Descriptive Words in advertising.

[Leaflessshadetree]

Reading another thread one poster commented that he didn't like the adjective
Perfect being used for screwdriver handles. (Although that is the common name for that particular style of handle).
Other posters chimed in with avoiding items that are described as Extreme, PROFESSIONAL or HEAVY DUTY
I don't associate "Mil Spec" or "contractor grade" with high quality.

Does anyone else have key words that they avoid?

 

[dr_clyde]

I generally avoid any product, service or business where they have to tell you on the packaging you're buying a quality product.

If the product can't stand on its own without you pushing it with buzzwords, I don't really want it.

So yeah, I avoid all the common buzzwords.

My favorite products tend to be sold through dealer networks, and as such have good reputations already.

 

[bwringer]

On the flip side, I really love the corny packaging that comes with most Japanese tools over in the "Tools of Japan" thread.

No idea what most of it says, but they sure do cram a lot of words onto every square mm, along with all kinds of wacky attempts at English and the occasional anime cartoon character.

I mean, you've got these incredible, absolutely jewel-like tools in packaging that looks like a cheap knockoff kids toy. It's hilarious.

 

[Nineeightyone]

I try my best to keep in mind that any name, description, heck even color choice is purely marketing. These are things where people are paid a salary for 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, to try to separate people from their money.

I won't say I don't fall victim to it, but everybody in the game is trying to promote a product -- that's how this works.

Personally, I avoid things that spout "Made in USA" as though it's an indicator of quality -- I feel it preys on a sense of nationalism (not to be confused with patriotism), and attempt to find as unbiased reviews as possible.

 

[Professional Tool User]

I hate it when companies hide behind once great brand names like Craftsman to push junk.

 

[larry_g]

made in an ISO 900x factory. I worked in an ISO factory and went through the certification. All it means to me is that the product is made to factory standards set by the factory. The factory can set real low standards and make **** product. As long as the factory has it documented it can be ISO certified.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[zendriver]

I can't really think of any.

If a product says "professional quality" I wouldn't automatically dismiss it, it may or may not hold up to the rigors of someone using it to make a living.

That's generally where common sense and judgment come into play

I recently picked up a bag of "contractor grade" trash bags that were big and thick and work great. I guess I could have searched by trash bag size and thickness but maybe I just had more important things to do.

Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[mv213]

For me it’s “tactical”. Just today I saw an ad for a “tactical” trailer hitch ball. I mean seriously, WTF? The term has become meaningless.

 

[kctyphoon]

Long time ago - someone taught me a good lesson.
The word ‘professional’ just means you get paid for what you do - it does not mean you are good at it.

 

[kctyphoon]

I hate it when companies hide behind once great brand names like Craftsman to push junk.

Anyone else catch this?

 

[dogdog]

No man.... you guys got it all wrong, Quality is always dictate by price... The Higher the price the Higher the quality.... and Never buy what you needed, you needed to buy higher Quality.

I have always associated Mil-Spec with components that are made to endure certain extremes or conditions specified by those GOV dealers for their suppliers, not always better or worse... not sure what have transformed these days...

and of cause Contractor grade means cheapest possible **** for a lot of things...lol looking at the house that was build at 2006 and those contractor grade parts are done by 2010...

 

[JJ13]

I'm a USPS Letter Carrier and laugh every other day at the very least with worthless descriptions meant to entice ignorant buyers. I also cannot stand TV because of the crazy commercials. I agree with a previous post that said they try to avoid any product with this type of advertising. I myself enjoy researching and comparing most everything before purchasing so I can be an informed buyer. Hype does nothing but annoy and push me further away or delay my purchase.

Same with ignorant car salesman (not all) that try to work on your emotions/ego or outright lie to your face when they don't have the answer. How about you admit you don't know and go search for the answer instead of talking out your ***? My last car sale fell through when the new, young sales lady wouldn't shut up as my brother and I were listening and checking the car mid test drive. "You look GOOD in this car, what do you think?"...I think we're done. Immediately after the test drive I walked back in and asked to work with ANY other sales person. That **** doesn't work on me.

 

[zendriver]

Anyone else catch this?

Catch it?

