The RoboReel Again...

[expatriated]

I'm a guy fortunate enough to be able to afford this thing. IF I WANTED TO. (Heck, I'm even silly enough toorder Hazet tools from Germany when I've already got a box full of Craftsman and Snap-on!) RoboReel doesn't make me want to.

It's not really the price, it's the value. Heck, I'd pay $700 for a reel if I thought I was getting $700 in value. On the other hand, I wouldn't pay $10 for a reel if I didn't see the value in it. Price is one thing, value is another.



It's seems most of you think the value is not at $300 either.

The motor concerns me. The video mentions springs failing. I think there's a great chance of that motor failing.

Having to box up that thing and ship it back somewhere is a concern.

As others have said, the design is atrocious. It looks like a Walmart Black and Decker end cap item.

I think it's a great first try. RoboReel, go back to the drawing board, refine it a bit. Interview 1,000 garage people and see what they want. See where you can get your product produced more efficiently to lower the price and I think you'll have a future at it.

Right now, I don't see it taking off. I mean, if most guys on GJ don't want it, you're pretty much not going to sell many. Guys on here have every tool imaginable from HF on up! And if their response is, well, it's not marketed to garage people, then I say, if garage people aren't going to pay $300, what makes you think the housewife or homeowner is going to pay that much?!

 

[my58]

no, you are right man... I jumped to conclusions due to your IP address matching one of another user who has continually created new accounts just to cause trouble.

Ryan, you have proven you are a class act. We all have some bad moments. Many other admins would just lock the post and be done, you handled this professionally and I am happy to still be part of this site. It is one of my favorites.

I wish Roboreel and everyone else the best, I am closing this chapter and gonna catch up on reading posts of some of the incredible builds I am following and subscribed to.

Thanks again

 

[vartz04]

I like vintage!

I have bought a pile of vintage 1950's - 60's "Cord o Matic's" at swap meets, garage sales and on line and mount them everywhere: Over each work bench, over the centre of the garage and on the wall (for across the floor cords). They work Great!

I only buy ones that look close to unused (you know the ones: guy buys it, installs it and never uses it) and have never paid more than $15 for one.

They work well and if one develops a problem I simply swap it for another one (which only takes a moment or two since the replacement is an identical model) and I'm on my way. (FYI: I've only had to do this once and I have a couple of extras on hand).

If I replaced them all with Robo Wheel's, I would need eight of them and I really cannot see spending $2400 to replace sprung retractors with electric.


Do not confuse my methods with those of a cheap guy. When it comes to tools and shop equipment I understand the value of quality. And in a case where something I use frequently has begun to annoy me I'm willing to spend the money to make the frustration go away. None the less, My cord reels neither annoy me nor do I foresee any increase in work shop enjoyment arising from a robo wheel installation.

Besides, it looks way to 'plastic' for my tastes. Like I have said before... I like vintage!

Thats the exact brand I have hanging in the center of my garage right next to my drop light

 

[nosnerd]

at a buck fifty consider one sold here.....300$ ....meh.....

 

[RKA]

For those screaming for something that looks the part, here's some powder coated stainless steel goodness. But leave the checkbook home, you'll need the Amex Black for this one...

http://www.akronbrass.com/compact-electric-rewind-cord-reel/

Now does $300 look appealing? (don't answer that)

 

[ket-tek]

However your contention that the device is made for industrial, not DIY use seems to be contradictory to all the advertising on your website. I don't see any of them shown in an industrial setting, and every one of your linked articles is aimed at home shop use - fixated, mens journal, emercedesbenz, gadgetworld, plus GJ - This confuses me: are you selling an industrial product that doesn't look industrial? or are you selling a product that you say is industrial, but targeted to home users?

I have been thinking the exact same thing. And it's cheap appearance on first glance is why I would overlook it elsewhere if it hadn't been on the front page of GJ.

If it did have an industrial, heavy duty look I bet more guys here would be more prone to at least look into it a bit more, although most still may not see the need for it.

