Thread: Have you ever wondered about drill bits?

Originally Posted by Mr Brush

We've come a long way.....

Many years ago, you had the choice of buying the best if you were likely to get heavy use out of it (tradesman), or saving some $$$ and buying something made to lower standards that was still adequate for 'casual' use. Yer paid yer money, and made yer choice. The same basic safety standards applied to both classes of tools.

I don't think anything has changed.

In the early 1960's as a kid I bought many cheap (ie disaster) tools but they were all I could afford at the time.
The ones I can remember are
- hacksaw blades from a "reputable hardware store" - pack said will cut plastic - wood - metal so they had to be good. When I tried to cut mild steel the teeth rolled over like plasticine so I guess the metal they referred to was maybe aluminium.
- a ring spanner set that I could bend when tightening nuts.
- the "$2 on special" galvanized socket set that rounded out after a couple of uses.
- the cheap clamps that broken in the middle of glue up while I was making a telephone table/seat for mum for Xmas.
- the $1 sealed plastic body tape measures that retracted once snapped the plastic end off and never came back out. The hardware replaced it but that did the same thing and in the end I got my money back.
- not to mention cheap screws and sandpaper.

The good tools are still good, like the 29 piece Sutton drill bit set I paid $20 for (2 weeks pay working in the grocery store) in 1967 I still have all of the bits bigger than about 1/4". and the vice I paid $30 for in 1969 (with the no-rust bronze nut) I still use on a regular basis.

What has happened is that the cheapo tool market has extended into what might once have been considered specialist tools/devices so there are now low quality tools of the type that one could only buy in medium to good quality before. An examples of this are things like digital vernier calipers and special power tools.

Where did all the 1960s junk stuff come from?? Probably not China.....Taiwan maybe? Its probably only in the last 20 years or so that China has tooled up to produce junk en masse.

As I said, its amusing that "Made in Taiwan" has become a mark of quality, expecially when looking at woodworking machinery ! Look at the price premium charged by Powermatic over JET, for example.

Ahhhhh....a long succession of "cutting tools" made of something softer (e.g. HSS* )than the material they are claimed to cut.


*HSS is an alloy of lead and cheese

Thanks to Grahame, Mr brush, Wongo & acmagridley for their responses to my original post & photos, which, incidentally were made a little bit tongue-in-cheek and having a shot at what quality (or lack of ) is available. It evoked a bit of comment and that is one of the things we use the Forum for. That is fini for me on this subject.
Mick C

I go for the name brands, to minimise the risk of dodgy materials. In the case of drills, I always use Suttons drill bits and drill sets. If I need a really, really good spanner or socket, I go for the German made StahlWille brand. I alos have a preference for the Makita range of power tools.

When buying tools or equipment, I always remember being told as a youngster "Poor people can't afford to buy rubbish. Always get something that will last a long time"

mr brush
when I was a boy all the crap toys were made in JAPAN (would you believe) you have probably heard the term applied to a person who could not hold his water -"poor old bugger, he's got a japanese bladder" .
If you had a wind-up motor in a japanese made toy it could be wound up about three times before the spring broke, so it was not a good idea for dad to have a few test runs before wrapping up the christmas presents.
These days we know where to get this quality of engineering if that is what you want.
Let us not expect that all chinese goods are of poor quality, if we dig deep enough, or are prepared to wait long enough something worthwhile is bound to start to happen.
Taiwanese engineered tools and equipment are of a higher standard than mainland china made stuff because they are manufactured by business people who fled the mainland when the communist regime took over hong-kong upon the expiry of the british lease.
many of these business people built factories and employed trained staff to carry on the trades that would be of benefit to all concerned into the future.
such far-sightedness was not encouraged by individuals in charge of the new regime on the mainland.
I will not sign my name to this missive as I do not want to be traceable in the future when the buggers take over australia
hope they dont know .
witch one