Is pro5 worth $70?

[CarlsonCarpentry]

I spotted one on local ads. It looks pretty used. I usually use my mirka 5” and have a dewalt 5” orbital as a backup. This would replace the backup sander. Is this seem like a good deal or pass?
https://m.imgur.com/a/2fZVb6N

 

[AlexThePalex]

Grab it immediately, very good deal.

I  paid €150 for my ETS125, which is the PRO 5's predecessor, and it was a lot more beat up than this one. This one doesn't look bad at all, just a bit of dust on the outside, that's normal when you use a sander.

 

[pettyconstruction]

Yes

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[harry_]

The systainer alone is about 2/3 of that price. Buy it!

 

[Cheese]

The systainer alone is about 2/3 of that price. Buy it!

Toolnut gets $60 for the Systainer alone.
https://www.toolnut.com/festool-204534-limited-edition-blue-systainer-sys-2-tl-t-loc.html

 

[sancho57]

depends, If I remember correctly new the Pro5 sold as a special $100 w/ systainer and $50 rebate.

So if thats the case, I wouldnt think its that good a deal.

 

[ChuckS]

Jobsworth is right about the original price:

From a previous ad in Canada (2016):
"Each sander includes a $50 voucher to use towards your next Festool tool.

Price is $129.00 Cdn before tax (5% to 15%, depending on the province). In US$ $105 or so, including 5% tax."

So the $70US asking price represents about a 30% discount. Is it a good deal? Only the potential buyer can decide for himself or herself.

When I buy second-hand tools, 40% to 70% discounts are usually my demands. If I can't save a lot from a second-hand deal, I'd rather buy new. "Little point to save pennies" is my motto. In fact, many vendors in my city offer 30% to 70% on smaller or general tools (brand new) regularly.

 

[Peter_C]

The Pro5 is a $200 sander, but sold on promo for $99.00, with the $50 rebate. Smokin' deal, so I partook in the sale myself. They were selling on Ebay for $240, so slightly more than a 30% discount at $70..

Hard to see in the photos, but it mostly looks dusty. My sanders get like that pretty quickly.

 

[ChuckS]

When I sell my tools, I always freshen them up and present them in their best light on the auction site. Dirty tools don't give the potential buyers any confidence. Most of my tools or machines have been sold at my asking prices within a day or two.

As for the Pro5, I have two, and after each use, I clean them with the shop vac (a 5-second job with the brush) before putting them away.

 

[AlexThePalex]

depends, If I remember correctly new the Pro5 sold as a special $100 w/ systainer and $50 rebate.

So if thats the case, I wouldnt think its that good a deal.

The PRO 5 was sold with a huge discount by Festool as a promotion. It is the same sander they sell now for $200. Still think that's a small margin? 

When I buy second-hand tools, 40% to 70% discounts are usually my demands. If I can't save a lot from a second-hand deal, I'd rather buy new. "Little point to save pennies" is my motto. In fact, many vendors in my city offer 30% to 70% on smaller or general tools (brand new) regularly.

How much pennies do you save here over buying new, you think?

 

[ChuckS]

When I buy new, I am not saving pennies, but when I resell them, I am making pounds. Of course, like selling anything else, you need to be a good salesperson to sell at the prices you want.

If I bought an old machine without saving a lot compared to its new retail price, when I resold it (as a second or third hand owner), very likely that I would have to sell it for even less.

Lowe's, KMS (a Cdn vendor), etc. often offer 10% to 20% discounts to the Bosch, Dewalt, etc. brands. If I bought a second-hand Bosch at 35% discount, my actual saving could just be $20, $30. No way I would take an old tool (probably out of warranty already) just to save a little. Remember second-hand tools carry no return policy.

By the way, if the Pro5 was sold new for $100US by Festool, the starting point was $100 for calculating the discount % in the resell, because that is the price the seller paid for his tool.

 

[AlexThePalex]

By the way, if the Pro5 was sold new for $100US by Festool, the starting point was $100 for calculating the discount % in the resell, because that is the price the seller paid for his tool.

That is a pretty rigid way of thinking. So no accounting at all that this original PRO 5 was a very rare limited time offer? A deal where Festool sold it way below it's actual value? This was a special occasion and you know it. You can not bring out your general rule book, you have to reach into that little pocket where you keep your little book with rules for special occasions.