This is a forum of guys who drive hundreds of miles to pick up 50 year old compressors, toolboxes, and machinery then spend dozens of man hours and hundreds of dollars to refurbish these things because they don't want to buy any of the new stuff on the market, and maybe paying 2-3x or even way more than a current 'equivalent' new product cost.

If it was 'at least' black instead of orange it would do wonders for how cheap it looks. But I'm sure a bright color is intentional not just for the 'look of safety' but also to stick out to others to notice it in a garage and ask about it so the owner can then talk about the great purchase.

This product saves money and time and that equates to dollars so the reels pay for themselves.

Now your 80 foot wide shop can be serviced by one reel so the 50ft now becomes 100ft.

So money equates to dollars??? No argument there...

The 'item' with pay for itself in 'x' amount of time 'x' times over is surely a great standard sales pitch to a business. Sure many guys here work at, or own a shop and your drive may be to sell them on that logic to buy these for work but this is primarily a garage forum of hobbyists and that reel isn't ever going to purchase itself for them in any amount of time.

And in an empty 80'x80' room sure a 50' cord, on the floor, in the center may reach all the walls, but a real 80'x80' shop will need way more than a single reel, and mounting it in the center isn't really practical depending how the bays, lifts, and machines are laid out, or how many employees need a cord at the same time. Plus you need to account for the 12/16/20+ft the ceiling height is and subtract some of that from the usable length.

I have a 28x38x12 and a 50ft cord runs real short real fast by the time it comes down from the ceiling, around a bunch of **** and where I need it so 3-4 reels is a better solution.. So there is no way if my garage was 80'x80' one reel is all I would install.

The safety aspects of thermal and short are awesome, no one seems to argue that at all. I don't, it's great. But I would go out on a limb to say that the biggest issue facing extension cord use is that it's in the way on the floor and a trip hazard. Getting a ceiling reel helps this tremendously. And putting multiple reels near different work areas makes it even better. But putting 1 in the middle and draping that cord across the shop make it a hassle/hazard again.

I understand the want to advertise it as a one-reel solution since it's $300, but the fact of the matter is the way I work and many shops and garages I've seen work is to have multiple reels in key locations.

Please take this constructively since as I said before it's a very cool product. Alot of guys say they can't afford or justify it, but as I'm sure you've seen the garages around here there are just as many and probably alot more guys here that have plenty of money to buy toys with and piss away $300 on all kinds of other stuff without a flinch. There is some serious money being spent in alot of those build threads. These guys just don't need a robot to wind their cord for them.

So it seems since your preaching mainly the safety aspects, what about a sister product that is a heavy duty standard retracting reel that incorporates the thermal and short protection features but isn't an ugly robotic ball that seemingly is the 2 things that people aren't liking or needing. Then you can hit two markets, the wow factor Jones Chasers buying the robot on a credit card and the guys that like standard reels but would appreciate the safety aspects and might buy 3 of them at $100ea to put in their different work areas..

Honestly I really hope you have the best of luck with the product, it is a great idea. But it just seems these guys don't have any issues this is gonna fix.

 

[green.bubbly]

I think it will appeal more to the yuppie's man cave crowd that uses their garage for entertaining more than working. In a working man's garage, it looks more like a toy the grand son left laying around.

Give it a more industrial look and lower the price a little and you would have a nice product. I like safety but does it have to be the color of a Little Tykes toy? Useful if it is on the floor perhaps but a bright orange ball hanging from the ceiling is not impressive.

 

[BUCKNERBUCK2]

Just a thought, but I just wired my garage space and added 2 new circuits, 16 outlets, some 10/3 for a heater and my air compressor, and I spent well under $300. Even with lighting fixtures, maybe in the $300 range. To say this lacks value is an understatement.
I don't drop that kind of coin for "impact resistant plastic". This is for the guy that decorates his garage with decor from Target and has his oil changed at BMW dealer...then watches football in his "mancave garage".

 

[KPSquared]

For those screaming for something that looks the part, here's some powder coated stainless steel goodness. But leave the checkbook home, you'll need the Amex Black for this one...

http://www.akronbrass.com/compact-electric-rewind-cord-reel/

Now does $300 look appealing? (don't answer that)

Ya, but at least every single reel on that site looks the part. . .

My biggest issue is how cheap and ugly it looks. That and I've never run into any of the problems its claiming to solve. . .

 

[swimbody]

We made it "extension cord" orange at the outset because it was a recognizable color. And its Valox, not cheap plastic and stronger than ABS. We wanted to make a futuristic looking tool. We've thought of other colors and may in the future. Thanks for your input.

 

[dieselgarage]

What temperatures have you tested that unit in? If it will work in cold temps like down to -20*. It would have great value to me for using it to feed the block heater on my diesel.
I get tired of winding the cord up for a few days then it gets cold again and I need to get out again. I could see that hanging right on the deck rail if it performs in cold temperatures.

 

[Todd.Brock]

Graham, are you or your product going to be at the Cavalcade of Customs in Cincinnati this weekend? It's car show season and would like to see what your product actually looks like and how it functions. Thanks!

 

[James E]

I've followed this thread from the beginning. I haven't read anything mean-spirited over the past few days and there's alot of feedback here. The fact that it's primarily negative and centered around just a couple key features (design and price) should be valuable information for the company.

And keep in mind that consumers don't have to actually buy a product for their opinions to be relevant. Just look at the Pontiac Aztek if you want to see how people staying away from an item in droves gets the message across to the manufacturer.

I do like the idea of integrating the circuit protection into a traditional reel and selling a less expensive version. That might have value to some of us--of course, then you're running the risk of diluting the original Robo Reel.

At any rate, I think this group, being nationwide and spanning all tax brackets, is a pretty good focus group. And the group has spoken pretty unanimously. I'm not hearing any new negatives but I haven't heard anything that will overcome those objections, either.

Again, I wish the makers luck.

 

[49ratfink]

wonderwinder is $29.99 and I've had mine for 15 years at least. there is reallly nothing to break on it unless you run into it with your car.

wonderwinder, 100 feet of EMT, 100 feet of wire, 8 outlets and boxes and an afternoon and I have outlets every 10 feet or so and a 100 foot extension cord that I can roll up in 15 seconds. not to mention the $250.00 still in my wallet.

 

[carterbeauford]

$300 would buy me an awesome air hose or grease hose reel. Roboreel has no use in my shop. Put some LED lights on it and sell it at Sears.

 

[swimbody]

In order to address the few objections you must look at use and if you want the best of a tool in your shop. The majority of our buyers are shop owners and serious car nuts who use power relentlessly. We have an air hose reel coming out very soon that looks the same way, so two orange balls will be in many folks' garage soon. The price of the air hose reel will be the exact same as the power reel so we've balanced the scales with our second offering. We took it to a tradeshow in MN last week and 90% of the people who visited our booth said they'd buy our airhose reel (which we demoed) sight unseen as they were so unhappy with their reels.

Our view is this, we know most people who own a home garage will never use a reel enough to see it break in their lifetime (there are exceptions, we know). But, the biggest problem we hear over and over is that the cords get frayed and damaged too quickly along with spring failure from heavy reel users. If you buy tools and take care of them, they will last a very long time as that describes me to a tee. The same goes for air hoses, as the heavy air hose reel users say the same thing, the hoses split and need to be replaced every 6-9 months. If you can have a reliable reel system that gets the hoses and cords off the floor every single time, then you prolong the life of the hose or cord. That is the value proposition we are able to get across everytime. Our reels out last spring loaded reels by a tremendous factor.

We also understand that getting the value across to folks via the web without seeing it in person is difficult but once you do you will instantly understand all its features which quickly distance it from the term "extension cord".

Thanks as always for your great comments. We value all of them.

