What else do you buy?

[tvgordon]

Since the intro of the new tools and the price increases, there have been many discussions here about why Festools continue to be worth the extra cost.  This includes quality, how the tools work together, warranty and service as well as simply owning a tool that many haven't heard of and may not be able or willing to spend 2 to 3x what other tools cost.

My question is - what else do you buy that costs more than most of that products competition?  And why - higher quality, owning something most can't afford, etc.?

The only other products I bought (that I can think of) is cookware.  My wife and I have many pieces of All-Clad and Caphalon cookware that costs many times the brands found at department stores (we bought them before you could find them at most departments stores).  We bought them because they are higher quality than the other brands we looked at.

Tom.

 

[mastercabman]

Since the intro of the new tools and the price increases, there have been many discussions here about why Festools continue to be worth the extra cost.  This includes quality, how the tools work together, warranty and service as well as simply owning a tool that many haven't heard of and may not be able or willing to spend 2 to 3x what other tools cost.

My question is - what else do you buy that costs more than most of that products competition?  And why - higher quality, owning something most can't afford, etc.?

The only other products I bought (that I can think of) is cookware.  My wife and I have many pieces of All-Clad and Caphalon cookware that costs many times the brands found at department stores (we bought them before you could find them at most departments stores).  We bought them because they are higher quality than the other brands we looked at.

Tom.

coffee!!!! i go to starbuck every morning!!!!!

 

[Ned]

IBM, now Lenovo, ThinkPad laptops.  Come to think of it, for the same reason I like Festools--they exude quality, thoughtful design in details, dependability.

And yes, I've been looking at Mac laptops for the last fifteen years, and they've been tempting.  The new Mac Air is really tempting.  Macs, though, seem more like Bang and Olufsen than Festool.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

I think the price/value curve is even steeper for hand tools.  I can buy a Lie-Nielsen plane that will work well out of the box and work spectacularly with a little honing.  I know you can take an old Stanley and tune it so it is competitive with the LN, but we are talking hours of work.  In my experience, the new high quality planes stay tuned longer, too and need less ongoing maintenance.  Additionally (unlike Festool - sorry) the LN tools are a joy to look at.  Like Festool, I know that if I no longer need this tool, I can sell it for pretty much what I paid for it.

I still have an open mind on buying Festools.  There are some which are clearly worth the high price - in my case the saw, the 150/3, the CT and the domino.  I'll have to look long and hard to see a similar premium on the three new tools.

 

[poto]

Ferraris?

 

[Eli]

The new Mac Air is really tempting.  Macs, though, seem more like Bang and Olufsen than Festool.

Our two G4 powerbooks have had plenty of bangs in the last year of moving around from place to place. I'm amazed every time they get knocked on the floor and still work. Really tougher than I ever expected. The Air is solid state! No drives to break.

 

[Eli]

Ferraris?

How many do you have now?

 

[Ned]

The [Mac] Air is solid state! No drives to break.

For 1800 USD, you get an Air with an 80MB hard drive.
For 3100 USD, you get an Air with a 64MB solid-state drive.

 

[robtonya]

Ned, I can't believe you have been looking for fifteen years, and haven't got one yet. That is like being engaged for fifteen years, you start to think it might not happen.

 

[bruegf]

I made the mistake of paying the premium price of an Apple product once.  Bought the 40G IPOD photo not long after it came out.  What a mistake!!  It died about 2 years later, was quirky the whole time it did work.  Wasn't worth a damn for photos.  To add insult to injury they dropped the price by $100 not longer after I bought it and then discontinued it not all that much later.

On the plus side, the case still looks like a premium piece of gear even though it's now a worthless piece of overpriced junk. 

Fred

 

[Qwas]

IBM, now Lenovo, ThinkPad laptops.  Come to think of it, for the same reason I like Festools--they exude quality, thoughtful design in details, dependability.

And yes, I've been looking at Mac laptops for the last fifteen years, and they've been tempting.  The new Mac Air is really tempting.  Macs, though, seem more like Bang and Olufsen than Festool.

This is a poor Apple computer. It is not powerful, limited connections, limited capabilities. It was designed for someone writing on an airplane and not much else. Read the specs carefully or you will be disappointed.

Other than that, I've been using Macs since 1984 and love them. I had a Compaq PC in 1998 for 4 years before it caught fire (literally) and would never go back to PCs. I just got a new 24 inch IMac this year. My last Mac was bought in 2000 and is networked with this Imac but acts as my back up computer.

