Agreed that infomercials can be irritating. Some commercials too. But it might not be appropriate to paint the product with the stupidity of the marketing department.
Here's an interesting review and product testing of SHAMWOW! By Popular Mechanics magazine!
Spoiler: Shamwow actually works!
Why? Fein has a strong presense in the speciality and professional lines of distribution. It would take a lot more money and time to establish a presence in mass merchants. Especially in a tight economy, when big box stores are probably not in the mood to start promoting and merchandising something new. This was an easy and fast way to get directly to the consumer without adding a big debt load to the company during tight times.
I think it is a smart move on their part. If they sell respectable numbers via infomercials, it will give them a foot in the door with Home Depot, Lowes and other big box stores.
Generally because virtually all products featured in infomercials are substandard, over priced, imported bits of junk.
That may be true, but being carried by HD and Lowes may not be a great thing... Both chains have a reputation for draging products down to their (WalMart like) level, not for building themselves to a higher quality.
One only has to look as far as GM to see that it is not a simple sell to the masses world! GM has, over the years (and Ford and Chrysler, too) managed to screw up some great things in their push to take a quality, low market product and make a big market product out of it.
Though generally I'll say that one should always go somewhere other than HF for tools, the truth is every once in a while they have a great product.
Couple of years ago, I erected a large metal building. There was the need to drill many thousands of small holes. At just the right time HF sent me a flyer with a listing basically for the sized bit I needed, bag of 50 for about $10. I figured what the heck, I'd only loose $20 so I ordered two packs (that gave me 200 bits, since these were double ended!)
Well, the building is up. One pack is still unopened. The other pack is almost full. Some of the bits that I used when I first started are still being used now, the only ones that failed were ones that I broke! Some of the blasted best drill bits I've ever bought, and I paid a couple of pennies for each one. Heck, at this rate I'll die and still not have opened that second pack... (And I use a lot of drill bits, too.)
But, bottom line, usually one gets what one pays for. Buy cheap, get cheap. My HF Rayobi 18V drills... (Got to do the building too) were intended to last the project and be tossed at the end (I do have other, perhaps better ones but wanted two identical units to optimize battery usage). Both still work, though two of the battery packs are long dead. Good deal? Well, OK, but not great. But a Millwalkee (spelled wrong!) that I got at the same time, for twice as much lasted how long: half way though the construction. Burned out the motor. Replaced the motor. Burned it out again four days latter. Oops, not a good value!
You raise a good point: Why are ALL drill bits not double-ended?
The fluted part is not as strong. Chucking up the fluted end risks breaking off. On the other hand, I could be totally mistaken.
Many are, but of course there is the issue of length. The bits in question are specifically designed for drilling thinner stocks (such as sheet metal, what I use them for). The chuck must clamp on a smooth (or hexed) shank, not the cutting portions of the bit. Most chucks only have about a half inch of space behind the point where they clamp on teh bit, so the size is limited for that reason.
Because with larger bits they would be hell on the chuck!!
How many windshields will that POS cut out?
I don't know. I've never used any tool to cut out a windshield nor plan to do so. I'll take it to an auto glass shop if I need to cut out a windshield. Anyway, I was just pointing out the location of the HF tool for someone who was looking for it at HF. Apparently, it has been removed from the HF site, so it is a moot subject.
on 3/30/2009 10:17 AM (ET) willshak wrote the following:
Sorry, I misspoke. It is still there.
Here's a comparison review of a number of oscillating tools. To the people that have used a Fein it comes as no surprise that it was considered the best of the bunch and worth the price.
I was an auto glass installer for over 20 yrs and Fein came out with that tool in the early to mid 80's for windshield removal on cars like the Audi 5000 and the Ford Taruas. Windshields that couldn't be removed with the common cutout tool, the cold knife. Up until 2002 I was still using a "Fien knife". It wasn't until a couple of yrs ago that I saw it advertised as the "Multimaster". To this day I still have one in my tool collection that I paid over $400.00 for. HF sells some tools that are OK for limited use, but I guarantee you that "Multimaster" from HF is a POS that would probably break the first time that you used it.
Ya. gotta double sawbuck?
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.