Re: Quality is not a feature

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:

On 24 Dec 2024 11:59:48 GMT, Roger Merriman <roger@sarlet.com> wrote:
 

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:

On 21 Dec 2024 21:19:21 GMT, Roger Merriman <roger@sarlet.com> wrote:
 

cyclintom <cyclintom@yahoo.com> wrote:

While IO was still under the effects of the untreated epilpsy, I bought
new battery drills. None of them lasted more than a year.
 

Sounds unlikely if it was just diy? If one was building a house ie using
the drill all day and every day maybe just if it was consumer grade.

 
Bad news.  Today's battery powered consumer grade power tools are
easily destroyed.  For example, this is a Milwaukee 9 inch angle
grinder:
<https://youtu.be/p7FP7fQGFfg?t=1770>
<https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/2785-20>
The problem is that it's powered by an 18V battery pack instead of the
more appropriate 54V battery pack.  The 18V pack will draw 3 times the
current of the 54V pack.  That causes excessive heating and a tendency
to turn wires and switches into a smoking "fuses".  Bad design.  Even
used normally, something will blow.  The problem is being handled by a
liberal warranty policy. 
 
I could on forever on what's wrong with today's consumer grade power
tools, but that's a bit too far off topic.  Suffice to say that
today's power tools are very different from what I had become
accustomed to using.

 

That’s disappointing to hear, I rarely do any DIY the brain injury means my
ability to work out problems etc is limited even quite basic stuff required
my wife to break it down and do the thinking, so I could do job’s beyond
her ability mainly reach and strength.

 
My sympathies.  I don't know what I would do without getting involved
in repair work.  I've tried to teach various relatives and girlfriends
how to use tools and how to solder.  Learning to use tools is a skill
that has to be learned very early.  My guess(tm) is after about 12
years old learning to handle tools becomes difficult and after about
30 years old, impossible.
 

My wife never liked power tools much, she could use them and made a bed
once with them and so on, but she never liked them!

I don't know how deep you want to dive into crappy power tools, but
you might find this video of interest:
 
"Teardown and Review of the all New DeWalt DCN930 Nail Gun."
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNSRuzz1uyc>  (1:05:56)
Yes, it's 1 hr and 6 minutes long.  The author tears apart the latest
nail gun by DeWalt and compares it with the previous version.  It's
not a total redesign, but the differences between the old and new
versions are a clear indication of the downhill trend in quality,
reparability, maintainability, etc.  There were a few improvements,
but most changes were to reduce production costs, not improve the
product or make it easier to use or maintain.  Having the nail gun jam
3 times immediately after unpacking is an ominous clue that it's going
to cause problems.  Switching from a plastic magazine to a magnesium
magazine is an improved but also an indication that the original
plastic magazine was likely problematic.  Yes, it's disappointing.

I believe that Mercedes went through a similar process ie reducing the
quality, though that was just cars that didn’t last multiple decades
anymore, than tools that don’t seem almost designed to fail or rather very
short life spans.

 
Have a good holiday.
 

I have done, did get out on Boxing Day to see the cloud inversion ie
brilliant clear skies at about the 1000ft mark with the hills looking like
islands quite beautiful!

Even had folks swimming in the semi artificial header pond at the top!

Did make for a cold descent down to the local market town for coffee/cake!

Roger Merriman