On 2007-06-01 19:17:17 +0100, "Clive George" said:

"Andy Hall" wrote in message ...
On 2007-06-01 18:02:01 +0100, "Clive George" said:

"Andy Hall" wrote in message ...

Price can also affect aspects of the tool which are irrelevant to the
quality of the result - eg it may be heavier, or a bit uncomfortable.
These won't matter to the occasional user, but will matter to somebody
who spends a lot of time with it.


That isn't true either. If poor ergonomics prevent good results that
will be true regardless of the amount of use.

Um, there's a difference between being heavier or a bit uncomfortable
and ergonomics sufficiently poor that good results are unobtainable. I
carefully restricted my statement to the former, so my statement is
true.

I disagree. Inappropriate weight for the tool type or it being in the
wrong place is one of the main indicators of a cheap product made to a
price vs. one designed to do a proper job.

I do feel you're missing the point by some considerable margin.

Not at all.

Being a bit heavy could well not be a problem for infrequent use,
where it would be a problem for regular use. Frequency of use is
relevant in determining what qualities a tool requires.

There are many more factors in ergonomics than the weight. About the
only tool that has pretty much a weight/durability argument is an SDS
drill. The entry level ones often weigh considerably more than the
mid range professional 2kg models. I would agree that if one were
using each all day, then the heavier one is more likely to cause
fatigue. However, none of these would be described as being for
precision work. A router, and indeed many other woodworking power
tools are used where precision is expected. For these, the weight is
one factor. The location of it, but much more importantly, the
balance and handling and quality of the mechanisms are much more
important. It really doesn't matter for these factors whether the
tool is used for 20 minutes a month or 20 hours a week, if these
factors aren't right, the results are likely to be poor.