Who ever heard of SELLER's remorse?

[Nathan Conner]

So, I saw a "Wanted: DeWalt Planer" ad on the local Craigslist yesterday, had been thinking for 6 months about one of the new Grizzly G0454 20" planers.

I bit the bullet and called the guy - turns out he'd been to look at several and was pretty picky about condition. My price was high as I figure: he came to me...right? Anyhow, he was impressed with the condition and bought it on the spot without even running a board through. On his way out the door, he offered to buy my Rigid 6" Jointer, also in good condition. He didn't have the cash with him, but will come back for it this week. I posted another ad for a 5hp motor I've had sitting around and a guy's on his way now, and with the three sales, I've got about $1200 towards my new...what?

I spent awhile drooling online over the Grizzly G0633 jointer/planer, and then some more on the Jet 708475 combo but then...

I sat in the shop this evening, looking around, and I realize I'm going to miss my bright yellow lunchbox planer and my little orange quirky jointer with the PITA blade adjustment. I don't have the feeling I did when, say, I brought the PM2000 home to replace the old Craftsman. If anything, I'd say I've got more remorse than anything.

It's weird - neither of these two tools has any special significance to me, I haven't had them more than a couple of years - they just feel like hobby tools, and the new combos look like they belong in a nice Pro shop, not my dingy-but-comfy erstwhile barn.

Sorta feels like I'm kicking old friends out because I'm tired of them...y'know? Not sure why all of a sudden I feel like I'll miss them, but the shop feels empty and cold. Maybe that will all disappear instantly when $2000 worth of "new arn" comes rolling in the door, but it just feels strange, and for the first time in my life I don't feel excited about a new tool. Does that mean I shouldn't buy a new combo?

Maybe it means I'm really, really sick.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Tell you what: Have the combo delivered to my house & I'll send you my DW735 & Delta X5 6" jointer.

You'll feel a whole lot better. Well, at least one of us will.

[David G Baker]

There's gotta be a 12 step program for sellers remorse.
Hi my name is David I sold all my tools. :(
Let us know if the feeling goes away when the delivery truck pulls into your driveway.

[Justin Bukoski]

Nathan, get the combo. You're welcome to come by my place and check mine out. Now that I have one I can't believe I was ever happy with the smaller separate machines I used to use.

[Mike Heidrick]

You will be very very happy when the new tools show up. At least you sold them before getting new. That should help some psyche moments.

[John Schreiber]

Makes sense to me. Irrational or not, we have a connection with the things we spend time with. When they are gone, it's sad.

I won't tell you what I did after I sold my good bicycle, but that was part of giving up a sport I loved because my knees had gone out.

[Dennis Lindhorst]

I know how you feel- years ago I rode dirt bikes ( motorcycles ) When I graduate from high school and faced college I realized I needed money more than a bike. I sold mine to a good friend for a fair price. He even told me I could use it when I wanted- most of my riding was with him and his son. I felt like I had lost my best friend! Long story short- after college I ended up buying a wonderful, high performance bike and never looked back! enjoy your new arn, treasure the memories of the old!

[Greg Cole]

Nathan.
I too share your pain about sellers remorse.. I'm frightfully attached to many inanimate objects. Like my going on 11 year old truck now, won't sell it simply cause I love it.... that truck has been a better friend to me than alot of people, it owes me nothing & been paid for going on 7 years. I could head over to the Toyota dealer (always been a Toyota guy) directly next door to my work and walk off the lot with a shiny new one, but it won't replace MY truck.
I sold the first truck I had when I was graduated highschool and I still complain to this day I wish I had that one back too & that was in 1992.

Greg

[Jim Becker]

We often mourn the familiar...but you'll just love that nice new J/P in your shop... :D :D :D

[Danny Thompson]

Nathan,

You may want to try a different combo altogether--e.g. Zoloft/Welbutrin.

