Cheap Chinese tools

We all know you get what you pay for, but some of these turn out to be quite good value. However some don't. Would anyone like to report the most risible manufacturing defect they have encountered. I recently paid good money (well four quid) for a plastering trowel with the handle on the wrong side of the blade, the blade was consequently slightly concave instead of the other way. Run-out also seems to be a problem with anything intended to rotate, the right angle drive I bought wobbled by about 4mm at the chuck.

Reply to
Peter
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Four quid for a plastering trowel should have been a really good hint it was intended to go into a christmas cracker. It doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be a disaster, but it sure should ring alarm bells that careful inspection is required before purchase.

The trowel should be flat and the edges straight. The trowel will become springy with use, but often isn't initially when brand new.

Don't know what you are referring to by concave blade, but you seem to be complaining about features which should have been obvious before you bought it.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

Nothing spectacular... the wire cutters were pretty bad. I needed a pair on the spot so went in the pound shop right nearby. £1 later I had wirecutters, or so I thought... they couldnt even cut through a bit of soft PVC, let alone wire. When I looked at them the edges were more round than sharp, and the 2 blades just didnt line up - they werent even that close. Swapped them for another tool that did the job.

I've found some cheap tools are ok, many arent. Drill bits and cutters are probably the worst rubbish. Worst bits ever were a set from B&D. Couldnt even drill a small hole in soft wood.

We could list whats been good and bad in cheap tools to assist the newbies... another time.

Regards, NT

Reply to
N. Thornton

Here's a start (IME of course): Good: Clamps and similar. Light duty hammers. Flat wood bits (surprisingly enough). Power sanders Hacksaws - but get a pack of decent blades at the same time

Bad: Anything else sharp. Anything that could hurt if it broke (I've had some really bad craft knives, and a glass scraper that required pliers and a heavy glove to put the cover back on the blade)

Reply to
Chris Hodges

One particularly good value item I picked up was a set of 3 extra-long masonary bits, 6, 8, 10mm IIRC, and 450mm long. I was only expecting each bit to do one hole, as the pack of 3 was 99p. 5 years and very many holes later, they're all still in perfect condition.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

junk IME: cutters are the worst pliers tend to not open much

1/4" drive sockets safety goggles are the worst: direct vented goggles cause too many eye injuries.

good: chisels - but only once youve sharpened them properly, crud otherwise levels tape measures torque wrench

1/2" drive sockets and basically things that dont move or do anything, like: set square bradawl feeler gauge

Regards, NT

Reply to
N. Thornton

LOL You were done twice over, these are sold in every pound shop.. Erm for a pound ! Very useful for laying bitumen on flat roofs, no cleaning required just bin it and buy another.

Reply to
Mark

From experience with using Chinese manufacturers, generally any process with sheet metal or plastic moulding is better than UK, anything using cast or worked metal is worse. You should be able to apply this to many tools.

Related story from recent project - Chinese manufacturer was charging us a high price for a basic power transistor.

When asked why he said he had to import them from Holland. Told him the same part was also made in a semiconductor factory a couple of hours from him.

He replied (in strong Chinese accent) "Would you trust product from there !?"

Reply to
G&M

I guess it's a good job that I didn't base my career on metallurgy because I would have said that railway lines were cast iron rather than steel.

One of the reasons I say that is because I don't recall railway lines having a problem with rusting (cast iron doesn't rust, does it?), which they probably would if they were steel.

But - please correct me if I'm wrong because I really don't know.

PoP

Reply to
PoP

Old, as in when the trucks where pulled by horses, railway lines might have been cast iron but for a very long time they have been rolled steel. Cast iron is also rather brittle.

They do rust but they are very thick, just look at a line that hasn't had any traffic for a day and it'll be going rusty. The profile of the top will be well worn before rust to the rest of the rail is a problem.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Ironbridge was made of cast iron. The history of iron is the history of Britain, as the people who gave us what we now take for granted all those years ago were making these improvements not knowing about motor cars and skyscrapers. In fact before they made the inventions, the bicycle was unknown.

(At least in so far as was possible for an unmarried working man to be able to travel anywhere in the UK, anytime he wished. The ultimate Reynolds 501 and the Derailleur permitting unmarried working girls to join the club as soon as fashions permitted.)

I believe that steel is a little more resistant to rust than iron. The main difference in them is that mild steel has got more iron in it than cast iron has.

Rusting iron/steel is quite an interesting process. The electrons produced in the process are conducted to the edge of the process so that the centre of the rust spot is the last place it is attacked.

If you could reverse the flow the iron would not rust.

Reply to
Michael Mcneil

In message , Michael Mcneil writes

I'm not sure I totally follow this post

Reply to
geoff

As an ex-railway employee I can confirm that Dave is right, they are rolled steel, supplied direct from the rolling mill onto special trains in immense lengths to avoid too many welded joints.

I would not expect it to be too different in China. They are certainly not going to be cast iron.

Reply to
Tim Mitchell

Stud extractors - but with a Draper label. First one I used splintered just as I was inserting it, much less whilst trying to remove the sheared brake bleed nipple. Had to scrap that car brake caliper as drilling out a hard fragment of extractor was impossible.

Phil

Reply to
P.R.Brady

Chinese spokeshave where the head on the blade retaining screw was made out of nasty, cheap plastic. Cracked and fell off the first time I used it.

Reply to
Steve Firth

The plastic clamping ring of the depth gauge/ eye shield on my now rather old NuTool bench drill has just broken. Haven't tried for a new one as the drill still works without it.

Reply to
Dave Plowman

In message , Dave Plowman writes

Co-incidence or not, my nu-tool drill press has recently failed in exactly the same way. Bought it in '97 (sad, but I just found the manuals AND receipt filed away).

Reply to
Steven Briggs

Having had a cordless drill charger fail and being sure it was in a 2 year warranty but having no way of proving it, the replacement has the receipt and warranty details in an envelope sellotaped to the inside of the carry case. Think I'll do that in future whenever such a thing comes with its own box.

Reply to
Craig Graham

I have a drawer in the kitchen that has all such paperwork in it, a trait I've inherited from my parents apparantly.

Reply to
James Hart

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