Gardening tools using confusing branding

I’m surprised that you did not claim back the cost of returning the faulty spade. My understanding is that you were in your legal rights to do so. If you have the receipt, you should still be able to claim.

I purchased a “Qualcast” lawnmower from Homebase in April last year. I chose it because it had a reasonable sized motor, 33cm cut , a double control lever and was reasonably strong. However I can’t get a new blade for it. Qualcast disown it as it was made under licence and Homebase have no spares of any sort. I did source a blade from an independent supplier but it wasn’t the correct size. Apparently the model has changed since first introduced.

Homebase have offered to exchange it for me as a good will gesture (!) but can’t give any assurance that spares will be available for any other Qualcast mower I have in its place. Not a good situation at all.

Unless the blade has been seriously damaged, it should be easy to sharpen. If you do need a new blade a lawnmower engineer should be able to provide or modify a blade to fit. 33 cm Qualcast blades are available from online suppliers, so it might be worth doing a Google search.

This has been a problem for years and it is not helped by the fact that manufacturers frequently update their products. You obviously have rights under the Sale of Goods Act but lawnmower blades are probably excluded because they will regarded as items that may need to be replaced as a result of use. That is no help if replacements are not available.

Sorry, I meant the join between the head and the handle, of course. And I bought the rake from Tesco Direct for £11.97.

Jim

Even if Spear and Jackson are no longer selling high quality products, they should be reasonably durable and fit for their purpose. Your rights are against Argos, the retailer, and not the manufacturer.

Have a look at the current Conversation about the Sale of Goods Act. I suggest you print a copy of the information provided on the Which? website and show this to Argos. The fact that you have had the hedge trimmer replaced twice could be good evidence that the product is substandard. After this time the hedge trimmer might be obsolete and you could be offered either a different model, a partial refund to allow for use, or if you are lucky a full refund.

Spear and Jackson? no leave it. Badge engineering again.It would appear that Einhell are involved in some way in the marketing of as many as six different labelled trimmers. If like me you are capable of taking apart and finding the guilty fault,forget it if you want spares. I had an S&J 600w Hedge trimmer. After doing 6 hedge cuts it failed on big end pin &bearing inside of the gear assembly. [Not repairable]. They are inferior materials,ie. the steel is not properly hardened.
This is why Makita cost twice as much for the same size and power.You only get what you pay for.

I think the Brand at the top should be part of the product name.

In your example Atco should be called Bosch Atco, Allett Atco, GPP Atco.

You might like products made by Bosch but not GPP and using a brand name to pass off what might be cheaper products is deception.

Malcolms right Bosch whom I had in the past a high regard for has gone down the “globalisation ” road ,if you want to get the truth go to America they value their hard earned tax dollars and boy do they condemn Bosch products .I didnt realise they were “into ” so many kitchen products which according to many there do not come up to the standard of US built products at first glance you say –well they are manufactured in the US -WRONG ! they are assembled in the US from -thats right the four corners of the earth and Bosch power tools well apart from 2 made in Germany/ Switzerland all the rest are manufactured in =Malaysia/Mexico/Taiwan/and of coarse China . The only real deal ?? the good old Allet now owned by UK manufacturer =Turfmech Machinery -a good company it seems. Malcolm you are on the money with your suggestion to Which back it all the way.

I have been concerned about the variable quality of well known brands for years. Even within a product category, it’s not uncommon to find good and bad. For example Which? currently has a number of Samsung TVs listed as Best Buys, but there’s a couple of Don’t Buy TVs from the same manufacturer. There are plenty of other examples. In my view, it’s best to look at individual products and not just brands.

Malcolm mentions products sold under the John Lewis and Marks & Spencer names, but there are many household appliances and other electrical products may be sold as two or more well known brands with only cosmetic differences.

Whether goods sold under European or US brand names but manufactured in China etc. are good or poor will depend on quality control, and anyone who brands all products from China as rubbish might be well advised to check where their favourite products were made.