[Dan Barr]

regardless of your "relationship" with those tools, you have done a certain amount of work on them and with them and they are part of every piece that was built by using those tools. those machines are connected to more than just your memories of the machines themselves. they are connected to those pieces and the memories of those pieces, people that received them, the point in your life at which you built those pieces, etc.

you will remember a piece not only by what it is and when you built it, but also by what tools you used to build it and the experiences you had while building.

the guy i bought my jointer from had to stop and pause before i drove away. im sure he remembered all the work he had done on that machine. he told me to give it a good home and i told him i would take good care of it. i do just that.

v/r

dan

[Frank Caponi]

I have my first PC Dovetail Jig sitting on a shelf in my shop - I haven't used it in years - I do not even do a lot of dovetailing (I build custom exterior doors) - I own a Leigh and love it - I have had friends and even a few customers see it - Ask me if i was still using it - And would I sell it - I always say no - lol - I even remember fighting and swearing at the thing trying to get it set correctly and to hold its setting for multiple pieces - But - There it sits - An old friend - I don't know how I would feel if I walked past the shelf where it sits and it wasn't there

[Matt Meiser]

Keep us informed about your decision. I've been drooling over the G0633 since my Grizzly catalog came and could see it in my shop someday as a space saver over having two machines.

[Bill Wyko]

I have a hard time throwing away small scrapps of hardwood and old sand paper. I'll REALLY have a difficult time if I get rid of any tools.:( I too would like one of those combo machines though. :D

[Todd Jensen]

This thread has reminded me of the 'boneyard' box taking up space in my garage/shop, full of old tools that bit the dust. My first Bosch jigsaw, Dewalt drills, etc. that I will never take the time to restore and I haven't had the heart to give away yet. Sounds like a New Year's resolution, I just might have to send them along to someone with more interest in getting them to work. In answer to your initial post, I agree with the above posters, I think one of the reason woodworkers are woodworkers are that we connect with the souls of the semi-living(wood) and innate, and its tough to one degree or another for many of us to disconnect that switch when moving on. Its good to have bittersweet feelings about the old tools, but theres no cure for an old 'girlfriend' like a new one.:D Your new tools are going to snap you right out of your funk and the old ones will discover new life in the hands of someone more excited about them.

Good luck! Have Fun!

[Rod Sheridan]

I often feel sentimental about old dead or unused tools etc.

Then I trip over the @#%$ thing one too many times because I have a small shop, and give/throw it away.

After a good purge, the shop looks so nice and organized I stand there like a dolt, mug of tea in one hand, admiring the order and organization. Like a deer in a headlamp I'm mesmerized.

Then I start a new project and make a mess out of it, so the cycle repeats.

Just think, in a few years you'll be pitching your new combination machine in the trash to make room for a new Format machine. (Or so we hope).


Regards, Rod.

[Stan Smith]

"Ah feel yo pain." I just sold a cornet that I really love but didn't play very often. I immediatley had seller's remorse. I let the buyer have it to try for a few days and was sort of hoping he would send it back. Well, it was damaged in shipment so it was his to keep. I told him that if he sent it to the manufacturer and they fixed it like new and he didn't want it, then I would take it back. Haven't heard anything for a month so I guess that's it. Also had a similar feeling when I sold the cornet that the last one replaced. No logical rationale for these feelinge either. Like the others have said, though, we'll get it over it with newer and better stuff.

[Lisa Walter]

Nathan,

You may want to try a different combo altogether--e.g. Zoloft/Welbutrin.
Dan,

Your response made me laugh out loud!!!

[Eddie Darby]

Then after having the J/P combo in your shop for a while you will be kicking yourself in the posterior for not having done it sooner. All part of life.:D

[mark page]

I could go on and on on sellers remorse. One of the first cars I owned was a '64 Catalina. So long it seemed you couldn't shut a garage door behind it. One of the best riding daily drivers to date, wish I had it now. Big block 389, seats like sofa's, rode on air, etc. Sold it. Liked it better as a daily driver than any of the first generation Camaro's, Chevelle's, Nova's, Vette's than I owned. Then remorse for selling all of these cars from an investor's standpoint. Then marriage & kids, most all the investment gun collection was sold from a safety standpoint with kids, over 200 items and no safe place to "conveniently" store them. Then divorce, don't get me started on this one...., But I will not bow down to sell my Weatherby collection no matter what, learned my lesson. But most of these items are irreplaceable to me now. As far as shop equipment goes, I have a lot of "friends" in the shop, but none are so emotionally attached that I cannot upgrade to a better item. The key word is "upgrade" though, you don't want to shoot yourself in the foot unless you have to.

