Woodworking is a skill that a lot of people find interesting. It’s a very satisfying thing to do and it helps you save or earn money by doing it. Instead of having to purchase furniture or cabinets from the store, you can buy the materials and craft them on your own. In the long term, this cuts a lot of costs. The same thing applies to earning, as you can easily sell your crafted items if they are well-made.
Although learning how to improve in woodworking is easier than it was back in the past, thanks to the internet and all the educative content we have available online, you still need the right set of equipment, tools, and machines to be good at it.
Since woodworking machines are not cheap, most people settle for used ones instead. But, we all know the risks of buying a used it, especially if it’s a machine. If one part is faulty and the owner never notified you about it, things may start breaking down and costing you a lot more in the long run. This is why in this article we’ll help you learn more on whether you should buy new or second-hand woodworking machines in 2024. Let’s take a look.
You save money by purchasing used, and this has a few other benefits too
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When you purchase used equipment, especially if everything is in good condition, you get to save a lot of money on the investment. This means that you can then spend some of the saved money to improve other things in your workshop and make it a better working environment.
And, since your investment wasn’t so large initially, you can then settle for a more competitive price for your products and services, simply because you won’t need a lot of time to get earn back the initial investment. Setting lower prices means you will attract many customers, and when your business finally grows and has a larger supportive customer base, you can start increasing the prices and re-gearing with brand-new equipment.
If you need CNC machines, it’s better to buy them brand-new
The CNC technology is rapidly evolving, and the computing power in the brand-new models makes it so much easier to program designs. New CNC technology will allow you to do things which are pretty much impossible with the older models. It’s not too difficult to find affordable used CNC machines. You can always learn more at iwmachines.co.uk
By purchasing brand-new equipment you can get exactly what you need
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It’s like shopping for a brand-new car. If you have the money to get a new one from a saloon, you can customize the equipment and make it perfect for your needs. However, if you’re settling for a used one, you have to adapt to what’s being offered on the market. The same thing applies for woodworking machines. By buying brand-new you can get the machines which offer the exact features you need for the types of products you are crafting. If you are working on something very specific, then used equipment may simply not “cut it” for you, excuse the pun.
Used machines don’t have a warranty which can be a risk
When you purchase a brand new machine, it comes with a long warranty, and this ensures that you won’t have any troubles in the future. Even if a problem occurs, the company you purchased from will cover all the costs for you.
However, this is not the case with used machinery. If something ends up happening to the equipment, you cannot do anything else besides buying new equipment, which is the worst possible scenario. Remember that if you use these machines quite frequently, the chances for this happening are higher.
If you can work out a warranty deal with the seller then you’re off to a good start but it’s not very common in the used market to get an offer like this.
If you are familiar with maintaining your own machines then maybe it’s a good idea to take this risk since you are saving money after all.
Purchasing used machines may not come with a free shipping option
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If you are buying used machines then you will probably have to pay for your own shipping as well. If you are purchasing brand-new then the company might take care of the shipping part for you, but it is not guaranteed. The chances are higher whatsoever.
If the seller lives far away from you then transport and logistics in general can be quite an issue, especially now during the pandemic. Plan this wisely. Do you need the equipment right away? Or you can allow yourself to wait some time until things settle down. Plan your budget ahead because transportation of such machines can cost a lot of money.
Remember to always inspect used equipment in-person before purchasing
Last but not least, a lot of shoppers underestimate the importance of visiting the seller in person and checking the equipment with your own hands and eyes. Pictures are one thing, but when it comes to something as complex as a woodworking machine, you need to test things out yourself. These things don’t come cheap, and you definitely don’t want to spend your money on something that you haven’t tried and seen how it performs.
If the seller refuses to accept your visit then you should look for someone else as that’s a major red flag pointing that something is wrong with the machines.
Conclusion
There’s a really important question troubling the thoughts of those looking to gear up and equip a new woodworking workshop, and that is whether the right choice is investing in brand-new equipment or searching for good bargains on the used market.
In the content above you can find out about the differences, or should we say “sacrifices” you make by purchasing used, but also about some of the possible advantages that you reap by doing so.
