Chinese plan for failure?

[mklotz]

I don't want to abuse my good metalworking drills by using them on jobs around the house so I keep cheapies in my "house tool" bags. These well-abused drills kept falling out of their plastic holders and sifting to the bottom of the bag which made finding the desired size a pain.

So, when I saw a DeWalt 18 piece set with a really secure container on sale for a good price I bought it. Good American name although, of course, made in China, it has the 1/2" drill with a 3/8" turned-down section so can be used in 3/8" electric drill.

It wasn't until I looked closely that I noticed it had space for two 3/16" drills! I presumed it was a labeling error but, upon measurement, there really were two 3/16" drills in those slots.

Recently, Lowe's had another sale and I bought a 21 piece set in a nearly identical container. Even more surprising, this one has two 1/8" and two 1/4" ! And yes, I checked the sizes; they really are duplicates, not mis-labeling.

None of this bothers me. I was most interested in the secure cases plus having some sharp drills. I have plenty of drills to cover whatever sizes are missing and I'll probably never need those sizes around the house.

What puzzles me is why they are doing this. Does DeWalt and/or their Chinese partners think that these more common sizes will be used more and thus dull/break enough that backups are in order? Is it a clever way to save a few pennies by advertising a 21 piece set that, in reality, only contains 19 distinct sizes?

Whatever the reason, check the actual sizes included when buying cheap drill sets.

[mklotz]

On closer examination...

The second set has doubles of 1/16, 5/64, 1/8, 3/16 and 1/4 So that's a 21 piece "set" with 16 unique sizes.

The first set has doubles of 1/16 5/64 and 1/8 as well as the 3/16. An 18 piece set with 14 unique sizes.

And neither one has a 7/16".

Ah, well, I never was a DeWalt fan.

[PJs]

Thanks for the Tip Marv, good to know. I agree that its a bit of a rip off and a mystery. Likely you are right though about jobsite needs for pilot holes and would guess those would fit the common screws and get lost or broken more frequently.

~PJ

[mklotz]

Interestingly, the lengths of the doubles are cleverly adjusted so as to create the impression of a properly graduated set. It's meant to deceive.

[PJs]

With that being the case then definitely made to deceive! Shame on them in my book and glad you alerted us to that...Thanks!

It's also interesting that I also never had much that much hurrah about DeWalt until I used my sons portable 10" contractor table saw. For being mostly plastic I was surprised how rigid and stable it and the fence were, but the power of the motor and quality of cuts are what really impressed me. From ripping plywood to poplar molding it had very minor break out and a nice finish with a 60t blade.

I will be very discerning about their tools from now on! ~PJ

[Jon]

Their position would be defensible if they weren't altering the product display to give the impression of different pieces!

Although I don't see them on these, all of the similar "Made in the USA" marketing tricks are interesting too. "Made" (but not manufactured) in the USA, or "Designed and Engineered with Pride" (but not manufactured) in the USA, or even adorning products or marketing material with American flag graphics and the word "America".

There's nothing inherently wrong with purchasing products not manufactured in your country (I'm typing on one right now!), but it makes you wonder if all of the non-US manufactured products would be as successful in the American marketplace if they weren't allowed as much leeway to spin their manufacturing location.

[mklotz]

If, as I do, you consider intentional deception to be lying, then virtually all advertising is a lie.

Up to 40% OFF is one of my favorites, with the discount applied to the single item in the inventory that isn't moving.

[PJs]

and not to be used in conjunction with any other sale or item discount. I'm with you Marv...It's Lying and it even creates the gray area so we think it's OK. Marketing rips our knickers while we aren't looking, complacency price guaranteed...value not so much.

Honestly I don't care where its made as long as it fits my need and lasts according to quality and price. Design, Quality, Function, longevity. It doesn't mean I'm going to pay $300 for a Perfect set of screw drivers that will last a life time, nor $30 for a set because someone winked and said these will last a lifetime and oh here is a 40% discount if you buy them today.

[C-Bag]

I hate rip offs as much if not more than the next guy, but when I was fabbing machinery I always had extra 1/8" and 1/4" bits rolling around in the bottom of my Huot index as I drilled hundreds of pilot holes a day sometimes. So I think it's useful/thoughtful but that's just me.

I'm also NOT a Dewalt fan. The most worthless thing they ever gave me at work was a Dewalt 4 1/2" grinder. Same with the 3/8 drill motor. We had stacks of dead ones in the tool room. Basically the same bad design as Skill and others with the soft plastic housings with the stupid paddle grip switch. Why would you make a switch that would easily start the grinder back up when you put it on a bench or floor if you happened to put it on top of something? ok, don't get me started.....rant off......

[mklotz]

As I've stated several times, my objection is not to the extra bits.(although I already have plenty of those); it's to the deceptive advertising they use in selling their product.

Label it "JOBBER'S DRILL SET INCLUDING DUPLICATES OF OFTEN USED SIZES" and I'll go away happy. Calling it simply a "set" when the average person's perception of a set does not include duplicates is deceptive advertising, or, as I like to term it, a damn lie.