Why are old tools better?

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The 50 year old still press thread inspired this question. I have a buddy that picked up a drill press from like the 30s out of the trash and that thing was smooth as butter.
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Everything back then was made from cast iron, etc


Back then things were made to last. My dad still has a 40’s era Maytag ringer washer
 
Because the old tools that were garbage aren't around anymore. The ones still around and in use were of higher quality. 50 years from now I would suspect the higher quality tools of today (Snap-on etc...) will still be around and the junk (Harbor Freight etc...) will be long gone. Then they'll say that tools made 50 years ago were better.
 
I can't stand [censored] quality tools. I sliced my hand pretty good because the ratcheting mechanism on a 1 year old Craftsman "Evolve" Chinese garbage ratchet failed and my hand went into a suspension component on a car. I was so mad that I threw the POS into the trash. Even if they replaced it, you couldn't give me one of those for free.

I bought a gently used USA made SK ratchet off eBay for $10 and it works awesome.

I take care of my tools and don't use ratchets as breaker bars, etc, and it still failed.
 
My dads Craftsman 10 inch table saw, 6 inch metal lathe and Craftsman drill press were bought ~ 1942. They were passed on to me and I used them till about 2007 and gave them to my Carpenter son who uses them almost daily. Excellent tools today.Today they would be called profession gade tools and be very expensive. Ed
 
There was a time when your name and your word meant something. That time period also meant that the owner of the company cared enough about his business and name that he wanted to pass it down to his sons and their sons.

Anything made with blood, sweat, tears, metal and tools will outlast the same thing made with a computer and a robot.
 
A hardened spindle with cast iron or bronze bearings fitted in by an experienced apprenticeship trained method craftsman can last lifetimes. They didn't make the Samurai swords using a kid on a computer with soft hands. The machine tools from 100+ years ago are absolutely amazing in the hand fitted quality. They are like art in metal some of them. Hand tools are still available of high quality. They have made design advances in sockets and wrenches that make them hold better.
 
back in the day they paid quality people in the US using quality materials. It came at a price (benefits, pensions etc.) Not to sound prejudice but very few items are made in America anymore and in the interest of improving profit the quality of many things have degraded vastly. it is a shame considering the manufacturing market and offshore dependencies.
 
Originally Posted By: bigj_16
There are good tools being made now. People just don't want to pay for them. They want to buy the cheap Chinese stuff.
not everybody. Most of my tools are quality and pretty expensive. I do have some imported tools that were very cheap that have lasted as good or better than the more expensive stuff.
 
Originally Posted By: bigj_16
There are good tools being made now. People just don't want to pay for them. They want to buy the cheap Chinese stuff.

There are just as many of us that seek quality now as there are folks that don't. I make my living with my tools. SK, Proto, SnapOn, lots of old Craftsman are in the box. Some from my Dad from the 50's. I have very few Asian Cr@psman style tools for single use or very light jobs.
 
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I think its the homeowner who wants a bunch of tools without paying a fortune. Chinese made and maybe with more plastic than years ago. But I would bet the drill press at a good machine shop or high school wood/metal shop is top notch even if brand new.
 
Originally Posted By: bigj_16
There are good tools being made now. People just don't want to pay for them. They want to buy the cheap Chinese stuff.


Exactly. The manufacturers are being forced to produce the cheap junk because that's what we buy.

If you go and do some inflation calculations on all these old tools that are now deemed great, you'd probably be surprised at how much they'd cost today (and no one would buy them).
 
Originally Posted By: fenixguy
Because the old tools that were garbage aren't around anymore. The ones still around and in use were of higher quality.


^We have a winner. It's selection bias.
 
Think of it this way: when labor was 20% of the cost it has 80% to work with the rest of the product, they can spare 1%/80% to get better quality. However when labor is 80% of the cost now, trying to squeeze the same 1% out of the remaining 20% is much much harder, so corner has to be cut. The biggest saving would be to eliminate the labor and shipping, by making them locally with machine instead of hiring people.
 
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Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
........ Craftsman "Evolve" Chinese garbage ratchet failed and my hand went into a suspension component on a car. I was so mad that I threw the POS into the trash. Even if they replaced it, you couldn't give me one of those for free.


Should've just done the "money back guarantee" instead
 
Originally Posted By: Ethan1
Originally Posted By: fenixguy
Because the old tools that were garbage aren't around anymore. The ones still around and in use were of higher quality.


^We have a winner. It's selection bias.


So only the best survive has a name! Selection bias.

And the old junk tools are still around, go to any swap meet and you see them, especially old nasty screwdrivers not worth a nickel. My dad had screwdrivers that would ruin a screw head if you got it within a foot of the screw. Why in the world did he save them??
 
motor_oil_madman, if you have an appreciation for fine quality tools, buy yourself a Snap-on wrench. Just one single wrench in the size you'll use most. They are phenomenal.
 
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