I must have a lost cousin

[nailshooter41]

OK, it's that time of year. What to get Robert... no one knows, not even me. Any tool I NEED, I usually buy if practical. Any tool I NEED that will make me money repairin' or remodelin', I usually have or will buy.

So mebbe a tool I wouldn't normally buy for myself. Been eyeballing those oscillating multitools, and saw the Dremel today at the big Orange box. Ouch. Looks like a toy. Feels like a toy. Didn't feel solid or look well put together. The accessories looked to be really poor (keep in mind, no testing, just observing) quality.

When back home, I was looking around in the 'net and checked to see where the Rockwells were landing with folks that used them, and I ran across this (I assume) from Rockwell.

I guess I can take their word that it is a sturdy, well operating tool. I laughed so damn hard I almost fell out of the chair. What a test - I have to be related to this guy. If I was the tool tester for the company, you bet I wold try this. I love it.

Robert

[Mark & Juanita]

... snip

When the video first loaded, I thought the tool was one of those Porter Cable Detail sanders. First step seemed like a good use for the detail sander although I don't think it could go the distance pounding in 3 nails.

[Lee Michaels]

Well, it is a valid test. You see, Robert, this is an electric hammer!

And you never have to pull out a nail if you screw up. Just cut them off!

[Swingman]

ROTFL ... I'll wait until it's got a drill on the other end, and the cord can be used to pull stumps. Head's up Swiss Army!

[nailshooter41]

I got it now! That black string looking thingy coming out of the back is probably just a tether so you can keep up with it, and the lack of claws indicates a true "professional model".

There must be something wrong with me. I watched it again and laughed my ass off all over again.

I can hear in my mind " I am sick and damn tired of being compared to Fein. Let's see that little orange sombitch do this!"

Wham! Wham! Wham! Buzzzzzz...

Robert

[Lee Michaels]

wrote

There must be something wrong with me. I watched it again and laughed my ass off all over again.

I can hear in my mind " I am sick and damn tired of being compared to Fein. Let's see that little orange sombitch do this!"

Wham! Wham! Wham! Buzzzzzz... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nothing wrong with you Robert. We live in a sea of mediocrity. When something comes along that is the absolute antithesis of this crap, we are delighted.

And you have to give them points for an innovative demonstration of their tool.

[Lew Hodgett]

While working as a detail draftsman early in my career, my project engineer relayed the following tale.

Earlier in his career, this engineer worked for a company that had an employee, who while quite dedicated, broke everything he touched.

The general manager didn't want to fire a dedicated employee, but he had to stop the destruction.

His solution was to create the position of "New product tester".

Put this guy in a room, by himself, and let him play which every new prototype product.

It was sort of like the idea of care and feeding of a mushroom.

Put him in a place by himself, feed him a lot of stuff, and he won't hurt anybody except maybe himself

When he would damage some part, the engineers would redesign it to survive this guy.

Never did find out if the company stayed competitive, but it was a good story, and let me goof off listening to it for a few minutes.

Lew

[Robert Bonomi]

I had a software company that retained *my* services for that purpose. They'd just send me a new product, with _no_ documentation and have me play with it. They figured that if it survived _two_days_ in my hands, it was safe to ship to customers.

The funny part of it was that a big part of _why_ I was so valuable to them was that I didn't know sh*t about what their product did. So, I'd just crank it up, and try things that "seemed reasonable" _to_me_. That approach found a *lot* of things that weren't covered by the people who coded only for what the *knowledgeable* user would 'expect' the software to do. A bunch of the 'problems' I provoked ended up being classified by the company as "d*mn! That's a _good_ idea. why _doesn't_ our stuff do that when asked to?" And got implemented in the next iteration.

Another former employer learned to absolutely _cringe_ when I came to him, regarding _in-house_ production practices, and said "I've just discovered thus-and-such isn't being handled, and I'm concerned about the consequences if _this_ happens." Almost invariably, within (at most) two weeks, the aforementioned "this" *would* happen. *Entirely* without my having anything to do with provoking it.

[Lee Michaels]

"Robert Bonomi" wrote

I am certain that some folks thought that you, somehow or another, actually caused those events. Or maybe that you had some kind of disaster precognition.

[Robatoy]

When I was developing loudspeakers in the late 70's/early 80's, I would test their 'roadworthyness' by dropping off a pair at my buddy's house, with a couple of Crown DC 300 amps and 2 or 3 cases of beer and a quarter of hash. I knew I had a winner when when I walked in the next morning, smelled that unmistakable scent of boiled ferro-fluid and the damn speakers still worked. I invariably had to step over a few bodies on the way to loading the speakers and amps back into my van.

Mission accomplished.

[tom_murphy]

Need?!!

PRACTICAL????!!!!!!!

You're gonna lose...

[LEGEND65]

This reminds me of a story from one of my professors who used to work at Gilette. Seems the competition came up with an ad where they took one of gilette's razors, stuck a screwdriver in the head and snapped it apart. Then they did the same thing to theirs and it didn't break. And this was so powerful a demonstration that even though it had nothing to do with the actual quality of the razor Gilette had to come up with a new production method and retool the factories to make a razor that wouldn't come apart when you stuck a screwdriver in it.

It's all just marketing. Nowadays they would just add another damn blade on the thing.

-Kevin

[Leon]

That reminded me of the B&D packaged Butter Knife and single High Heel, sold as a woman's hammer and screw driver set. LOL

[Swingman]

"Robatoy" wrote

Now that's a product, appropriate to this thread, that has/will withstand years of untold abuse!

I've actually witnessed one turned on its side and placed under the bumper of the equipment van as an aid to jack it out of a mud hole, fired it up at the gig the next night, and it kept on rocking ... probably still is.

AAMOF, I still have three of the original vintage in the studio that are at least forty years old and still going strong.

[Robatoy]

Same could be said for their reel-to-reel decks. A little rough sounding at times, but always on the job.