They do not make things like they did before

got 2 lithium ion powered hand drills

one is craftsman, owned an early model, but it broke

other is Dewalt....brushless motor, gear box speed shifter on top, weight is less than craftsman

notice craftsman is still using those nylon gears in the plantery gear box...

Dewalt uses metal plantery gears.

my 2 cents

Charl
 
I still use a hand saw, sabre saw, and hammer from a cheap set of Craftsman tools my parents bought for me when I was 10, in 1975. Have I moved up? I dunno. I have other tools that are more expensive. I have a mix of cheap stuff and good stuff. It seems like the mid-market, or sweet spot for most tool sales has definitely moved down in the US. Jim
 
At one time sears was my go to store. With my first paycheck I ever made in 1967
I went to Sears and bought this drill for $16.50 ... I used it for years until the armature
came apart. I took it to a Sears repair store and they fixed it for $100.00... I told them
what i paid for the drill new and I wanted my old parts and my drill back. They could
keep the new armature. I picked up the drill and threw it in my junk box where it sat
for years. One day I took it out for some reason and plugged it in... Wow... it works...
They never took back out the new armature and never charged me anything... Once
in a blue moon I still use the drill. I wish you could still buy good old Sears tools.

My fiest drill Bought in 1967.jpg
 
I look at the price and quality of most things I purchase and decide what I can afford and how long it MUST last for value and before failure.
I had an original black and decker 4" angle grinder that lasted for over 30 years and believe me it was really put through its paces in that time.
Eventually it spat the dummy and failed and was irreparable. The new black and decker failed after 3 years.
Since then I purchased the cheapest one I can find with a 2 year guarantee and work it to death till it fails and I can swap it or buy a new one.
When it comes down to price and what most people would pay the majority of manufacturers went off shore for cheaper wages and either survival or greater profits.
Most importers only want the cheapest product they can supply which is why Walmart products are mainly sourced from China as they will build to the price and specs you want to pay for.
I look at what I want to be payed for my job and consider that in my decisions which is why I dont quibble when paying tradies high fees (assuming they do a proper job and dont cut corners)
I have just returned from China and I do get fed up with the perpetual China knocking as they DO make awesome products if you want to pay for them just like most western countries do.
The more you travel the more you come to realise that the average Joe is only interested in one thing, and thats feeding his family and if he/she is employed then the majority try to do the best job they can.
 
On Made in China. The Chinese should be able to make things better than Americans, their machines are newer, Chinese workers are neither lazy nor stupid, and they have a never ending supply of engineers. But they don't. It's cultural, a what can we get away with attitude.
 
Go to HarryJEpstein.com and do a search for Craftsman. Out of the 74 tools 65 are made in the USA and 2 in Germany. They must have massive old stock.
 
Downwindtracker2 said:
On Made in China. The Chinese should be able to make things better than Americans, their machines are newer, Chinese workers are neither lazy nor stupid, and they have a never ending supply of engineers. But they don't. It's cultural, a what can we get away with attitude.
Click to expand...

First let me say that I have not been directly involved with Chinese tool manufacturers, have any training as an econimist or pretty much any qualifications to support my options :). However, I still disagree with the statement that the low quality that is sometimes associated with China made items is a cultural issue. I think it is nothing more than economics. I think there are at least two major factors driving the low quality. 1. There are a HUGE number of people starting businesses in china and I would expect that it is easier to start a manufacturing business with lower quality standards due to competition for small % of high skill sets and lower capital investment. 2. Low cost is what people want. There seems to be a never ending supply of people (resellers in the US and other countries) that want the lowest possible price over the best possible quality. You don't get a contract to supply socket sets to Wal-Mart by using the highest quality materials and processes. One of the advantages that China manufactures have right now is that in the race to the lowest possible price, they can go lower than most any other country and if that is were the best pay-day is, you can bet they will keep doing that. If the landscape changes and the mass world market changes to value quality over price then I have no doubt that China based manufacturing will be competitive in that space as well.

I found a report online that shows that Since 2000, China has increased its merchandise exports 10X from around and in 1990 only had 2% of the Global merchandize export market. Now it is closer to 13%. The point is that probably >90% of all of the merchandise exporters are less than a few years old and very few if any are 20 years old. Compare that to the established "high quality" brand names that we talk about with some having 100 year histories (Browne and Sharpe = 185 years old and Starrett =138).

Anyway, not sure any of this means anything.
 
Among my grievances is the loss of quality files. A few years ago I bought a Mgic File. It worked great- fast stock removal and nice fine finish. That lasted about 2 months after which it just slipped across the surface. Made in Mexico, I think. In checking none of the files today are made in US or Canada. I have some old dogies that are and I treasure them. I keep an eye out at garage sales but most guys seem to to just chuck them in a drawer slide it in and out a couple of times and let the roof leak on them.

One thing to lookout for with used files is to check for clogging. Many garage sale files seem dull when they are only clogged. My buddy was given a bunch of old files and he thought they were shot. But I pointed out hat many are just clogged. People didn't clean grease off a shaft or whatever. So I showed him how to use a oleic of brass to rundown the teeth. A few days later he had a couple of good US made files good for another 20 years. I am slowly converting him into file aficionado.

Most people hate filing- especially kids in the High School shop where I worked. I enjoy filling with a good file and have become fairly proficient at it. I can just kind of get lost in the moment and there is real feel of accomplishment it laying a square on the piece and seeing only a sliver of light under the blade. One of my cheaper pleasures in life to be sure.
 
I've been filing and hacksawing since I was a youngster. I still do both. To me having files around is as integral to metalworking as drilling a hole.
Also, I have two Craftsman drills, a 3/8" variable and a 1/2" impact made in China in the early 90s. On sale with blowmolded cases I paid about 100$ for the two. Didn't expect much but they surprised me with their quality-must be a fluke for Sears at that time:
Excellent drill motors and comfortable to use. Much better than the previous made in US Craftsman drill I had.
Also have a HF engine hoist which works fine and is well made. 99$ on sale. But I rarely buy much from them- especially not power tools.
mark
 
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