What is crappy, really?
I went some detail on this before, mostly specific to battery-powered tools, but I got a few questions about it, so here I go again. By the way, in this post I’m referring to hand tools, corded and not. I’m not tackling stationary tools, although the same theories tend to apply.
I divide tool brands into two categories. These are, roughly, “cheap and crappy” and “good and expensive”.
Good and expensive tool brands are almost always expensive, and almost always good. That means that, without a bit of research, you can saunter into Home Depot and pluck forth a Dewalt Drill, a Milwaukee Sawzall, or a Porter Cable Router without doing any research at all, and be guaranteed of an above-average experience. Now there are exceptions; Porter Cable, for example, put their name on a lame little $20 screwdriver that is a piece of absolute crap (while the Ryobi one is much better). You can guess the rule for “Good and Expensive” brands here: if it ain’t expensive, you shouldn’t count on it being good either, even if it’s from a “Good and Expensive” brand.
Now, “Cheap and crappy” brands are not, as you might expend, universally cheap or univerally crappy. These brands are generally manufactured overseas, and QC is often not as good as their brethren in the upper echelons of price. That means you’re more likely to get a dud. They’re often less durable; for example, until Home Depot complained, Ryobi tools used plastic gears instead of metal. They also typically offer less oomph. To see this in effect, just fire up a Ryobi 18-volt drill and a Makita 18-volt drill and feel the differences in torque.
But none of these are for sure. The one constant thing about C&C brands is their variability. For example, Skil makes some top-of-the-line circular saws (they do call them “Skil Saws” for a reason). Craftsman makes some excellent stationary power tools, but they also make a lot of plastic junk.
The key thing to remember about a C&C brand is that you have to do your research. Check google for reviews about the specific C&C tool you’re considering and read with caution. Many people are so euphoric about getting a whole set of 18v tools for $150 that they don’t evaluate the quality of the things honestly, or they just don’t have the experience to know how mediocre they really are.
More about C&C vs. G&E later–if you haven’t yet, read the original article to get more of my thoughts on the subject.
(You might want to subscribe or follow me on Twitter so you don’t miss new articles)
