Should you judge a tradesman on tool choice?

[Apache]

This thread made me think:



If I was paying you to do a job for me and you turned up with a full toolkit from Aldi I think I'd be rather worried. One of the worst builders I ever met had got most of his toolkit from the Screwfix budget range and he was a borderline cowboy. When I was younger I went through a phase of thinking lots of cheap tools was a good thing, whereas now I appreciate quality and have mostly Milwaukee or Festool powertools. They are so much better made - the Milwaukee electric impact stuff is amazing on the car.

So should we judge based on their kit or should we judge simply based on their work? That's trickier when much of what you do is hidden in walls and ceilings.......

 

[Badger]

In my opinion it's not the quality of the tool that has everything going it's also the quality of the install or workmanship from something being done ie if your a good electirican or security installer the less you can see wiring wise the better same as plumbing it's not the item in question its how it's used and how accurate it is 

 

[Tony S]

To start, the vernier calliper is for my numismatics hobby. For the same reason I have a niobium magnet.

Being in industry all my life, tools and test instruments are the company’s responsibility. No way am I paying for them.

That said, I see your point. There again, would you let the customer rummage through you tool box?

 

[roys]

Not sure about the judging of the tradesman, but from the tradesmen point of view there are times when cheap tools are counterproductive for example:

My wife bore witness to me throwing a cheap set of vice grips out of my workshop because they wouldn’t click and grip, then going to my proper tools and getting out the genuine Mole grips, the difference was night and day.

Or how many times have you struggled trying to slacken or tighten screws with screwdrivers made of cheese, again more effort than they are worth.

I was across at my neighbours yesterday and got hijacked when I was there to look some wiring in his garage, went to cut some 2.5mm t&e with his pliers, you would have thought the t&e was made of steel, went and got my tools, hot knife through butter.

Of course there is exceptions as mentioned in the other thread where cheap tools are good, such as one of use and high risk of theft.

So in conclusion I would probably think a decent tradesman would probably have decent pocket tools, (pocket tools to me are a couple of screwdrivers, pliers, knife and sometimes my snips.)

 

[Andy™]

id expect decent hand tools from pretty mcuh any trade. regularly used power tools id expect decent quality ones too. rarely used power tools for the odd job then cheaper ones often do whats required of them

 

[Evans Electric]

Its horses for courses  ,  I have decent drivers , snips , handtools  & drill bits  etc .    For our trade I wouldn't pay top dollar for power tools ,  Makita  & Bosch have done me fine  for the last 500  yrs.   

Same with spanners & socket sets , half decent , don't need  Snap-On  stuff  to tighten cable lugs. 

What I don't like is anyone borrowing them .    I remember the old days of being employed  ,  they'd send a power drill out from the office  ,   usually one of those huge Wolf  things that need two apprentices to lift off the ground ,     no plug ,  and don't even think about the chuck key  , so its the usual  ...stick a drill bit in the hole  & lever a driver  against it .   

Then someone wouldn't have a terminal driver and  he's on light fittings ,  " Lend us yer thin driver  Deke "   You just know you'll never see it again.     Then you get sent out to a job ,  what havn't you got ?  Yep  A terminal driver.  

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

This thread made me think:



If I was paying you to do a job for me and you turned up with a full toolkit from Aldi I think I'd be rather worried. One of the worst builders I ever met had got most of his toolkit from the Screwfix budget range and he was a borderline cowboy. When I was younger I went through a phase of thinking lots of cheap tools was a good thing, whereas now I appreciate quality and have mostly Milwaukee or Festool powertools. They are so much better made - the Milwaukee electric impact stuff is amazing on the car.

So should we judge based on their kit or should we judge simply based on their work? That's trickier when much of what you do is hidden in walls and ceilings.......

If 100% of tools and kit are cheap low budget stuff...  Then YES!!!

But any half decent tradesperson will know the kit they are using 99%+ of the time has to be good quality..

Whereas occasional items rarely used can probably cope with a budget brand...

and the stuff in-between will be a mix of good/average/budget...

