Looks like PC is following the path of B&D

[Robatoy]

Shades of Flintstone's BamBam?

[Leon]

Tha'd be him!

And thinking of those goofy infomercials. Have you ever noticed how uncoordinated and spastic the performers are when using the traditional mop/hammer/steamer//what ever as a comparison to the new fangled gizmo they are hawking?

[Swingman]

"Upscale" wrote

Me too ... I hit the next button when I see a black beard, or, in the case of Brittany, anything that vaguely resembles a black beard.

Yeeech!

[Upscale]

I don't recognize the name Billy Mays because my ears auto-shut-off when a TV ad appears, but I'm willing to bet it's that guy with the black beard that I see hawking the Oxyclean.

[Michael Briggs]

I would have to say it is caused by the big box stores. Here is my example.

I was looking for a wire feed welder. I was looking at the miller and lincoln 135 amp welders. Lowes and Home D. around here. Friend of mine who owns a machine shop said to stay away from them. To go to a welding supplier. I asked "whats the difference besides price, both are 135 amp welders from same companies. He said not the same units though. Looking closer I found that the actual model numbers were different even though the units were looked exactly the same. I will use the example of the Lincoln sp

135. the case was marked and looked identical only difference was the modle number on the little tag. by going to lincolns web sight i found the sp 135 but had a hard time finding the modle number for the unit that lowes carried. It didn't come up on any of thier product pages. I could only find it by looking for parts for the exact model number of the lowes product. Ended up that lincoln does not even advertise or show that model number product in any of thier online or paper advertisements. Looking closer at the lowes procuct and the weld shop products (price difference of over 100 bucks) I found that the weld shop model that is listed on the lincoln web site is like 20 pounds heavier. heavier windings and other assoc. parts inside, including drive motors drive wheels etc. even the guns were not the same. Found out that the big box companies contact the manuafactures and tell them they will sell thier product, as in I will sell the model sp135 unit but this is what I will pay you for it. Build me a unit that you can make a profit on. Hence, every thing is cheaper built and put in the same case. warranties different, almost nill in the big box model. A friend said he didnt see the difference, bought the big box model, I opted for spending more on the welding supplier model. I use mine alot, have only had one problem. a wire cam loose on the drive motor. lincoln fixed it at no charge on a welder that gets used alot while my friends big box unit broke at just over six months old. Lincoln would barely talk to him, He had a hard time finding parts. He barely uses his and it has now found its way to the scrap yard. Mine is still working great and is about 4 years old.

I have to throw blame at both the big box stores for asking the manuf. to cheapen the products and also at the manuf. for even thinking about building the product for the big box stores. If they are gonna build crap for them, dont put your name on it, insist on puting the store name on it. let the store take the hit for selling crap instead of tricking buyers into thinking they are buying a quality product.

sorry bout the rant Mike

"Phil Again" wrote in message news:E86dnSTf2JanBQnVnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]...

[Michael Briggs]

It all boils down to GREED!

both the big box stores for insisting on supplying crap at bargain basement prices and the manufacture for building the crap so they can make an extra buck by selling more units!

[dpb]

Except you've got the root cause turned around -- if folks weren't buying almost solely based on purchase cost, the cheapest wouldn't necessarily win.

So, the fundamental greed is in the purchaser trying to get "more than their money's worth"...

$0.02, ymmv, etc., etc., ...

--

[Swingman]

"dpb" wrote

Agreed ... most tools these days appear to be targeting Harry Homeowner, who arguably watches way too much DIY reality TV, thus the bubble gum appearance/cheap construction.

Whenever I let one of my neighbors try one of my tools, like my handbuilt Italian pin nailer, their eyes light up ... but only momentarily, to be immediately extinguished upon the answer to "How much did this thing cost?".

[Robatoy]

You sick bastard!

*tips hat* r

[Robatoy]

=2E...and then *drumroll* the absolute WORST thing happens.... Some clown buys the home-owner-cheap piece of shit and then BECOMES A PROFESSIONAL!!! and sells his services to the neighbours.

there is Joe, the true professional, getting his ass beat by Joe The Clown, by $ 1500.00... he smirks, drives off, and knows who the real idiot is...

[Robatoy]

It all started with B & D buying ELU. I liked Elu tools. (At least in their day, they worked for guys like me.) We went to hell after that.

[Swingman]

Hehe ... that was some ugly, wot?!

[Upscale]

Funny you mention that. I distinctly think of that when I see a Swiffer commercial. The person using that regular dust brush is deliberately doing it wrong to raise a dust cloud while the Swiffer person does it properly.

[Leon]

That's exactly what I am talking about. ;~)

[Robatoy]

Commercials are misleading. I strapped on a couple of MaxiPads and i STILL couldn't play tennis OR ride a horse...

[Lew Hodgett]

Unless you start with 195 proof grain-ethyl, it's strictly mouth wash.

BTDT

(My college roomie worked in a pharmacy)

Lew

[Bored Borg]

so is a treadle-powered lathe or saw a hand tool or a power tool?