Replies

1. 
   RickW | Aug 12, 2008 02:14am | #1

   Thanks for the tip!
   You can also buy bearings that are less expensive and better than the originals from places like Accurate Bearing.The typical OEM bearings are not very high quality.
   Rick W

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Aug 12, 2008 03:38am | #2

   Rick,

   I'd bet that by using someone elses better quality parts, you're still voiding the warranty.  Ironic, me thinks.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   kreuzie | Aug 13, 2008 04:21am | #3

   When it comes time to replace bearings, the tool most likely has outlived the warranty.

2. 
   Glaucon | Aug 13, 2008 05:30am | #4

   My father was a mechanical engineer. He once worked for a firm that provided different machined and non-machined parts to the auto industry- everything from intake manifolds and cams to cigarette lighters.

   One day he was called into the marketing VP's office. It seems that GM was going to drop their contract for supplying cigarette lighters to GM sedans. The reason: their stock price was $1.79 per piece; their was a supplier in China that was willing to supply the same item for $1.44.

   My father went back to his office, and spent several hours costing out production. He then called the marketing VP back and said that there was no way that they could match that price without losing money. GM canceled the contract and went offshore for the piece.

   Fast forward: two years later, GM was back and renewed the original contract for the lighter. It seems that there was a very high failure rate on the off-shore supplied item, leading to excessive warranty work, and a voluntary recall.

   The moral of the story (to me at least) is NOT that using a non-American supplier was necessarily bad- rather, when you decide to cost cut to the point that your quality is affected, you are hurting yourself and your future sales. No one buys a car for its cigarette lighter- but they might not buy another from you if there is high failure rate.

   No one buys a router based on its rocker switch. But if yours fails 2 weeks out of warranty and you have to spend $20 to replace it, you will probably think twice before you buy another from the same manufacturer.

   I think B&D/DeWalt/PC have made a decision to focus on the next quarter, and not the next year. I wouldn't buy form them any longer until there is a change in strategy.

   Glaucon

   If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...