As any tradesperson who spends mega bucks on a tool they only need three times a year..

is just as much of a plonker as the tradesman who spends the cheapest on stuff they are using weekly!

I have various ALDI tools in my kit and several do exactly what I need when I need it..

e.g.  they had some decent core drill bits for cutting 100mm extractor vent holes..

Do precisely what I need for around two thirds (or less) of the price!!!

opcorn

 

[phil d]

If 100% of tools and kit are cheap low budget stuff...  Then YES!!!

But any half decent tradesperson will know the kit they are using 99%+ of the time has to be good quality..

Whereas occasional items rarely used can probably cope with a budget brand...

and the stuff in-between will be a mix of good/average/budget...

As any tradesperson who spends mega bucks on a tool they only need three times a year..

is just as much of a plonker as the tradesman who spends the cheapest on stuff they are using weekly!

I have various ALDI tools in my kit and several do exactly what I need when I need it..

e.g.  they had some decent core drill bits for cutting 100mm extractor vent holes..

Do precisely what I need for around two thirds (or less) of the price!!!

opcorn

Unless of course you're one of those saddo's who buy's the 'designer' gear, like they used to do with the DeWalt stuff.

Incidentally I read a cracking review of some of the cheaper diamond cores in Screwfix, most of the reviews rated them as pretty decent, except one guy, ' I only  managed 2 holes with one of the core bits before all the teeth wore down, I don't think they're any good for using in a hammer drill'

That one really made me laugh, putting a diamond core on hammer and then moaning about it breaking, lol. I think sometimes economics can come into it as well, say a 'branded' masonry bit drills 100 holes and costs say  £6. if a cheaper one drills say 60 holes and costs £1.50 then sometimes it's worth it, especially if there's a chance of hitting a rebar and taking the tip off.

 

[Tony S]

Phil,

Remember the “workwear fashion show” at Harrogate?

I used to dance all night wearing florescent “cyber” gear, they should have been dancing alongside me on the podiums at Ministry of Sound!

 

[Andy™]

Unless of course you're one of those saddo's who buy's the 'designer' gear, like they used to do with the DeWalt stuff.

Incidentally I read a cracking review of some of the cheaper diamond cores in Screwfix, most of the reviews rated them as pretty decent, except one guy, ' I only  managed 2 holes with one of the core bits before all the teeth wore down, I don't think they're any good for using in a hammer drill'

That one really made me laugh, putting a diamond core on hammer and then moaning about it breaking, lol. I think sometimes economics can come into it as well, say a 'branded' masonry bit drills 100 holes and costs say  £6. if a cheaper one drills say 60 holes and costs £1.50 then sometimes it's worth it, especially if there's a chance of hitting a rebar and taking the tip off.

other year i bought a 180mm core bit. cheapo form ebay. only needed for 2x holes through a single breezeblock wall. 20mm into first hole 1 tooth snapped off, another tooth hit it and ripped off... managed to get the rest of the hole and the other with no issues then sent it back....

but for the 117mm that gets used regularly, i use marcrist bits, last far longer and cut much better than the cheap ones

 

[phil d]

other year i bought a 180mm core bit. cheapo form ebay. only needed for 2x holes through a single breezeblock wall. 20mm into first hole 1 tooth snapped off, another tooth hit it and ripped off... managed to get the rest of the hole and the other with no issues then sent it back....

but for the 117mm that gets used regularly, i use marcrist bits, last far longer and cut much better than the cheap ones

Exactly, horses for courses, I don't do much coring these days, I actually sold my kit then got a couple of jobs where I needed to do a bit so I bought a 2nd hand Perles, 1100W core machine and a set of Erbauer bits from Screwfix, they did the job fine and I think they'll last me for a good while. My mate bought a set of those Dart ones at Elex, they were on offer for a hundred quid, they're like cheese, they had the flutes on the sides to clear the dust, they were that soft I wore the flutes off just drilling ordinary brick. I think we only got about 4 holes out of a 50 mm core before it was totalled.

