Dave hits a profit when he finds a lens-tinting machine on a $400 dollar unit on Storage Wars

Dave Hester from Storage Wars | Image via Instagram/ @davelovespugs
Dave Hester from Storage Wars | Image via Instagram/ @davelovespugs

Storage Wars never fails to amaze, and in this episode, seasoned bidder Dave Hester demonstrates once again why he is among the game's most astute players. In the episode, we see Dave start by going through commonplace stuff like shoes, beauty kits, couches, and furniture after spending merely $400 on a storage container. He gradually adds up the little victories. Nothing appears revolutionary at first, but each item adds a few dollars here and there.

But next enters the big prize! Dave discovers an intriguing piece of equipment, a Phantom lens tinting machine, buried amid the odds and ends in the unit. Dave acknowledges that he initially doesn't know what it is, but he speculates that it might be something for spectacles. In order to learn more, he takes the machine to an optical store in California, where a specialist verifies that it is a unique tool for tinting prescription spectacle lenses. Not only is it rare, but it's also quite valuable.

Dave's 400 wager instantly becomes a significant profit because the machine alone is worth almost $1,000. The "Yuuup!" king smiles as he leaves, demonstrating once more how experience and a little bit of luck can pay off greatly.


Dave turns a $400 locker into a goldmine on Storage Wars

Dave Hester starts off slowly, extracting modest treasures from his $400 locker, such as shoes, cosmetics, and household objects, which gradually accumulate. Every part of the unit appears to generate a healthy profit, from $25 lights to a $200 bunk bed set.

Dave was almost at $1,000 by the time he added up the furniture and minor sales. The true prize, however, was discovered when he happened upon an odd-looking gadget that was far more valuable than he had anticipated.


Discovering the lens tinting machine

Dave took what appeared to be a complex piece of equipment out from among the makeup boxes and furnishings. Storage Wars star suspected it had something to do with spectacles, but he wasn't sure.

When he took it to an optician, who recognized it as a Phantom lens tinting machine, a specialized tool used to tailor prescription lenses and sunglass tints, his suspicion was validated. The equipment was operating nicely and heating solutions as it should have.


Expert appraisal brings a big surprise

The optician clarified that such a machine is uncommon and in high demand among specialty optical stores because not all eyeglass stores carry it. The expert valued the tinting machine at approximately $1,000 due to its unique utility and operational state. That meant that with one surprising discovery, Storage War's Dave had effectively doubled the profit from his locker.

Dave easily made over $2,000 from his $400 investment when he added the worth of this machine to his previous furnishings and minor sales. His response was typical of Storage Wars: a mix of smug satisfaction and enthusiasm. After making a joke about "seeing clearly" with his newfound wealth, he left knowing that he had achieved one of the most unexpected victories of the show.


Head to Hulu to watch more episodes of Storage Wars.

Edited by IRMA