[Chris Barnett]

I looked at the combo when at Muncy last year; very nice but reminds me of the Shopsmith :( (wow, that year was fast). If it means that much, call the guy and tell him you miss your lunchbox and maybe get it back. Potential remorse is why I am also keeping my RAS, although it will not stay in adjustment...just part of my comfort zone I guess. Will not have room for new planer in shop if I don't ditch the RAS.

[Danny Thompson]

The answer is definitely, "Sick." Sounds like classic Imposter Phenomenon. Maybe you think you are getting into waters too deep, you aren't up to the new j/p, like between it and your Powermatic you won't have any excuses anymore.

Nah! It's just that you don't want to let go of the old girls before the new one gets here.

It's a combo machine for goodness sake! No one, not even you, would pick a Dewalt lunchbox and Ridgid jointer over a quality combo!

C'mon, tighten up! Put your big-girl pants on. Man-up. You can make it. It won't be long, big guy.

[Scott Coffelt]

The only seller's remorse I get is when I sell something that I never use, only to need it 2 months later. Yeah, that happened more than once. I got over it though when I bought a new tool.

[Nathan Conner]

Well, of course.

So, after crying in my beer about my silly old planer, I went to the machinery shop today to have a look at the new Jet J/P. I walked in and had to wait a few minutes on the owner while he chatted with another customer, so I had a nice long look at a $3,000 or so 20" Powermatic planer. What a BEAUTY that was. So, finally he was done chatting, and we started talking about the combo. He took me in the back to look at the demo one that was mostly assembled. A couple of broken parts in the crate, so they were waiting on replacements, but they had another crated one just waiting for me.

Wow. I was just disappointed. That's all I can say. Some tools just grab you, this one didn't. I don't know what I expected, but it looked and felt poorly finished and small and cheap. Chips in the paint, poor casting, ok design, aluminum fence, nothing fit quite right, and in general, it looked like a bit of a pain to use. I was sure not ready to plunk down $1950 hard earned bucks for that. It just struck me wrong. Ever have that feeling about something?

Well, crud. Here I was, excited and drooling over something I'd just seen photos of, and it was really a let-down. And my old planer was gone. So, an hour and a half of talking and looking later, I started down the road with my brand new 860 lb, 5HP 4-blade 20" Powermatic Model 209 Planer. Yeah, I buckled. This was a model that had shown up at the dealer missing the wheels and had a tiny crack (< 1/8") in the casting on one corner (that had been repaired) but the guy wouldn't accept it, so I got it, unused with a full warranty, for under $1500.

I drove away with a huge smile on my face. It stayed there all the way home. Got home, started to head up to the shop (access road is up a grassy/tree-filled slope) and...oops. I'm stuck in the mud. 2 HOURS and many cusswords and lots of rain later, with the tractor yanking, the tires deflated, 4-Low engaged, cat litter and shovels and tow ropes everywhere, I finally pulled the truck out enough to get it back DOWN the hill.

So, joy of joys. I have my dream planer in the back of the truck, tied down tight, covered with a pair of good tarps, and it's pouring out. The truck is in the driveway, too big to go in either of the garages, 1/4 mile from the shop where it needs to be, and I'm not getting it out of there without a lot of friends or a lot of beer, or both. I may have to hook up a trailer to the Kubota, try to wrestle it down onto the trailer, and take it up that way. Maybe tomorrow.

(*sigh*)

[Michael Gibbons]

I like stuff-as long as it's quality stuff. I hardly get rid of anything. My wifey would get rid of everything. when i die they'll have to find my decomposing body beneath the chisels and planers, tablesaws and wood scraps. Actually I'm getting pretty good at throwing scraps out. I have a laundry basket and a 40 gallon plastic barrel full I have to take outside to the burn pile and set ablaze. The keep pile and the toss pile are about the same size though, I have to draw the line somewhere. I have a Krups combo coffee/espresso maker thats almost 20 years old but I can't bear to toss it. It still works and I still have the owners manual for it.

[Peter M. Spirito]

Hey Greg; I'm with you on the truck thing. Mine is a 97 red S-10, 222,650 miles. And my best friend.

But all of my "old" tools get sent to our house in North Carolina. It goes like this: Judy sweetie YOU need a belt sander at the NC house for those kitchen cabinets YOU want to refinish. Here take this 30 year old Craftsman sander with you and I'll just buy a brand new one for the shop.