Shopgoodwill.com

I love mechanical things. During my college days down in Detroit I would canvas the resale shops for old cameras. Some stores let you fill up a grocery bag for $5.00. The detail and workmanship on many of these vintage cameras is exquisite. There are still some amazing deals out there - including this wonderful site called shopgoodwill.com.

Goodwill Industries shops across the country offer up musical instruments, antiques, cameras and more to the highest bidder. Better yet - it goes to charity. Time.com rated this site as one of the best websites for 2009. There are some treasures that get passed along as well - and because there aren't as many people searching the prices are typically better than eBay.

Consider this beauty. It's a Zeiss Ikonta 521/2 Camera with Zeiss-Opton Ser. No. 35748 Tessar 106 mm lens. Bidding started at $5.00 and is now $45.00. Most likely it will go for much less than the going rate on eBay where a similar camera (Ser. No. 35518) has a Buy it Now price of $563. According to the eBay post - the Ikonata 521/2 camera with this 106 mm lens was produced in November of 1948 - and only a little over 200 cameras were produced with the uncoated Opton 106 mm lens before they switched to the coated 105 mm lens. Rare indeed.

Battery went dead again in my 2001 Jeep Cherokee. I use a small inverter to charge my Palm Pre and forgot to unplug the unit before heading in to work. Having stayed late at work I lost access to my boss's car. Besides, I'm getting tired of asking for a jump any time the interior lights are left on by accident. So, I hiked across Telegraph Road and picked up a PSX PowerStation Multi Purpose Vehicle Jumpstarter for $65.99 at Costco. Has to be one of the best buys I've made in a while. The battery was completely dead. No clicks. Nothing.

Thankfully I didn't slip and fall as I ran back across Telegraph to my dead Cherokee. Mind you, this is a heavy bugger, as any 1000ah battery should be. Got to thinking it might not be charged up from the factory. Hooked up the battery, tried to turn it over and nothing. Helps to read instructions ... so that's what the large dial was on the back was for that said "ON". Tried it again and presto - cranked right up.

But that's not all. This unit lives up to its Multi-Purpose name:

• Portable 18aH Sealed Rechargeable Battery with 37"6 awg Jumper Cables
• 400 Amps - 1000 Peak Amps
  
• 260 PSI Air Compressor (with 3 adapters)
  
• 12V 1000mA Charger
  
• LED Work Light (illuminates work area)
• Voltmeter
• Two12-Volt DC Power Cables
• 120-Volt AC Charger
• 1 Year Warranty

For all I'm concerned, this unit was worth its weight in gold.