Nothing in my house is made in China. My top end hi-fi is manufactured by a well know English company who designed and built it -in house. My vacuum isnt Chinese nor is my old Philips flatscreen all my test equipment is either British built or American built -yes made/designed in the US . MY PC is British built with Japanese parts my bed is UK manufactured . MY light bulbs (edison screw ) are made in Europe my shoes uk made my clothes uk made my watch Japanese . My radio,s UK made my car UK made None of my hand tools are madec in China . I do not buy Chinese even when labeled otherwise to con the public . I have a masive amount of technical (electronic /mechanical etc ) books none are made in China . My electrical wiring is UK made as is my sockets as is my main supply box . All my garden tools are well know manufactured in UK /Europe components . MY car tires are European my cooker made in Poland can supply the district if required my paper shredder is 100 % US made/manufactured (very well known company -high quality ) Do I have anything made in China =yes 2 broken tin openers made to a very low standard of mechanical build quality and third grade steel.

Duncan – I used to buy goods made in Europe, preferably in the UK. Unfortunately companies have either disappeared or their goods are now made in China and other distant countries. It’s disappointing that former British brands are now used to encourage us to buy these goods. I am even more concerned that other countries now have so much control over our energy industry.

Anyone buying online may not have a clue of where products are made. I am concerned about the problem that is the focus of this Conversation, since choosing products is to some extent governed by our past experience of a brand.

I’d be grateful for your recommendation of a decent quality shredder. I have had two domestic ones fail in the past year and I doubt the third will survive long.

We have a Rexel V-15s that must be at least 10 years old now that was made in China.

Still going strong with regular use. Don’t know what the newer ones are like though.

Thanks Alfa. For many years I used to do my shredding at work in one of the large office shredders. The worked fine for years without oiling or other maintenance. If you look at users’ comments on the Which? website and elsewhere you will see that I’m not the only one struggling with domestic shredders.

I’ve a Rexel V35WS made in China (it was a Christmas present!). Capacity 5 sheets (not really, it struggles). Duty cycle 1 min on, 10 min off. It clogs fairly easily. Tedious to use so really a toy product.

However I have a number of things made in China – not from choice, just as it happened. Clothes, a couple of power tools, camera, etc and cannot fault them. Japan was once like China, but look at how they produced superb cameras, electronics and taught us how to make cars and motorcycles .

No doubt costs will increase as the labour pool becomes more powerful. Then manufacturing will shift again. Africa must be a future contender.

I forgot it clogged up if you put too much in at one time. We are so used to only putting 3 layers of paper in it that clogging is not a problem.

We tend to shred as we go so it doesn’t pile up.

Wavechange this is the Gestetner -type -ZGA this company makes them in Germany/USA and lately Japan . This company had products in every big /quality business that I entered in a major city to repair business Call-Connect telephone systems because it was reliable very well made -durable etc .Mine is made in Germany . I bought it from a printing shop that closed down but took some of the stock to a car-boot sale-cost ? £5 it has never let me down in the years that I have used it. If you manage to jam it ,it has a reset (switch off remove jammed paper switch on )

Thanks Duncan. You are referring to a commercial machine rather than a small domestic model. One of the perks of my job was that I could always use the large commercial shredder to get rid of my own financial paperwork.

Wavechange this is one of the smallest in their range =43CM long -11CM tubular rubber band ends to stop marking desk-top ideal small office/home .

I now have ‘shredder envy’, Duncan. 🙂 It seems that Gestetner were taken over by Ricoh. I’m very familiar with the higher build quality of some goods that are designed primarily for the non-domestic market.

@wavechange

Are you still looking for a shredder? No idea what they are like but there are a few on early Amazon Black Friday deals, one is marked down from £1174 RRP to £299. No idea what it is like though.

Hi Alfa – I was keen on a fairly compact shredder to keep next my desk. I managed to kill two shredders in a matter of months, despite taking great care not to overtax them. The first one should have been returned to the retailer but I decided to take it apart and try to get it working again. On this occasion I was unsuccessful and had invalidated the warranty by dismantling it. The second one belonged to my neighbour, who had not kept the receipt.

Which? members’ reviews did not give me any confidence, so I bought a shredder with a 2 year guarantee from John Lewis and oil its bits every time I empty the bin, yet it does not sound happy. I doubt it will outlast the warranty. If it does not, I will invest in a proper office shredder and store it somewhere else.

I think the trouble is that, in the UK, we have, ahem, “progressed” from being a manufacturing economy. So, in a lot of cases, we no longer have “manufacturers” as such. They all closed down their factories years ago, sold-off and redeveloped the land for housing and sold on their “brands” to conglomerates (and to the likes of Argos).

