Thread: Is someone killing Triton ?

I think this might be a direct result of the promotion needed to make people aware.... or should I say lack of promotion.

I have in the past only known of a demo if by the off chance I called into a store that had a prominent sign up... missed one a few weeks back because it was the day before I needed to get some screws

There must be a way to advertise these events outside of hardware stores .... even on community radio ( very cheap here in Adelaide) -

Hey I'd bring along a mate or two as I have previously if I knew when and where.... only recently found the link on the site but nothing happening - and not everyone knows of that either.....

Originally Posted by Stuart

Gidday Matt -
The demos themselves are not as well attended as once they were, so that discourages the active program there once was. Once upon a time they were standing 3 deep.

I'm heading your way... less than 6.75 yrs to retirement
Approval from management for a smaller house, smaller block of land, LARGER SHED !
I need to get fully equipped now in readiness - couldn't hack sitting in front of the tele all day... only so much golf and fishing one can do... have to have another hobby and like you TRITON is my excuse to escape.....
Also should have my next boat finished by retirement time (18' woody)

Originally Posted by Aberdeen

Stuart
Plus I've noticed a lot of blokes these days don't even have a shed or anywhere they can fit in anything other than maybe a golf bag.... the shed is becoming a piece of history also I feel.... but not yours of course!
Even a basic tool kit is becoming a thing of the past.... when my son moved interstate with work I gave him some basics... hammer, pliers, screwdrivers etc... at least when I visit things might get fixed without having to take tools on holidays with me )

It is sad that state of affairs is even possible - the shed is such an intimate part of the backyard culture.

I had a guy once say to me thanks for giving back to him the sense of being a real bloke again - having the confidence to pick up a powertool, rather than a dishcloth. That in part is what drives me - the fact that there are so many people out there who have forgotten what it is like to even walk into the tool shop at Bunnings.

As much as life is becoming too fast, and we hand off traditional jobs to others, we still need the average bloke (or blokette (no insult intended)) to be able to pick up a hammer, or knock up a shelf, or whatever.

Hills killed my favourite tool store's stocking Triton - no dealer support, no info, no demo's after they p#issed off all the old demonstrators. GMC are looking to continue the no informantion on new products, and from what has been written here they have again ditched the demonstrators.

Without some considerable effort in the market place with telling the old dealer network about new goodies, getting product out there on show & in action with demo's, Triton will just become another casualty of the race to make the crappiest tool possible - cheap & breaks down the minute the warranty expires.

I don't disagree with some of what has been written above, but there is another aspect to bear in mind.

Triton gear sells quickly and at good prices in the second-hand market (look at eBay, as recently attested by Stuart). This suggests that there is a significant demand that is not being met by current retail options and also that the gear retains its reputation for being good value for money.

The point of that is that if the Triton product is one that you like, I don't think that you will suffer significantly by buying it - so long as it is in good condition you will be able to sell it on eBay and make very little loss.

What I would also point out is that this really is an opportunity for someone to establish a good distribution system for GMC to shift Triton product - they are not really tools that hardware stores are suitable to sell! I think that working on distribution through stores like Just Tools in Melbourne and Sydney Tools (guess where) and improving availability and pricing of accessories and spares (also through those channels) may be a good place for GMC to start.

Blokes need to get back in the shed I agree!

PROMOTION IDEA: maybe if Triton/GMC could approach one of the Lifestyle DIY shows and have them do a feature night on the ORANGE goodies -it might just encourage people to get into it....... BRAND AWARENESS is necessary to survive these days !

For my 2 bobs worth...

I believe the Triton power tools are still great value, however, I believe the 2000 work centre has priced itself out of the market.

I used to use a Mk3 work centre (had it for so long the legs rusted away)but now only use the base to support the router table.

As i gained a little more experience, I wanted a saw that:
a) could be set at 22.5 or 45 degrees with little effort
b) had mitre slots so that I could build panel cutting jigs etc.

I am on my second GMC table saw and when finances allow will go to a 10" table saw from CarbaTec/Hare& Forbes.(space allowing)...


James

When I bought my last saw it was a Ryobi BT3100. Now that I've had it for a while, I can make a decent comparison with the MK3 it replaced. I'm not convinced I made the right decision.

The major advantages of the Triton are a much larger table, and better flexibility for cutting large pieces of timber (ie, overhead mode). It was also lighter, and much easier to move out of the way, even though I've got the wheels mounted on the Ryobi.

The winning advantage of the Ryobi is the aluminium table top. The top of my Triton got scratched, moisture entered, and over time the paint (? coating) started to flake and peel away.

Personally, I think there should be a whole lot of life left in the Triton Workbench. In my stupid moments, I've sometimes thought of manufacturing after-market accessories specifically for the Triton ... an up-market table top, incorporating a proper mitre slot, for example ... but the declining presence of the workbench in the retail market scared me away.

The demise of Triton was inevitable when George, the creator and driving force behind developing the company, sold his interest to Hills.

When it became a division of a main company it was run specifically by managers for shareholders profit and innovation and adaptations ceased. R & D was reduced and the market place started to pass it by.

If George had remained in control I'm sure the WC, being Triton's mainstay, would have adapted and improved to remain an effective alternative to the cheaper TS imports.


Peter.

So Peter, the answer to the question then is, George killed Triton.

