Cheap plugs with plastic pins on work tools

Discussion in 'Tool Talk' started by sospan, Sep 23, 2018.

  1. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    I can understand why manufacturers fit cheap three pin plugs with plastic pins on home appliances to keep the costs down. But why do the same with some of my high end tools from Bosch and Festool?
    They have the same plastic earth pins with live and neutral having metal tips on plastic stems.

    When you're spending close to a thousand pounds on a tool, having a key operational and safety component made so cheaply is rely frustrating. Today the pin on my Festool battery charger snapped so it was a rummage around to find a spare.

    upload_2018-9-23_23-17-21.png
     
  2. HarDeBloodyHarHar

    HarDeBloodyHarHar Active Member

    Superglue it back on!
     
  3. rogerk101

    rogerk101 Screwfix Select

    Snip it off and install a good quality one ... job done for the rest of the tool's life.
    Agree though that it's pretty petty of them pennypinching like that.
     
  4. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    That's what wasted an hour this morning, half a dozen tools and chargers with bent and snapped pins had their plugs changed. The annoying thing is that even at SF prices its only £1.65 for a "tough plug" so as you say why "penny pinch" when you are spending nearly a £1,000 on a power tool
     
  5. rogerk101

    rogerk101 Screwfix Select

    When it's just a plug and the carppy plastic earth pin snaps off, that's bad ... but far worse is when the plug itself contains some fancy electronics, like the ones for my rechargeable LED site floodlamps. I've now tried dozens of different ways of reinstating their pins, all of which fail. Next step is to build the electronics into a little black box and just put a regular UK plug on a flex that feeds into the little black box.
     
  6. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    Never come across those type of plugs before - some sort of H&S thing to stop tampering ?

    Festool just emailed me to say they are sending a new cable FOC which would normally be £22
     
  7. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    Most of my 240v tools, I've snipped off the 3 pin plug & fitted the blue 16A industrial plugs, a lot more rugged.
    And I have a couple of GEWISS 3 Way Multiple Socket Out (Splitter), 2P+E, 16A,/32A 230V,cheap off Ebay.
     
  8. chippie244

    chippie244 Super Member

    I've had to change the plug on all my Festool gear at some point.
     
  9. AlvyChippy

    AlvyChippy Active Member

    230v is DIY range, just saying :p
     
  10. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    Yep, get most of my Festool stuff in Lidl's
     
    KIAB likes this.
  11. AlvyChippy

    AlvyChippy Active Member

    Didn't know Festool was made in China :D
     
  12. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    Some of it has been in the past, do not know if any things still are made there.
     
  13. AlvyChippy

    AlvyChippy Active Member

    Wha? Batteries... Never mind
    That's serious shocker! I though of making a joke...:eek:
     
  14. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    Its like my Bosch appliances - made in Turkey, a country not renowned for its quality but apparently in the top 10 manufacturing countries in the world.

    Not sure where the power tools are made
     
  15. AlvyChippy

    AlvyChippy Active Member

    LIDLs, from now on...(for tools)

    Appliances- I used to pay attention to make in the past, not anymore.

    Really activated my almonds, me still somewhat being a "label slave" :(
     
  16. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    I was thinking earlier if Aldi/Lidl made an own brand "Domino" machine, what that would do to the industries perception ?
     
  17. longboat

    longboat Screwfix Select

    Did it 'just' snap during normal use or did you stand on it?
    Drop something heavy on it?
    I've been using power tools/appliances, etc with plugs like that for many years and never had a problem.

    You ham fisted @$#, you.:p
     
  18. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    Mixture of everything :)
    mystified by the Festool 18v plug failing as all the charges are together on the bench and they aren't taken out. It has a nice new "tough plug"
     
  19. longboat

    longboat Screwfix Select

    All the other plugs are now pooing themselves.
    Festool; "I'm the daddy now, you plugs".
     
  20. chippie244

    chippie244 Super Member

    "Where's your tool?"
    "What tool?"
    "This Festool!"
     
    longboat likes this.

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