So, whether it is “smelly” kettles or cheap gardening tools, these now almost all come from big factories in China.

Some brand owners do work hard to maintain the “cachet” of their brands. When I used to be a very active member of the Harley Owners Group, I got to know many of their permanent UK staff, including their brand enforcement team. In those times, it was said that the Motor Company actually made much more money from the licensing of its brand for use on “authorised” products (e.g. clothing and fashion accessories) than it did from the sales of its motorcycles.

Derek -you mean we are now a “service ” industry -correct, courtesy of our once “great ” leader -quote- I dont understand engineering — and she didnt so closed it down from Lands End to John O, Groats . Its good to know there is another “biker ” here since I was 16 I have owned many well know British bikes I still have my 59 club badge and members card when it existed on the North Circular Road even went for parts to the “Twickenham Graveyard ” a place where old bikes were kept just like a car scrap yard I have one of their steel badges, too many accidents so in the 70,s bought a car ,not the same when journeying from London to Brighton in the 60,s I broke down with girl-friend on back a car stopped and helped us -he said -quote I only stopped because you are a biker- a lot of loyalty in those days.Remember my first baked potato on Brighton Pier.

Argos is a selling agent for Qualcast products ,which,as far as I know was an English company in Derby. Bosch now owns the company but signed a contract with Home Retail Group so their products although labeled Qualcast are their own brand . Allett manufacture the Suffolk Punch etc

Julia maybe I havent been explicit enough your Argos lawn mower labeled “Qualcast ” will NOT be the original company but a “brand labeled ” product made elsewhere by third parties not necessarily in this country. Allett is the company to deal with .

In my experience their is nothing wrong with Argos own brand power tools, so long as you just want a cheap item for light domestic duties.

On the other hand, if you have several acres to mow, then you want to seek out the sort of kit that professionals use.

Choosing the quality to suit your purpose is vital. I wanted a pair of loppers for pruning roses etc. that were too heavy for secateurs. I bought a cheap set in Lidl in the knowledge that they were lightly built. They were fine for their intended purpose.

I have been recently been doing some work on shrubs and trees and not having decent loppers to hand I thought I would try the Lidl ones in case I had underestimated their capabilities. They broke today. Now to buy a set that is up to the job.

An allegory wavechange ? if so one that I agree with. I always save up and buy good ,lessons learned in life.

The Honda petrol mower I have was made in 1993 in France . You can currently buy one second -hand for £250.

Building quality products seems not impossible.

My Dualit Toaster is over 20 years old. The Bosch washer around 18. Buying products actually made by the genuine firm seems a good idea in my opinion.

I think someone has already suggested then empowering consumers might mean we being told when the famous name is being used by another company – who might buy the name to pass off cheap and nasty products. Which? would be the natural place, you would think, for subscribers to be able to check this out with a ready reference Wikipedia.

Which? only pay laboratories to test for short periods when the product is new so for their reliability tables a pinch of salt is needed as they are based on poor questions.

In the Which? Connect survey this month they ask about my electronics. My DVD for instance, [Sony] , they ask have I had any problems. Well I think I have used it once this year and other than that has been unplugged. I can assure everyone it is 100% reliable. Very slightly more reliable than my Humax which is on 24/7 and recording hours of TV shows daily.

A great shame that Which? does not ask the relevant questions. Particularly where some people can have such varying usage times as with gardening equipment. Or even DVD players.

Good old-fashioned mowers can last for decades. The newest of my three dates from about 1997 while the other two are about 10 years older. I think all were made in the UK by Flymo and none were particularly expensive when purchased new.

Long-term testing of many products would be of no use because they would have been discontinued by the time Which? published their tests. In my view, the best approach is to look for longer guarantees and encourage everyone to do this, creating a demand.

The worst advertising I know is by Miele, which claims “Tested for the equivalent of 20 years equivalent usage”, yet gives a guarantee of only 2 years on many of its products. They were taken to task for this in Australia.

When low energy lighting was introduced the manufacturers started claiming that their products will last for years, but without a guarantee to match. This is based on use for 2.7 hours per day rather than total use. We knew where we were when old fashioned light bulbs were designed to last 1000 hours, on average.

