Quality

[Greybeard]

Soon after we were married, in about 1972 we bought a Kenwood Chef food mixer. Our thinking was that we'd buy quality houshold items because they'd work out cheaper in the long run. After lending our mixer to daughter-in-law it recently stopped working and got put out to be recycled. I brought it home thinking I may be able to get it going again. I stripped it down completely and was amazed at the quality of these things. The gearbox grease had seperated a bit so I mixed it with the grease around the gears. No obvious wear in the gears or bearings. The whole thing was designed to be easily maintained. The problem was the supply cable was broken where the hinge is. I was quite surprised to find a toothed belt between the motor and gearbox; I thought those were a more modern idea! Anyway, all I need to do now is find out what happened to the tools! I guess Ebay should have some if ours have been lost.

[Slippery Sam]

Some things are definately built to last.
Not had much experience with Kenwood mixers - but literally this week I had my old dad (76) in my garage giving a hand (LOL).  He was rumaging about in my toolbox for something and picked up a pair of grips.  He asked if I knew where they'd come from - I replied, I think I brought them from the old house (when I moved out of Mum and Dad's in 1986) - so they must be old.  He informed me they were older than that - they were in fact his Dad's (my grandad) and he'd given them to my dad when he started his apprenticeship.  All in they must be 70+ years old.  They still work perfectly too!  I know in the context of this forum - that's new when compared to some of the bikes (and I'm sure other tools) - but I can't see my Draper screwdriver making it another 60 years!

Let us know what you make in the mixer once you get your hands on the bits you need - LOL

Cheers Raymond.

[muskrat]

G'day all.
I still have and use a lot of my grandad's woodworking tools, he was a pattern maker. The tool box (4'x2'x2') was made as a 1st year apprentice in 1917! The bench grinder I bought him for Xmas in 1971 is still in daily use.
I also have most of my spanners bought when I was an apprentice in 1977.
Cheers

[beezermacc]

One of the best presents I've ever had was my electric arc welder for my 21st birthday (41 years ago... eeek!). The switch broke about fifteen years ago and I was quite upset until I realised the switch was an unnecessary bit of sophistication - I just shorted it through and I switch on at the mains socket now. I've used it to build at least four trailers and various bits of workshop equipment including the press I use for squeezing new bushes in A10 swinging arms and the press I use for dynamo field coil screws. It's not Chinese or Indian......... or British!  It's Italian!

[jachenbach]

I'm still using the electric Craftsman 8" (7"?) grinder/polisher that I bought in 1976. Seems like a long time for an electric tool. Still have my first set of combo wrenches (except for the 13mm that I threw at a tailgater's windshield, but that's another story........)

[nimrod650]

i bought a 4ins red wolf grinder over 30yrs ago still in use

[muskrat]

My axe is 40 years old, still like new. It's had 6 handles and 3 heads in that time but still works like the day I bought it.
Cheers

[ellis]

Dansett 240v 12v-6v 4amp battery charger bought in 1963 and still going strong. Only paid £2-7- 6p new. Don't know what that equates to in todays money, but its given great service over the years. 

[Topdad]

Musky, you must have watched " only fools and Horses " regarding a brush ?????????????

[BrianS]

I recently watched an episode of "James May: The Reassember" where he built a Kenwood mixer up from its components - strangely riveting - see http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b087kbc8/ad/james-may-the-reassembler-series-2-2-food-mixer

Might give you some tips Greybeard 

Brian

[bsa-bill]

I recently watched an episode of "James May: The Reassember"

I saw the other one, the Hornby 00 loco, I was a Triang devotee so found the history of it very interesting, also started to watch the food mixer but sleep won that battle

[RichardL]

I recently watched an episode of "James May: The Reassember" where he built a Kenwood mixer up from its components - strangely riveting - see http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b087kbc8/ad/james-may-the-reassembler-series-2-2-food-mixer

Might give you some tips Greybeard 

Brian

This would be the link if you want to watch outside the UK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnYPOkzy-oI

Richard L.

[nimrod650]

Dansett 240v 12v-6v 4amp battery charger bought in 1963 and still going strong. Only paid £2-7- 6p new. Don't know what that equates to in todays money, but its given great service over the years. 

£47-77p

[RichardL]

Just the name of this topic, "Quality", is so ambiguous as to be the core theme of the well-known book, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". In the case of the author, Robert Pirsig, the quandary of "what is quality" led him into shock therapy. I would prefer to be shocked by a low-quality power tool than to be intentionally shocked because I couldn't decide what constitutes quality.

Richard L. 

[Greybeard]

That's a rather Zen post Richard!