 

[Ned]

[The Mac Air] is a poor Apple computer. It is not powerful, limited connections, limited capabilities. It was designed for someone writing on an airplane and not much else. Read the specs carefully or you will be disappointed.

I'm kind of sorry I brought up computers, although it was a legitimate response to the question.  At least we haven't fallen into the Mac/Windows discussions...yet.

Rob, One of the reasons I haven't bought a portable Mac yet is that the Thinkpads just keep working.  My current one is my third.  It's been upgraded from 98 to XP, but that's the end of the road for Musette.

I have owned at least 5 Macs, but that ended at the Mac IIci.  The PCs looked like a better horse to ride, financially speaking.  They were ugly, uncomfortable brutes then, but they kept food on the table.

Now to Steve's comment:  Yup, the Air's kind of specialized, but I'm not looking to replace a desktop PC with it.  In fact, it would replace a Palm Tungsten T5 as my constant companion.  Viewed from that angle, the Air is powerful, versatile,...and bulky. 

Ned

 

[sw1211]

Top shelf booze and good wine along with cooking "stuff" from grilling to indoor cooking.  Tools continue to be the main area of finance drain.

 

[Fred West]

Gotta go with Starbucks and knives.  ;D However, much more spent on Festools.  8) Fred

 

[Woodenfish]

My question is - what else do you buy that costs more than most of that products competition?  And why - higher quality, owning something most can't afford, etc.

Tom.

Tom, for me it has to be water. That's right, plain ol' tap water!

My local municipality (popular voter opinion by the few who actually chose to vote for this stupid referendum) signed a contract with the Devil to supply Lake Michigan water to our village at 2-3 times the cost than that of  the town right next door. The Devil's name is Illinois American Water Company. The irony is that American Water is an integrated part of RWE AG, a utility company in Essen, Germany. My monthly water bill is so freakin high they ought to mail it to me in a systainer!

 

[semenza]

Hi,

        Well I do most of the cooking in our house. And a kitchen is a lot like a shop when it comes right down to it. So Calphalon Commercial Non stick, and good Chicago Cutlery  knives are the primary tools. 

          About 20 or so years ago I was into high end stereo equipment (still have in use too)  Nakamichi, MacIntosh, Adcom, KEF, etc.

          Also my lawn mower- Grasshopper 725 G2 .

  Basically for the same reasons as Festool- quality, performance, function, longevity.

Seth

             

 

[dltflt]

It's cooking tools in our house, we got into Kuhn Rikon cookware a few years ago.  They also make pressure cookers, I think we have every size they make plus the cookware set.  This is very high quality stuff just like Festool.

The other money drain is my wife has gotten into scrapbooking heavily.  It is a never ending money pit.  I think she goes to scrapbook store 5 times a week.

Don

 

[poto]

Ferraris?

How many do you have now?

When I posted that, I was thinking of things that people (anyone) might buy that's expensive, but considered worth the expense - not things that I personally buy. Besides, I'd be too worried about dinging my Ferarri when a router bit breaks in my garage shop. Better off keeping the tools, and forgetting the Ferrari.

On the other hand, I am presently paying a large amount (read: all my money) to a contractor to re-do our kitchen and bathrooms. I know this guy's expensive, and I could probably have found someone to do the job for half the price. So why am I paying so much? 1) He doesn't advertise - strictly word-of-mouth referrals. 2) He has one crew who he employs full time, pays good wages, workman's comp, etc. 3) He does one job at a time, finishes it, and moves onto the next job - this translates into a month-long job, rather than a 6-month job. 4) Judging by our neighbors (from whom we got his name) we'll be having a lifetime relationship with him, and he really stands by his work. He was over at our neighbor's place last year, and noticed that a cabinet door was warping. Without being asked, he took all the cabinet doors and fixed them - free!

That's worth paying extra $$ for!

 

[robtonya]

poto, that is worth the expense. I am always worried if I hire someone, that they might really screw it up. I can't seem to find a decent contractor.

 

[tvgordon]

Don,
I didn't know Kuhn Rikon made cookware.  We have a few of their small kitchen tools - good stuff.

Woodenfish,
Water? Really?

Seth,
I remember when Nakamichi equipment was about the best.  Is it still made today?

Fred,
You collect knives or are you talking about good kitchen knives?

Tom.