Graham
Great Stuff, Inc.
www.roboreel.com

 

[countrytech]

Your marketing seems geared almost exclusively towards the homeowner/DIY guy, but now your explanations and talk seem geared towards an industrial/heavy demanding user. Which market are you trying to target here?

As mentioned before, for the DIY group, the price is about 2x - 3x too high for 95% of us.

I can't answer for the industrial group, but I have a difficult time seeing the MFG Co. owners that I work with would be quick to jump on something as expensive as this that is mostly untested in a hostile/heavy duty environment, especially with a short warranty like this. Unless it improves efficiency by a noticeable amount, they are still further ahead buying 2-3 regular 50ft electric reels within the same rated lifetime span of the Roboreel.

Your Air & water hose reels do seem a lot more useful and interesting because hoses are a lot more cumbersome to deal with and to roll up, but again, for a homeowner or DIY'er the price is still at least 2x too expensive for the large majority of us to be able to afford.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

I just figured out where I thought this type of product was marketed for- it's meant to be seen in Skymall magazines along with automatic cat litter sifters and self contained water fountains or cigar humidores. You know, a place that people whom have large bank accounts and want to buy their husband a gift for Father's Day or something.

 

[Ryan]

I just figured out where I thought this type of product was marketed for- it's meant to be seen in Skymall magazines along with automatic cat litter sifters and self contained water fountains or cigar humidores. You know, a place that people whom have large bank accounts and want to buy their husband a gift for Father's Day or something.

I thought that too... until I used it...

 

[kams1973]

I think you're really going to have something with the air hose reel. I'll have to add an envelope to my budget, but I'm getting one when once they are available.

 

[rogsmart]

RKA said

"For those screaming for something that looks the part, here's some powder coated stainless steel goodness. But leave the checkbook home, you'll need the Amex Black for this one...

http://www.akronbrass.com/compact-el...ind-cord-reel/

Now does $300 look appealing? (don't answer that)"

Primary use for the akronbrass products appear to be fire departments and Search and Rescue teams where someone's life may literally depend on the product functioning every time under the worst possible conditions. Price is secondary to function in that situation, which is as it should be.

Cool find, even though it is an apples to oranges comparison.

 

[MPOWERD]

... I dont even think it would work to license through snap on . would have to be more trendy like corvette, BMW or Jaguar. maybe if they added a night light to the end of it those guys would buy it for thier toys. but not the "Garage Guy"

Hey now! I own a BMW, but I am not in the habit of spending money unnecessarily... My M3 is fine with a regular extension cord wound up on a hangar on the ceiling above it, waiting for use at one my work benches where I work on car and home projects with the skills I learned on the farm growing up in my father's craftsman wood shop garage...

Roboreel is an interesting device, but it doesnt fit the "commonsense test" at its current price point. Even at half the price I wouldnt be interested...

 

[Michael Bryce Winnick]

Let me get this straight. You guys make fun of my figure 8 wrench, speed wrenches, and one size fits all pliers, but you would pay for this piece of ****.

$300.00?

This is G-d's way of telling you that you have too much money.

 

[dieselgarage]

Let me get this straight. You guys make fun of my figure 8 wrench, speed wrenches, and one size fits all pliers, but you would pay for this piece of ****.

$300.00?

This is G-d's way of telling you that you have too much money.

Lets see I have 40 guys in the shop. Each one every day uses a extension cored for something. Let say it takes 5 min to uncoil, untangle and rewind at the end of the day.

40x5=200 minutes a day. Let say this would cut that time by 50%

So now we are at 100 minutes at day at our labor rate that is 125.00 per day savings.

So if I were to purchase 40 of the RoboReels for 12K it would pay back in 96 work days. I consider anything with a less than one year ROI a no brainier.

So even if my estimates are off it's still under a year payback.

Know this is assuming they work and are trouble free.

Plus If I'm going to purchase 40 of them I'm sure chit not paying 300.00 each.

So I for one and maybe the only one in this thread can see the merit in this product if it works.

I have tried several power and air reels over the years and every one ends up with the guy playing the game of keeping the cord from retracting or getting the dang thing to retract. Or retracing as you are using a tool on the end of it. So none of them have saved any time.

 

[bdamico]

Lets see I have 40 guys in the shop. Each one every day uses a extension cored for something. Let say it takes 5 min to uncoil, untangle and rewind at the end of the day.

40x5=200 minutes a day. Let say this would cut that time by 50%

So now we are at 100 minutes at day at our labor rate that is 125.00 per day savings.

So if I were to purchase 40 of the RoboReels for 12K it would pay back in 96 work days. I consider anything with a less than one year ROI a no brainier.

So even if my estimates are off it's still under a year payback.

Know this is assuming they work and are trouble free.

Plus If I'm going to purchase 40 of them I'm sure chit not paying 300.00 each.

So I for one and maybe the only one in this thread can see the merit in this product if it works.

I have tried several power and air reels over the years and every one ends up with the guy playing the game of keeping the cord from retracting or getting the dang thing to retract. Or retracing as you are using a tool on the end of it. So none of them have saved any time.

no way that takes anywhere near 5 minutes for 50 ft. and it's not an automatic savings, what are doing with that additional 5 minutes to make you the ROI? If you're talking labor costs, you're gonna cut hours by 5 minutes? If you bill them out by the hour, I bet the unwinding winding is getting billed into the first and last job of the day--so saving time costs you money? if you're billing by job, you've been turning down work that you suddenly can take as a result of the aggregate savings?

 

[DonnyT]

Lets see I have 40 guys in the shop. Each one every day uses a extension cored for something. Let say it takes 5 min to uncoil, untangle and rewind at the end of the day.

40x5=200 minutes a day. Let say this would cut that time by 50%

So now we are at 100 minutes at day at our labor rate that is 125.00 per day savings.

So if I were to purchase 40 of the RoboReels for 12K it would pay back in 96 work days. I consider anything with a less than one year ROI a no brainier.

So even if my estimates are off it's still under a year payback.

Know this is assuming they work and are trouble free.

Plus If I'm going to purchase 40 of them I'm sure chit not paying 300.00 each.

So I for one and maybe the only one in this thread can see the merit in this product if it works.

I have tried several power and air reels over the years and every one ends up with the guy playing the game of keeping the cord from retracting or getting the dang thing to retract. Or retracing as you are using a tool on the end of it. So none of them have saved any time.

I wish I was a salesman in your area. LOL ... Did you include how many would be missing after a month??

 

[dieselgarage]

no way that takes 5 minutes for 50 ft. and it's not an automatic savings, what are doing with that additional 5 minutes to make you the ROI?

You speak pretty assured of yourself with out knowing any details of our operation. It's 5 or more in our situation.

 

[dieselgarage]

I wish I was a salesman in your area. LOL ... Did you include how many would be missing after a month??

You be the only one glad to be selling to me.

As far as missing it would be a one to one ratio. They would be getting two things for free. The reel and their time freed up for other opportunity. The reason I don't have a theft issue. It only takes one guy to loose his job over a few nuts and bolts the rest learn I'm 100% serious in what I say. If you need something ask most of the time you get if for free. Take it without asking and your done.

 

[dieselgarage]

no way that takes anywhere near 5 minutes for 50 ft. and it's not an automatic savings, what are doing with that additional 5 minutes to make you the ROI? If you're talking labor costs, you're gonna cut hours by 5 minutes? If you bill them out by the hour, I bet the unwinding winding is getting billed into the first and last job of the day--so saving time costs you money? if you're billing by job, you've been turning down work that you suddenly can take as a result of the aggregate savings?

Oh you edited: I track labor by build hours. A project can be in the shop for the average of 1500-5000 hours so it adds up in a hurry.

 

[haugy]

$300?? For that? That nonsense right there is why I have outlets every 5'. I rarely have to use an extension cord, and the longest one I use is 15'. I can roll that on my own thanks.