Lol Around here, that letter is like the "uncle" that the other family members don't even want to mention his name.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d7/7d/2d/d77d2d37bd1c097171be60824c96cf55.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Quality typically rises with price, although quality is usually linear, with price being exponential.

I've found "made in japan" to usually be very good quality with pricing below what I would expect. I've found "made in mexico" tools, especially yard tools, to be straight garbage. Damn mexican rake I purchased is such a piece of ****. How can you screw up a rake? Now I more closely inspect products design before buying them.

 

[minke]

Ya get whatcha buy. If you're lucky you also get what you paid for.

I've been intrigued by tactical pants. I'm holding out though for strategic pants.

 

[Nineeightyone]

Ya get whatcha buy. If you're lucky you also get what you paid for.

I've been intrigued by tactical pants. I'm holding out though for strategic pants.

Strategic pants are brown, at least in racing.

That way nobody can see when you mess up your line.

 

[larry_g]

Wasn't it a few years back that they were advertising import **** as " World Class" or some thing to that effect?

lg
no neat sig line

 

[seber]

I don't even look at the hype on the package. I couldn't care less what it says only what the tool really is. If the package hides the contents, I look for something else.

 

[bugnut]

Thinking about Gluten Free, nuff said!

 

[dr_clyde]

Thinking about Gluten Free, nuff said!

If you're gluten intolerant or Celiac, good food packaging and labels can be incredibly important. I have some friends who will get violently and suddenly ill if they eat gluten. The new packaging is very helpful for them.

If you're one of those wankers who thinks that "cutting out gluten" is somehow healthier, then you're an idiot.

If your body can process gluten, there is no harm in eating it. The carbs however...

 

[pcmeiners]

Medical advertisement gets me, Like how the word "may" is used in them.

Listening to anti depression medication advertisements.....From studies, 2/3 of depressed people have multiple symptoms which are not alleviated by anti depressives, but the advertiser do not say their pills do not work for 2/3 of the people taking them. Then another anti depressive pill comes out which states it " may" help alleviate symptoms your original anti depressive does not alleviate.

So a logical conclusion is the original taken anti depressive does not work for the majority, or they would not be looking for another medication, and a brand new extremely expensive anti depressive, on top of the original non working anti depressive, "may" (or may not) work . And remember some of the medical side effects of these drugs can cause serious permanent damage or death, or you could kill someone while using machinery or driving.

There was an anti fungal toe nail pill on the market years ago, which did not survive very long, likely because of the advertiser's stated side effect could be death.

 

[vanapplebomb]

Of thing that always gets under my skin are electric motor HP ratings. Prime example is my shopvac. Nothing against it, it is a good vacuum, but 6.5 peak HP? Give me a break. That’s the most moronic thing I have ever heard.

It’s a pointless ratting because you can’t get remotely close to that amount of power on a 115V line. 115V * 15A = 1725W, and at 745.7W / HP, 1725W / 745.7W / HP = 2.31HP if available electrical power. Knowing the Shopvac has a series wound universal motor, I would be surprised it it was even 70% efficient, but let’s be generous and say 70%. 2.31HP * 0.7 = 1.62HP output.

And that is fully utilizing a typica 115V household circuit. Mine is rated for a 11A current draw at 115V, so realistically my 6.5 peak HP shopvac is only running at 1.19HP, assuming it has a high quality universal motor...which it most certainly does not.

Advertising garbage. Drives me nuts.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Well had another one today at work. I was asking another engineer about the specific material a part was made of. His reply "alloy steel" so I asked again via E-mail. His reply was sorry, I checked again its "alloy stainless steel".

 

[measuredtwice]

Medical advertisement gets me, Like how the word "may" is used in them.

Saying "may" is being truthful. It's a matter of probability.

Unfortunately most advertising is not as honest as medical advertising. You don't see toy commercials saying 30% of children age 10 enjoy playing with this video game and possible side effects are decreased attention in school and a decrease in outdoor activity and exercise.

From studies, 2/3 of depressed people have multiple symptoms which are not alleviated by anti depressives, but the advertiser do not say their pills do not work for 2/3 of the people taking them...

That's would be saying the same thing twice. If the weather man says there's a 50% chance of rain, it's implied that there's a 50% chance that it won't rain. And if I look out the window and see that it's raining, I know there's a 100% chance. Likewise, some medicines work for some folks and conditions and not others.

Well had another one today at work. I was asking another engineer about the specific material a part was made of. His reply "alloy steel" so I asked again via E-mail. His reply was sorry, I checked again its "alloy stainless steel".

An engineer should know better.

I hate how product descriptions sometimes say it is "stainless steel" when it is chromed mild steel.

 

[dr_clyde]

Well had another one today at work. I was asking another engineer about the specific material a part was made of. His reply "alloy steel" so I asked again via E-mail. His reply was sorry, I checked again its "alloy stainless steel".

That reminds me of another one. Billet. It’s used incorrectly ALL THE TIME.

You won’t see a billet outside of a steel mill. In rolling shapes or plates, steel starts as a billet or a bloom. Basically a billet is a rough and crude chunk of metal that will be further processed. It is then rolled and formed into angle, bar, tube, sheet and so on.

“Billet” parts are machined from extruded bar. NOT from billets. For some dumb reason, car guys open their wallets when they hear that word, and it’s not even the right word.

It would be kind of like claiming your house is better because it’s made from raw logs, none of that processed lumber ****. Well, you’ll find lots of logs at the sawmill, not so much at the lumber yard.

I literally cringe when i see some hot rod dope claiming his parts are “machined from billet”.

 

[chad w]

Advertising is full of buzzwords. I filter em all out. I have seen far too many people assume because a brand used to be amazing it still is. Ive also seen far too many recommend things theyve never used because "insert fav. Brand" never makes a bad product.

 

[engineer2]

Learned that Tito's "Handmade" vodka is grain spirits purchased from the big 3 and then processed in their factory.

Ket a kick out of medical advertising that says "death may occur" using the drug or product. I'm waiting for the warning "If death occurs, talk to your doctor."

 

[measuredtwice]

I find it funny that the full disclosure in commercials for drugs rubs people the wrong way. But then again we live in a time when...

...all he'll be doing is buying from some Chinese store and reselling the products in America. I think the idea is cool tho, throw the name of my company on a tool and since I like tools, . Pay a dozen large youtubers and offer free products to a couple medium sized ones and ride off into the sunset, in short ...

^^ shills or "social influencers" for made in China products are something that is accepted and some say it is "cool" but back in my day that was sleazy and despised. Guess I'm old.

 

[L5wolvesf]

I find it funny that the full disclosure in commercials for drugs rubs people the wrong way. But then again we live in a time when...



^^ shills or "social influencers" for made in China products are something that is accepted and some say it is "cool" but back in my day that was sleazy and despised. Guess I'm old.

YES, thank you

 

[kythri]

That reminds me of another one. Billet. It’s used incorrectly ALL THE TIME.

You won’t see a billet outside of a steel mill. In rolling shapes or plates, steel starts as a billet or a bloom. Basically a billet is a rough and crude chunk of metal that will be further processed. It is then rolled and formed into angle, bar, tube, sheet and so on.

“Billet” parts are machined from extruded bar. NOT from billets. For some dumb reason, car guys open their wallets when they hear that word, and it’s not even the right word.

It would be kind of like claiming your house is better because it’s made from raw logs, none of that processed lumber ****. Well, you’ll find lots of logs at the sawmill, not so much at the lumber yard.

I literally cringe when i see some hot rod dope claiming his parts are “machined from billet”.

Wikipedia disagrees with you.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_stock

 

[dr_clyde]

Wikipedia disagrees with you.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_stock

Did you catch the “colloquial” bit?

Wikipedia is not the best at describing industrial terms, but the do have the correct nomenclature in a different article.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-finished_casting_products

 

[65k10]

On the flip side, I really love the corny packaging that comes with most Japanese tools over in the "Tools of Japan" thread.

No idea what most of it says, but they sure do cram a lot of words onto every square mm, along with all kinds of wacky attempts at English and the occasional anime cartoon character.

I mean, you've got these incredible, absolutely jewel-like tools in packaging that looks like a cheap knockoff kids toy. It's hilarious.

Meanwhile at KTC.
https://ktc.jp/kiso/intro/episode1.html

 

[Handyandy23]

That reminds me of another one. Billet. It’s used incorrectly ALL THE TIME.

You won’t see a billet outside of a steel mill. In rolling shapes or plates, steel starts as a billet or a bloom. Basically a billet is a rough and crude chunk of metal that will be further processed. It is then rolled and formed into angle, bar, tube, sheet and so on.

“Billet” parts are machined from extruded bar. NOT from billets. For some dumb reason, car guys open their wallets when they hear that word, and it’s not even the right word.

It would be kind of like claiming your house is better because it’s made from raw logs, none of that processed lumber ****. Well, you’ll find lots of logs at the sawmill, not so much at the lumber yard.

I literally cringe when i see some hot rod dope claiming his parts are “machined from billet”.

I don't really have an issue with the term because I think it's just become an accepted term for a part that is made from a single solid chunk of metal. I don't really care whether the technical or industry term for that solid chunk is billet, or if it's technically extruded bar, and I doubt anyone else does unless they're in the metal processing industry.

The reason certain "billet" parts are more sought after by car guys is because they have a higher perceived quality. In general it's just an accepted term now for a part made out of a single piece of aluminum, rather than a cheaper plastic or multi-piece alternative. I will admit that it's overly thrown around to describe a lot of junky parts now, though.

And for your house example, I think it's more like saying your house has solid wood floor joists instead of those man-made press board I-joists. The solid wood joists were cut out of a single solid log (like a "billet" car part is supposed to be made from a solid piece of metal) and the press board I-joists are a bunch of glued together chunks and sawdust. (In reality the I-joists are stronger for their size and weight, which may be true too with a comparable plastic or multi piece car part, but they are perceived as lower quality by a lot of people).

 

[dr_clyde]

I don't really have an issue with the term because I think it's just become an accepted term for a part that is made from a single solid chunk of metal. I don't really care whether the technical or industry term for that solid chunk is billet, or if it's technically extruded bar, and I doubt anyone else does unless they're in the metal processing industry.

The reason certain "billet" parts are more sought after by car guys is because they have a higher perceived quality. In general it's just an accepted term now for a part made out of a single piece of aluminum, rather than a cheaper plastic or multi-piece alternative. I will admit that it's overly thrown around to describe a lot of junky parts now, though.

And for your house example, I think it's more like saying your house has solid wood floor joists instead of those man-made press board I-joists. The solid wood joists were cut out of a single solid log (like a "billet" car part is supposed to be made from a solid piece of metal) and the press board I-joists are a bunch of glued together chunks and sawdust. (In reality the I-joists are stronger for their size and weight, which may be true too with a comparable plastic or multi piece car part, but they are perceived as lower quality by a lot of people).

Its still incorrect. It has become a bastardization of the original intent, and used strictly to sell stuff to the uninformed. The sad part is, its so pervasive and so commonly misused that is become more known for the wrong reason. Its just a buzzword now.

You would NEVER call up your metal supplier and order "billet". Its too vague to be useful. You need to specify a lot more than that. Alloy, wrought vs extruded, hot vs cold rolled, and so on.

Weirdly, only car people use it to describe aluminum, when in reality its more of a steel term. No one uses "billet steel" on a car.

 

[larry_g]

interesting read on raw metal, ingots, billets, blooms and slabs.


https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-ingot-bloom-slab-and-billet

lg
no neat sig line

 

[seber]

The one that bothers me is "aircraft grade aluminum". There is in fact no such thing. Some materials require a lot of paperwork, but that has nothing to do with the "grade" of material.

 

[dr_clyde]

The one that bothers me is "aircraft grade aluminum". There is in fact no such thing. Some materials require a lot of paperwork, but that has nothing to do with the "grade" of material.

Agreed. Certified and traceable material is very different than off the shelf bar stock.

 

[66HertzClone]

Years ago when I worked in an auto parts store there was a set if ignition wires that seemed to have fallen from the sky, no one knew where they had come from. There were for a Toyota 2TC engine so they had the long hard plastic extension to reach the plugs deep in the head.

The sales pitch on the outside of the box was just unbelievable, I sadly can't remember much of it any longer but it was like poetry at the time, I can remember reading it out loud to the other guys there quite often. One sentence stated that the "exhausted gasses would be totally purificated", the label on the box stated that these were electron gum cords not spark plug wires.

 

[mattygee]

In the culinary world, the word 'signature' seems to be popular lately.