones etc. Nobody NEEDS an IPhone 14pro or a Pixel7Pro or whatever else, but they are "nice to have"
te tools.I think everyone "over buys".
You hear of families of 5 living in a two up two down mid victorian terrace. At the other end of the spectrum you also hear of couples living in a 5 bedroom detached house with multiple en-suites.
99% of RR owners don't need a RR. I'd hazard a guess that a golf or a focus would serve thier purposes.
I think my daily car is probably "more" than I need. A D5 S80 - but it's oh so comfy on long runs (married, no kids).
Headphones- I have a few pairs. Bose and B&W (probably >£500 worth), when a £30 pair would "do".
Same with TV, HiFi, Phones etc. Nobody NEEDS an IPhone 14pro or a Pixel7Pro or whatever else, but they are "nice to have"
conkerman said:
Buy once.
I am becoming a bit of a screwdriver fetishist.
Wera and Vessel being my current faves.
<cough> PB Swiss </cough>I am becoming a bit of a screwdriver fetishist.
Wera and Vessel being my current faves.
https://www.onlyqualitytools.com/
Muzzer79 said:
vikingaero said:
At one stage I had 450 torches.
I have to ask, in the nicest possible way........why?Are you a miner?
I'm a caver/mine explorer, It was nice to buy a new torch and test it somewhere proper - underground.
During Covid, I slimmed down the torches - gave loads to friends/family/charity. Kept the oldest ones or unique ones, so I'm down to around 75 now.
During lockdown for some reason I started buying lots of pairs of trainers. I am usually a 10.5, but because they didn't have them in that size I ended up buying them as an 11.
When they arrived I tried them on for 5 seconds and stuck them in the bottom of the wardrobe. Months later, I wore one pair for a week or so and then realised that they were actually too big and made my feet look stupid.
So I ended up listing all the other pairs on eBay and sold them for less than I had paid for them.
It has stopped me buying things on the internet when I am bored now.
When they arrived I tried them on for 5 seconds and stuck them in the bottom of the wardrobe. Months later, I wore one pair for a week or so and then realised that they were actually too big and made my feet look stupid.
So I ended up listing all the other pairs on eBay and sold them for less than I had paid for them.
It has stopped me buying things on the internet when I am bored now.
Moominho said:
Buy cheap, buy twice. Have done the same as you with power tools, even though I use them about twice a year.
I'm a fan of buy cheap, buy twice - for a relatively small outlay you get to know what is worth spending money on and what you can get away with cheap stuff on.I have a £90 pen to write about a dozen scribbles a day with because the company that made it made some cool wallets (WIngback). Inexplicably I also bought their mechanical pencil, I'll be surprised if I ever change the lead in it as I barely use pencils.
Then there's the Disco Sport for National Trust car parks...
collectables
got 30 odd boxes unopened in the office and no where left to display them
battery powered hoovers
bought a lidl £50 special, its handy for picking up cat litter and kibble, but thats about it
bought a shark on a cheap MSE deal, damn its good, in turbo mode it pulls the carpets up
bought a bigger shark with double battery pack on a deal, dont have a use for it ...
got 30 odd boxes unopened in the office and no where left to display them
battery powered hoovers
bought a lidl £50 special, its handy for picking up cat litter and kibble, but thats about it
bought a shark on a cheap MSE deal, damn its good, in turbo mode it pulls the carpets up
bought a bigger shark with double battery pack on a deal, dont have a use for it ...
This week I've bought a large pair of Mole grips and a huge adjustable spanner - to undo one fitting on an old bike - and it still won't fking budge. 
Other than that, booze, probably, when it's on special offer. Local supermarket had a deal with 50% off certain spirits recently. I emptied their shelf of Gordon's gin (the clear glass version), about 15 bottles. They cost me EUR5.50 each.
king budge. Other than that, booze, probably, when it's on special offer. Local supermarket had a deal with 50% off certain spirits recently. I emptied their shelf of Gordon's gin (the clear glass version), about 15 bottles. They cost me EUR5.50 each.
Father-In-Law was always very practical but clearing his garage when he passed away I was struck that pretty well everything he had was crap! Lots of shed own brand power tools, hand tools with names I'd never heard of etc.
It was a bit sad really so I've decided I should only buy decent stuff in case anybofy thinks the same of me!
It was a bit sad really so I've decided I should only buy decent stuff in case anybofy thinks the same of me!
I'm a cheapskate in most respects but when it comes to holidays I always hire a place that is bigger than we 'need'. If we're going away for a nice time then I don't want to have substantially less space than I do at home. So for the four of us we'll always get a place with at least 4 bedrooms and a big garden. Well worth the extra IMO - I've been on holidays with friends/family where we've 'made do' with a smaller than ideal place and it's always tiring with everybody getting ratty from being cheek-by-jowl and not getting much sleep for a week. So sod that.
Roger Irrelevant said:
I'm a cheapskate in most respects but when it comes to holidays I always hire a place that is bigger than we 'need'. If we're going away for a nice time then I don't want to have substantially less space than I do at home. So for the four of us we'll always get a place with at least 4 bedrooms and a big garden. Well worth the extra IMO - I've been on holidays with friends/family where we've 'made do' with a smaller than ideal place and it's always tiring with everybody getting ratty from being cheek-by-jowl and not getting much sleep for a week. So sod that.
Ha - I never thought of that, but wife and I took a 6 bed place in Florida for the two of us! I did get quite a good deal on it though.Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff