RicodJour wrote:

Thanks for playing "Guess the posters attitudes and experiences."
Unfortunately, you didn't win. Better luck next time.

I have used quality tools. In fact, I own TWO Stanley screwdrivers!
(I used to have three, but one grew legs. I suspect my worthless
brother-in-law was somehow involved since he has a screwdriver that
looks suspiciously like the one I used to have.)

Chuckle, Chuckle. Have you used any other MF tool besides the HF?
Other blades?

No to the "other MF" question. I HAVE used other tools (undercut saw, angle
grinders, rotary drills, etc., to do the things that the maligned HF MF tool
does easily) and I HAVE used Dremel blades in my HF tool. As an aside, I saw
a Dremel-brand MF tool at Home Depot last night for a mere $199.99. 'Course
it was probably for a "kit" containing stuff you'd never use like a blade
for shaving Yaks in advance of branding ...



You are correct about varying quality in steel. The usual trade-off
is hardness vs. brittlness. Harder steel lasts longer but is prone to
shattering - more malleable steel won't break, but won't hold an
edge. Think carving knive vs butter knife.

Think metallurgists who actually know what they're doing, and a
company that isn't trying to cut every conceivable corner in costs.

Could be. At a nominal cost of 65¢ per pound for plain steel vs. $1.00 per
pound for high-tensile strengh steel, the savings on millions of one-ounce
blades could add up.




In your experience of using up a $25 dollar blade vs five or six
$2.00 blades (HF 3 for $6), I'm sure there's an economic lesson
there we should all consider.

Yes indeedy. The lesson is I'm not going to take the time dicking
around with a slower cutting blade and having to change it every three
minutes.

The $25 blade is not dead, it's been sacrificed - think of it as
maimed. I still use it where I might run into nails and for cutting
into drywall and stuff. I'm just as concerned with making my dollar
go as far as possible as you are. I just don't think my time has no
value.


Agreed. It's the difference between doing hobby work around the house and
getting paid for it on a job site. In a golf tournament, 10-under par wins
the pot, but playing for fun, at 40-over par, means you get extra time on
the course and get to hit the ball a lot more. Same with league bowling. In
a perfect game, you only get to chunk the ball twelve times, whereas I, when
bowling for fun, get at least twenty throws! My method usually means more
beer, too.