# Convincing myself to buy quality (warning-mindless ramble)



## Tedstor (Mar 12, 2011)

I first began woodworking and craft building about 6 years ago. At that time, I made considerably less money than I do now, and was starting my tool collection with only a drill, circular saw, and a dremel to my name. Given my tight budget and thirst for greater skill/capability, I tended to buy low end tools. I didn't want to pass over an interesting project solely because I didn't have the right tool to complete it. Some of those tools are still adequate and I use them frequently, but in most cases, I'd love to upgrade at this point.

One example would be a Craftsman Evolv Jigsaw. Its was $24.99 new. It works OK, but 'just' OK. The base plate tends to shift over time, giving my cuts a slight bevel. I have to check it for square before each use. Most of the time, its square; but the fact that I 'have' to check it each time is annoying. But since the tool is workable, I can't really justify replacing it with a better model. That said, I feel stuck….actually looking forward to the day that the tool fails me (LOL), justifying a shiney, new, high(er) end jigsaw. Don't get me wrong, for $24.99 the Evolv owes me nothing. And for a homeowner that needs a jigsaw every five years, it would fit the bill. But my wants/needs have outgrown it.

I have several other tools that would fit this category. But the story would be the same.

These days my situation is slightly different. I make a better income. Definitely not "rich" by any definition, but firmly middle class. And I'm not in situation where I lack much in the way of tools. I have pretty much one of every mainstream tool. So I'm not in situation where I need to buy a new tool every month (or more often if I'm being honest)- like I seemingly used to. So the conventional wisdom of "saving up for the better tool" is typically an option at this point.

But for whatever reason, I'm stuck in my old mindset. I decide I need a new tool. I start eyeballing the mid-upper end offerings of said tool, and convince myself that it's smarter to spend an extra 50-100% for the better quality. But I always seem to gravitate toward lower end models. Some of these models get good reviews, and are often regarded as 'good nuff'. But I've reached a point where 'good nuff' might not make the most sense. Especially if I'll buy it and use it……but yearn for the day that it dies so I can buy a nicer model…..that I'll 'enjoy' more.

And I guess that's the essence of this rambling, and the mindset I need to adopt. I don't build and/or repair things because I have to. I do it because I 'enjoy' the process and sense of accomplishment. I shouldn't pollute that sense of enjoyment, with a C-minus tool…… if I don't have to. I should just buy the best I can comfortably afford, and get-on with my life.

All that said, I will not buy the $139 Scheppach Track saw (that gets decent reviews). I will buy the $380 Makita (that gets glowing reviews). I'll use the hell out of it, for many years to come, on countless projects. And with any luck, it will still be in use after I'm a vegetable or worm food.

There, I said it. I feel better now.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Ted, you're either in a good mood, on drugs or it's Friday…


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Move to the higher end tools if you want, but keep in mind what an acquaintance of mine says: "tools that are no good require more skill"


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## Tedstor (Mar 12, 2011)

DKV- don't all three go hand-in-hand??


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

I have tools that are too good for me, but I will never have to replace them. It may seem overkill at first, but years from now, you will not regret buying the best possible. People think that quality has to improve over the years. I'm of the opposite mindset and that is prices will escalate, while quality will either remain the same or go down. It's called hindsight.


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## darthford (Feb 17, 2013)

I can buy pretty much whatever I want but I won't pay a ridiculous premium for the 'best' when its only marginally better. Now I don't make my living woodworking, if I did I might have another opinion.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

Don't overthink it Ted. Buy the best tool you need. More money doesn't always equate to better tools. Because if you think you shouldn't pollute that sense of enjoyment, with a C-minus tool, wait until you pollute that sense of enjoyment, with a C-minus tool that was an A+ price.


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## lightcs1776 (Nov 14, 2013)

Tedstore,
I'm new here, so take this for whatever it's worth. Like you, I didn't have much money when I was younger, but did have four kids to feed and my wife stayed home with them, so I understand where you are coming from. I have found the best way to purchase just about anything is to remove the least expensive and most expensive brands and look at the reviews for those in the middle and upper middle range. The premium tools usually have features that I just don't need and will likely never use. The cheap ones will be more expensive in the long run as they will have to be replaced much sooner than a decent tool. Regardless of what you do, once you make the purchase, don't keep second guessing yourself (which I constantly do, despite my own advice), just enjoy the new addition to your toolset.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I no longer have the Jones to buy tools and I'm fortunately
well equipped. I do buy tools from time to time and mostly
I feel like my dollars go further with power tools and except
for chisels, less far with hand tools, which seem ridiculously
pricey to me today. When I was getting started and
real hungry to learn I invested a lot in hand tools and didn't
think a lot about shopping on price.

These days, with ebay, I would buy used tools. Good ones 
were hard to find for me when I was beginning.


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## RT31 (Nov 11, 2013)

Maybe keep an eye out on ebay or craigslist. If you see a nice tool at a good price jump on it. Even wait for a huge sale and see if you can get a steal on something. Christmas sales are right around the corner.

As i see it, time is on your side. Just don't wait till your dead.


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## Jofa (May 14, 2013)

I understand your sentiment, Ted. It applies to many different passions that we have.

I've been a guitar player for 30 years. I've played professionally and have appeared on a few albums. However, I'm one of those guys who has a really hard time justifying paying top dollar for my gear. I now play every Sunday at church (contemporary Christian music) with two guitars, each of which cost me less than $100 used. I sometimes walk into the studio with my cheapo gear and get looks from other musicians with $1200 guitars but the sound and feel come through fine. My point is that I've gotten a lot of mileage out of what I have and as guitarists say, "the tone is in the hands". I think the same holds true for tools, at least to a certain extent.


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## JonHitThingWithRock (Sep 7, 2013)

I'm in the same boat as you, Ted. I started off around 5 or 6 years ago with the cheap portable tools i got when i was in the army, and the same mindset of immediately buying the cheapest thing because i was broke, now i make more and can afford better stuff. I've been replacing not-so-great stuff with good or great stuff, and the things i build are becoming better as both a result of better tooling and growing skill. I recently replaced my terrible 3-wheel delta bandsaw with a much better grizzly anniversary edition, the delta could do most of the same stuff, but it took 5 times as long and was way more of a pain to use, my next upgrade is my old craftsman table saw with a grizzly 3hp cabinet saw (eventually), which will undoubtedly be many times better. There's a lot to be said for guys that buy cheap tools and keep them working forever, but I'm more interested in the woodwork and less in the machine maintenance, and am willing to pay for the convenience and quality. Never feel guilty for wanting better stuff, and there's nothing wrong with selling your still-functional tools on craigslist after you've bought their replacement (that's how we got some of our first tools when we started).


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

I have rarely been disappointed in buying the best I could afford.
Judging from the Craigslist offerings in this area, quite a few folks don't share that mind set. 
Or, as JonHitThingWithRock suggests, they are upgrading. 
There is nothing sweeter in the shop than using a well made tool.
All that said, "BEST" isn't always expensive. In fact, it rarely is.


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## Farrout (Oct 6, 2009)

Every time I tell my kids 'Always buy in the middle' their eyes roll up. Here we go again.
If there are options, I try to buy in the middle. 
My story,
Sears used to have Good, Better, Best on their appliances.
For example, washing machines.
Good worked, did the basics and probably lasted a couple of years.
Better was an entirely different mechanical model with upgraded steel and motor.
Typically it had only one or two functions.
'Best' was the same mechanical model with lots of electronic controls and 5 or six functions only one or two of which were ever used.


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## darthford (Feb 17, 2013)

Farrout that certainly applies to washing machines imo. I read about nothing but problems with these low water disc agitator 'green' top loaders or fancy 'green' front loader machines…$2,000 for a washing machine…really? I opt for the $500 'best' stainless tub good old fashion beat the clothes to death top loader with a good old fashioned cork screw agitator, 40 year old technology refined to perfection, my clothes are clean and rinsed free of soap!!


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## Tedstor (Mar 12, 2011)

Darthford
We recently bought a washer/dryer. Like you, we preferred to avoid the latest.greatest gimmicky technology, in favor of battle-tested designs. 
Unfortunately, the washing machine your mentioned is becoming harder to find. I fear the days of the 15+ year service life of a washing machine might be a thing of the past. Most of the newer designs have LCD screens and other useless crap thats just begging to break. I'm certainly not "anti-tech". I can embrace a better mousetrap…....if its actually better and more reliable. But I sure as hell don't need a washing machine to send me an email/text message when the cycle is over. Or a fridge to make a grocery list for me.


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## darthford (Feb 17, 2013)

Tedstor exactly correct they are going extinct, I avoided the LDC screens so I'm good there but the other controls we'll see how they hold up right. Fully agree on the ridiculous eye candy they put on some of these machines. They have made one modern improvement, mine spins like 45,000 rpm so there's next to no water left in the clothes and they dry in less time.

DON'T get me started on refrigerators, wow what junk! I had a new house built last year so I just went through the entire appliances buying process. I got one of the last older style refrigerator with the big ass ice maker in the freezer not the puny door mounted thing, no color screen displays, good old fashion wire shelves in the freezer, sturdy glass shelves in the fridge (its a side by side). Its stainless but I only paid about $1,100 for it. The $2,000 refrigerators the shelves on the doors were absolute junk, a fraction of the thickness of the slightly older models, they flexed and there were multiple reports of those things just breaking within the first year of use.


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## TravisH (Feb 6, 2013)

To me it isn't a difficult choice as the time spent trying to figure a work around on either a tool I tried to save a buck or because I stuck with a "brand" because of some reason other than actually determining quality is far more costly . Between wife, kids, work, blah, blah, blah.. the time spent in the shop is priceless and to spend it using products that don't function properly is foolish. With properly functioning tools things flow smoothly and quickly and make the experience much more rewarding.

I think the issue for most is fairly accessing quality. Too many allow their decision to be skewed by cost. You can spend less and still get a good machine but too many start using criteria as I won't use it too often, I don't mind having to do this every time, etc… to validate the decision to go cheap. As many pointed out more expensive isn't always best and the same line isn't the best (I get a smile when I see a shop full of the same tool, looks over function many times).


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

Too many of us equate current prices with prices 10 or 20 years ago. Machine tools, like table saws are not items that we go out to buy on a regular basis. I'm sure everyone has experienced this senario. I remember when gasoline cost 25¢ a gallon, or I paid $5000 for a brand new car, or whole chickens were 59¢ a pound. When we buy today, we find the prices to be way out of bounds. That is because we equate cost to what things cost 10 or more years ago. I don't go to restaurants very often, but when I do, I am shocked by the cost. I am shocked because the last time I went to a restaurant, that same meal cost me a lot less. So when a Jet cabinet saw now costs a thousand dollars more than when I bought it 30 years ago, I think I'm being taken. My first new car cost me less than $2000 back in 1959. Today even a Kia would give me sticker shock. Too much time is spent looking for bargains to save a dollar or two. It's a waste of time. I don't think prices are out of bounds. In most cases, they are fair and most times you get what you pay for. If you pay for quality, you may get quality and again, you may get crap. If you pay for crap, that's what you will get.

What happened to our avitars?


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

TravisH, (I get a smile when I see a shop full of the same tool, looks over function many times).

I have owned cars from most of the big car companies, both foreign and domestic. I bought them because they provided me with what I wanted. The same goes for machine tools. No two machines in my shop are from the same manufacturer. I have a lathe from Sheldon, a mill from Select, a drill press from Delta, a saw from Jet, a grinder from Sears, etc. When I bought these tools, I didn't shop by price. Once I found the tool I wanted, then I searched for the best price. I don't look for the rock bottom price, because there is more to it than just price alone. You have to take into consideration service, seller reputation, return policy, etc. I may end up paying more than what someone else pays, but a year from now, the difference becomes negligible.


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## Bluepine38 (Dec 14, 2009)

I put all my tools in their proper place last night for the first time since it warmed up last spring, and pulled my
pickup into the garage so I would not have to scrape frost off the windshield. They all date from the 40's
and 50's except for my 6 year old Dewalt planer. I had fun buying them for little, after checking them out
and replacing bearings and tuning them up, and they all work great. Now I get to play with them for as 
long as I want to.


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## LakeLover (Feb 2, 2013)

Bluepine

and pulled my
pickup into the garage so I would not have to scrape frost off the windshield.

Turn in your man card 

Never had a stinking car/truck in my shop.

I have an old General Jointer. I can't find the Manufacure date, but I am sure it is at least 50 years old and runs just fine. $200. I think hard about every purchase. I find auctions and garage sales really good buys also.

The only tool that needs replaceing is a 82 Jet bandsaw. I still runs, but I want a resaw machine.


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## Woodbum (Jan 3, 2010)

Example:
1.Kenmore Dryer: 11 years with no service at all, a timer knob. Then the motor crapped at 14 yrs
2. Maytag dryer: 6 years and the motor crapped
3. Whirlpool Dryer: two years old and it quit. Have "extended" warranty from Big Blue Box but it sucks. Want to send A & E repair service. No way. Bazillions of bad reviews for these people.

Planned obsolescence.

I am glad my mid/upper range tools last longer than Whirlpool. Should have stuck with Kenmore? Maybe.


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## retfr8flyr (Oct 30, 2013)

I was always interested in woodworking, just didn't have the time when I was still working. I am retired now and just reached 68, with too much arthritis now to allow me to play golf anymore, so I decided now was the time. I just got into woodworking this summer and bought equipment to setup one bay of my garage as a shop. I have always been a buy the best tool for the job kind of guy. I bought machines that are really more then I need but not the top of the line either, Jet, Baileigh Industrial, Delta and Shop Fox. I know that they will out live me but I also know that I will be able to enjoy them without worrying about fixing something that quit working correctly.

Earl


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

You have to work to buy the things
that help you work more 
so you can charge less 
but make more of 
so you can buy more things 
that help you work more
so you can charge less
but make more of 
so you can buy more things
and on and on and on

It's only money

Better to have something nice that makes you smile when you pick it up and use it than have something that stinks and you hate and wish you never bought.


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## SirTonka (Jul 27, 2013)

will echo what renners said, work for the smiles
you can buy every kind of hammer, read or watch every material on how to use one, but only solving a problem in a spontaneous moment of inspiration will give you that pure ,ever elusive, sense of satisfaction. 
On a side note, some woodworkers from "underdeveloped" countries have enough work ethic, creativity, and problem solving skills to inspire us all to pick up the pace.


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