There is no "best tool" for the job. Used to be that you've had one tool for the job 50 years ago, now you have 50 tools for the same job. And 500 more, And 5000 coming...
I tend to look for yesteryear's best tools, not today's. Proven track record, initial flaws have been documented or corrected, and usually only half the price of this year's new thing.
Because if you're not into tools, having one tool that works okay for everything is better than having several, each of which works very well for some specific thing.
Sorry for disagreeing, but you clearly talk this from a privileged point of view.
For some people, buying the best tools is out of question; if they need to choose between feed the family or buy the latest Apple M2 processor, they're choosing to feed the family. For some, the allegedly saved lifetime does not pay the bills.
Of course, you said "buy the best tools you can". It is not wrong, because for some folks the best tool they can buy is none.
I am also brazilian, and we are living a hell of time. Economy is ruined, inflation is getting high, food cost is sky rocketting, and a lot of people are starving (for real). Getting the best tools is clearly way down in the list of priorities in this country.
Remember not everybody have the same conditions than yourself.
If you are a trade professional and regularly have tools crap out on you, that's one thing. But my tools are more likely to need replacing purely out of obsolescence than anything else. And having an overbuilt tool collecting dust is just as much a waste as throwing one away occasionally.
A few really good tools will last you a lifetime. Don't waste time, money or potentially your safety with inferior tools. And stay far, far away from dull tools, too.
What analogy are you going for? Screwdrivers? Hammers? Even those haven't stayed the same. While I still have the old reliable Craftsman flat blade, I also have a very nice Wera bit driver and a box full of Torx screws. Drills have gone from corded-only to brushless lithium.
You could tell me that I could stick to old tools but then I'm going to throw your drill chuck key into the lawn.
That underused professional tool is as much a waste as the underused cheap one, maybe more considering the upgrade in materials. And between cost and materials, it's obvious which is the most on the mind of the consumer. The aliexpress tool is already rusting sitting on the shelf and I don't care. If I had followed "the mantra" and spent hundreds I'd feel like a sucker each time I opened my tool box.
The thing about tools is that most people only need moderate to low quality--nobody outside of the trades or a mechanic needs durable tools. When I fix my cars, I often have to buy or fabricate some special tool. What do I care if it only lasts for one job? How many times am I going to do that same job in my lifetime? Once. So I don't get all worked up about "quality" tools. Bear in mind I do like decent tools, but there are almost none to be had these days anyways.
Absolutely over-the-top. They need 2 of any given tool. But over time they introduce new ones, and so it doesn't bother me that there are a dozen different drills over the years. What does bother me, as you've pointed out, is that they'll introduce 20 years worth of different tools _all at the same time._ Like, no, just pick the good one and the cheap one and scrap the rest, please.
I don't count that crap when I say broadest, though. I mean, there's a battery-powered pump which is great for draining or loading medium-sized vessels, where you don't want to suck-start a siphon or maybe gravity goes the wrong way. Milwaukee makes one too, but I don't think anyone else does -- there's a third-party one that takes Makita batteries and a different third-party one that takes DeWalt batteries, but that's it. Or there's a heatgun now, I think a few brands have those now too. There's hot-melt glue guns, only Ryobi has first-party, everyone else is using adapters and stuff.
That's what I mean when I say broadest, there's just a ridiculous variety of stuff on those batteries, like the overlap of all other brands combined, and a lot of it is really useful. I can't count how many times a corded hot-glue gun launched itself into my lap because I snagged the cord while moving around, and that simply can't happen with the cordless one.
"if you need a tool, buy the cheapest one you can find. If it’s inadequate, or breaks, or you use it a lot, then buy the best one you can afford"
I don't know how I feel about this... The unsaid thing here is that you will end up landfilling the broken or inadequate tool and buy twice what you need.
These days, if I'm going to put money into buying material goods, I feel they have to meet at least a minimal "this isn't going to end up in landfill after the first time I use it" bar.
A lot of cheap tools barely meet this level, sadly...
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