Cheap Chinese tools

[Sans Bateau]

Is that all you can get these days?

I always try and buy the best tools I can, after spending 20 years in the tools business, I'm appalled at the cheap rubbish on sale, and there appears to be no alternative!

Example; I just recently bought a mitre box/saw, some that I looked at could be described as not fit for purpose. Having visited all the major retailers, and trawled the WWW the only one that looked like it could do the job was one from B&Q, about £25.

This worked OK on some smaller stuff, but working to its maximum capacity today on some skirting board, a simple job took ages, cos it just was not up to cutting a a straight line.

Why are people draw to these cheap products to such an extent that the retailers compete to get the cheapest rubbish they can on the shelves?

Rant over!

 

[Oen]

Yes. In Britain, quality now counts for nothing, and therefore nothing of quality is available.

True, and it really makes me sick.

 

[andyball]

have you tried crm ( I think...) saws in waterlooville ?

Or axminster tools do a decent range

 

[Oen]

As a postscript to my mini-rant above, if you really do search for good tools, you may find them. But, you'll be very hard pressed to find suppliers who know what they're talking about stocking a decent range of proper tools.

 

[DinghyMan]

Try;

Axminster - does high quality pro, last a lifetime stuff as well as mid and their own range stuff as well. Get their catalogue.

Rutlands - again does good pro tools

Spent a fortune at both over the years but I like my toys; I tend to buy a mixture of pro stuff and mid range as I use it for work as well as at home.

 

[JasB]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes. In Britain, quality now counts for nothing, and therefore nothing of quality is available.

True, and it really makes me sick.

[/ QUOTE ]

They only supply what we buy

 

[Oen]

Jas, you're (for the most part) right - and the majority here think that low cost is the only criterion... The control that some companies (Tesco, B&Q, etc) have over the market is also a factor, as they have eliminated small purveyors of quality goods.

Extremely sad...

 

[Poignard]

These are good - but expensive

 

[snowleopard]

There is a place for cheap tools. The trick is to know when it is worth buying them and when to shell out for something a bit more expensive. For example I came across electric detail sanders at £4.99 at my local pile-it-high emporium, which included a pack of sandpaper worth £4.50 so effectively they cost 49p. I would never have bothered buying one at bosch prices but when it's so cheap it could pack up tomorrow and I'd still have got my money's worth.

Sometimes they do better than the more expensive items, for example I bought 2 B&D angle grinders at £35 while building my boat. They packed up within a few months and I replaced them with a pair of cheapos at £12 which are still going strong 7 years later.

On the other hand a cheap power saw at £130 (Bosch equivalent £530) now has a burnt-out switch I can't replace so is now so much junk. That hurts - bad decision.

So with power tools my rule is now to ask myself how I would feel if it packed up tomorrow. As a result I have far more tools than I would have been able to afford at 'full' prices. I have scrapped a few failures but with the one exception I've been happy to do so.

As far as hand mitre saws go, I think the design means that none will cut accurately. I only use mine for cutting plastic drainpipe square. I cut mitres with a machine costing £1500!

 

[ShipsWoofy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Yes. In Britain, quality now counts for nothing, and therefore nothing of quality is available.

True, and it really makes me sick.

[/ QUOTE ]

They only supply what we buy

[/ QUOTE ]

ahem, speak for yourself matey /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[Poignard]

[ QUOTE ]
As far as hand mitre saws go, I think the design means that none will cut accurately.

[/ QUOTE ]

The Nobex [made in Sweden] is very accurate but for simply cutting ends off square, or for a few regularly used angles, you might as well use a traditional wooden mitre box and a tenon saw.

I bought a cheapo mitre saw from LIDL last week to use on the boat, it cost less than £10, it looks good but is not accurate and is therefore useless. [If I want to cut inaccurately I can do so freehand!]

 

[ShipsWoofy]

ah Lidl, now there's a proper tool shop if ever.

 

[Poignard]

[ QUOTE ]
ah Lidl, now there's a proper tool shop if ever

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup! Buy cheap and you buy twice!

 

[Blue5]

And its not only tools, equipped the boat with an electric kettle and a toaster last October and got change from £10

 

[ShipsWoofy]

[ QUOTE ]
And its not only tools, equipped the boat with an electric kettle and a toaster last October and got change from £10

[/ QUOTE ]

[rant]

which is about what our pensions will be worth until people wise up!

[/rant]

 

[misterg]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
...change from £10

[/ QUOTE ]

[rant]which is about our pensions will be worth until people wise up![/rant]

[/ QUOTE ]

While I entirely agree with you sentiment, I'm at a loss as to what can usefully be done to stem the tide. Having been involved with manufacturing in the UK for the last 20 years, I don't think it has any future in the UK, or even the EU. "We must look to the service economy", so I'll cut your hair if you do my accounts. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

(That isn't supposed to be funny, btw.)

Andy

 

[steve_cronin]

Dear Fellow Spirit

... been saying it for years.

We have given away our heritage to the corrupt Chinese regieme and for what? A load of tatt and a dirty planet.

Who wants a ratchet handle that takes his knuckles off?

If you can only afford Chinese then you are in the wrong game you sad bastrad. I detest the kruints.

Steve cronin

 

[Impaler]

Re: Dear Fellow Spirit

I have to work with locally made stuff out here, it's almost without exception terrible. Chinese tax on imports is huge and you can't send stuff out of the country for repair as they don't allow the import of 2nd hand goods, they classify it as waste. So we get it repainted, repacked and classified as new. Still the food is nice as are the waitresses....

Buy British.

 

[Guest]

It's same all over now ... I worked in States some years ago ... same ! and that was made in USA ...
Baltics - same ...

So now I have a system ... buy whats available and when it breaks, jaws widen etc. I throw it out and replace with better item - fits same slot in plastic box ! Cause at end of day - the plastic carrier box is worth more than the crud tools inside it.

But I have to agree with another about some power tools ... angle grinder less than a fiver ... still working 3 yrs later and fine. Portable circ. saw - 18 quid ... same .... (in fact cuts far better than the 2 B&D jobs I had before .... ) Jigsaw - less than a tenner ... Orbital sander 6 quid ... with free sanding sheets.
But I agree that they are cheap and no professional woodworker etc. would use ...

 

[Guest]

Re: Cheap Chinese tools --- forgot to add ...

As cheap do-it-all kits for boats - I've had one large set which includes crimps, terminals, connectors etc. for donkeys years on the boat and only a couple of bits are broken.

Macro - 20 quid.