When he sold out to Hills, he effectively deprived Triton of its' creative force.
You may argue that Hills had managers run Triton for shareholders' profit, every publicly listed company is run for shareholders' profit, that doesn't mean that every publicly listed company is going down the tube like Triton.

Triton has gone much further downhill since Hills sold it to GMC, or that should be GMC bought Triton from Hills, as Hills was not an active seller but accepted an offer it couldn't refuse.

Triton had a much bigger presence in the market under Hills than it has had under GNC since.

It appears to me that GMC wanted Triton as a brand for its' more upmarket power tools, not to sell locally manufactured saw benches which had passed their use by date.

If you look around the big hardware stores such as Bunnings and Mitre 10, you will also notice a much smaller presence of GMC tools, even compared to 12 months ago. The reason for that is partly that they no longer offer a 30 day satisfaction guarantee (read free hire period) and are almost impossible to do business with, even the likes of Bunnings now shudder when you ask for service on GMC and even Triton spare parts.
Just try and place a "special order" for some of these items and you'll know what I mean.

Any business ignores its' customers at its' own peril.

Originally Posted by Big Shed

So Peter, the answer to the question then is, George killed Triton.

IMO yes, until he sold out Triton was receptive to its market, listened to its customer base of woodwork enthusiasts and upgraded its product regularly to take into account suggested improvements.

Originally there was the original WC, then the upgrade to the MK2, then MK3, then MK3 improved version and finally the WC 2000. But since then nothing, no improvements to the table top surface, no improvements to provide industry standard mitre tracks, and nothing to allow the tilting mechanism of the saw to be used in TS mode.

Similarly the router table, being its other mainstay product. Firstly it was part of the WC, then an additional router top for the WC, then a separate stand, the router fence upgrade and a new router table. Again since then nothing yet many have complained about the non level surface.

In addition there are many other good products but they were all designed around the WC or router table, but all these things were in the pipeline from when George ran the company.

Since then it has stagnated and hasn't taken into account that the cost of its competition being an TS has come down whilst its own prices have gone up so that it's cheaper to buy a good TS then a workcentre, good saw, heightwinder kit and dust collector.

This is a fault of the managers/accountants which ran the business after George sold it. They failed to take into account changing needs/desires of its original customer base, hence its slow demise. As you rightly say any business ignores its' customers at its' own peril.

Whilst GMC claimed to improve the Triton brand, so far it hasn't tackled any of the WC deficiencies, even though a TS version has been talked about, and only introduced new tools at a price in excess of its own brand tools without convincing the market that the premium price is value for money.


Peter.

I love my triton, i am only 28 and love to be out in the shed making things with wood, i only use metal when i need to make something for my 4wd. I bought my triton when i was in highschool, i finished in 98, from the bloke who owned the hardware store i worked in, he had finished building his house and no longer had a need for it, so i bought the table, extension table and router table for $150 (well 100 and i mowed his lawn once ) then i organised to get all the other hand tools and power tools i needed and had them take half of my pay each week for 12 months to pay for those. Now i am pretty well equipped and only have some specialty stuff to get as i need it.

But the triton is the main weapon in my arsenal, without it i couldnt make half the stuffi make. I have built two kitchens with it, just fitted the last one on the weekend, made completely out of cypress pine, good it looks good.

As for shed sizes i live in a place owned by my parents and they block has a double garage with one roller door and the other side a workshop so i have plenty of space, i just need to get it set up properly. Matt

Matt
WELL DONE ! You have restored my faith in some of the younger generation.... thank heavens there is hope for the future of men and sheds )

I am assuming that if you hadn't worked in the hardware store and weren't exposed to woodwork equipment you may not have the pleasure of this experience today ???
Keep up the good work and spread the word....

Triton did have a new model planned - with an extruded aluminium top, mitre slots and drop-in induction motor (with different sizes available). That project ended the day GMC bought them.

It is well known the workcentre is at end-of-life: common sense says it has been in the marketplace long enough that if you were going to get one, you would have already (in saying that though, there were enough people bidding on mine on eBay recently, and the guy who bought it said that if the local demonstrator to him had been as enthusiastic as I was after the sale, and the hour-long training session I gave him afterwards, he would have bought it from Bunnings).

If a new workcentre came out, there's a whole heap of captive customers already sold on the brand who would look closely as the idea of upgrading.

But it seems the focus is changing, and the workcentre fading out (as is the Australian market cf the USA where Triton sounds like it is growing quickly - the router alone is making massive inroads - just look at all the magazine articles!) Never mind that there is something like 16 million woodworkers over there - the Oz market is smallfry.

So instead of a workshop system, it seems to becoming just another power tool brand. It will be interesting to see how things develop over the next few years (and what things end). Will anything Triton even be made in Australia by the end of this year?

What I'd like to see, is a new workcentre - around $1500, and it being an orange TSC-10HB. It could be done. Especially if there was an option to fit a Saw Stop - that sort of technological innovation that Triton was once known for! Don't reinvent the wheel with a new workcentre - if it is not to be made in Australia, lets not muck around with aluminium, let's go straight to CI.

The brand is definitely viable, but we need to get existing owners excited about the brand again, and not with secondary tools that are hard to justify, but upgrading the heart of the workshop - the tablesaw. Dump the Powered sawtable, and come out with a contractor's type saw in the $700 bracket. Carbatec sells one near that price that looks pretty good (although needs more motor power).

Just some personal thoughts.