Cheap Equipment

[Billy Shafer]

I may have ask this before. But why do people insist on buying cheap equipment. When they should have bought good equipment in the first place. Had a guy come in today with his cheap generator. His fifth one in three years. I offered to sell him an old Honda powered water cooled self contained portabal. For 800.00 dollars.He refused said he could do better with a cheaper brand. So now he has spent over 1400.00 and has nothing to show for it. The man that bought the Honda unit. Still has it on his welding truck. I have also seen this with tractors. I just don't understand.

 

[jeffcat]

Very simple. You Can't fix STUPID.

 

[kcm.MN]

The "real" answer is, that most people prefer to get a bargain. People "want" to believe they're getting the best deal, and most folks just can't seem to be able to justify the cost of a decent and reliable piece of equipment (or tool, or whatever) over some BRAND NEW(!!!!) something-or-other. So in [i:737ddafe5a]his[/i:737ddafe5a] mind, he was getting the better deal with the "new" genset.

It's just a part of human nature.

 

[JD Seller]

It is human nature to try and get a better "deal". Many do not look at the long term cost of things. So they price shop only. Matter of fact this is getting to be the major purchasing force in this country. This is one reason finding good quality items is getting harder. They do not sell as well as the "cheap" stuff.

An example. My BIL and I both bought new Lawn mowers in 1996. I bought a JD 325 for $4500. He bought a Huskee from TSC for $2500. He liked to brag about how his was higher horse power. Mine had a 17 Hp. Kawasaki motor. His had a 22 HP B&S engine. My JD 325 is still mowing grass. I used it for 10 years and then gave it to my oldest son. He still mows with it. My BIL is on his third "Cheap" mower. He has spent close to double what we did but he has gotten "three "NEW" mowers. The companies selling the mowers have made more money off of him then JD did me. SO This is why your seeing cheaper JD mowers in Home Depot. JD can sell more cheaper mowers over time than they can the premium quality mowers.

So this human reaction is getting pushed with planned obsolesces by companies. This allows them to sell more often to the same consumers. So quality is way back in line compared to price.

 

[John D Smith]

I have a good friend that always buys the cheapest tools around because he does not have the patience to take care of them, treat them right and put them away when he is done he leaves them lay. When I first got to know him and work with him,I ran around behind him picking them up. after a short time in watching his bad habits, I took care of mine and let his lay. We get along in this arrangement quite well.
John D Smith

 

[Geo-TH,In]

JD,
Why do some people buy cheap? Because some have to ask permission from a woman before they can buy anything.

 

[Bret4207]

Maybe because they can't swing the "good one"price. A cheap gen might run $500 or less and you want $300 more than that. That $300 may represent what it takes to make his taxes or mortgage. $300 may be to him like $30K to you. I'd love to be able to buy the "good stuff" every time, but it's more important to me to make sure my family is taken care of. So I buy "cheap" and put my sweat equity into the item and still get the job done.

I understand the concept you are advocating, but real life doesn't always offer people the best options.

 

[JOCCO]

Billy: an old dealer once told me "the bitterness of poor quality last long after the sweetness of low price is gone"!!!! JD Seller and Bret have it about right.

 

[Mike M]

lol !

When selling some old tractors I'd hear well I have to check with the wife. I'd tell them they don't make such and such old tractor anymore but there are new woman made every day !

 

[paul]

A friend/relative keeps a quiet social life, most of what he does is Facebook and the like to socialize.

So a computer is his way in the world.......

I've helped him buy 3 now. I try to Bentley emphasize what is and isn't important on a computer, and what makes them good for the Internet,
etc. and how a super cheap one will slow down and be old in 4-5 years, a middle of the road one can go 8-9 years and cheaper in the long run.

We are talking under $400, probably $350 for my recommended machine, I still stay way on the bottom end.

Each time after much discussion he grabs the $275 special. Crappy Celron processor no graphics poor parts.

Thrn I'm supposed to keep it running for him when it is overloaded and slow down. Just can't fix stuff like that, it's outdated the day he buys it.

I cannot get through to him.

So he has endless waits for boot up, for navigating Facebook, and so on. Anti virus software bogs his computer down as soon as you activate
I...

All to 'save' $75.

Be different if he didn't use it much, or whatever. But it is the focus of his social life....... It is his big deal. You would think an extra $75 spread
over 5-10 years would make a lot nicer life.

Nope. Oh oh look, I can get this for $275!!!!!!!!!

It's his business all up to him but still. It's like watching a car wreck you think you could have prevented, but can't.

Sigh.

Paul

 

[markct]

Nowadays it's very difficult, many "brand names" are Chinese junk rebranded too so paying more can get you the same thing as buying cheap just different stickers

 

[Steve@Advance]

What's sad is the reputable company, that produces a quality product, goes out of business because their product sits on the shelf while the consumer buys cheap junk from a corrupt company that puts profit first, no matter how the quality suffers.

 

[showcrop]

My purchasing patterns often take into account the anticipated use that the tool or equipment will get. If I anticipate that I will work something hard and frequently I will tend towards the higher dollar. For something that I am buying more as a convenience in order to get one job done and then may never use again, I tend to go towards cheap. Looking at reviews on line can enter the decision too. Sometimes you find that people have had a lot fewer problems with something that is the higher priced unit.

 

[Russ from MN]

I am kind of frustrated about this topic right now! 20 years ago we bought a cheap brush cutter, and I had to repair it occasionally, but we have a lot of rocks. 3 years ago we bought a brand new what I considered the top of the line cutter, paid many times the cost of the cheap one! Now I am having problems with the expensive one, it's a design problem, not so much quality, they made the stump jumper oval instead of round! Why, to save a few pounds of steel? Of course there is no warranty on anything like that, so I will just redesign and repair it myself.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

The biggest problem is that the wages have not kept up with cost of living. Everything keeps getting more expensive while wages stay stagnant.

 

[dhermesc]

My younger brother just spent over $120,000 on his new swather, one of the hydrostat drive motors failed at 55 hours while running from one field to the next and nearly killed him when it slammed into the grader ditch. I guess he should have bought a more expensive one.........

 

[JDEM]

Are you claiming all "cheap" equipment is the same? Come on! I have bought lots of low priced equipment and done fine with it. That includes portable generators. I have a 2000 watt inverter generator that cost me $400 new and have had it 8 years now with zero problems. Makes a lot more power then a Honda so-called "2000" and cost 1/3 to 1/2 the price.

 

[Billy Shafer]

I know there is some high dollar name brand cheap junk out there. Some even I wouldn't recommend anyone buy.But when you have a chance to buy a good proven unit. Why buy a cheap one. In my shop I have five old Onans. From 1936 to 1979. Anyone of them will crank up and run all day long. The Honda was 15 years old. Electronic govenor,water cooled on a wheel kit frame with handles and a lifting bracket.Cost was less than what he has paid for the cheap ones.

I understand almost no one wants quality any more.If it breaks just go buy a new one. I also know the wife can make a bad choice. Customer of mine had a 1980 Onan hooked to his house. Wife saw the TV adds for a certain generator. Just had to have one. So out came the junky old Onan. In went the new one. Three months later I was at his house. Putting the junky old unit back in place. While looking at the new eight thousand dollar junk pile. With the rod sticking out of the block. While the OEM and dealer fought over who's fault it was and who was going to pay for repairs.

 

[Billy Shafer]

Not what I am saying at all. But when you keep buying the same brand and it keeps failing. Why keep buying it. I have a cheap harbor freight unit on my truck. Given to me because it wouldn't start. Cleaned the carb cranked right up. Been five years now looks like crap,but has never failed me. I just get tired of people in sixty thousand dollar trucks. Crying to me because the 100.00 dollar generator has two hours on it and now has a burned gensection. People pay a Yugo price but expect Rolls Royce out of it.

I see the same thing with farm equipment. People buy but never check for service centers or parts support.

 

[circus]

There are circumstances when cheaper is better. Popularly priced (cheaper) model appliances usually are more reliable. With 2,000,000 units sold, problems are ironed out quickly. With 2,000 sold, often problems are never ironed out.

 

[JDEM]

Hey, a Yugo holds the world's record for leaping off the Mackinac Bridge here in Michigan. No high-priced car or truck has ever accomplished that feat.

 

[Billy Shafer]

Did it jump or did someone throw it off.

