Why is everything sold in this country crap! (Rant)

SnowRooster

SnowRooster

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I’m so tired of “they don’t make it like they used to” being true...
why can’t we get quality stuff anymore! Why can’t we trust brands that we used to trust anymore? I am so tired of paying for cheap Chinese made crap!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:


Brand new blade, I got one, ONE 6 inch 20ga. Stud almost cut through before the teeth started rounding over... and to top it off it was cutting cheap Chinese imported steel studs....

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I was telling my gunsmith about trying to drill 2 holes in the top of a new mailbox to put a house number sign thingy on top of it (wife's idea, dont ask). I have an old twist drill set in a clam shell metal box. It took forever to "drill" those 2 holes. He said I wasnt drilling, I was burning holes. He went on to say those twist drills if bought at a big box store were absolute crap, didnt matter the brand. His shop drills come from industrial/machine shop suppliers. We live in a disposable society. We want cheap crap. I just replaced 2 appliances that died within 2 yrs of purchase. Replaced them with what I could afford and bought a 5 yr extended warranty on the dishwasher as it seemed a good deal based on what had just happened. They wanted half the cost of the new microwave for an extra years warranty. What does that tell you? Vote with your wallet and raise hell with the brand company. That is what I have started doing. I call and or email and demand satisfaction. I ve got a drawer full of coupons for free stuff. Its still crap but its free crap.
 
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I've been using Lennox blades to cut plate steel and tubing. They seem to last a while.

As for drill bits, I found bulldog drill bits to be a good investment.

There is a time for spending extra on tools and consumables, and there is a time for harbor freight.
 
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Planned obsolesence.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/g202/planned-obsolescence-460210/


Planned Obsolescence: 8 Products Designed to Fail

Don't you hate it when something breaks just after the warranty runs out? Or what about that new electronic gadget that fails to work with your old accessories from the same manufacturer? Some of these infuriating problems were caused on purpose, by product designers practicing "planned obsolescence." More than a 10,000 Maniacs song, planned obsolescence occurs when something is intended to wear out or stop being useful after a predetermined period of time -- and that time is often as short as a few years.
 
My Maytag washer is going strong after more'n 20 years. Can't remember when we replaced the dryer, but the washer has one repair an' is still washin'. Gotta keep 'em 'til they die, can't get anything that good now.
 
SnowRooster said:
I’m so tired of “they don’t make it like they used to” being true..
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That's because we don't make anything any more. We're a sink, not a source.

If we had a working brain, we'd become a nation of intelligent farmers, ranchers, and growers and rule the world with our food supply and distribution system. But that would be too much like real work.

Oh, look - a shiny!
 
A dad in our old scout troop is an automotive parts designer. Several years ago, he was designing a new component for the F150. One of Ford’s design specs was that the component last 100k miles. When he was done, they discovered it would last 200k, and sent the design back and told him to redo it. They wanted it to last ONLY 100k miles, not at least 100k miles.
 
Keep in mind that Milwaukee, dewalt, kobalt, and almost every other blade, bit, and tool company have a third party making their tools, bits and ect.
I purchase all my useables from a local machine shop( piedmont fasteners, shawn bearings, or the local air gas). Find a shop, get to know the counter people and they will always take care of you. You may pay a little more but it's worth it.
 
MacEntyre said:
My Maytag washer is going strong after more'n 20 years. Can't remember when we replaced the dryer, but the washer has one repair an' is still washin'. Gotta keep 'em 'til they die, can't get anything that good now.
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That’s some dang truth right there, I had a set I bought when I was 18, lasted 21 years, then traded for new and regretted it in less then a year.
Pink_Vapor said:
I don’t have that issue with Freud or Lennox.
The worn blade has been cutting metal and it’s still sharp.
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I usually use Lennox on the saws all and Diablo on our Circular saw. Just didn’t have time to go to Home Depot and our drywall distributor. Had to get this vent cut in a wall for the customer so picked up a pack of blades of the crappy Dewalt ones.
 
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bondjamesbond said:
We all want good stuff cheap. That ain't happening anymore.
It's either good or cheap. We can't have both.
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The one exception to this is that you can buy good, old used USA tools though....

Consumables like blades, not so easy though.
 
It drives me crazy that we've moved all of our manufacturing overseas and become a consumer culture that purchases disposable goods. When it comes to tools, I try to buy American made if its something I'll use a lot.

I hate that I can't find American made appliances anymore. A Chinese toaster lasts 2-3 years. My mother's American made one is at least 30 years old and still going strong.
 
Yeah I use Lennox for saw blades for recip and jig saws almost exclusively. Hit a Lowe's clearance when they were blowin em out years ago. I guess they had to make way for cheap chinesium.

