Shopping at a thrift store...is this a valuable piece of equipment?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Ichinisan

Ichinisan

Lifer
Oct 9, 2002
28,298
1,235
136
My local thrift store has this for $18.91, but I suspect this might be the kind of hardware that could be worth $1k. I'm not really a handy-person, so I wouldn't know for sure.

http://s79.photobucket.com/alb...sturner/Drill%20Thing/

It looks like this has the kind of quality you can't expect to get from any consumer-grade hardware. It seems to be designed so that you can disassemble it easily to maintain / repair. For instance, replacing the frayed AC power cord looks like it should be a simple matter. I'm sure a handier person than I would want it for the electric motor alone.

I'm curious that it says "AC DC". With an AC power cord, I don't know how you could get DC electricity to it. It mentions 115v, the standard for our AC electrical outlets in the US...but I have no idea what DC volts/amps it's designed to accept.

There is a lock on the trigger that seems like it would be useful for specialized purposes where the drill is mounted and needs to keep spinning.

There's also a threaded hole at the top that looks like you could put another grip there or some mounting accessory.

I'm hoping one of you handy people can tell me if this is gold or junk...


I'll be Google-ing "Zephyr" too...

Their website seems to indicate they only manufacture bits and such for their "industrial" cusotmers. I believe this is one of their "Aerospace" grade products.
 
PottedMeat

PottedMeat

Lifer
Apr 17, 2002
12,363
475
126
Originally posted by: Ichinisan

I'm curious that it says "AC DC". With an AC power cord, I don't know how you could get DC electricity to it. It mentions 115v, the standard for our AC electrical outlets in the US...but I have no idea what DC volts/amps it's designed to accept.
Click to expand...

That just means it has a universal motor - it can use AC or DC 115V. I have a circular saw the the same markings. Though I don't know where 115VDC is commonly found. I guess maybe a simple PWM controller.
 
Thump553

Thump553

Lifer
Jun 2, 2000
12,839
2,625
136
Is this thrift shop run by a charity? Do the right thing and point out to them that they could get a lot more money for the thing by ebaying it.
 
DrPizza

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
Looks like a typical drill from the 1960's/1970's, back when they had metal housing instead of the plastic housing like 90% of the drills on the market today.

Value:
$5-$10 at a garage sale.

$18.91 is pushing it, since you can pick up a new 1/2" drill for about the same at Home Depot or Lowes. On the other hand, that one would probably outlast any cheap drill you purchased today, providing you knew how to care for it.

You're right about the cord being easy to repair. Back in the 60's and 70's, men were men and knew how to repair things like that - it was an instinct they were born with. Now, with the estrogen mimicking hormones in soy & other environmental and societal factors taking its toll on society, real men are few and far between. That, coupled with tools designed to make repairs cumbersome (in order to boost the bottom line by selling more tools), means that most people today end up throwing out broken appliances & power tools. "I'm not really a handy-person, so I wouldn't know for sure. " See what I mean? You would have a hard time finding a man uttering those words in the 60's or 70's. :p

Seriously though, I don't think there is a category for antique power tools.
 
BoomerD

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,565
14,971
146
Originally posted by: sdifox
http://books.google.ca/books?i...4#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Click to expand...


This is the only thing I could find myself. I remember there were "Zephyr Tools" back into the 60's and maybe early 70's, but don't know anything past that. They were apparently manufactured by Portable Electric Tools, Inc., but I can't find any current info on them either.

http://www.owwm.com/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=647&tab=0

In 1972 McGraw-Edison acquired the power-tool division of G. W. Murphy Industries, Inc., which had acquired Portable Electric Tools, Inc. some time before. It is not known whether all of McGraw-Edison's woodworking tools and machinery can be traced back to Portable Electric Tools. We have reports of some machines labled as "McGraw-Edison Co. / Bersted Mfg. Div. / Boonville, MO" In 1926, McGraw Electric Co. had acquired Bersted Manufacturing Co. of Chicago.

Sometime before 1985, McGraw-Edison sold their power-tool division to Deco Enterprises of St. Louis, MO. In 1985, Cooper Industries bought McGraw-Edison. In 1992 McGraw-Edison Co. became McGraw-Edison Corp.
 
sdifox

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
100,954
18,108
126
Originally posted by: BoomerD
Originally posted by: sdifox
http://books.google.ca/books?i...4#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Click to expand...


This is the only thing I could find myself. I remember there were "Zephyr Tools" back into the 60's and maybe early 70's, but don't know anything past that. They were apparently manufactured by Portable Electric Tools, Inc., but I can't find any current info on them either.

http://www.owwm.com/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=647&tab=0

In 1972 McGraw-Edison acquired the power-tool division of G. W. Murphy Industries, Inc., which had acquired Portable Electric Tools, Inc. some time before. It is not known whether all of McGraw-Edison's woodworking tools and machinery can be traced back to Portable Electric Tools. We have reports of some machines labled as "McGraw-Edison Co. / Bersted Mfg. Div. / Boonville, MO" In 1926, McGraw Electric Co. had acquired Bersted Manufacturing Co. of Chicago.

Sometime before 1985, McGraw-Edison sold their power-tool division to Deco Enterprises of St. Louis, MO. In 1985, Cooper Industries bought McGraw-Edison. In 1992 McGraw-Edison Co. became McGraw-Edison Corp.
Click to expand...

I was born in 1970. The stuff you are talking about is a void for me.
 
Ichinisan

Ichinisan

Lifer
Oct 9, 2002
28,298
1,235
136
According to that advertisement in the 1950 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine, the 910 model has a different chuck design...that's all.
 
LTC8K6

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,576
126
$18.91 is pushing it, since you can pick up a new 1/2" drill for about the same at Home Depot or Lowes.
Click to expand...

You can? Even a low end 1/2" drill will be much more, and a quality one more yet.
 
0roo0roo

0roo0roo

No Lifer
Sep 21, 2002
64,795
84
91
no, a low end corded b&d drill is about 20 dollars, and a nicer one starts at 30ish.
those should last the average person quite a while. i mean sure u can quibble if you are building a house but realistically most people drill very few holes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom