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Tool quality.... sign of the times?
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ukdave2002



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4100
Location: South Cheshire

PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2019 3:10 pm    Post subject: Tool quality.... sign of the times? Reply with quote

Like many on this forum I do appreciate well made tools.

I recently decided to purchase some larger tin shears, Gilbow being my manufacturer of choice. I have several pairs of Gilbow some were my fathers so must be at least 40+ years old, all still going strong.

Whilst I have no issue with how these new Gilbow's work at the business end, the finish of the product shows signs of cutting corners. The top and side of the blades used to be finished really smooth, not quite mirror, the new ones look really rough in and unfinished comparison:



And compared to one of my older Gilbow's (new top, old lower)



I suppose their argument will be that it keeps costs down, but it did make me think that next time I should go for the cheaper unbranded stuff Sad

Dave


Last edited by ukdave2002 on Thu Oct 10, 2019 9:16 pm; edited 2 times in total
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alastairq



Joined: 14 Oct 2016
Posts: 1950
Location: East Yorkshire

PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2019 3:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree...it's all about performance, targets and rush, rush, rush today.

If I were to buy more ''mole'' grips, I'd only purchase Vise Grips [Made in USA]...
I have a box full of various moles[as I knew them]...from the likes of Halfords, & tool shops, etc.....all have failed in one way or another.
Yet, a pair of Vise Grips [the originators of the tool type, I believe?]....are still with me, still function perfectly, despite being welded to various things, or surviving anything up to many months travelling underneath a motor [forgot they were there...found on next pre-MoT check]....

What has happened to the proper 'Thor' hammer?
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Ray White



Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Posts: 6285
Location: Derby

PostPosted: Mon Oct 21, 2019 9:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A while back I bought a new compressor. It was an "oil free" version which I thought would be an improvement. The name "Sealey" had always been associated with quality even if a bit more expensive than others. I don't know if the brand has become just another marketing tool but the quality of this compressor was very poor indeed. Despite my best efforts to remedy the more obvious faults in the end I took it to the local tip.

I have since purchased a 'Wolf' compressor and can only say that so far I am impressed.
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Bitumen Boy



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1733
Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire

PostPosted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 4:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ray White wrote:
A while back I bought a new compressor. It was an "oil free" version which I thought would be an improvement. The name "Sealey" had always been associated with quality even if a bit more expensive than others. I don't know if the brand has become just another marketing tool but the quality of this compressor was very poor indeed. Despite my best efforts to remedy the more obvious faults in the end I took it to the local tip.

I have since purchased a 'Wolf' compressor and can only say that so far I am impressed.


Ray, I share your thoughts on Sealey tools. I think it's become a "ghost brand" of recent years, just a name to slap on cheap chinky rubbish to make a sale. I haven't been let down by anything but a couple of things I've bought marked Sealey - in fairness they've been cheapish - feel cheap and don't give the impression that they'll be around for long.
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Longstroke



Joined: 01 Oct 2019
Posts: 24
Location: Wiltshire

PostPosted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 6:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My compressor came from Aldi about five years ago. So far it's held up well. I'd go as far as to say most of the tools I've bought from Aldi and Lidl have been good. The latter's Powerfix brand springs to mind. I've got their digital vernier gauge, files, even steel toe cap work boots. There's certain brands I'm a little wary of , where quality is mixed eg Rolson, Blackspur. The best quality tools I've got I inherited from my Dad eg ex-WD sockets, files, woodworking stuff etc. In fact old Brit and American stuff is generally good. Germany might now be the watchword for quality, but some of their post war spanners weren't brilliant.
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Churchill Johnson



Joined: 11 Jan 2011
Posts: 359
Location: Rayleigh Essex

PostPosted: Sun Oct 27, 2019 10:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

With ref to the German tools i have sockets from there that were made in the 1950';s and Stahlwille spanners one of which has stronger than any bolt stamped on it the company have been going for 150yrs, the very few i have are the very best.............
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MikeEdwards



Joined: 25 May 2011
Posts: 2464
Location: South Cheshire

PostPosted: Mon Oct 28, 2019 10:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Longstroke wrote:
I'd go as far as to say most of the tools I've bought from Aldi and Lidl have been good.


I've had good stuff from Aldi, in fact other than a torch that just didn't work from day one, I think it's all been good. I can attest to their warranty as well, having had a couple of things fail I've sent an email of the receipt and had a replacement sent in the post very quickly.

For other stuff, I tend to look at car boot sales for things like AF spanners and so on - there's still quite a lot of people getting rid as they either stop working on their own cars, or have to get metric stuff.
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Dipster



Joined: 06 Jan 2015
Posts: 408
Location: UK, France and Portugal - unless I am travelling....

PostPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Longstroke wrote:
My compressor came from Aldi about five years ago. So far it's held up well. I'd go as far as to say most of the tools I've bought from Aldi and Lidl have been good. The latter's Powerfix brand springs to mind. I've got their digital vernier gauge, files, even steel toe cap work boots. There's certain brands I'm a little wary of , where quality is mixed eg Rolson, Blackspur. The best quality tools I've got I inherited from my Dad eg ex-WD sockets, files, woodworking stuff etc. In fact old Brit and American stuff is generally good. Germany might now be the watchword for quality, but some of their post war spanners weren't brilliant.


Just a few years ago my daughter-in-law worked for TUV, which is a German standards assessor. She was once sent to work with staff from Lidl who surprised her by telling her that TUV standards were not to a necessarily high standard for Lidl. Apparently as, in some markets, Lidl is known as a cheap discounter they dare not have failures. Thus their products are good. Since I was told this I have purchased a lot of Powerfix tools and equipment and all performs extremely well.
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consul 57



Joined: 09 Nov 2017
Posts: 482
Location: somerset

PostPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 4:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i have bought lots of tools from aldi & lidl.
i have only had one failure, a £30 battery drill chuck fell apart so money back on that one.
i use them all the time, compressor, air & electric wrench, arc welder, drill, hole saw, ratchet spanners, retractable air line, got my wife some of the gardening tools as well and she likes them.
my latest purchase was the lidl plasma cutter, not tried it yet though.
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