Why does the Recon site always seem to have Planex's?

bwehman

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Does this imply that Planex's (Planexi?? lol) are always breaking, being repaired, and then offered up for refurb?
 
bwehman said:
Does this imply that Planex's (Planexi?? lol) are always breaking, being repaired, and then offered up for refurb?

No, I think that because the Planex really is a one trick pony, DIY'ers purchase them to complete a task and then return them for credit. It's not like the average DIY'er has thousands of square footage to continually upgrade. It's unfortunate but probably true.

The good thing is they probably don't have many hours on them as they were probably purchased to knock down some popcorn or finish off a small room. Any professional that purchases one of these holds onto it for the long term...money in the bank.
 
Just like seeing all the BIG screen TV's being returned a couple of days after a Super Bowl (American Football). We all pay for those people who are users.
 
Cheese said:
bwehman said:
Does this imply that Planex's (Planexi?? lol) are always breaking, being repaired, and then offered up for refurb?

No, I think that because the Planex really is a one trick pony, DIY'ers purchase them to complete a task and then return them for credit. It's not like the average DIY'er has thousands of square footage to continually upgrade. It's unfortunate but probably true.

The good thing is they probably don't have many hours on them as they were probably purchased to knock down some popcorn or finish off a small room. Any professional that purchases one of these holds onto it for the long term...money in the bank.
Yep. I would bet a LOT of these /in US/ live twice. First as DYI one-use. Then grabbed by a pro from the Recon sale. I guess for Festool it is still worth it. IMO it creates an awareness of the 30-day "try" offer in and on itself way better than any marketing campaign could. /Other/ people will then go and splurge on tools which they will not return eventually.

In Europe there are no such offers - no fixed dealer prices scheme, so no margins for thse types of services. And no need to "create awareness" to begin. Over here, wven the first-gen Planex-es are rarely seen on the used market. They are common as tool rentals though ...
 
Peter_C said:
Just like seeing all the BIG screen TV's being returned a couple of days after a Super Bowl (American Football). We all pay for those people who are users.

Wow - does that really happen? How can people live with their conscience?
 
woodbutcherbower said:
Peter_C said:
Just like seeing all the BIG screen TV's being returned a couple of days after a Super Bowl (American Football). We all pay for those people who are users.

Wow - does that really happen? How can people live with their conscience?

Didn't you know Best Buy and Sam's Club are actually rental centers? Ones where you get all your money back!

Sad, but true.

 
woodbutcherbower said:
Wow - does that really happen? How can people live with their conscience?
Simple they don't have a conscience. Our society is changing and not for the better with demand for more entitlement. "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". Do you believe that still rings true today? Doesn't seem so with the current generations.

jeffinsgf said:
Didn't you know Best Buy and Sam's Club are actually rental centers? Ones where you get all your money back!

Sad, but true.
You left out Costco, and they are loan centers as in the end the use is free. Home Depot offers free tool rental too, as you have 90 days to use them before returning them. I have returned more than a few tools myself...because they broke or where crap to begin with, not because my job was completed.

The good thing is all these "used" items are typically in excellent working condition and those who are willing to buy such items get a better deal. I bought a used Planex on Festool's Black Friday sale a few years ago for a great deal, but still all our tools would cost less if people wouldn't abuse the return policies offered by retailers.
 
Buying a big TV, setting it up, repacking it and returning it (after the playoff season) -- plus wasting time at a long line-up for customer service --  is TOO much work for me!!!!
 
I have a manual sanding block with a handle that hooks up to the vacuum.  The fact of the matter is that drywall compound sands so  easily that a power sander seemed unnecessary and the weight of the sander would seem unwelcome. 

Perhaps the Planex is simply not a very good idea.  Or maybe the motor should be separate from the sander to distribute the weight better. 
 
Packard said:
I have a manual sanding block with a handle that hooks up to the vacuum.  The fact of the matter is that drywall compound sands so  easily that a power sander seemed unnecessary and the weight of the sander would seem unwelcome. 

Perhaps the Planex is simply not a very good idea.  Or maybe the motor should be separate from the sander to distribute the weight better.

It's the overhead sanding on ceilings that makes Planex a real win.
 
Dunno about in the US but over here there's often Hilti drylining tools for sale with very low usage.
Seems to be a bit of boom and bust with drywall jobs and when it gets quiet they sell off their collated feed screwguns.

I'm not even close to  thinking that "The Youth Of Today Have No Concience" and if anything I think they care more than the kids when I was young, more environmentally aware as well.
 
I'm pretty sure it must be the same in NA and the rest of Europe - but here in the UK, most every Home Depot-type retailer carries their own-brand range of low-cost power tools for the occasional user or hobbyist. It's reached the stage where even supermarket food stores such as ALDI sell power tools.

These things all have 4 things in common - 1) They're Chinese and very cheaply made, 2) They're mostly (but not universally) unreliable, 3) They all come with either a 2 or 3-year warranty, and 4) There are no parts available anywhere for them - like zero aftermarket support.

They're the very definition of 'disposable'. Because of points 1, 2 and 3 above - a certain percentage get returned under warranty, either because they've fallen apart, or because of the type of dishonest actions described by contributors above. I'm guessing that this is a large number of tools overall, because these things sell in their thousands to Joe Public. They get returned to the sellers, who know they're unrepairable (point 4). I don't know for sure - but my guess is that thousands of these things then get put into a shipping container, taken somewhere out of sight, and dumped on the already-enormous pile of broken plastic and metal. That's not doing the planet any favours, is it?

I'm glad to own equipment which is high-quality and doesn't break very often - but which can be fixed if it does break.
 
When I am trying to learn a new craft or technique I always make it my policy to buy the best tool I can afford.  Otherwise when things do not go well, I don't know if it is my skills that are at fault or the tools inadequacy. 

If I am using substandard tools, I could be beating myself up trying to get the job done.

I had two tiling jobs to do (two bathrooms).  After that, I will likely never do another.  I bought a excellent quality scoring cutter and a cheap tile saw.  The scoring cutter is great. 

The tile saw--terrible.  If I relied on that, it would have taken three times as long, been way messier and I would have ruined at least half of the tiles I had to cut. 

But if you already have the skills, you can choose to use inexpensive tools where acceptable. 

The alternative is to rent, but all the tools I have rented have been beat up and don't work as designed. 
 
woodbutcherbower said:
Peter_C said:
Just like seeing all the BIG screen TV's being returned a couple of days after a Super Bowl (American Football). We all pay for those people who are users.

Wow - does that really happen? How can people live with their conscience?

Returned clothing is something like 50%...

But I guess that is one of the things you get when clothing sizes aren't fully metric  [tongue]
 
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