 

[samthedog]

no way that takes anywhere near 5 minutes for 50 ft. and it's not an automatic savings, what are doing with that additional 5 minutes to make you the ROI? If you're talking labor costs, you're gonna cut hours by 5 minutes? If you bill them out by the hour, I bet the unwinding winding is getting billed into the first and last job of the day--so saving time costs you money? if you're billing by job, you've been turning down work that you suddenly can take as a result of the aggregate savings?

Your argument works for short projects, but long builds and projects benefit from 5 minutes here and there. I have run audits in the past to work out the productive loss and for the most part, managers have the same opinion that it's not worth counting. That is until the customer asks why projects are running over and it turns out that everyone is pi$$ing hours away over week digging through tool boxes, untangling leads and fixing sub-par equipment used for the job.

After running an audit and showing managers how each task not directly related to the paid project (such as untangling cords) is cost, managers quickly see how minutes add up to thousands. Money saved is the same as money earned and anyone serious about this in industry won't choke at $300 (or $200 if bought in bulk).

I might be the only other person positive about this reel. A 4 year warranty / guarantee is nothing to sneeze at and actually beats most other electrical appliances by 2 - 4 times.

Paul.

 

[IndyGarage]

Lets see I have 40 guys in the shop. Each one every day uses a extension cored for something. Let say it takes 5 min to uncoil, untangle and rewind at the end of the day.

40x5=200 minutes a day. Let say this would cut that time by 50%

So now we are at 100 minutes at day at our labor rate that is 125.00 per day savings.

So if I were to purchase 40 of the RoboReels for 12K it would pay back in 96 work days. I consider anything with a less than one year ROI a no brainier.

So even if my estimates are off it's still under a year payback.

Know this is assuming they work and are trouble free.

Plus If I'm going to purchase 40 of them I'm sure chit not paying 300.00 each.

So I for one and maybe the only one in this thread can see the merit in this product if it works.

I have tried several power and air reels over the years and every one ends up with the guy playing the game of keeping the cord from retracting or getting the dang thing to retract. Or retracing as you are using a tool on the end of it. So none of them have saved any time.

This is a good analysis, however I agree with the other poster that 5 minutes per guy per day sounds high to me.

The real question is whether Roboreel would stand up to everyday use in a shop like yours. If it could, then it certainly would change my mind about it.

 

[bdamico]

Your argument works for short projects, but long builds and projects benefit from 5 minutes here and there. I have run audits in the past to work out the productive loss and for the most part, managers have the same opinion that it's not worth counting. That is until the customer asks why projects are running over and it turns out that everyone is pi$$ing hours away over week digging through tool boxes, untangling leads and fixing sub-par equipment used for the job.

After running an audit and showing managers how each task not directly related to the paid project (such as untangling cords) is cost, managers quickly see how minutes add up to thousands. Money saved is the same as money earned and anyone serious about this in industry won't choke at $300 (or $200 if bought in bulk).

I might be the only other person positive about this reel. A 4 year warranty / guarantee is nothing to sneeze at and actually beats most other electrical appliances by 2 - 4 times.

Paul.

I don't have a problem with the analysis except I don't know where the ROI comes from. If you charge per job, are you keeping customers you would have lost because you can now lower your costs? If you charge per job, are you gaining money because (1) you can now grab an additional job that you would have otherwise turned away or (2) you cut the hours of your workers? If you charge per hour, saving time costs you money unless you fill that time with new jobs. Just saying it's not as simple as saving time equals ROI

 

[JakeKohl]

...
I might be the only other person positive about this reel. A 4 year warranty / guarantee is nothing to sneeze at and actually beats most other electrical appliances by 2 - 4 times.

Paul.

Nah...I'm with you.