So you avoid my question, how much pennies would you save if you had to buy this sander new, same functionality, same quality? That would cost you $200, right? That's a $130 saving, or 13.000 pennies. Would you think 13.000 pennies are a lot of pennies?

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

I very rarely buy anything used or second hand, especially tools, as much of the time the price is (in my opinion) too high, and also my business gets tax relief on buying new. I did chase a really nice used Erika 85 recently though but, considering it was mint condition, and around £3,000 new, I would have made an exception.

Whenever I sell anything, I normally ask around half price, or a little more for something rare or collectable. Also for me, any savings need to be substantial, otherwise I’ll cough up the rest of the money and buy new.

I recently saw a used but very good conditioned MFT/3 with all the protractor and rail etc, on the auction site.The seller said make an offer, I can get one brand new for a little over £600, I offered £350. Not only did the seller decline my offer, they asked if I was serious?
I watched the item, that was listed for three weeks, finally sell for £365? To be fair I saw a similar one go for £450. No way am I paying £450 for a used one, I would just pay out £600 and get a brand new one with full warranty.

Same as ex demo, if something is ex demo, it’s been manhandled by perspective customers, some who have no idea of how to use such a tool. Only yesterday, I watched a guy in a branch of Axminster tools playing around with the Kapex’s. He pulled on the saw body whilst the rails we locked almost pulling the saw over. Then was twisting for all his worth on the bevel fine adjuster knob, whilst the rear bevel lock was engaged  [blink] I wouldn’t want to buy that saw, unless it was very discounted.

As somebody mentioned earlier, it’s all down to whether the buyer thinks it’s a good deal or not, and of course budget

 

[Distinctive Interiors]

I bought a second hand 240v CTL Midi, a DF500 Domino, a Rotex RO90 and a DTS 400 sander from 2 members of another forum I'm on.
All 4 tools looked as if they had been barely used, all were out of warranty period and all were about half the price of buying new.

I have been very happy with those purchases. The Domino machine also came with about a thousand dominos, the CT came with 5 new spare filter bags, and the sanders came with boxes & boxes of spare abrasives.

Sometimes, buying second hand can be a minefield but I have been fortunate and would certainly entertain buying second hand again.
Incidentally, I checked all TNR & SNR numbers of all the tools to ensure that they were all kosher.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I buy used tools all the time. Especially Festool, they're close to indestructable, no matter how bad a previous owner handled it. And I repair the tools myself, and if something is broken, I order a few parts for little and fix it back to "as new" condition.

At one point I owned 23 Festools of which I only bought 2 new, a DTS400 and a CTL Mini.

I only buy in person and examine each tool very closely before I take it home. I only buy it if there is at least a 30-40% saving on the new price. When I just got into Festool over 10 years ago, I bought every one I could get my hands on, and if I didn't like it I would sell it on again. I noticed how incredibly easy it was sell them again, and make a nice profit with it also. They have an incredible resale value.

I bought my CS70 saw for €1000 from a retired contractor, back when prices were still fixed and the new price was €3200. Not long after somebody offered me €2150 for it. I have it around 7 years now and though the saw is from 2006 it is still in perfect working order. 

I will buy any used Festool with the greatest confidence. I even have a guy who's an electrical engineer who will buy the most broken Festools from me just because he likes fooling around with them.

When you buy a used tool, there are two things to watch out for: the motor, and the electronics module. If I suspect they are not in good condition, I do not buy the tool because those are very expensive parts. Any other part is cheap to replace. For sanders, the condition of the pad is also something to pay attention to.

Besides that, I really do not get the idea that you don't like a tool just because somebody else handled it before.

 

[PeterK]

If the owner of the sander had some pride in his tools and really wanted to sell it for the highest price they would have cleaned it up and detailed it. If it was mine to sell it would look virtually new and would have a price of $160. It would have a new pad and a selection of paper with it. I have never sold Festool for less than 75% and vast majority at 80% of current new price.
If I was looking to purchase it I would remove the pad and inspect the inside. Also if the pad is yellowing it will need replacement and is not low cost. I see it all the time but it seems crazy people won’t present their item to sell in the best possible condition.
I would need to see and run the sander before purchase due to the condition. Would also want to see if any warrantee time is left.

 

[ChuckS]

By the way, if the Pro5 was sold new for $100US by Festool, the starting point was $100 for calculating the discount % in the resell, because that is the price the seller paid for his tool.

