On 2007-06-30 12:50:31 +0100, " said:

Diy tools a
Sold mainly through diy outlets
Have both brands widely recognised by diy'ers and diy outlets own
brands
Tend to be loaded with features/gimmicks
Put greater emphasis on price than build quality
Prioritise price over durability
Cordless tools tend to have slow chargers, single batteries and less
good cell life

Professional tools a
*differentiated by manufacturers from their diy ranges*
Sold mainly through trade outlets
Concentrate on brands widely recognised by professionals
Have limited features/gimmicks
Put greater emphasis on build quality than price
Prioritise durability over price
Cordless tools tend to have fast chargers, multiple batteries with
very good cell life

These are reasonable as far as they go but should include ergonomics,
controllability and accuracy as well as service and spares availability
for professional products.

The manufacturer of a professional tool should also ideally have a
reputation and a track record in tools of a certain type established
over many years. For example, Bosch make excellent jig saws, Makita
make excellent drills, Hitachi make excellent circular saws and Senco
excellent pneumatic nailers.

There are some professional tool manufacturers who specialise almost
entirely in one area - e.g. Lamello with biscuit joiners and Fein with
oscillating mult-purpose tools.

There are a very small number who are able to introduce innovative new
tools and technologies where the purchaser can be quite confident that
they will almost certainly have done a good job.
Festool is an obvious one in this category who over the last few years
introduced a stepping motor based drill (C12), a new form of joining
machine (Domino) and an innovative SCMS design (Kapex)



Based on those factors, I'd say the 100 quid Sparky impact driver just
about makes it to the pro side.

Not in my view. This company has no market position in the UK and is
sold as the entry level in its categories.



Ryobi OTOH is one of the few companies (possibly the only?) that
chooses to blur the diy/pro distinction

That's because it's one of a range of brands produced by the large
Chinese conglomerate, Techtronics Industries. They have a very cheap
brand, Power Devil, two mid range, AEG and Ryobi, and a higher end,
Milwaukee. The Milwaukee products mainly sold in the U.S. and were
positioned and deserved the accolade of chunky and heavy duty tools for
contractors. In particular, their worm drive circular saws and
substantial drills were legendary. Following acquisition of the brand
of TTI, they are a shadow of their former self.






I'd also say - generally - that 100 quid is about the absolute max
price that the diy will stand.

I disagree. This is making the correlation between DIY use and price
which simply doesn't hold water.



There are sub 100 quid pro tools - but I tend to notice that when
these are sold through diy outlets the retailers choose a price point
with a significant gap from their other products - unlike their usual
custom of a continuous spectrum in 5 and 10 pound increments.

Which illustrates the point of products with gimmicks at price points.