 

[2002sliverado]

I worked for a man who owned and managed a retail farm supply outlet. His family was involved, which was an education in itself, but I was young, na?ve, and overly trusting. Anyway, his basic philosophy for that place was, "If it is cheap, it's good!" He always bought inexpensively priced used trucks and other equipment. I was not trained in mechanical work, but I learned a lot from growing up on the farm and being around those who did that sort of work. I did the best that I could. I will always remember how this jerk would bring in his latest purchase, tell me to fix it, but spend very little on repairs, then get mad when something broke down or failed. He bought one of his trucks from a truck salvage yard. Was that ever a real POS! The transmission had 3 ranges and 5 gears in each range. It was sold to him as having a 392 IH V-8 engine. When the engine started missing horribly, he took it to a local shop. It had a worn out 304 IH V-8 engine. He replaced the piston in the engine and continued to use it for his business for a short time, as it went down again. I left after 2 1/2 long and unpleasant years to go work for another company. I learned the hard way to never work for anyone who has family also working there. I also learned to never work for a cheapskate! It was a million dollar experience I wouldn't pay 2 cents to go through again!

 

[kcm.MN]

This thread is funny. I've been harping on this exact thing for about 26 years now. I noticed what was happening on my first trip to Finland in 1991. At that time, they had no more "quality" tools - everything sold in the way of tools was, at that time, made in China. The Chinese junk was just starting to appear in the USA then, and literally EVERYONE was swearing at the junk! But, unknowing people still bought it, which kept sales going.

As time went on, I noticed how the change went, transforming from quality name-brand tools over to "Made in China". Now, you can't even buy top of the line, top dollar tools without risking that they are "Made in China".

Now for the really sad part - it is getting to where the "Made in China" stuff is often a better value, at least in handheld power tools. The quality manufacturers just cannot compete and stay afloat, and the cheap tools have come to understand they can mass produce these things and, when a customer complains, simply replace the tool right away. That way, the CUSTOMERS are the Quality Control department!! That's a huge savings when it comes to manufacturing!

I find now that I can order many things that are Made in China, get it for a low-ball price, and actually find that they work well much of the time. I don't use/abuse tools like I used to, and I have always taken care of the tools I had (as I was taught to do), so I'm finding that what Circus just posted is becoming more and more true. ...China has been able to overtake the manufacturing world from just about every other manufacturer out there! They're now working to out-compete Briggs and other small engine manufacturers with their Predator engines - knockoffs of earlier Honda designs. Lots of good feedback on them, and prices can be super low!

It has been a scary process to watch this transformation over the past 26 years, but I'm certain it's not over just yet. Now that some of the Chinese manufacturers are actually making better product, some "other" foreign countries (like India, for example) are starting to think they can do the same thing and give China a run for the money. So now other countries are starting to build the absolute cheapest junk they can build and are underselling many Chinese products.

Seems to be an endless cycle.

 

[Dick L]

I always buy old cheap equipment for home. How else can I keep my repair skills honed sharp?

 

[RobCons]

I think it is priorities, don't believe any one wants a crappy item. Everyone has a budget and cannot just go buy the most expensive well built item. So the decision comes down to how much money they have to spend on said item and how much is left over for food, housing etc. The anticipated life or trouble of the item comes into play also. Some folks, like myself, don't like repairing things constantly. Others don't mind sweat equity.

 

[ldj]

I've often wondered if the Chinese use the same cheap tools in their factory that make the cheap tools. I'll bet they have good quality tools that they use but don't sell them here because they would be so high they wouldn't sell.

 

[Sean Feeney]

i had to look this one up
story

 

[Charlie M]

Problem is many people equate cheap to junk. Junk is always cheap but cheap isn't always junk.

 

[Moonlite37]

I know that some of the Chinese scaffolding on tall buildings looks flimsy made of bamboo, They have good vehicles and highly skilled drivers. I did not get to examine their hand tools, but is did pick up some of the ball point pens. They had a very little bit if metal in them but were of good writing quality, Hotels laundry charged $8 to launder a shirt but you could buy a shirt in the stores for $15. II washed mine in the bathroom and pressed dry with the iron, STINGY!

