On Monday, September 21, 2015 at 9:36:34 AM UTC-5, Jack wrote:

Very true. That's why I took the time to ask around last time we had
this discussion. Also, I noted that Nailshooter also never saw anyone
other than you and Swing use them. This certainly does not mean no one
uses them, but it means considerably more than squat.

If I were the only one using my tools and they didn't get pretty rough treatment sometimes I would consider Festool. 40 years ago, my fellow wood choppers were horrified that I spent $95 on a genuine Milwaukee "Hole Shooter", when a perfectly serviceable commercial grade Porter Cable (when they were worth having) drill could be had for $60. It runs to this day, and only missed a few days of work when I wore out the trigger. Before screw guns, before impact drivers, or anything else that drove screws as a dedicated tool, we had VSR drills to use, and that was mine.

I bought the very best I could at the time and it turned out to be a great choice. Repeat the same scenario with my first heavy duty circular. Getting away from those old Porter Cable saws of the day was a blessing in its self.

But in those days, I used the tools myself and carpenters were expected to buy their own tools. Now, carpenters/workers have a few tools, usually real crap, and they expect to use or at least borrow yours. I hate it, but it is the nature of the beast. Then of course, there are the guys that borrow and "didn't remember to bring it back". Another scenario is that like me, you leave tools behind to go check on other work as a supervisor, not working as a full time, dedicated site guy sent to do a specific job. Guys come and go when you aren't there, and so do your tools.

Lsst, the thing that bothers me the most is the guys don't take care of the tools. No just mine, some of them not even their own. So it doesn't make sense
to use tools that will be stolen, abused or misplaced. The guys that are out on the job today were raised in a disposable society, and they think of tools as just that. I haven't worked with carpenters in years that can sharpen a chisel on site, regrind the head of a Phillips screwdriver or bit, know how to adjust a framing square to true, or have the "hand" to cut a scribed line with a circular saw that needs no trim to cover it. I am afraid those days are gone.



I believe you. I suspect, based on what I've seen, and what Nailshooter
has seen, and on my small survey, that the sitings are underwhelming.

Yep. And based on what I posted above, you can see why. If I had a Festool drill that cost $500 and left it on site while I went to another job, and the guy I left it with found it gone when he got back from taking a whiz, I would be undone. Same if I heard the "it was an accident" story when it was knocked off the scaffold. Accidents always happen, but I have noticed they seem to happen a lot more with my tools than they do with theirs.

Robert