Thread: A possible answer to an age old question..which tool is better?

Please bear with me as a set the scene for this tale.

I was sitting in a hotel room in Canberra when i received a phone call from my everloving wife, to say that the house was on fire (end of November). I immediately organised to get a flight home to Perth, and when I finally got home, half the house, the garage, and worst of all, my shed were destroyed by fire. My car, my books (in storage to make room for number 1 grandson), my golf clubs, my fishing rods and all my tools acquired over the last 25 odd years were gone.

Now to the opening title.

I lost my Ozito gear (circular saw & plane, original blue Ozito, hammer drill, grey one, 3.6v driver, Hot air gun, nailer, rotary tool, angle grinder), my GMC gear (18V drill, Biscuit jointer, Titanium router, Titanium jigsaw, 1/3 sheet sander, mitre saw), my DeWalt gear (18V hammer drill), my Makita gear (bench grinder, 1/3 sheet sander), my B&D gear (palm sander, bench grinder), my Bosch blue gear (1/2 sheet sander), my Sherwood table saw & Thicknesser, my band saw, my jointer, my Triton router table, my scroll saw, my Carba-tec dusty and my drill press. All my chisels have no handles, the same with my planes (those I could salvage). From that list of destruction one working power tool was salvaged. You can't read the tally plate, and it was black as sin, but when I plugged it in, it gave that same satisfying growl that it always did.

What tool I hear you all say...


A Hitachi belt sander, age unknown, but estimated to be mid 70's. Solid cast body and handle.

Will admit, tool was in a drawer, and power cord survived intact, but the Makita 1/3 sheet sander had the same advantages and all it did when I plugged it in was make a whiny little noise and do nothing else, whereas the Hitachi sent the belt spinning round and round, just like nothing had happened.


As an aside, it's not something any of us probably ever consider, but considering where all our interests lay, and the natural combustibility of the medium we work in, if you have a collection of tools, especially old tools, it may be worth considering a fire suppression system for your workshop. I lost a heap of old saws, squares and other items in the fire that are really irreplaceable due to age.

On that sober thought, I wish all members of this forum a happy and prosperous new year, and may good fortune smile on us all.