Bought a cheap tube expander from a flea market and it cost me a whole day's work

Honestly, I thought I scored big last month. Found a tube expander at a swap meet in Toledo for like twenty bucks. Looked decent, felt heavy. Tried using it on a boiler tube job for a local bakery. Got it set up, started the motor, and the whole thing just seized. The mandrel was out of spec by a mile and it mushroomed the tube end. Had to cut the whole section out and start over. Lost about eight hours of labor and the cost of the new tube. Ngl, I was kicking myself. Anyone have a go-to brand for expanders that won't let you down like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

willow7326d ago

That logic just sounds like making excuses for junk tools.

johnson.ryan6d ago

You know what, maybe that cheap tool did you a favor? Hear me out. If it failed right away, it showed its true colors before you trusted it on a bigger job. A fancy brand name could have hidden a small flaw that fails at the worst possible time. Sometimes the junk that breaks fast is more honest than the expensive stuff that breaks later.