Remember the good tools?

So, are you saying that there aren’t any drills with that kind of power anymore? I have a 1/2” Makita, corded drill that will spin you into a pretzel in a heartbeat if it hangs up.

Some of those old tools were (are?) pretty good, but there are plenty of equally good modern tools out there. Old ain’t necessarily better – although I’m trying to make my kids believe that it is. – lol

-- Adversity doesn't build character...................it reveals it.

Yes, I do know of what You speak of, My Dad was a Quality Control Engineer for B & D back when I was a small child, and helped keep the Quality where it should be, Unfortunately His way of thinking was old fashioned and had way too much integrity for the new up comers, I remember Him telling stories of conflicts over the “right thing to do” I think this is a real problem with tools in general, I had a Poulan chain saw for over 20 years with good service, decided to buy a new poulan, and the pull rope mechanism failed less than a year, I fixed it myself. I noticed that craftsman makes or has the identical saw under their name, so what is a poulan anyway. Great subject, thanks for sharing. Yes, I have a Makita 1/2 also, I have to agree, it is very strong, so, there are still some good tool manufactures out there.

-- It's Mic Keep working and sharing

Must have been before I was born. Every piece of B&D I’ve ever owned has been a piece of #@*!

I just gave away one of these mounted to a stand like a drill press except mine was a Millers Falls (looked exactly the same with the same grip too) haha

-- Chris ~~Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."

”I think this is a real problem with tools in general”

Or business, in general.

There’s a constant tension, in many businesses, between marketing (how many do we sell, and at what price), operations (how many can I get manufactured, and delivered), and QC (how many of them should work, as advertised).

It’s up to Senior Management to decide where to strike the balance, but … it sure makes you wonder about the decisions some of them make.

-- -- Neil

Yes, probably before You where born, I am 55, so it must have been around 45 years ago my Dad worked for them, don’t know the exact years, I too, have been disappointed in some of the B & D items I have purchased, I bought them probably out of loyalty, but, have since had a distinct change of heart

-- It's Mic Keep working and sharing

I’ve got a Hilti hammer that’ll grind your teeth to dust.
I agree that for the most part, quality tools are few and far between.

-- My dad and I built a 65 chev pick up.I killed trannys in that thing for some reason-Hog

My dad gave me a 1/4 sheet B&D palm sander in 1980. The only thing wrong with it is that the rubber pad is worn out, and the replacement part is no longer available. But otherwise that thing will sand circles around similar-sized sander I’ve ever used.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Out of gazillions of tools made in the past only a handful remains. Most were broken down and forgotten. The surviving few feed to selective perception – a cognitive bias. In this particular case a belief that things made in the past were better. This is closely related to another cognitive bias, the exposure effect – a tendency to express undue liking for things because of familiarity with them.
For the lack of a better example: 40 years ago half of the cars were in a junk yard before 80Kmiles on the odometer. Today the average lifespan is 128,000 mi, and you can safely expect 200,000 out of your Honda.

Viktor: I understand your point, but I think it applies more in some cases than in others.

Any mechanic will tell you that cars today are much more reliable than those of the past (even though they can be harder to repair when they do break down). I think the same could be said for television sets, and probably countless other items. But sometimes (especially with tools) the statement “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” is absolutely true.

Because of the emphasis on competitive pricing, many tools are designed to be “disposable”. By disposable I mean that it’s cheaper to buy a new one than it is to fix a broken one. No way are these disposables of as good a quality as their predecessors.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

I for one, probably on account of budget restraints own mostly old tools, things that are from 20 to 50 years old, still use my circular saw ( a Black and Decker) I bought when I was a teenager, most all work well, especially the hand tools, and are made with far better quality than many of the tools today, I am sure there are millions and gazillions of tools made in the past that, not only remain, but, are used on a daily basis. Your example of cars is a good one for the point You make, I own a 1965 GTO Pontiac that needs some work, but, I would not trade it for a new car in a million years. I bought it as my first car when I was 16 years old, so maybe there is some personal connection to some tools as well, but, I bet I have a lot of company out there

-- It's Mic Keep working and sharing

I bought a B&D Firestorm miter saw, and stand in 2008, and aside from capacity limits of it not being a slider, was very pleased with its performance. I use it when I have to take a miter saw to where I am working… It’s a LOT easier to move than my 12” slider.

At the same time I bought a B&D Firestorm plunge router. It scares me to death. I have used it maybe 3 times. and parts fell off each time.

Likewise, I have a Makita quarter sheet sander that I got new in the late 80s, and the pad keeps flying off of it and has since it was about 3 months old. I have Skil and Ryobi sanders of more recent vintage that have been bombproof and work well…

I think perception has a lot to do with it… The warehouses full of old tools that have failed and gone to be recycled or to the trash heap do not speak well of durability in the long haul…

-- Manufacturer of fine quality sawdust since 1984. Comments and advice on my shop welcome. Check it out at http://lumberjocks.com/dbhost/workshop. Gladly accepting shop build donations!

I have a 9-amp Hitachi hand drill that has two handles, and you had better be holding onto both of them if the thing hangs up.

Howard Ferstler

”The warehouses full of old tools ”
There’s warehouses?

-- When the moderator chooses sides, his site sucks.

Those old tool companies and companies that built other products as well sold quality equipment but the Average Joe couldn’t afford one of those machines. Then someone realized that there was a market for the DIY people and more money to be made there than in the commercial market. They went after it and cheapened the tools so the Average Joe could afford them. I remember when anything with Nikon on the side of it was expensive beyond words and it meant quality just like the B&D on that drill meant. Today I have a drawer full of cheap cameras that say Nikon on the side. I buy cheap because I usually get the lens full of dirt crawling under a home or into an attic with it….or drop it. I take about 200 business photos per week and they do what I need. There are still some quality Nikon cameras and other nikon equipment out there but the buyer needs to understand what he is getting. Yes, Black and Decker is a cheap DIY line today. Same with some name brands of sewing machines. Those plastic gears just don’t hold up. I have a Milwaukee magnum hole shooter drill that will hurt a but man in a heart beat, just like that old B&D will do. I have a B&D drill that served well for $9.99 but when it needed a new cord….it wasn’t worth repairing.

I think NBeener has the right idea, only I think its the consumer that chooses the balance between price/quality. The vast majority of the tool-buying public doesn’t need a hand drill (for example) that can stand the rigors of daily, commercial use. Certain tool companies, such as BD, cater to the avg joe that wants a cheap drill that will work well enough during the 4-5 times per year they use it. I mean, why pay for a $100 heavy-duty drill when a $30 product will suffice? If people were buying these industrial quality tools in droves, then believe me, BD would still be making them. Instead they choose to make and sell light-duty stuff at consumer-friendly price points.
As an aside, I will point-out that the 30yo workmate I bought for $13 at a yard sale beats the hell out of BDs modern workmate (in terms of build quality). Its an indestructible beast and weighs about as much. I suppose many consumers would prefer a lighter, cheaper product with extra bells and whistels. I like the iron-clad dinosaur better.

Edited to point out that Grandpa expressed my sentiments better….and 11 minutes sooner :LOL: