I had to pop into my local B&Q store over the weekend as we needed some beeswax but alas they only stocked the sloppy type which I have used before but didn’t like. So after strolling around a bit to find something I wanted but didn’t need I stumbled into the DIY tool section having noticed the “two saws for a tenner” made by none other than Spear & Jackson. Having seen this I just had to inspect one of them, the handle resembled something found in my grandson’s toy box but I actually went further and removed it from its cardboard sleeve which actually had less flex than the blade itself. It’s quite sad to see a company who back in the day made some good quality tools and are now resorted to churning out this type of rubbish.
Moving further into the tool section I noticed Stanley seemed to be a name that was everywhere and I again stumbled onto their planes. The SB4 in all its glory selling for a grand price of £30, for this you get an iron which wouldn’t have graced a spokeshave in years gone by and it was adorned with genuine black plastic handles. I couldn’t give used versions of these tools away let alone sell them, not that I would anyway, Oh how the mighty fall !
DIY over the years has really taken off but what amazes me is that people still never learn about the tools they use and will continue to buy poorer and poorer quality tools that they deem as cheaper in price.
I guess they are designed to be thrown away after a DIY project and will work for a short while but serious DIYer’s should consider this, these once renowned companies where once known for for quality but brand alone nowadays doesn’t ensure that.
Consider this; we refurbish old tools and they would always return a higher percentage of their price after use than any modern equivalent, If DIYer’s want cheap they certainly couldn’t get a better deal when buying new, regardless of the price paid.
Oh, and the only thing I ended up buying from B&Q was some batteries for my grandson’s toy! I didn’t need it and being one year old it held his attention for about 30 seconds.
Thanks for Reading.
Regards Steve