I am a brand name tool snob, and make no apologizes for it. The same applies to parts, components, equipment and so forth.
Let me explain what I mean.
I have been planning out a couple of project and equipment purchases, and have been painstakingly selecting everything.
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I don’t mind private label brands too much, such as industrial suppliers’ store brands. But for the most part I stick to brands I know and can buy again.
For example, I’m looking to buy a simple air line filter, with 1/4″ NPT threads and moisture trap.
There are plenty of cheap ones on Amazon, ebay, and elsewhere, many with gibberish-sounding names
Shown at the top of the page is a Norgren FRL (filter, regulator, lubricator) combination unit. I wasn’t too familiar with the brand, but went with that brand. I can find it at industrial suppliers, and I quickly found datasheets to help me hone in on exactly what I need.
This is a “Pudusi” branded air filter and regulator combo, as found on Amazon. They have other brands unfamiliar to me, such as Hromee, Wosudim, and Quickun. Are these reputable brands and products? It’s hard to say.
I can’t find websites for the brands, or full spec sheets. They’re not sold at typical industrial part suppliers, only online marketplaces such as Amazon, ebay, and Walmart.
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Maybe it’s unfair, but I will immediately dismiss such brands.
For tools and parts, I like repeatability and reputation. If something goes wrong, is there a customer service department I can call or write to? If I need more in the future, will the brand have it, and will it be compatible with existing purchases?
I have stuck with SMC for air fittings and components, and brands like Bimba for cylinders. I went with MSC and Zoro for air valves, and Automation Direct for fittings and tubing.
While MSC and Zoro’s private label parts can’t be found on external websites, they have great customer service, and it was hard to argue against the cost differential. For certain things, comparable parts from other industrial brands can cost several times more.
I need a hook spanner wrench for installing a lock nut ring. I’m considering McMaster Carr, which contradicts a lot of what I’m saying because they don’t disclose brand names on their catalog pages, and also known brands such as Williams and Proto.
Maybe it’s time I buy an adjustable set, such as the Williams shown above.
Sure, I can get more for my money with a brand like “AYQWE,” but can I trust the brand? Do they stand behind their products? What about “ATNHYING”?
I’ve been planning out a CNC control cabinet, and need a disconnect switch. In some hobbyist builds online, they use random parts sourced from ebay and elsewhere. I understand that online marketplaces present less expensive options, but are they built to the same standards?
What about emergency stop switches? Am I supposed to trust a brand like LGKJYKA that only seems to be available in online marketplaces?
Sometimes there’s not much choice. I recently needed silicone-jacketed wire, and a particular seller on Amazon seemed to have been the best choice. They have a website and seem to specialize in wire, and so I placed a small order to check them out. Otherwise, I prefer brand name for wire and cables, such as Southwire, Alpha, Belden, and the USA-made machine tool wire that Automation Direct carries.
I’ve been a tool snob for a while, and don’t see anything wrong with it. I might bend a little when it comes to non-critical components, but for the most part I prefer to know exactly what I’m getting, who to turn to in case of problems, and where I can buy the same thing of the same quality in the future.
Think of it this way: Would you buy meat from a street vendor that you’ve never seen before? If they part outside of your building every day for five years, that’s different.
I see nothing wrong with others’ choices to buy whatever is cheapest, but I seem to be inherently incapable of doing the same.
I mention all this because my current project has an increasingly costly parts list, and would say that this rationale is a big part of it.
Brad
Those crappy one-off brands drive me up the wall. I wish Amazon would ban them somehow. The myth that more selection is better relies on the false premise of an accurately informed consumer, and those products deliberately misinform consumers.
MM
Generally speaking, I agree with you. Those products sold under a brand name which sounds like it was cooked up by a random letter generator nearly always disappoint. I feel this is especially true with industrial electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic components. Over the years I have owned a great deal of machinery myself, and maintained a lot more. This ranged from 1940’s vintage machine tools to very modern lab analytical equipment: rheometers, FTIRs, X-ray flourescence, probably half the Instron mechanical testing catalog, etc. I can count the number of problems I’ve had with name-brand parts failing on one hand. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve had to replace substandard relays, solenoids, circuit breakers, switches, power supplies, valves… This is one area where I will never cut corners especially because safety is nearly always a factor. The last thing you want is a substandard electrical part failing and causing a short, or a high-pressure valve leaking and spraying hydraulic oil mist all over the place, or a weakly built E-stop switch to fail when you slam it in a real emergency. Substandard limit switches can cause serious damage to equipment in addition to being a safety risk.
Now I must admit that sometimes those cheap *tools* can be valuable. It’s a lot like harbor freight, really: yes, the tools are often not great but they may well be adequate for your needs. For example, I have a variety of crimping tools for electrical cables. Most of them are high end brands. But very large cables, like 2awg or larger? I very rarely work with those. I can’t justify the several hundred dollars a nice crimper of that size costs. But the Chinese-made alphabet soup branded one I got from Amazon for $35 has worked fine for my needs thus far. Would it stand up to serious pro use? I doubt it. But for what I need, which is just a few cables a year, it’s working fine. And I don’t have any fear of it burning my workshop down.
Wayne R.
A valid intermediate between new-expensive and new-cheap is used-expensive.
EBay has a great source for used-expensive. The quality is still there.
Nate
Absolutely – For non-cordless machines this is most often the best place to be. There’s good value in finding older machines that are well cared for. I have an older Jet tablesaw and Steel City jointer that were both phenomenal deals and work great.
MM
Yes, I agree completely. That was my mantra for my old machining business. I still have a few of the machines to this day, all 1940’s-1960’s vintage: two DoAll bandsaws, a Weipert hollow-spindle lathe, Carlton radial-arm drill press, a Rockford openside planer, and a Kearney & Trecker model 2D rotary-head milling machine, a colossal Dake no.6 25 ton mechanical arbor press….all purchased as very good condition used machines. I’ve had many more in the past, Monarch 10EE and N lathes, Kearney & Trecker TF series milling machines, Sharp VH-3’s, etc.
Will
Yep. My woodworking machines are: 1950s Walker-Turner 10-inch table saw and 16-inch drill press fitted with a mortising attachment; 1950s Delta 8-inch jointer: 1940s Craftsman bandsaw; 1940s Delta drill press. All bought used on Craigslist for a song and well taken care of. They’re tough to move, but worth it!
Munklepunk
The names are cooked up by random name generators. It’s easier than dealing with coming up with names that don’t infringe on current names.
MM
Of course. But it means that the marketers/sellers are missing the point. The point of a brand name is to build the brand over time. People come to trust it and then buy the product again and spread the brand by word-of-mouth. It’s the opposite of commoditization. You don’t want people buying *a* screwdriver, you want them buying *your* screwdriver. But that only works if the name is memorable. If your customer can’t distinguish your brand name from everybody else’s then there’s no point in having one at all. Names and common words are easy to remember but alphabet soup is not.
TomD
It’s literally because Amazon has a brand name field you have to fill in to sell. So they randomly create them, they don’t care. They just want to ship some product.
MM
@TomD
Yes, I’m aware. I used to sell on Amazon myself. My point is they’re doing it wrong, and the fact that they don’t care makes it even worse.
Jason
The letter-salad is due to Amazon brand registry requirements. The brand needs to be registered with the US patent and trademark office. It’s much easier to get a trademark approved if it is just random letters; much less likely to infringe on someone else’s brand.
Bonnie
Yep. I have one of the cheap air regulator/filters pictured above. I use it on my airbrush and it does everything I need it to perfectly. The airbrush and the compressor are both nice name-brands, but I just don’t need anything high-grade for adjusting a few PSI and trapping moisture at the spray booth.
Michael F
Amazon doesn’t just tolerate them. Amazon actively markets to Chinese manufacturers and helps them bring their crappy products to the US market. They have a conference in China once a year to help them get started. They have strange sounding names because the path to getting their international business approved in the US is much easier and shorter if the name doesn’t potentially match or infringe on any existing copyrights or trademarks. It’s a really crappy business practice and I hate that Amazon encourages it.
MM
This is true, but it is not unique to China or anywhere else. Amazon actively markets to EVERY manufacturer and retailer. Back when I had my machining business we had a side line of motorsports parts which we sold on Ebay and direct to the customer via our own website. Unless you were into a very particular niche you would never have come across the products or even known they were a thing. We were contacted by Amazon and invited to be on the platform–it was not the other way around. Furthermore, Amazon’s reps did 99% of the work when it came to importing our online catalog into Amazon. They did this poorly and it was full of errors, but Amazon didn’t care much about helping us fix that, instead they just seemed like they were interested in listing as many products as possible. The rep we had was polite but understood nothing about the target market. I got the feeling it was just a database jockey trying to fill as many entries as possible.
Steve L
Back when Craftsman sold quality tools with a lifetime warranty maybe you could argue buying Snap-On was being a brand snob. But people bought Snap-On because, in addition to price and warranty, there were other things deemed important.
You are basing your purchase on considerations other than simply price. Experience teaches one to consider factors such as quality, reliability, longevity, ability to buy same again, and safety.
You aren’t a snob, you are a user of tools and equipment with experience.
Wayne R.
+1
Stuart
Still, I sometimes feel at odds.
I’ll be asked to recommend cheap step drill bits. I know readers like them, but I like repeatability as much as quality.
Leveling feet? I stick to brand names or industrial suppliers such as McMaster Carr. They cost more, but I’m assured the leveling feet are up to spec and won’t be the weakest link.
I know that the open CNC router-style laser cutters have grown in popularity, but I won’t touch them. I see them as inherently dangerous and ill-advised.
I don’t like researching the same thing more than once. If I find a good brand of drill bits, for example, I want to be able to buy the same thing 5 years later. The same with socket cap screws, air line fittings, and so forth.
It does make me feel a bit snobby, as I’ll see ebay, online marketplace, and no-name recommendations thrown around all the time.
Dave O'Heare
A fellow I used to know was a light-aircraft mechanic some 40ish years ago. At the time, his mechanic tools were Craftsman, except for screwdrivers.
At the time (he said), light aircraft stuff could all be done with a 1/4″ drive socket set, and the Craftsman gear was great bang for buck, but the smaller screwdrivers wore and broke. Sears cheerfully replaced the screwdrivers, but you had to bring them into the store for replacement; Snap-On brought the replacements to you.
Lyle
My kids and I sometimes get a kick out of just searching Amazon for something (recently it was iPad cases) and trying to pronounce the crazy names for all the different variations. We also have fun doing the same while walking around IKEA.
For silicone jacketed wire I really like Bryne and BNTECHGO.
MM
Some of them remind me of an old Dilbert” comic strip in which the manager hires an ad agency to help with product names. The ad agency used a “high tech computer program to combine terms from astronomy and physics” to come up with the name: Uranus-Hertz.
Dustin
My favorite was a power supply brand called Gowoops. The absolute last thing I want a power supply to do is Go woops!
Taylor
I forget what I was searching but the brand was called DIYAREA, I’m hoping as in, “DIY Area” and I think you can figure out what I read it as at first hahaha
but maybe the products were absolute s**t lol
Stuart
BNTECHGO is the one I went with – seems decent enough.
DC
I buy brand names based on my experience with them in the past – Snap-on, pre-chinese S-K, Mac, IR, etc. I stay away from off brands from Amamzon.
Bobcat
It’s funny how you have no problem buying a Chinese made power tool but hand tools get criticized being made in China while the power tool gets a free pass, me I would trust the hand tools made in China than the power tools made in China
Stuart
Everyone’s entitled to their opinions and preferences.
Adam
Not much choice there, really. Quality is always more about brand and particular plant than country of origin.
Electronics are deeply dominated by Chinese manufacturing (and Taiwan). Its very much about who can make the motors and controllers, plus the plastic dominated mouldings, to hit the price point, and it’s *very* hard to get away from China for that.
Quality hand tools are somewhat niche in comparison, with the market *full* of lousy ones that are “good enough”
Makes me think “Why doesn’t anybody set up *good* Chinese manufacturing to undercut high price premium brands?”
Because either you don’t have a brand name to make inroads with…. Or you do have a band name and it dilutes your Rep… All to be “stuck in the middle”. Not cheap enough to be cheap but without the cachet to reliably draw a premium from folks who demand quality and are willing to spend.
Lots of the time there *are* oddball “underrated” brands just like that which punch in above their price point tho.
MM
There are both high-end tools and cheap junk coming out of China, along with everything in between. The brand name is often the key to sorting them out.
I do not have much faith in a RYKIOLP cordless drill, because as far as I can see nobody is standing behind that brand. On the other hand, a Dewalt or Milwaukee may well be made in China, but I trust that the management of those companies is much less likely to let crap through the cracks. Same with hand tools.
TomD
I’ve found a trick – let’s say I want to buy something, like a bug zapper. If you search for “bug zapper” you get all sorts of useless crap and otherwise painful to comb through results.
But if you searched “bug zapper parts” you find that the first non-ad result is “Flowtron” which makes some in the USA and has parts available. Having parts available is a good sign that they actually support the product.
IronWood
Good thinking! I like this 👍
Duck Dodgers
Genius.
Tim D.
I treat amazon based, or any no-name brand tools much like I treat the cheaper stuff at Harbor Freight. If it’s a one off use, and something that can’t easily injure me while in use, I don’t mind getting something cheap. If it doesn’t get the job done, I’ll return it. If it gets the job done, then I got my $$ worth, and any extra uses are just gravy.
I go name brand tools with a safety & quality reputation and good feel/ergonomics for any tools I plan on holding onto for a long time.
TomD
Harbor Freight is a step above now, because at least you can find them and take it back or complain or otherwise at least know who made it.
The amazon brands are just direct sales from Alibaba and the sellers disappear and reappear under new names all the time. It’s totally disposable (not to say that’s bad in all cases, I have tons of yumcha wireless chargers because they work and are cheap).
Bonnie
You don’t really know who made that Central Pneumatic tool any better than the PUGIJTRQ one on Amazon, and there’s a good chance they came out of the exact same factory. For some of their higher lines HF might be doing some design work (or more likely submitting the specs) but a ton of the stuff in the store is just the same white-labeled junk.
Franco
I am “enigmatic” on this subject. I will be from the cheapest no-name, to middle of the road brand name, to what is considered top of the line and the best, with no exact formula as to which one under a particular circumstance.
Yes, I will factor in some things and consider the pros & cons, but there is not a surefire situation that determines what my final decision will be.
I will say that I have been very surprised at times, both by the no-name cheapie being fantastic and the top of the line, expensive, being very disappointing.
So I am a tool snob, sometimes. Other times I am a bargain basement rat.
TomD
The low cost stuff has become significantly better in many cases. Things that 20-30 years ago would be absolute crap if you bought the cheapest are now quite capable even in the lowest ones you can find.
You can even see it at harbor freight- compare tools there from the same place 20 years ago. Nobody even makes tools as cheaply anymore because manufacturing costs have dropped.
MrS85
The first power tool I ever bought was a corded Black and Decker drill at Walmart almost 20 years ago. I think it was $15 on clearance at the time, and it is kind of a beast. I have practically tried to destroy it drilling things it was never meant to do, and it is still kicking. So there are some cheap, crappy tools from back then that can hold their own.
Jerry
I shop for quality/value. For some tools I want/need high quality for some rarely used stuff, good enough is good enough. Back in the day I would check out plz as like Sears who might carry different brands for a ‘feel’ for quality. I still do that in stores that have displays that let you do that. However, online, unless it is some specialty tool I will only use once or twice in my lifetime I stick with brands I know. I generally know what to expect when I buy a Knipex, ChannelLock, GearWrench, or Tekton tool to name a few examples. Occasionally I have found a no brand that is a good value but if it is something I will use it seldom pays to go with the cheapest off brand. Also, replacement parts are much easier to find with name brands if that is a concern.
Bill
Demanding high quality tools and equipment is not snobbery, but simply a smart purchasing decision. Given that high quality products are usually made by high quality companies, you are buying more than just a quality item. I see it as buying into a company that can support its products and customers with service and parts in the future. Most importantly, you are buying a product that performs as advertised, devoid hype and wild claims.
Norgren, like Parker Hannifin which I mentioned in your previous post on pneumatic fittings, is a decades old industrial supplier of quality products. In fact I have had a Norgren regulator/ auto drain separator mounted on the wall behind my shop compressor for about 40 years.
In short, I never regret paying more for quality long lasting products.
fred
There have always been junk tools available for sale. When I was a kid, I’d read though my dad’s Popular Mechanics or Mechanics Illustrated magazines and marvel at some of the advertised tool sets (something like 100 pieces for $29.99). Then have my dad point out that they probably included a batch of bad hacksaw blades, poor allen wrenches and junk drill bits to increase the part count. The Internet, Amazon and Asian suppliers have just help increase the number of choices – both for the good and bad.
Looking at my hinged-jaw hook spanners – I note that mine are mostly from Williams and Martin – with one house brand (Nu-Line) from MSC. I have both hook and pin styles.
There are also some interesting adjustable variants:
https://www.amazon.com/Super-Tool-HW165-HW-165-95-165MM/dp/B000TGALDQ
https://www.amazon.com/Pit-Posse-Adjustable-Steering-Wrench/dp/B004MZNP5Q
Ted
Thanks for sharing Fred!
fred
You’re welcome.
Some other specialty Automotive spanners:
https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS+Performance+Products/555/81802K/10002/-1
https://www.jegs.com/i/OTC+Tools/717/7307/10002/-1
Jared
I expect this website is primarily frequently by tool enthusiasts and the responses are likely to reflect that. Someone might find the site by searching for information about a particular tool or following a link from somewhere, but those who stick around and post in the comments section… enthusiasts.
If I’m being honest though, there are things I NEVER cheap out on – and sometimes things I will. E.g. ratchets, sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers and power tools? My drawers are full of Proto, Williams, Felo, Wera, Bahco, Dewalt, Bosch, Vessel, NWS, Knipex, Channellock, Klein… etc.
However, I needed some abrasive buffing wheels for my rotary tool and I bought a hundred pack from a no-name brand on Amazon for ~$25. The wheels on my dishwasher rack broke – no-name brand replacements worked fine. I have a half-dozen different power tool battery adapters – there are no name brands in that category as far as I know.
I don’t know what conclusion to draw from that exactly. I can’t imagine a situation where I’d buy a no-name screwdriver on purpose, but clearly there are other times I’m willing to roll the dice.
TomD
Rotary blades are a perfect example – I break them before the wear out because I suck at using them.
But other things like sawzall blades – the good ones cut so much better that I’m willing to get the name brand (on sale).
It’s all about risk/reward and personal experiences.
Nathan
you are a snob. There I said it. You are, I am, most of the readers here. It’s OK, embrace the snobbishness.
I like how you put it though some times it’s about the expected quality – the other times it can be about the expectation of quick available purchase. I do similar with other things like car parts.
I have a major issue with computer parts where – I know full well the name brand thing – is also the knockoff name thing and it’s 3 versions. BUT – one of the items will have a UL listed power supply or a thicker heatsink or ?
Buyer Beware has never been more tested than now.
Jim
Nothing wrong with being a tool snob.
Welcome to the club, we have jackets.
AlexK
My Chapter has heated vests.
TonyT
Your time and frustration are worth a lot, too. So, sure, for example you can get super cheap linear slides on Amazon, AliExpress, etc, but you might have to throw out a lot or spend a lot of time tweaking them to be usable.
Norgren is a well known industrial pneumatics brand.
At work, we mostly use SMC. For E-Stop switches, we normally use IDEC, which also makes awesome big flat pushbuttons (LW7L series).
I’d rather get a used quality E-STOP or disconnect switch off eBay before using a no name one. Other places I’d trust would be Automation Direct or other industrial-oriented supplier.
Another place to consider for low cost controls is C3 Controls https://www.c3controls.com/ I haven’t used their controls (yet…), but I have talked to them, and did get some free samples. I just spec’d out a C3 disconnect switch for $23, while Automation Direct has a similar one for $30.
Chris
I’m a HUGE brand snob. Snap on, Dewalt, Milwaukee, etc. I would likely never buy a Chinese branded Amazon special. No matter how cheap or how little I’m going to use it. I hate cheap products as they can have poor QC and no real R&D put into the product. Not to mention the price will almost always reflect build quality. I don’t want a power tool that could fall part or start on fire during use. And that especially applies to knock off brand lithium batteries. Even if they claim to use Samsung cells for example, who knows what kind of battery protection the circuit actually provides.
I will always look for the best price on an item, but rarely will I ever go with the cheap, no name items, unless I determine it will suit the application. I will always read reviews too and do research on the item before making any purchase.
I’m a big fan of “buy once, cry once” I’d rather spend more upfront and end up with a product that I can trust, instead of having to waste time, and even more money to replace something that has failed, unless it has a lifetime warranty and can take it to a brick and mortar store for replacement.
Chaz
I’m trying remove myself from budget no name stuff. Navigating this is difficult, sometimes I pass things up that are legitimate simply because I never heard of them before.
It goes beyond tools, but since this is a tool site…when in Rome.
I’ll try to remain on topic and stray away from stuff like the cheap yet highly rated ski goggles I got on Amazon.
Things I need to buy twice:
Bike stand, it dumped my brand new carbon bike.
Bike repair stand: cannot crank pedals while clamped in.
cheap m5 bolt set: rusts just looking at it.
cheap 1/4 bit allen head set. The molded holder it comes with doesn’t even hold the set in.
cheap amazon compressor fittings and inflator adaptor: I should have known better.
cheap foam cannon for my pressure washer: highly rated, yet worse than the much hated bundled foam cannon that came with my pressure washer.
saulac
This post is a good primer to the introduction of “professional” supply houses such as Grainger, McMaster-Carr…
xu lu
Depends on the product and use case. Whether tools, speakers or anything else, many off brands are produced along with the beloved brands. Sometimes the same components, sometimes lower quality. Usually higher failure rates and higher MTF. Similar to comparing Ryobi to Milwaukee/Dewalt. I’ve rarely been disappointed by the low price point junk ive acquired. It has its place and provided you use it there, great value. Just dont buy a low quality drill or impact driver.
carl
If I recall what I’ve read, Amazon shoulders a lot of blame for the explosion of nonsense names over recent years. Their policies about how companies can be qualified to list products make it so registering any company name with the government creates a rush to establish these meaningless brands.
Ultimately it seems like there’s no accountability or real control over them from a safety or regulatory standpoint. I don’t trust the regulatory stamps they show on their products as a result, and won’t buy anything precision, mechanical, electronic, or computery from them.
Amazon’s product search has become an unusable mess, if you want to find actual name brands you have to fight with their awful search filtering or just do it externally and then go directly to amazon or other vendors with the specific brand you want in your search query. And even then…
M
Honestly my use case really does dictate if I go name brand or not. My vehicle emergency kits are not super high quality because of the higher probability of theft/loss. They’re not the cheapest of the cheap but they are a mix of no-name or entry level consumer name brand stuff.
The stuff that I buy for myself for my home tools span a mix of some consumer through mid level pro. I have some nicer things but those were provided by work and I got to keep the tools – I personally wouldn’t have bought them for my own uses because they’d be more than I’m willing to spend for the amount of use they will get.
Munklepunk
I’m not really a tool snob, but I’m a hardware snob. Even cheap tools will generally do the job for me, but if I have to re do the job because the heat shrink is crap I’m unhappy. A cheap heat gun and an expensive heat gun aren’t that much different as long as you don’t buy junk. If I find out someone is using CCA instead of OFC I’m going to have issues, but if they’re crimpers are Doyle and not knipex I don’t care. However, if I’m spending money to set up an air compressor for a whole shop or a dust collection system, I’m spending the money, it’s not worth the time messing around trying to save a few hundred bucks to waste even more in the future when something budget breaks.
Todd
Here is why all those alphabet soup “brands” are on Amazon.
I hate them but will buy non-critical cheapo stuff if needed.
like hobby project and need bearings, or garage/shop drawers and need cheap drawer slides, sure I’ll buy something from one of those brands.
Otherwise no, I try and get quality/known brand whenever possible.
https://www.reddit.com/r/HalfAsInteresting/comments/124t44f/new_video_how_amazon_broke_the_us_patent_office/
Jp
Well at least your tools will have good quality control, and not “brusless” motors. I’ve done, snd still do cheap tools in some cases. I try not to ever use cheap components. There is a distinction there of monumental importance.
Chip
I am a tool snob,but my values have evolved.
My mechanics tools are primarily snap-on, bought used.
With the advent of cordless impacts ,I will replace a stolen socket..but not a wrench.
I will never buy a hand tool from TTI,or SBD because they are only a marketing brand and may not be around in 10 years.
I learned that the hard way with craftsman.
Cordless is disposable ,with a lifespan of 10 years at best for my use.
Allen wrenches and paint brushes are seldom used and will buy them cheap,before they rust away.
SamR
I follow the rule, ” You got to start somewhere.”
Buying a name brand is excellent since you are getting good services, quality, and availability. But the reality is those add ones you don’t need when you are staring!
However, when the time comes to replace the cheap nonbrand name tools/equipment for whatever reason, you have to up your game since you got the time and experience to decide which brand name you will buy from.
drewmcdan1
Here’s a different take. In browsing Newegg.com yesterday, looking at their sales, I came across a Woodpeckers Mini Square that the seller had for $4.30 after their code was applied. It was some Chineseum reseller, but was shipping this from the US and not China. I’m not a woodworker, but I’ve found out about the brand here. My impression is they sell quality stuff with an elevated price to match. I doubt Woodpecker would ever have intended to sell their stuff off of Newegg. The seller’s listing read like it could have been lifted from Woodpecker’s site. I would suspect that maybe that whoever manufactured this for Woodpecker, made extras. Here is the listing: [redacted]
MM
That seller has a random assortment of all kinds of merchandise, and most of it is stuff that makes no sense to counterfeit. It may well be that that company is selling overstock or liquidation merchandise.
This stuck out to me as being an insane deal, to the point that I’m wondering just what is wrong here. Eight bucks for FOUR 12v 9ah sealed batteries, and free shipping? There’s no way that eight bucks even begins to cover what it would cost to ship these.
[redacted]
Stuart
I highly doubt that the Newegg 3rd party seller you linked to is really selling genuine Woodpeckers USA-made products for 90% off.
They’re also advertising Crutchfield and Asus products at 90% off.
For the “manufacturer contact info,” they point to an audio product website.
The 1-800 phone number is also borrowed from the audio manufacturer website.
The 3rd party seller doesn’t seem to exist beyond Newegg.
Smells like a scam.
Franco
+1
Rx9
I’m no brand snob, by any means. This comes from my understanding that in the age of massive multinational conglomerates, there’s a massive amount of quality variation in a given brand’s portfolio of products. You can sometimes see products from the same factory come out in several brand liveries with little to no qualitative difference between them. There are great values and ripoffs and everything in between. Knowing the amount of marketing tricks in circulation leaves me with little faith, even in the brands that seem to do well for me. I guess I maintain the attitude that branding is irrelevant and I have no choice but to examine the product to see what I’m getting.
Ultimately, there are tradeoffs to make, and sometimes the cheaper option provides the best value and sometimes not.
I appreciate having affordable options available for some use cases, and I also appreciate having higher quaility options available for others.