Right there with you, Ed. Couldn't agree more. When I started in the trad es back in the early 70s, tools were good enough to rebuild. Using them al l day, we simply wore out hand power tools and their parts. So we put in t riggers, bearing, brushes, etc., as a regular part of the tool owning exper ience.
Many of the old tool names that were on the tools I used to love were bough t by investment groups, not tool makers back in the 80s. The powers that b e at those companies only sought to maximize their profits, not caring abou t the tools, nor understanding their importance to the craftsman, tradesman , or any other end user that valued a good tool. For all those companies c ared, they were simply manufacturing widgets, and applied their college eds as they had been taught.
Now, unless it is a stationary tool all tools to me are a balance of tool l ife to longevity. About ten years ago I took my favorite Milwaukee circula r saw in (at that time about 25 years old) for a new cord, bearings and a " tightening up". The bench fee was $65, the bearings were $35, the cord was $18, and the clean and lube was another $25. I was stunned and found that the newest replacement model for that saw was $125 at HD.
I commented to the guy at the counter as I was getting my saw (no repairs.. .) that I was glad the trigger didn't go out. So just for fun, he looked i t up. The "heavy duty" trigger was $49, and still carried the same bench f ee ($65) as any process.
So I bought a Makita at HD, and it is a great saw. But now as before, if so mething breaks or wear out, it will be prohibitive to have it fixed.
Years ago I always bought from our local supply house as they stocked acces sories for the tools they sold, some parts, and had someone that could diag nose your problem if a tool "quit working". We haven't had anyone like tha t years here.
I would gladly pay more for a tool of there was a quality company standing behind it and I got good utility value from the tool. Now they all seem to be varying degrees of just junk to pretty good until you get up in the Fes tool, Metabo, Lamello, etc., range. I buy the Bosch, Ridgid, DeWalt, etc., and depending on what goes wrong and how long it lasted, probably toss the m after they break.
I feel like I am like a lot of folks that are getting the short end of the stick because of consumer habits. I have no more local support for my tool s or for parts as Amazon, ebay, etc. put them out of business long before H F came on the scene. At one time, you could save 30% by buying online, so off most went to their computers. I have no selection for better tools as no one can afford to keep a showroom since folks will do as you said, try o ut a tool, handle and inspect it and then go home and purchase it. I have seen many, many times at the Woodcraft demos where folks go and use the too ls they are interested in, then go to Amazon or other places to buy their t ool after using one for a few hours at WC.
Folks always brag about the low prices they pay on things, but then if you need any backup or support, many times you find out how little that price d ifferential was actually worth. I would gladly pay more for a quality tool backed by good service.
On the other hand, the black eye isn't all on us consumers. About 3 years ago I bought a Ridgid branded 12v drill package. Two identical drills, a c harger, and two batteries for a promotional price. Lifetime warranty on th e drills and batteries, one year on the charger. I went through the scrupu lous registration process and got the drills registered.
Last Monday I took the drills in as the batteries had died. In about 3 wee ks I will need them to drill and mount about 60 hinges and installs new dra wer hardware at the house I am working on. The guy at the counter told me he was "the tool guy" and would evaluate them. It could take (he told me) about a month for him to get to their assessment. If he found the batterie s to be dead and non revivable, then he would send them to the Ridgid servi ce center, so add in another 10 days for packing, transit, and receiving. So now we are at six weeks.
They told me at the service center that their normal turn around on any too l (unless it needed an extensive rebuild) was about a month. So now good s ir, the replacement of two dead batteries (which were determined dead by th e tool guy when I brought them in, he was just wanting to do additional tes ting to "make sure") is at best guess... 2 1/2 to 3 months.
What professional can have a duty tool offline for a quarter of the work ye ar?
Further, I was informed and signed a document at the time I turned the tool s over that said that Ridgid/HD has the sole power to determine of the tool was simply worked until the end of its life, abused, broken due to acciden t, used incorrectly (drilling 2" holes in yellow pine all day with the 12v drill), not stored or taken care of properly, used for a task other than wh ich it was specifically designed to do, or neglected in any way they determ ine is detrimental to the tool. Any of the aforementioned conditions could and probably would lead to denial of the warranty.
So now what do I do? I don't even know if they are going to honor their wa rranty... I need the drills in a couple of weeks and probably won't have wo rd by then on what they are going to do.
In reality, I will probably go buy a cheaper drill and use it for the job, then until it breaks. At this point, I see little point in paying any prem ium for a working class tool. At this point (at least with Ridgid) I feel l ike I am playing a game with them, one I just might lose. I don't have the time for all that dancing around and I need my drills. With that in mind and at the cost of rebuilding my tools, I almost always look for cheaper al ernatives for the job site these days.
Robert