I'll throw in my .2 cents worth...
When operating a screwdriver, the push to twist ratio should be:
80% push / 20% twist
If you feel it starting to cam out,
STOP.
You need to pull out your diamond tip / laser etched tip / ACR tip / friction powder for help. Again, if you feel it starting to cam out,
STOP. At this point, it doesn't matter what brand of screwdriver you have, it will not break loose.
You now have to take out that hand impact driver, or a cordless impact driver, and hope for the best.
If your dealing with a lot of phillips screws (#2 for example), I think it's best to have a variety, from different brands. One companies' profile might be more suitable than the other. If the fit is questionable, at least you can choose the screwdriver that has the best fit. I'd probably have the hand impact or cordless impact handy, rather than doing it by hand.
It is not to hard to find their tools in Germany. Think they focus mainly in the European market.
And I presume that was the reason why Rotar was on their way to dropping the polished chrome finish from their Toptul brand. Toptul was not able to carve a niche or take a peice of the pie from the tool market in North America, despite the efforts from Wren Hand Tools or Ultimate Garage. The North American market has been over saturated with too many brands already, so it's hard to break into the market without an all-out campaign that's backed by the manufacturer. It's probably
very difficult to sustain a new brand here without such help. You need the brand exposure through national chains/big block stores like NAPA, Carquest, Menards, Home Depot, etc. to make it survive.
Yeah -also surprised me that Snap On are selling them under the "budget" line, when (I think) they sell budget Channel Locks under the Snap On brand?
Even Snap-on sells Knipex pliers, but unlike many other rebranded items sold under their name, the pliers are actually sold with "Knipex" stamped on the product. That is unusual for Snap-on. I guess the Knipex brand name is well received in NA, that the name sells itself. MAC also sells pliers from Knipex and it's the same as well.
Perhaps it's an agreement between Knipex and the buyer, that their name must remain on the product.
Ok, i didn´t browse e-bay that much...
What i like is that they seem to be a quite serious company, and they show real pictures from their factory on the web. There are facts about technical items, capacities, production volumes and so on. They seek accreditation from TÜV etc. and their tools follow DIN standards (can´t say if thats difficult? Hi-Fi amplifier DIN standards ie. demands 2 x 6 Watts output). If you take the time to read other Taiwan tool sites, like Jonnesway, it´s more a long romantic story of the hardworking founder, left out in the rain when he was in the US to close a deal! I quote from the Jonnesway site: "Customers were price oriented. Quality seemed to the least concern. One time, Mr. Liao flew 22 hours to the U.S.A. to meet with his potential customer. However, the customer did not spare any time for him on Friday afternoon. He had to wait till Monday morning. Walking on the crowded street under the snowy sky of U.S.A., Mr. Liao carried two 50 kg suitcases and could not even get a taxi. His jacket was covered with snow, his shirt was soaked with sweat, and his night was freezing and hungry."
In that sense, i like the more factual style of Toptul ...
I know this is far from the subject, but you´ve got to be amazed about the different styles of story telling and marketing.
Think about if Hazet, Stahlwille, Gedore, Knipex, etc. started today as a company. How would they market their company and win the consumer's respect in this day and age, where there's a myriad tool companies already in existence?
Those companies have a loooong history, some over a century, and their names have been synonymous with quality and dependability.
XXXXXX, a new tool company from Taiwan, has much to prove to the global market that their presence in the tool industry is worthy and is to be reckoned with. To prove that their products meet minimum standards, they always advertise that their stuff meets or exceeds DIN / ISO / ANSI / etc standards. That's just one way for them to advertise their products and company. Well established names like Snap-on or Hazet or Ko-ken don't have to advertise that---people already associate those names with quality and dependability. They have it easy; it's very hard for new companies to flourish, unless they target third world countries where there's a larger potential market.
. But very true - it´s hard to be new on a market. You really have to come with something new and different (better). If not there´s only the price to compete on. In that sense, i find Teng Tools strategy smart - sponsor a lot of racing activities - spread your tools in a "pro" environment - set the pricetag at "premium".
That reminds me of the Steven Spielberg "Jaws" movie. Very nice pliers.
