Comments on: A Tool By Any Other Name…

By: Jim McClelland

Jim McClelland — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 18:50:36 +0000

A few years ago I bought a well known brand scroll saw. It was in the repair shop more than I had it in mine. I found out from one of the factory reps that the saw was made overseas. I was also told that if a supervisor is not watching over each tool being made that the quality was not in it.
After about a year they refunded my money and I was able to purchase another brand that is still going strong. This was also made overseas.

By: Jim Alguire

Jim Alguire — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:26:56 +0000

I’ve bought a lot of tools over the last 60 or so years, and still have a hard time remembering not to buy cheap tools because they cost too much. I invairably wind up buying them twice. The cheap one wears out, or breaks, or never actually performs as advertised. The second time I buy the good one that I should have bought in the first place

By: Vickster Carsten

Vickster Carsten — Tue, 11 May 2010 00:05:48 +0000

“Whazzit for?” If I was given a job needing the advantages of a Sawzall, but had no known further use for one, I’d hit Harbor Freight in a second! If, however, people saw the results of THAT job and started hiring me to do many more, that H>F> tool would be passed on down to one of my kids who might use it some day— or might not use it at all . . . at least he would have SOMETHING that would accomplish that particular chore.
In earlier “mechanical” days, I ended up with two sets of tools. One at home in my garage, and one in the trunk of whatever junker I was driving at the time. I referred to them as my sets as “Users” and “Losers”. If one of the “losers” got forgotten by the wayside, it would be easily and cheaply replaced.
But the USERS? That’s a horse of a different color – - and the color is money.

By: dejure

dejure — Wed, 05 May 2010 01:11:58 +0000

Issues of flags aside, there is a lot of voting going on regarding tools. It happens at the cash register:

1) Many of us grit our teeth and pay top dollar in attempt to acquire quality tools we can depend on (experience has taught us we can’t afford cheap).

2) Some, tired of inflation, fighting overhead costs, or otherwise reacting to prices, refuse to pay for other than an inexepensive tool.

3) Other purchasers can be said to fill the gray areas. That is, they are, more or less, neutral on the matter. For example, they may not know why some of us pay one hundred seventy dollars for a jig saw, when we could have picked on up for thirty-five bucks.

To muddy the water a bit, employers often buy inexpensive tools because they know they will be abused, lost or stolen on the job. I’ve even bought an inexpensive tool to loan a friend, not wanting to loan him my valued tool and knowing his pattern of tool care.

Meanwhile, manufacturers have become adept at building shinny things that capture the eye. Even that is relative. For me, shiny is a tool that looks well built, rather than flashy. Manufacturers could fill the handle with led to up their chance of convincing me I had heavy duty tool. My neighbor, on the other hand, likes the sporty design and bright colors of a Hitachi saber.

By: Russell Boring

Russell Boring — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:30:56 +0000

I am a carpenter by trade. I perform my craft full time and I use my tools all day long. It has been my experience that the tools made on the Pacific Rim are not as high quality as those made domestically or in Europe. Some of the tools are better than others for sure. The best example I can use is the Porter Cable 126 door planer which was also made by Rockwell decades ago. I still have my Rockwell version and it still operates just fine and shows no sign of wearing out. How about all of the old Delta Unisaws that are still going. It’s not that it is impossible to build high quality tools in Hong Kong but the coporate culture there is to build it as cheaply as possible. There is nothing wrong with efficiency but if you continually push the cost down something has to give and it is usually the quality. You are correct in that we the consumers have created this. If we demanded higher quality and were willing to pay the additional price then the manufacturers would respond to that demand. It is my opinion based upon my experience that quality is cheaper in the long run. If you have a tool that last decades instead of years you will come out ahead.

By: Anke

Anke — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 16:41:41 +0000

Components made in Asia can be as good as domestic or European.
The key is a the tool they parts are run from as well as ensuring comparable materials, which can be tricky at times.

However with well made tools, trained staff and a quality procedure in place, chances are the quality is the same.
you can run into quality issues if the manufacturer brings over a poorly designed tool from a low cost country.