To be honest, I wouldn't recommend the Dart kit at all, I bought a magnetic bit holder, designed for impact drivers they assured me, it fell to bits! I rang up to complain, they replaced it, that fell to bits too, so I took it with me to Elex and spoke to a guy on their stand "ah, no wonder they're breaking mate, you shouldn't use them in an impact driver" he insisted.

I know we have to try things to find out how good they are, but it's a bit annoying when you pay decent money for something and find it's not as good as a cheapo one. I mean, If I buy an Aldi special for say £30 and use it for work then if it breaks, so what, they're gear isn't made for trade use, but when you spend a hundred quid or more on something that's 'trade rated'  and it stuffs up after a couple of weeks use then it's not good, and it's not as if I abuse tools.

 

[sprocketflup]

Exactly, horses for courses, I don't do much coring these days, I actually sold my kit then got a couple of jobs where I needed to do a bit so I bought a 2nd hand Perles, 1100W core machine and a set of Erbauer bits from Screwfix, they did the job fine and I think they'll last me for a good while. My mate bought a set of those Dart ones at Elex, they were on offer for a hundred quid, they're like cheese, they had the flutes on the sides to clear the dust, they were that soft I wore the flutes off just drilling ordinary brick. I think we only got about 4 holes out of a 50 mm core before it was totalled.

To be honest, I wouldn't recommend the Dart kit at all, I bought a magnetic bit holder, designed for impact drivers they assured me, it fell to bits! I rang up to complain, they replaced it, that fell to bits too, so I took it with me to Elex and spoke to a guy on their stand "ah, no wonder they're breaking mate, you shouldn't use them in an impact driver" he insisted.

I know we have to try things to find out how good they are, but it's a bit annoying when you pay decent money for something and find it's not as good as a cheapo one. I mean, If I buy an Aldi special for say £30 and use it for work then if it breaks, so what, they're gear isn't made for trade use, but when you spend a hundred quid or more on something that's 'trade rated'  and it stuffs up after a couple of weeks use then it's not good, and it's not as if I abuse tools.

This.

 

[binky]

I've got some Aldi ratchet spanners - ruddy good, had them years, used them a lot with no issues.

Festool - no wonder my vet bills are so high!!!  :^O Festool is really nice gear but you can by stuff that does 95% of what Festool does for half the price, so why spend the extra? 

 

[kerching]

I've got some Aldi ratchet spanners - ruddy good, had them years, used them a lot with no issues.

Festool - no wonder my vet bills are so high!!!  :^O Festool is really nice gear but you can by stuff that does 95% of what Festool does for half the price, so why spend the extra? 

Because he's worth it ? 

 

[Sharpend]

Because he's worth it ? 

Lo(l) real (ly)

 

[Apache]

I've got some Aldi ratchet spanners - ruddy good, had them years, used them a lot with no issues.

Festool - no wonder my vet bills are so high!!!  :^O Festool is really nice gear but you can by stuff that does 95% of what Festool does for half the price, so why spend the extra? 

The saw on rails is so very accurate and dust free with the extractor.

The Halfords professional ratchet spanners are nice and you are all eligible for a trade card as electricians.

 

[Sharpend]

The saw on rails is so very accurate and dust free with the extractor.

The Halfords professional ratchet spanners are nice and you are all eligible for a trade card as electricians.

I use all the Halfords advanced stuff, very good quality and reasonably priced. I particularly like the lifetime guarantee for piece of mind. 

Didn't know about the trade card for sparks though? Do you get much off? 

 

[Apache]

170 piece socket set £120 with card £150 without. Tool kit £18 with and £50 without. £5 off the ratchets.

Since the card is free you might as well have one

https://www.halfords.com/advice/motoring/trade-card/trade-card

 

[kerching]

https://www.halfords.com/advice/motoring/trade-card/trade-card

just beaten to it by the Vet

 

[Sharpend]

Is that not to motor technicians only?