Oh a quiz. Give us a clue.
No I will not say that as that is not the right answer.
How long the right answer will be right? Do you keep changing the right answer?
Polishing what, sunny boy.
Your head Sunshine, I think it's all clear what I mean :-)
regards Dick
Sam
Where else do you imagine it might be? Wapping? Milton Keynes?
Remember also that the label as to where a product is said to be made does not mean that it was entirely made there, only that more than a minimum product content or value addition was done there. It is very easy to manipulate these numbers for marketinf and accounting purposes.
.andy
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Parkside are made in China, in the same factory that make most of the B&Q range of Pro tools, but to German spec and manufacturing tolerances. Value for money ? Depends how much disposable income you have And how often you are likely to be using it But not if you are the type that likes bragging on newsgroups that you only ever buy the best and anything cheep is unusable and only fit for Pikies.
What is a "German spec and manufacturing tolerance"?
That's a completely meaningless statement.
What about quality control, supervision and service backup?
Are you seriously suggesting that these Chinese products are of the same quality as Metabo, Festo and their ilk?
It also depends on the ease and safety of use and for some tools the accuracy required.
.andy
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You said I should polish some sunshine. Now stop telling porkies.
This is not a quiz. We are not supposed to guess.
BTW, you may know Makita have a place in MK. So when your instruction books get tatty, after all this time under your pillow, you can get new ones.
Higher than Japanese.
The factory in China also make parts for Makita's and I believe some whole units are made there. They will make any tool to any quality and spec.
Accuracy? Well that counts out DeWally.
Are you saying that's all DeWalt is? Because my experiences tell me otherwise. They tell me that they produce very nicely engineered tools that are a pleasure to use, easy to service/repair and have superb parts backup.
Do share yours.
Equally meaningless as a statement.
The questions become what spec. , what materials, what supervision and what quality control exists to make sure that that happens; and then the arrangements for service, spares and repair, if any.
.andy
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In Telford as well - that other great centre.
Speaking of instruction books, John Guest are at West Drayton, apparently - or you can obtain information on line -
.andy
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John Guest used to make toys. How appropriate.
Sorry to muddy the waters, chaps. But when I'm using my Parkside Cordless drill...it feels Italian. So much so that I find myself singing.
Just one more Hole-oh Dreell eet for meeee Donna snappa my dreellie Eets a cheapieeee
Arthur.
Do they make a drill that make you do the tango? Oh I'll have to get one.
Tango? Well it did look kind of orange from the picture....
Some here say that if you buy your tools from Lidl, you deserve a slap.
Arthur
In general the Germans are for more quality sensitive then us. A friend imports and distributes engineering machinery from that same factory, you can have one of their standard milling machines/lathes or one that has passed QC standards for sale to the German market, but they cost
15% more.
Absolutely not..(yet) Im saying that not everybody *needs* or can *afford* to always buy the best for occasional DIY use, its an entirely different matter if you making a living from using these tools. I wholeheartedly agree that quality tools can last a lifetime, in fact im still using a Wolf low RPM drill that belonged to my father for mixing plaster. Im just a touch perplexed as to how you quantify quality, it appears to be based on price, brand mark and country of origin. The LiDL/Parkside tools I have bought seem to be of reasonable quality but at a low price, but completely lacking in after-sale service. Digital vernier £9 same a screwfix 16840-76 £39 Box of HSS drills £4 same as screwfix 10842-76 £24 Bench grinder £9 same as B&Q £24
-- Mark
OK. There are two definitions of the term 'quality'. One is the generic layman's one of something being 'good', but without being specific about what that means. The other is the manufacturing and commercial one of checking adherence to process and specification.
It is true that Germans are generally more quality sensitive in the sense of the former definition than most British people and some would say that by their nature (and I don't like stereotypes), they tend also to focus on adherence to process and specification.
However to talk about "German spec and manufacturing tolerance" is meaningless unless you say what those are. A Chinese milling machine at 15% more than than the standard product does not have the same spec as a higher end locally manufactured product.
I'm sure that not everybody does, but because something is for occasional use or DIY use, it does not mean that low end products are indicated.
There are also the issues of accuracy and ease and cost of use.
I was predominantly talking about the manufacturing and process definition of quality. In other words, if I buy a decent branded tool towards the top end of the market, I can be (and have been) reasonably assured that it will be to a good standard of design, tolerance and ease of use. I know that I can get spares and get it repaired if ever needed and I know that the manufacturer will support it properly. I am not likely to have to return the tool for replacement and waste time doing it. Time is most definitely money in DIY unless one has plenty of time.. I also know that if any of these don't happen, I am unlikely to have problems invoking consumer legislation, should that ever be needed.
Generally price, manufacturer and country of origin are good predictors of what can be expected regarding the above points.
.andy
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I don't think you have ever experienced real poverty in needing to justify every purchase from a VFM perspective. we'll leave it there, and agree that we disagree, but don't underestimate China as a manufacturing base. Many ridiculed Japans early attempts, their descendants are now working in call centres. ;-(
-- Mark
Oh yes I have, and very much so. I started with very little indeed and what has been achieved has been through sheer hard work, taking sometimes large but calculated risks and occasionally being in the right place at the right time.
I have always looked at the *total* situation when purchasing things. In the early days, price was a larger factor than it is today, but I would tend to go without things rather than buy something inadequate.
Time has always been a precious commodity and I hate to waste time screwing around with things that don't do the job properly or require replacement.
That's fine, and I certainly don't underestimate what has been and can be achieved in the far east. However, right now it is mainly a low cost, volume environment, and for the most part does not have the quality in both senses of the word. I certainly expect that to change, but not yet to rival the better quality western products unless the quality control and some of the cost of those is introduced into the equation.
I completely agree, and I'm not decrying China for what it produces today, and certainly they appear to be in it for the long haul as Japan has done. However, sooner or later the expectations of people working in those environments will increase and with that the prices.
You mention call centres. Outsourcing of those to India is already starting to become more expensive because of the demand, in much the same way that software engineering has done.
.andy
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