GoBlue
Well-known member
They need only look at the ruins of Detroit
Epstein's Tool Gossip
- Thread starter jsackin
- Start date
diesel research
Well-known member
Do I believe it was touted in 1932? Of course.Do you really believe all that? Especially the part about the sailor? I mean does the average sailor really know much about how long ships are supposed to last? If it had been a ship builder and admiral then yeah I could buy that, but asking a simple sailor. That's like asking a basic filing clerk at your office about the whole business operation. No one person knows everything about their company. Co'mon.
By the way there are a great many vintage hand tools still being used today without many of their users even knowing or caring how old they are. I once visited about 10 years ago a light fixture refurbishing shops and they had tools and a bench vise that looked to me to be from the 1920's.
The workshop on my wifes families horse ranch still had an old tool-steel plain finished 12" Diamond Calk Horse Shoe Co adjustable wrench hanging on the back wall along with other tools. From my observation that adjustable wrench is one of the earliest of the Diamond adjustable probably from the 1920's and it still gets used regularly to this day. When I first visited that ranch in the late 1950's a ranch-hand told me that wrench had been there as long as he can recall and he'd worked for the family for over 20 years by that time. I only asked about it because at the time I had the same wrench but mine was bought new in 1955
Do I believe a sailor said that? Have no idea. Even if it was 100% fabricated, it is none the less proof the idea existed, even if it was not practiced.
We can name off 50 varieties of vintage tools that have lasted the test of time. Why? Because they are the ones that lasted. There were other forgotten product examples. Just because they cannot be recalled, doesn't deny their existence.
Forget about only tools, the concept applies to the entire mfg sector, quite a diverse grouping.
In highly advancing fields like automobiles or computers, the philosophy may be applied because they know there is no demand for the product to last longer than __years, because even if it did, it would be outdated. (just as in the ship quote, regardless if the ship was actually built in such a manner) They know the cost to keep the "item on the road" for such an extended period of time is much more than the consumer desires to pay.
It is NOT a new concept. Only thing new is how many choose to practice it...
Read up some more on early 20th century advancements/business philosophies in mass production, it is quite an interesting read for you and me.
HandyManny
Well-known member
Oh, don't get me wrong...I get what you're saying. Very true, it is not a new concept. This country pioneered mass production decades ago. And true, few things last forever. When it comes to things like tools, those that get discarded are the one that were used so much they wore out or they became obsolete due in part for what they were used for. Other things from the 1920's and 30's simply got discarded or used up. As we dug out of the great depression we could afford more modern stuff. Fountain pens got overlooked in favor of the ball point. Clothing wears out eventually no matter how high quality it is. Your average factory worker or tradesman was far harder on clothing and equipment back then than they are today. Automobiles? I think anyone who's lived long enough through the decades can tell you that cars today last many more miles longer than they did even 30 years ago. Prior to the 70's you'd be in good shape if you got 100K miles out of an average vehicle. Much of that has to do with the technology in materials and manufacturing.
I still do marvel at the fact that there were cutting pliers made in the 1930's, 40's, and 50's whose cutter were heat treated so well that even modern files barely do anything to sharpen them. I can say this - back then all that we knew were USA made tools mostly, and there were high quality tools available in more places back then than there are now, but that's not to say that every domestic made tool was high quality, we still had many economy line tools back then too. And yes there still was low cost, bottom of the barrel bargain products made domestically too, not everything was high-end. We did produce some the best products the world-over at one time, but those came at a high price just like good stuff does today. Somehow too many people here get hug up on this idea that USA is better quality than imported, well that has not always been the case and still is not the case. Simply seeing USA stamped on something these days does make me approach it with skepicism. I like to buy American (USA) made stuff when I can, but only if the quality level matches the price tag.
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diesel research
Well-known member
Yes, over engineered hand tools are fascinating. I worked in a scrap yard, and many of the industrial hand tools used for maintenance were actually hand picked out of the scrap heap or found in the back of some junked car.
Several dating back to the 50s or before. Many 70s era. Daily use, hard use, like pounding on wrenches and ratchets with sledges, or pulling on them with come-alongs/forklifts/cranes, etc.
GoBlue had kind of expressed a half question/half statement about the "disposable age" and I figured I would explain a little more about how we got to where we are with some cheap tools and cell phones that barely last 2 years.
The public/mfg put some kind of expected life on a particular item. "wasting" time and effort to make it greatly exceed that lifespan, just causes the price to increase to such an expensive level that no one can afford it. PLUS it obviously reduces future sales.
Several dating back to the 50s or before. Many 70s era. Daily use, hard use, like pounding on wrenches and ratchets with sledges, or pulling on them with come-alongs/forklifts/cranes, etc.
GoBlue had kind of expressed a half question/half statement about the "disposable age" and I figured I would explain a little more about how we got to where we are with some cheap tools and cell phones that barely last 2 years.
The public/mfg put some kind of expected life on a particular item. "wasting" time and effort to make it greatly exceed that lifespan, just causes the price to increase to such an expensive level that no one can afford it. PLUS it obviously reduces future sales.
So, we just got in a tubing cutter from Ridgid. They back ordered it and it took forever to get here. Finally came in, and on the back it says, "made in china". Yikes!
http://store.harryepstein.com
http://store.harryepstein.com
thetreshon
Well-known member
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
Jori, that is pretty disappointing. I sure hope Ridgid keeps making their pipe wrenches in the US (not far from me in Cleveland actually)
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I've used Central's underhood perch light for years. I wouldn't want to be without it. I've also used their digital brake mikes. Both are quality products to me.
vintagefan
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2012
- Messages
- 613
Moody Tool got bought by Central Tool. Looks like a good fit to me. Two US companies located in Rhode Island. I'd never heard of Central. Anyone have any experience with their US made lights or precision measuring equipment?
Well, I must say that it's nice for once to have a buyout that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I just hope that the new partnership doesn't become too successful, lest they attract the attention of outsourcing specialists such as Apex or Stanley B&D.
Epstein's is excellent. I do not buy the cheap China hand tools anymore. Gave them to a relative. Epstein's has "made in USA" hand tools and I buy from them. I also really like the Craftsman Pro hand tools, but will not buy the China Craftsman hand tools. I have needed to add new made in USA Brands/Hand Tools over the last four years to my shop