Thread: Just a Thought on Quality Tools. Powered or Hand

I fully understand where you're coming from, but we're in the "Bic disposable age" and as much as I lament the throwaway mentality it's here and needs to be factored into any business. It can also be convenient at times.

For much of my work, I'm the only one who can "go fetch" and often as not I'm more than a 2hr drive one way from home. Frankly, I can't afford to lose half a day (plus petrol) because "I forgot." "Just making a call" simply doesn't apply.

Often I'll run down to Bunnies instead and buy a cheap'n'nasty, then bin it at the end of the day if needs be. It's more economical for me, plain & simple.

Sure, the machine at home is better quality and would probably produce better results for the same amount of effort but I'm sure you'd agree with me: "it's a poor tradesman who blames their tools." Especially when it's something as trivial as a belt-sander or 1/4 sheeter.

Now if 'twas something like a Hilty and I needed to bore a lot of holes in conc or similar... then I'd readjust my schedule and defer that part of the job until I brought the right tool from home. There's always something else that needs doing. No rest for the wicked.

I also don't lend tools... but I've "lost" a few good tools from the back of the ute when on-site. In reality, there's not much you can do about it unless you actually catch the bastard in the act. Throwing a wobbly and accusing the other blokes on site in general not only doesn't get it back but tends to make the remainder of the job "awkward." Been there, done that. (Got banned from site. )

One trick is to dirty up your brand new exxy tools in duct tape and stickum to make 'em less attractive. They don't want to liberate... errrm... borrow 'em then, but of course it doesn't always work.

I have expensive, quality tools. I only take them as & when needed and try to keep them locked up when not in use. But for my daily users I'll stick to ratty old stanley chisels and Bunnies brand powertools.

It's simple economics; I can't afford to do otherwise.

There are a lot of people on the forum who would agree with you Andrew. What I hate is that everytime you but something of quality there seems to be something better out there. I thought I was riding high with my Makita and Hitachi stuff, and then I started reading about Festo gear on this forum.

Another thing that slows down the tea-leaves is to overspray the tools with a really tacky coloured spray paint - who wants to try to get away with a drill with a flouro-pink paint job - it doesn't even have to be all over - just the bits you don't normally see when using it I have a cheap tin of gold spray paint that still keeps going, so some of my tools get a quick spritz of gold if they leave home.

Of course some tea-leaves will even grind off the identifying numbers & marks, then try to pretend its 'normal' wear. The mate I work for occasionally is looking into the RF chips that they use to identify pets - can be glued inside casings, inserted into power cords etc. and you don't have to touch the item, just get close with the RF transceiver and it will report the chip information.

Thanks for the reminder Andrew.
As the Arnotts people have always said:
There's no substitute for quality!

Regards
SG

Originally Posted by Andrewb4562

.......
Sure it cost me $60.00 but I stayed on site and worked on something else while I waited.

Still earning money!!!!!!!!!!!!

......
Had to laugh at the plumber the other day.

.....
His hardware bought cheapie, less than 2 months old had stuffed up. it was 9 am.

He left site with ....Came back at 3pm to pack up.
.....

Lost 6 hrs in productive work time!

As a perhaps not aggressive enough client, my experience of employing TRADIES has mostly been that the 6hrs not productive time would have been charged up to me anyway.

Can't say I've seen anybody charge out lately at $54/hr either. I'm currently looking to get an airconditioner compressor moved 5 metres and the cheapest over the phone quote so far is $600

It would appear that us "Tradesman" are a dying breed. What happened to the days of our apprenticeships that we looked for guidance from the Tradesmen that were in charge of our practical training? The same Tradesmen who guided us in the right and wrong when purchasing tools?



Too true ,
the old apprenticeship system is dead .It's now called traineeships and is a shadow of the former system ,it's a fast track system ,much to the detriment of many industries and the so called tradesmen who are coming out of it.
Unfortunately the system of today often glosses over some of the time honoured skills that were important in the days of the past.
Maybe the only trade that is still clinging to the old system are the electrical trades , only because of the danger of working with electricity and the fact that they have a licensing board that regulates who gets a and licence who doesn't.

Kev.