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Fluke tools
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Fungus:
Not exactly test gear, but...

Was looking at the Fluke web site and saw this:

https://www.fluke.com/en-us/product/electrical-testing/insulated-tools/insulated-pliers-set

I wonder what they're made of to cost that much money?  :o

(And how often should you need your pliers to protect your from "arcing"?)
Fraser:
I suspect that such tools are expensive due to the guarantee of quality and protection offered. It is safety equipment that must meet its claimed specification or a person could suffer significant harm or even death. You are paying for that assurance process. If I were working in a role that required such tool specifications, I would make darn sure my employer bought quality, approved, tools from a reputable source and not just some unknown OEM who only knows which approval symbols etc to print on the handles and packaging. There will be tools that meet the required specifications but, without the Quality Assurance oversight, are not guaranteed to meet the standard in all produced product. It is similar to electronics and hardware used for medical applications, especially those that could cause an unhappy event if they fail. That is why batteries tested and approved orr critical systems in the medical world cost more than a battery that may be equally well built, but that has not gone through the manufacturing quality assurance required fro a medical grade battery.

Then there is the brand name markup !  ;)

I needed a safety helmet for working in proximity to potential arc events that are not full-on high energy arc flash incidents (thank goodness). I bought a safety helmet that cost £70 and incorporates a ballistic rated visor. I could have gone for a £9 standard safety helmet plus some £5 safety glasses, but I did not fancy taking the risk on what I get paid ! I also bought a £170 Hi-Viz coat that is fire resistant rather than the cheap £30 non fire rated types available from trade shops. Personal safety equipment can cost more for quality products, but it is worth it if the risk of injury exists.

Fraser
luma:
I'm no stranger to hand tools with silly price tags but Fluke has got to be taking the piss with this set.  To compare, here's a comparable set from Knipex for $109 and a Whia set for $78.  Both vendors are German manufactures of some very high-end hand tools and their price tags reflect the quality.  I'm to understand that Fluke has their tools made by Felo, so maybe save a couple dollars and get a set of insulated screwdrivers thrown into the deal.
nightfire:
It makes sense in some special kind of situations when it comes to big companies.

At my current employer I also have witnessed some situations like this, where we are suppliers and have done this also to sell third-party stuff (sometimes rebranded, and sometimes only repackaged/bundled) with our own stuff. We basically sell our own software (programmed in-house) and then have some safety testers (device testing) that we resell from a big brand, but with modified firmware. And then we have some small stuff like test leads, adapters like C13/C14->C19/C20 or to the butterfly/mickeymouse connector for notebook psu- this stuff is bought from a reputable company, and we offer it to the buyer with a "moderate" increase in price (usually 100%) to cover our handling costs.

Some companies are quite happy that they can also source those small parts with/through us, because it is in the long run easier and cheaper for them:
- in big companies you have every supplier registered with central purchasing (and they do not like to go through the whole process for a single small order)
- they only have to do one order instead of two, saving the amount of ordering, check incoming goods, checking the invoice and paying it (in big companies easily one or more hour in total throughout several departments)
- a single source to complain to when something does not work
- a single source to obtain paperwork like CE documents from, because we as the supplier are responsible to make sure we can provide them on demand
- when it comes to specialized stuff like adapters (for appliance testing purposes (in germany DGUV V3 or VDE 0701-0702), looking for the original supplier of some small stuff where a company only will need two or three pieces of maybe 20 € each it does not matter if this stuff costs 20 or 35 €€€, when the amount of work to look for the original manufacturer AND then getting procurement to list a new supplier etc. will take several hours of labor

I agree with the quality of Knipex and Wiha, they make very good tools- with pliers i like the Knipex a bit better in direct comparison. (Have them both at home and at work)
bdunham7:

--- Quote from: Fungus on February 13, 2022, 06:40:09 pm ---I wonder what they're made of to cost that much money?  :o

(And how often should you need your pliers to protect your from "arcing"?)

--- End quote ---

There's probably some profit in there, but high quality hand tools aren't cheap.  For example, I have these wrenches, among others, and they're worth every penny.

https://shop.snapon.com/product/Standard-Handle%2C-15%C2%B0-Offset%2C-mm/6-pc-Metric-12-Point-Flank-Drive-High-Performance-15%C2%B0-Offset-Box-Wrench-Set-(8%E2%80%9320-mm)/XDHM606

As for the use case for insulated pliers, they're just the ticket for stealing copper from live installations and solar arrays.  Safety first!
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