Had to choose between a vintage Dremel and a new one at a garage sale last month

I was at this garage sale in Portland and this old guy had two rotary tools sitting on a table. One was this beat up Dremel 260 from the 70s with a frayed cord and the other was a brand new looking Craftsman one still in the box. He wanted $15 for the old one and $20 for the new one. I went with the old Dremel cause I figured they don't make em like that anymore. Got it home, plugged it in, and it ran smooth but the chuck was stripped so I spent two hours trying to find a replacement collet online. Still haven't found one that fits. The new one would have been fine but now I'm stuck with a paperweight that looks cool. Anyone else get suckered by vintage tools that just end up being a hassle?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliver2423d ago

Dude yes I bought this old drill press and spent a weekend fixing it before it even worked right

jake_kelly242d ago

I used to be the kind of guy who'd just buy new tools for everything @oliver242, but I grabbed a beat-up bandsaw at a garage sale a couple months ago. Spent a whole Sunday cleaning it up and getting the blade tension right, and honestly it feels more satisfying than any new one I've ever owned. Changed my mind about old gear for sure.