- Thread starter shiftyseamus
- Start date
HughF
Member
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- 6,490
- Location
- Work: Dorchester, Workshop: Corfe Castle, Wife's place: Frome
HasBean,
I spend my days working with nicely UK made surface mount boards and associated mechanical parts, and I agree with you...
But as I said, for the money, it aint all that bad. Soldering is not too bad, I aint had any trouble yet. Granted some of the mech assembly isn't up to western standards, but the wiring isn't too bad and it works well for the money.
I think the key with chinese goods is not have excessive expectations. I know that a chinese plasma won't be as nicely put together as a 2000 pound unit, but provided you don't have that expectation, then there isn't a problem.
I've got a Mao's electric plasma (you see that here), a 125A stick inverter (uses a similar Fairchild semi SMPSU controller ic and very similar internals) and I also have a chinese made 'portaband' saw from machine mart.
All three tools I treat with respect and care and they give me good service. If I find that I'm using a chinese tool so much that it breaks, then that is the time to replace it with a western brand. I have this same philosophy with hand tools, buy a cheap set of spanners, the ones that break, those are the ones you buy individually from the SnapOn man!
Hugh
I spend my days working with nicely UK made surface mount boards and associated mechanical parts, and I agree with you...
But as I said, for the money, it aint all that bad. Soldering is not too bad, I aint had any trouble yet. Granted some of the mech assembly isn't up to western standards, but the wiring isn't too bad and it works well for the money.
I think the key with chinese goods is not have excessive expectations. I know that a chinese plasma won't be as nicely put together as a 2000 pound unit, but provided you don't have that expectation, then there isn't a problem.
I've got a Mao's electric plasma (you see that here), a 125A stick inverter (uses a similar Fairchild semi SMPSU controller ic and very similar internals) and I also have a chinese made 'portaband' saw from machine mart.
All three tools I treat with respect and care and they give me good service. If I find that I'm using a chinese tool so much that it breaks, then that is the time to replace it with a western brand. I have this same philosophy with hand tools, buy a cheap set of spanners, the ones that break, those are the ones you buy individually from the SnapOn man!
Hugh
HasBean
Member
- Messages
- 467
Agree totaly!
If I had the money and the justification my garage would be full of top quality tools, but I don't, so it's a case of make do and replace the most used with good quality kit while the 9/16" BSW socket that last got used in 1997 will have to bide it's time!
malcolm
& Clementine the Cat
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- 9,814
- Location
- Bedford UK
Disagree totally. It's so nice to have a decent set of spanners.
Pleasant to hold, fit the nut nicely, and little risk of breaking suddenly and damaging your knuckles. And good ones aren't expensive. With Plasma cutters - If I were buying one for infrequent use I'd probably make a trade off between price and quality. Haven't heard many complaints about those little Chinese ones actually breaking.
peterd51
happy to be here!
- Messages
- 1,593
Hi,
that's probaby because they're fairly new and being bought for light, home use.
I've probably not used mine for more than an hour in the month that I've had it.
For instance, I had a job getting a metal pipe off the manifold on a Peugeot diesel engine the other day...wanted to cut the pipe off nothing would fit in, five seconds with the plasma sorted it. Without the cutter I'd still have a blowing exhaust manifold!
Give it a year and we'll see how many reports we get of the same or similar failures on these units.
Regards
Peter
that's probaby because they're fairly new and being bought for light, home use.
I've probably not used mine for more than an hour in the month that I've had it.
For instance, I had a job getting a metal pipe off the manifold on a Peugeot diesel engine the other day...wanted to cut the pipe off nothing would fit in, five seconds with the plasma sorted it. Without the cutter I'd still have a blowing exhaust manifold!
Give it a year and we'll see how many reports we get of the same or similar failures on these units.
Regards
Peter
rusty69bus
moving to the goldcoast
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- 2,704
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- limbo
at the price can't blame people for buying them (only if they moan about it after)
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- 6,344
Oi Malc, your leeding them down that cul de sac again, one more turn and the thread will plunge into the pit of doom again