That is a pretty rigid way of thinking. So no accounting at all that this original PRO 5 was a very rare limited time offer? A deal where Festool sold it way below it's actual value?

Snip.

-- When I calculate a transactional profit or loss, discounts or otherwise from an accounting point of view, I use historical/book value as the basis. It is not about rigidity or flexibility because once I include other "judgment" factors into my calculations, the math can become way more complex which may require re-valuation, assigning value, etc.

Consider this: If I sold one of my Pro5s brand new, unused, say, at the same original price I paid after owning it for just 1 day, should I consider the sale a breakeven, a loss, or a gain? According to your reasoning, I should celebrate it for a big profit, right? In reality, it wasn't.

So you avoid my question, how much pennies would you save if you had to buy this sander new, same functionality, same quality? That would cost you $200, right? That's a $130 saving, or 13.000 pennies. Would you think 13.000 pennies are a lot of pennies?

I am not quite following your thinking here. The original cost of the Pro5 the owner was selling cost him $100US (?), and he was asking $70. It is not new, nor is it being sold under the same model # or condition of another new sander. When I calculate savings, I look at how much it would have cost me when buying the item new (in 2016) vs how much I would be actually paying now for it. Why would I use a $200 figure, presumably the cost for a different sander under a DIFFERENT model #, when the seller did not pay that amount for his sander in the first place?

Remember this: the same item manufactured by the same source sold by different vendors under different brands could carry significantly different prices (values?) regardless the fact that they may be selling the SAME item. Why would one pick the higher or the highest quote available instead of the actual cost to do any financial analysis?

 

[ChuckS]

If the owner of the sander had some pride in his tools and really wanted to sell it for the highest price they would have cleaned it up and detailed it. If it was mine to sell it would look virtually new and would have a price of $160. It would have a new pad and a selection of paper with it. I have never sold Festool for less than 75% and vast majority at 80% of current new price.

Same experience here about resale prices when selling my Festool machines; in fact similar experience with even some of the non-Festool stuff. I may not go to the length of replacing consumable parts before I sell a used machine, but I would fix whatever I can to make it look good, including removing rust surface or spots where necessary, or print out the manuals if lost. Believe it or not, due to a factory upgrade as well as Festool's annual price increases, when I sold my CT26 (after 2 years), I even made a profit!

One more thing I do: When I list, I always include a link to the same product from a current supplier, so potential buyers can compare conditions, prices (to my advantage, because prices go up in time; those who do their homework, of course, would try to find out the historical prices), study the full descriptions, etc.

The seller of the Pro5 might have no time or consider it unimportant to clean up his sander/systainer before he listed it, or simply he does not have the re-sale skills. We can learn a lot by studying how car dealerships (pre-owned vehicles dept.), or well-managed pawn shops or second-hand stores handle their possessions and present them.

 

[sancho57]

When I buy used, I buy from the recon sale. I just bought my Domino XL and saved about $400. I got it and it was in new condition.

I did buy a HL850 planer quite a few years ago but got a smokeing deal same with my CT22 ($195) about 5-6 years ago. Bought it to use with my Kapex.  It looks beat up but after trying it, it can put a watermelon through a garden hose. I like it better than my CT 26. I take it on the road with me to.

It'll be going with me back to Oregon next month when I go visit my good friend and do a little job for him.

 

[ChuckS]

Besides that, I really do not get the idea that you don't like a tool just because somebody else handled it before.

Whenever I drop by my local Lee Valley store, I take time to visit its Clearance Corner where customers' returns (that cannot be restocked) or samples are discounted and sold, usually at 20% to 30% (40% or more if opened/used such as stain (90% or more left), or with significant cosmetic blemishes) from their current prices.  I don't mind second-hand tools, but the prices must be good, and they are good there. Anyone who has had experience with Lee Valley's CyberMonday sale knows their discounts for "blemishes" are overly favorable to the customers. I am not a gardener, but many gardeners seem to change their minds about what they want after they assemble their purchases...which are discounted in the Clearance (cost more for the store to un-assemble and repack them?).

Last week, I saw a couple of these (20% discount) in the Clearance like new, with no visible marks on the
cutting edges:http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=71973&cat=71969. But what I really want is this:http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=71974&cat=71969

The image here shows a NEW, never used premier brush (Made in France) I picked up (35% off?) recently. The only blemish - a small hole on one side of the handle.