 

[samthedog]

I don't have a problem with the analysis except I don't know where the ROI comes from. If you charge per job, are you keeping customers you would have lost because you can now lower your costs? If you charge per job, are you gaining money because (1) you can now grab an additional job that you would have otherwise turned away or (2) you cut the hours of your workers? If you charge per hour, saving time costs you money unless you fill that time with new jobs. Just saying it's not as simple as saving time equals ROI

The industry I work in has a waiting time of weeks to months per specific unit the customer orders. The more efficient, the more work we can chew through and the more money we make. In most contracts, if we come in under projected man hours, we still get paid for what we estimated the hours to be. Since the products we produce are used to generate large amounts of income for the companies we supply to, they literally make millions per week they save by us delivering early.

We don't lower costs because the demand dictates what we charge, but if we do save time, we make more money and this means if there is down time between a project due to this, our workshop guys can attend further training that is not usually deemed necessary to carry out their specific task. This has an impact on morale, job satisfaction and by default retention of critical personnel in a specialized business.

It could be I agree with dieselgarage because we work in quite large industry. My site has 2500 people and the department I specifically work for has 530. When you consider 5 minutes x 530 per day, then this amounts to a full time salary for an extra 15 people (there abouts) that could be working R & D or any other area that usually has to fight tooth and nail for funding and increased headcount.

Sorry to give you the long version. This is where I see the ROI in 5 minutes saved

Paul.

 

[bdamico]

The industry I work in has a waiting time of weeks to months per specific unit the customer orders. The more efficient, the more work we can chew through and the more money we make. In most contracts, if we come in under projected man hours, we still get paid for what we estimated the hours to be. Since the products we produce are used to generate large amounts of income for the companies we supply to, they literally make millions per week they save by us delivering early.

We don't lower costs because the demand dictates what we charge, but if we do save time, we make more money and this means if there is down time between a project due to this, our workshop guys can attend further training that is not usually deemed necessary to carry out their specific task. This has an impact on morale, job satisfaction and by default retention of critical personnel in a specialized business.

It could be I agree with dieselgarage because we work in quite large industry. My site has 2500 people and the department I specifically work for has 530. When you consider 5 minutes x 530 per day, then this amounts to a full time salary for an extra 15 people (there abouts) that could be working R & D or any other area that usually has to fight tooth and nail for funding and increased headcount.

Sorry to give you the long version. This is where I see the ROI in 5 minutes saved

Paul.

then that makes sense

 

[samthedog]

then that makes sense

In big industry it makes sense. If you were to ask me if I'd spend that money in my home workshop, then it would have to pass these criteria;

1 - Does the item make me work faster?
2 - Does it assist me in producing better quality work?
3 - Does it allow a degree of organization that a similar product can't?
4 - Is this product an elegent solution to a complex issue?

In my mind, it does not fulfil these criteria for the home workshop. I have reached a point in my life where I have tipped the time / money balance in favour of money. I am not wealthy but I certainly lack time once I divide my day over work, family, church etc... My retracting reels were purchased cheap since they needed repairing and were a huge step up from extension leads. Personally, given the X 10 leap in price, I could not justify the cost since my hobby has no ROI and therefore this purchase would be pure overhead.

It does not stop me from drooling though

Paul.

 

[halo]

Nice item but for the shade tree mechanic like me, not for 3 big ones. I would be happy searching for a new/used reelcraft or cox for less.....

 

[dlenkewich]

Oh you edited: I track labor by build hours. A project can be in the shop for the average of 1500-5000 hours so it adds up in a hurry.

Point is, if you're concerned about the time it takes to roll a cord, retractable reels are nothing new.

You're very concerned about cost cutting in your business, I get that. So then tell me why you would by a $300 electric reel over a $15 retractable? If you're in business you surely need more then one making this a rather pricey endevour to save on man hours.. Or should I say man-minutes?

It just doesn't add up.

RoboReel is the first and only 'entity' I've heard say retractable reels are dangerous. They are in every mechanic shop I've ever been in.

 

[66HertzClone]

There is an ad for this in the March issue of Hemmings Muscle Machine magazine. It's now $329.