The price of tools then and now

[Von]

I have been thinking the same thing. Even the price of the imported tools have dropped. The imported cherry picker that I got 15 years ago can now be had for $100 less and the parts washer is also $50 less. I think it has to do with the move from made in Taiwan, to made in China. I also think the quality is better now in the imports, than it was 15 years ago as well. I got a 25" 1/2" breaker bar at Harbor Freight that got a stuck lug nut off of the Unimog with a 6' piece of pipe on the end. Where the Snap-on and SK bars just broke. Plus all the hand tools at Harbor Freight have that life time warranty, but I don't know if its the tools life, mine or Harbor Freight's! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Like others have said, when Harbor Freight has a sale its hard to past up! My wife hates that store because I always seem to spend $$$ there. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[JDgreen227]

During the years between age 16 when I first began working on my vehicles and the age of 51 when I retired as a carpenter, I collected tens of thousands of dollars worth of both mechanic's and carpenter's tools, with a good selection of bench woodworking power tools and air compressors and related items included.

What surprises me sometimes is my reluctance to go out and buy new tools like I used to, in the past I'd stop at Sears or one of the home center stores with $$ burning a hole in my pocket and find something I just HAD to have. But for some reason I stopped buying new tools about the end of 2002---
which is when I signed the purchase order for my John Deere.
Any tool (toy) money I have to spare now goes to an account to buy another attachment for my beloved JD.

Funny thing is, my wife doesn't seem to appreciate that I stopped spending all that money on tools. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Two things surprise me about tool prices, one is how cordless power tools have become so much more powerful while costing less, and secondly, how the so-called steel price increase has not really seemed to affect the cost of tools.
I have not noted any real price increase yet. Any comments?