Why do power drills have R and L?

[Commander Kinsey]

Why do power drills have R and L on the direction control? Are tradesman really that thick that they don't know which way is tighten and loosen? And why do you push the lever left to make it go right?

[ARW]

Never seen that marked on a pro's tool (and I do not mean his knob)

[Commander Kinsey]

But the drill bit goes in our out, not right or left.

Not on mine, it's electrically controlled, the lever is simply an electrical contact and could be fitted either way round.

[Commander Kinsey]

Because most users are morons?

[Commander Kinsey]

Rotation isn't "right" or "left", it's "clockwise" or "anticlockwise".

Fucking Chinese tech.

[NY]

The real issue is why the control is labelled "R" and "L" instead of the more accurate "clockwise" and "anti-/counter-clockwise". I have an image-processing package on my PC which has options to rotate the picture by

90 degrees - and they are labelled "rotate right" rather than "rotate clockwise" and similarly for left/anti-clockwise.

"Tighten/loosen" is only valid with a clockwise thread (ie clockwise to screw in or tighten).

[NY]

Cue the old chestnut about the "C&A" label on women's knickers...

[Rod Speed]

But those much bigger words wont fit on the switch, stupid.

No one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to buy it, stupid.

[michael adams]

Presumably to confuse French and Italian speakers.

michael adams

...

[Commander Kinsey]

I guess you have to imagine a car steering wheel.

Almost every thread is clockwise.

[Commander Kinsey]

On a drill you could have forwards and reverse. F and R.

There are loads of analog clocks around. I've got 5 in my house, they're quicker to look at to get a general idea of the time.

Depends what side of the drill it's on.

[Commander Kinsey]

I've seen a bath towel marked ARSE and FACE.

[Commander Kinsey]

They don't put the whole word "right" on there either.

It's better than buying the overpriced non-Chinese stuff.

[Commander Kinsey]

Yet on my washing machine and on many clothes labels for washing instructions they have Euro symbols which can't be understood in any language. WTF is a triangle? And a square with a circle inside it?

[williamwright]

You're an idiot.

Bill

[Clare Snyder]

Clockwize and anti-clockwize would be totally lost on the millenials and those that follow. Half of them can't read an analog clock

[Clare Snyder]

Mine has F and R.

[Commander Kinsey]

No, because I know what clockwise is. Tradesmen only have one O level.

[Commander Kinsey]

WTF is a millennial? I can't be bothered looking that up again, just tell me what year you want them born in.

And you're talking s**te, there are analogue (I spelt that right, you didn't) clocks everywhere.

[Commander Kinsey]

That makes more sense.

uk.d-i-y readded, stop f****ng about with the headers moron.