 

[Traditional Farmer]

I buy 'cheap' tools at auctions.Name brand tools like Snapon,Williams,Mac,older Craftsman,Greenfield etc etc usually sell at auctions for less than the China made stuff sells new these days.
I'm always in the look out for older good quality tools.

 

[Jim Naden]

(quoted from post at 05:54:44 07/26/17) What's sad is the reputable company, that produces a quality product, goes out of business because their product sits on the shelf while the consumer buys cheap junk from a corrupt company that puts profit first, no matter how the quality suffers.

Or, when the company that makes a high quality product that works and lasts is bought up by a competitor just so said competitor can remove the quality product from the market.

 

[JML755]

(quoted from post at 23:11:55 07/25/17) I may have ask this before. But why do people insist on buying cheap equipment. When they should have bought good equipment in the first place. Had a guy come in today with his cheap generator. His fifth one in three years. I offered to sell him an old Honda powered water cooled self contained portabal. For 800.00 dollars.He refused said he could do better with a cheaper brand. So now he has spent over 1400.00 and has nothing to show for it. The man that bought the Honda unit. Still has it on his welding truck. I have also seen this with tractors. I just don't understand.

On big ticket items, I'll go for quality over cost. Pressure washers, for example. But I'll also use the "good enough" philosophy on many items. Basically, I'm not afraid to "spend" but I don't like to "overspend".

 

[Bret4207]

Part of the problem is with those "good old American Companies" too. I've complained about this before here, but Estwing used to have an actual lifetime warranty on their hammers. So my Dad paid a premium price for the leather handled Estwing hammers and every few years would send them in to be re-handled. They don't do that anymore. And that lifetime warranty is gone on those hammers. That's part of why I now buy the cheapy Plumb, made in China $9.00 hammers. If it breaks or the handle degrades, I'm not out $45.00. No, they don't "feel" as good and they don't hang right for me. But they work fine.

That's part of why I buy at HF and other places like it, because I'm not made of money and most of what they sell that I buy is usable, if not as high a quality or nicely finished as I'd like.

And lets not forget that those good old American brand names aren't made here anymore anyway. Porter Cable, Dewalt, Milwaukee, etc are ll made in China now. In power tools I prefer Makita, made in good old Japan, but no one seems to carry Makita anymore. Same old story!

 

[kcm.MN]

Wife wanted to go to the thrift store some time back and lured me to come in with her. UGH! But, glad I went. I found an old Stanley Steelmaster Camp Axe, Model 901 1/4 in pretty darn good condition for only $4! Snatched that thing up in a heartbeat!

 

[AlinArk]

the good Lord said he was going to confuse their minds,He sure did a good job of it...G

 

[dhermesc]

Actually I've seen some really high priced junk - price isn't always an indicator of quality.

 

[CenTex Farmall]

It depends on the job being done. If it's a chain saw or weedeater (small motor with fussy parts) then I will spend the money and get a midrange or higher Stihl. If it's a car tire then it will be Michelin. The farm truck gets BFG ( not as smooth and quiet but will make their miles and not come apart). If it's for cutting grass (simple job) then it will be some frankenmower pieced together from various machines that people abandoned at my FIL's shop!
If it's an occasional use tool like a tile saw or the vibrating orbital cutter/scraper thing, then it's harbor freight. If it's an item that gets hard use at times such a drill or sawzall then it's time to spend some money on a good one. If it gets a lot of force put on it, such as a bearing separator or gear puller then I buy the best one I can find.

 

[SDE]

I bought a 98 Circle D trailer, $1500.
Replaced tires
Replacing brakes
Re building the beaver tail
Going to need some bearings
Cleaned and painted the frame, Twice- Eastwood Rust Encapsulator, one coat was not enough
Should have bought a new trailer instead

 

[El Hombre]

(quoted from post at 17:25:18 07/27/17) Actually I've seen some really high priced junk - price isn't always an indicator of quality.

To the 'you get what you pay for' and 'buy once, cry once' clowns it does. They have absolutely no other way to determine quality; if it costs more, it's better...Idiots.

They're either sellers, or just never thought a seller would overcharge for their junk.

Most times the most expensive option is the worst value, better to buy somewhere near the median price to find the value option.

And then sometimes the lowest price option is the best value; Lee reloading equipment for example.