Weekly Quote

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.---C. S. Lewis

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

New Tools


The big brown truck delivered new tools today, what a delight to unwrap them, touch them and give them a test drive.  When making my purchase I had two criteria.
  1. Function
  2. Cost
Function
Is this tool designed for small scale work?  Is the tool well made?  Will the tool last?  Where is the tool made?  Is the tool made in a country known for quality craftsmanship?  Has the tool manufacturer been recommended to me?

Cost
This one is obvious.  Can I afford it?

I had the opportunity to talk with Jackie of Sylas Studios about tools.  Her recommendation for hammers was repurpose old  tools (old means 50 years or more) as the steel used in the past was better than modern steel or hammers from Peddinghaus.  And to look for tools from Germany, Sweden, England, and even the USA.

I'm not quite up to repurposing old tools...yet, so I decided to buy them pre-made.  What I bought was a 6 oz. planishing hammer from Peddinghaus.  The Peddinghaus hammers are mid-range...some manufacturers are more expensive and lots are cheaper.  And medium and long round nosed pliers from Rio Grande that are made in Germany.  I had a pair of the long nosed pliers before (but lost them), I was very satisfied with the quality.  The Rio pliers are also mid-range.

What is your favorite tool and who is the manufacturer?

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