That $400 auto-collimator I bought off eBay was a total gamble

3 comments

3 Comments

Oh come on, $400 for a gamble like that is kind of wild. I mean yeah, you could strike gold with a perfectly aligned instrument, but odds are it's gonna need calibration or have some hidden issue that drives you crazy later. For that kind of money you could almost get a decent new one from a budget brand with a warranty, you know? I'd be sweating bullets until it showed up and I could test it against a known reference.

wendyg4313d ago

Totally feel you on this one lol. I did the same thing with a used optical comparator a few years back and was literally pacing around the house until it arrived. The seller had decent feedback and said it was "lightly used" but when I finally got it set up the crosshairs were way off. I ended up having to send it to a guy I know who does calibration work and that added another $150 to the whole thing. Still, for the brand name it was worth it in the end but man that gamble feeling is real. You just never really know what you're getting until it's in your hands and you can run your own tests on it.

kellys7813d ago

Nah, I gotta disagree here. Look, buying used precision tools is always a gamble, but $400 for an auto-collimator isn't that crazy if you know what to check for. If it's a quality brand like a Davidson or a Rank Taylor Hobson those things hold their value and calibration way better than people think. Plus the budget new ones you're talking about are usually garbage compared to the older stuff eBay has. I'd rather roll the dice on something built to last than spend the same money on plastic junk that'll break in a year. As long as you check seller feedback and ask about returning it if it's way off, it's a fair risk.