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Member's Forum Dumpster Diving - What is your best score?
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  • State Not Answered
  • Replies 33 replies
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  • salvage
  • dumpster dive
  • free equipment
Related

Dumpster Diving - What is your best score?

dougw
dougw over 1 year ago

We had a question previously on what is the best deal you ever got when procuring electronics, but what is the best free deal you ever got from dumpster diving, trash salvage or discarded material?

It is okay to mention the great free stuff we get from element14, but also mention your best score from trash.

My stereo microscope came from a dumpster. It didn't have a stand, but I built a stand and I use that microscope all the time. It was a a phenomenal score - an expensive device for free, that I use extensively.

From element14, I got to road test a 4 channel R&S scope, it is now my main scope - the highlight of the decade ...Heart

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Top Replies

  • javagoza
    javagoza over 1 year ago in reply to beacon_dave +8
    I am a volunteer of " Ingeniería Sin Fronteras " (Engineering Without Borders), a Spanish Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) dedicated to development cooperation, which seeks to put technology at the…
  • genebren
    genebren over 1 year ago +5
    I worked at a few companies that had great dumpster deals. At one of the companies (manufacturers of Liquid Chromatography systems) they were doing an ongoing repair and retrofit of a sampling system …
  • DAB
    DAB over 1 year ago +4
    My best score was a carton of Opamps I picked up for about 5 USD, turns out they were needed by another group and I sold them for 400 USD.
Parents
  • scottiebabe
    0 scottiebabe over 1 year ago

    10 years ago you could buy second hand tools and equipment for practically free + shipping on ebay, not so much anymore...

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  • dougw
    0 dougw over 1 year ago in reply to scottiebabe

    More than a few decades ago, I bought my first car for $125. When I sold it a few years later I used the ad "Free or best offer".... I sold it for $125.

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  • genebren
    0 genebren over 1 year ago in reply to dougw

    I used to get cars for free.  I had a small junk yard for a while, 4 VWs, a rambler and a chevy.  These were all given to me by various people (past teachers, friends, etc.).  I did manage to build a good running VW along with selling out parts.  The only one that was worthless in the end was the rambler (I fixed the head gasket only to find that the block was cracked.

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  • Jan Cumps
    0 Jan Cumps over 1 year ago in reply to genebren
    • Beetles?
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  • Jan Cumps
    0 Jan Cumps over 1 year ago in reply to genebren
    • Beetles?
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  • genebren
    0 genebren over 1 year ago in reply to Jan Cumps

    Yep, early 60's models.  I traded a motorcycle for a running 61 beetle (which was my daily driver), and then started bringing home random cars to build other ones.

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  • dougw
    0 dougw over 1 year ago in reply to genebren

    Old beetles may not be that rare, even today, since they made over 21M of them, but they can still sell for over $45K.

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  • beacon_dave
    0 beacon_dave over 1 year ago in reply to dougw

    A lot were chopped up into kit cars and motorcyle trikes. The flat base pan and the transaxle made them easy to work with. 

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