Bought a $200 power stretcher off Craigslist and it was a total dud

Picked it up from some guy in a storage unit parking lot near the airport. Got it home and realized the knee pad was all cracked and the handle wouldn't lock into place. Tried to use it on a living room job and it slipped right out from under me, almost took out a wall. Anyone else get burned buying used gear from a random seller?

3 comments

3 Comments

tara_palmer1mo ago

Hold up, I mean, maybe it's just me but that sounds like a classic case of not checking the gear before handing over the cash. You're meeting a guy in a storage lot, you gotta give that power stretcher a solid once-over. I'd have locked the handle, pushed down on the knee pad, and made sure the whole thing was solid before I paid a dime. The seller probably didn't even know it was cracked, idk, or maybe they just saw you coming.

laurabennett14d ago

Whole life is just trusting strangers with your money.

betty_reed611mo ago

Yeah, "give it a solid once-over" is the right call but honestly sometimes you just don't know what to look for. I've bought plenty of used tools from random folks and it's a gamble every time. The knee pad being cracked is a dead giveaway the stretcher was probably stored in a hot truck or garage and the plastic got brittle. The handle not locking though, that's something you could catch if you held it and tried to pivot it. That guy selling it from a storage lot probably just wanted to dump it fast. You live and you learn, next time you'll prob bring a buddy who knows what to check. Sucks you had to almost take out a wall to figure it out.