36 minutes ago, Ralph Allen Jones said:

a new tool that no one else has but, are they necessary?

the trick is knowing the difference between ''want'' and ''need''...

33 minutes ago, Stick486 said:

the trick is knowing the difference between ''want'' and ''need''...

 or knowing the difference between "want" and "must have"

6 minutes ago, Chips N Dust said:

 or knowing the difference between "want" and "must have"

yup... even more so...

8 hours ago, HandyDan said:

My hobby is woodworking.  I spend money on my hobby without regrets.

what he said

 

7 hours ago, Stick486 said:

 

1st and most important, look to the company...
evaluate their CS and will they step up to the plate should there be issues...
see if they have a planned obsolesce program in force...
what will the company and their product do for me...
try to figure out if they will respect me in the morning...

no sense in buying something that can't be fixed a few years later...

next the product...
quality..
will it have a long productive life...
...
will it go obsolete or become disposable in short order...
.
I prefer to use and abuse different brands and evaluate them myself and I pay attention at large job sites as to who has what and what, if any, issues they are having......

 

 

Guess you don't  buy much Craftsman, then?

Alton Brown (chef) writes that he hates "unitaskers."   Things like an oven that only makes pizza, a pan that only makes cornbread in the shape of ears, etc.    I don't know that we have too much equivalent in the tool category.  I guess the best I can think is a track saw.   Cuts a nice straight line,if that's what you are  doing all day, but lacks the versatility of a table saw that can cut thick or thin, long or short, wide or narrow (with repeatability) and do all sorts of joinery.

9 minutes ago, kmealy said:

 

Guess you don't  buy much Craftsman, then?

gave up on them decades ago....

27 minutes ago, kmealy said:

I guess the best I can think is a track saw. 

serves a purpose... sheet goods breakdown for the small shop where a full sheet can be unwieldy, us older worn out types that handling a full sheet is a chore or near impossible...

combine those too and a track saw can abort a disaster..

but...

make your own track saw from a clamp on straight edge/guide and your circular saw and you have a bit more versatility...

Edited November 15, 20169 yr by Stick486

10 minutes ago, Stick486 said:

make your own track saw from a clamp on straight edge/guide and your circular saw and you have a bit more versatility...

 

Yep, been doing that for years.  Just can't bring myself to spend a grand for something I only use for one purpose a few times a year and there are good alternatives for.  I typically rough cut this way and fine cut on the table saw.

21 minutes ago, Stick486 said:

gave up on them decades ago....

me, too.   About the time I got serious and more knowledgeable.   And I used to work for Sears.  Too many people are relying on their reputation from 50 years ago.

6 minutes ago, kmealy said:

Just can't bring myself to spend a grand for something I only use for one purpose

exactly...

5 minutes ago, kmealy said:

me, too.   About the time I got serious and more knowledgeable.   And I used to work for Sears.  Too many people are relying on their reputation from 50 years ago.

agreed...

14 hours ago, Chips N Dust said:

 or knowing the difference between "want" and "must have"

 

which category does this come under???

 

43 minutes ago, Stick486 said:

 

which category does this come under???

 

That would fall in the category of "I didn't know I needed it 'til I saw it"

1 hour ago, Stick486 said:

 

which category does this come under???

 

 

Get an air hammer.  You're going to have some wiring to do to use that.

11 hours ago, kmealy said:

me, too.   About the time I got serious and more knowledgeable.   And I used to work for Sears.  Too many people are relying on their reputation from 50 years ago.

So it's not just me, then? Forty years ago all my new tools were Craftsman. The only thing that broke was a stapler, and that was replaced over the counter. My 40-year-old router still works flawlessly.

John

The only Craftsman tools left in my shop are their socket sets, wrenches and two shop vacs that won't die.

2 hours ago, Stick486 said:

 

which category does this come under???

 

 

Must Have NOT!

Sears killed themselves. There was a time that all of the Sears tools were good quality rebranded (to Craftsman name) tools. As those companies went off-shore three things killed Sears. First the quality went into the toilet. Secondly, their modification of the products to ensure only parts replacement from Sears. Lastly, their unlimited lifetime warranty.

 

The quality is a given. We all understand the ramifications of that situation. However, as products needed minor parts replacements they were no longer available from Sears. This situation was due in part from age and planned obsolescence to force replacement and upgrades. Case(s) in point. I have a Craftsman roll-a-way and top box. After several decades a couple of the spring retaining clip on the drawer glides had broken. I was lucky that they still had replacements for this particular toolbox. However, they only had about a dozen in stock and they were no longer being made for my model of boxes. I purchased all of them in the event that I would need them. When/if I ever run out, then the tool box(es) are no longer viable and will have to go. In another example. In 1981 I purchased an 3/8 Digitorque wrench with a lifetime warranty. I don't know how many engines or individual bolts it saw over the decades. However, it was in pristine condition. The metrology department at work would check the accuracy for me on a periodic basis and it was always spot on. 

 

One day a pawl in the ratchet head broke. I won't relay the entire conversation I had with the "associate" over that situation. Repair parts were unavailable, so a rebuild of the ratchet head was out of the question. Suffice it to say, that, contrary to his spiel, I reminded him, that, when it was purchased it had a "LIFETIME" warranty included. He finally acquiesced and replaced it with the current, comparable, low quality wrench with a one year warranty attached.  I don't use the wrench that much anymore, so, it'll do for occasional use. However, that brings us to the final point.

 

The (full) lifetime warranty (no questions asked) has killed Sears. Don't get me wrong, that was a strong enticement for me, as a non-professional, to purchase their tools. Finances, usage, and need all played a part in the purchase of Craftsman tools over the decades. When I started being able to afford more tools the Craftsman brand was acceptable for my needs. However, it has bitten them in the butt! Not everyone is honest or ethical.

 

I have an acquaintance, that, is too lazy to hold a real job. He frequents yard sales to buy goods to sell at flea markets and Fleabay. One of his biggest items are Craftsman tools. He purchases them at garage sales, exchanges them for new tools (regardless of the condition) and markets them at the flea market, in new packaging, for a lower price then Sears. I know, you'll say it's minor, buuutttttt, take him and everyone else who exchanges a screwdriver just because they got paint on the handle. It all added up and killed their bottom line.

 

Add all of this up and I have the same ambivalence towards Sears as I do towards Harbor Freight. They provide quick cheap alternative to generally one time needs. Do I trust or rely on them? NOPE! However, what works in a pinch works. Sears will be completely gone in a couple of years, which in reality is a shame. They will go the way of the other variety stores that provided good values once upon a time...Montgomery-Ward, Western Auto, J C Penny, et. al.

6 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

and two shop vacs that won't die.

now that you mentioned it...