Skilsaw blades? I got a 3 pack of Carbide ones from HFT and they have far outlasted my expectations. One thing about the Chinese, they will not improve until market saturation demands it, then it's leaps and bounds over the prior product.
 
cold1 said:
I've been using Lennox blades to cut plate steel and tubing. They seem to last a while.

As for drill bits, I found bulldog drill bits to be a good investment.

There is a time for spending extra on tools and consumables, and there is a time for harbor freight.
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We only used the Lenox Demolition Sawzall blades in our recip saws on the rescue trucks. They always worked well.
 
In my opinion it is because the average American doesn't really >need< extremely rugged and reliable tools and "stuff" to get by. Yes, planned obsolescence comes into play with some things. But lets face it...I use my tool box at home mainly for replacing batteries in kids toys, fixing a door hinge, or hammering a hanger in dry wall for a picture. I use an electric drill about twice a year on average.

For me, its the same reason most of us are perfectly happy with Condor gear, Tulammo, and Anderson/PSA lowers. They do good enough for our needs. I am not dropping into a combat zone in Afghanistan, I am not shooting 500 yard precision matches, and I may make it to the range to shoot my ARs a handful of times per year.

Each individual puts money where they think its most important...and for many many americans having a sawzall blade that works once or twice is perfectly fine, because that may well be all they ever use it.
 
B00ger said:
In my opinion it is because the average American doesn't really >need< extremely rugged and reliable tools and "stuff" to get by.
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The folks complaining here are not avg tool users. For me, it's part of my job, and is a daily problem. That's why I am a frequent buyer at three or four pawn shops.
 
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MacEntyre said:
The folks complaining here are not avg tool users. For me, it's part of my job, and is a daily problem. That's why I am a frequent buyer at three or four pawn shops.
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And people like you are a minority. Most companies don't cater to a minority of the population because you already have your sources for the products you need and rely on. Better to sell 100 $10 hammers than 10 $20 hammers.
 
JohnFreeman said:
The one exception to this is that you can buy good, old used USA tools though....

Consumables like blades, not so easy though.
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I hear that! Take one day a month, and go to the flea market, a few yard sales or estate sale and you can find most anything a homeowner would need in a tool kit.
 
Ikarus1 said:
I bet those eat thru a Honda Civic B-pillar steel like a hot knife thru butter ;)

What kinda saws?
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We were using Porter cables at that point. but we also had a few that were run off a two-stroke weed eater engine. Holy crap I could have the top cut off a car in less than 3 minutes. Those things did smoke a lot though, weren't ideal for vehicle extrication when a patient was hung up in the car
 
SnowRooster said:
That’s some dang truth right there, I had a set I bought when I was 18, lasted 21 years, then traded for new and regretted it in less then a year.


I usually use Lennox on the saws all and Diablo on our Circular saw. Just didn’t have time to go to Home Depot and our drywall distributor. Had to get this vent cut in a wall for the customer so picked up a pack of blades of the crappy Dewalt ones.
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The dewalt recip blades are cheap trash. One time use. But they cost a little premium for the yellow.... saw blades n such are good enough.

I prefer freud "diablo" circ blades for what i can get local. Their recip blades are a big step up from the dewalt as well.

But the best recip blades i have found are the Milwaukee series. They last a darn good while.

An example from my experience. A sub totally screwed up bolt placement in a bunch of poured piers. So i had to cut them off. Four 5/8" bolts per pier. A dewalt would do one to one and a half piers before trashing. The Milwaukee did 3 piers before slowing down.
 
MacEntyre said:
The folks complaining here are not avg tool users. For me, it's part of my job, and is a daily problem. That's why I am a frequent buyer at three or four pawn shops.
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When I'm buying tools, I get the best that I can afford and try to find made in USA. Buy once, cry once!
 
For the most part, I dont think its planned obsolescence. In my industry, scientific refrigeration, there was a company based out of Asheville NC that made some of the best scientific freezers. They were over built and would last on average 15 years between major failures. The major components only changed when they absolutely had to. Then the new major components were spec'ed by the old engineers. That manufacture was bought out by a large investment firm that's a major player in the Biosciences. The investment company stuck their fingers into the design process and started making adjustments to the components and designs. The freezers are no longer over built, they are built " just good enough" to be reliable for a few years. It's my belief that the investment company wanted to cut production cost to increase the profit margin and this has caused the freezers to no longer have a long healthy life.

If you look at most tool manufacturers today, they all seem to be owned by some investment conglomeration. The bean counters are in charge instead of engineers. The same could be said for a lot of industries that the products have gone down hill today.
 
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