Let’s have decent products backed by decent guarantees. That’s what will convince me a product is worth buying.

I do try and do the Which? Connect surveys but when asked how long I have had the product, it usually goes on to the next product as it is not interested in older reliable products !!!

Miele products last a long time because, in the main, they are well built and well designed with quality components. They test them for the equivalent of 20 years to highlight any deficiencies. To condemn them by saying they only offer 2 year guarantees is a bit disingenuous – they frequently offer 5 years or more.

The German consumer association tests washing machines in a way that simulates a long life; a pity we don’t get that same information so we could choose more durable products.

Product durabililty depends, among other things, on good design, good quality components and well-controlled manufacturing quality. I want to see more durable products and recognise that they will cost more. But is it better to buy a £600 machine that lasts 10 years, or a £300 one that might last for 3? The consumer can choose. I’d like information on durability to help make this choice.

Many light bulbs in the main last a long time now. Guarantee or not.

Long term testing is of great value, but is done on a compressed time scale to evaluate the likely life of a product. Accelerated life testing is a widely used and soundly based method. Many products are open to this technique. There are also many reputable manufacturers who do not change their modus operandi, such as degrading quality.

I paid a good chunk of money for mrs r’s Felco secateurs, and they work as well now as when they were new. As someone pointed out you can buy spares; I lost a small part and replaced it fairly cheaply.

I’ve had long-lasting Miele procucts. I’ve a 20 year old Honda lawnmower that starts every time and my knowledge of owners of current ones find the same.

The EU and BEUC support durable products. We should demand information on durability when products are tested. The Germans do it.

Yes diesel Humax is a good make , my 2 sat/freeview boxes are Technomate bought direct from the importer in Edmonton , London N 18

Malcolm – Bosch used to be a decent brand but they have moved downmarket. As we have learned in another Convo, they are now making sealed tank washing machines that prevent bearings being replaced and they now have introduced ‘sealed doors’, so a faulty part means a very expensive repair. Hold on to your Honda lawnmower as long as possible because the build quality of Honda engines fitted to lawnmowers sold for domestic use is nothing like as good as it was.

Good advice wavechange.

Bosch Washing machines – as far as I know not all Bosch have sealed drums and doors. This is information Which? should be giving us to help decide what we should be buying. However, if Bosch provide good quality bearings and doors then this may not be an issue.

Honda seem to be offering 7 year warranties on lawn mowers. I support that.

It’s good to know that Honda are offering 7 year guarantees. The old engines were better made and many old Honda generators are still in use. I have one but it’s only used during power cuts these days.

To quote our washing machine guru Kenneth Watt (10 months ago): “All Indesit Group, now Whirlpool are now all sealed tanks.All Beko are sealed.Most Electrolux Group are sealed.Many, if not most Bosch Group are sealed.All Candy Hoover are sealed.In the mass market you will struggle to find models now that do not have sealed tanks.” Of course it would be good to know, especially now that the repairability and build quality often declines rather than improves.

Meanwhile back on garden tools, I have been many garden forks with bent tines. One made of the correct grade of steel is well worth having if you have heavy soil.

I decided many years ago that as a guide you get what you pay for (providing you use a bit of common sense and investigation). Tools in my workshop for example I’ve decent saws, chisels router bits, circular saw blades, that stay sharp and can be resharpened. I’ve tried cheaper versions, and they don’t stay sharp and may be not worth resharpening. the good ones last a lifetime – and will be good to pass onto children.

I’ve been more than happy with Miele appliances, i’ve had good
service from Bosch washing machines – we’ve not bought cheap but we’ve paid less per year in effect because they have lasted well.

I think Which? need to pay much more attention to build and design quality, repairability and durability so that those who are in a position to be choosy, and who recognise real value, are given the information to make a properly considered decision.

Thoroughly agree with you Malcolm but it is hard finding tools to last a lifetime these day.

Our 10 year old Bosch washing machine broke down at just over 2 years old and was an expensive repair. The Bosch fridge freezer is still going strong at over 15 years old.

All our best tools were stolen from the shed some years back and good replacements have been hard to find. We also don’t buy cheap but have still bought several garden shears, several garden forks, several loppers as they have proved not up to the task. They just don’t make them like they used to any more.

Manufacturers seem to take a lot of notice of Which? So if build and design quality, repairability and durability were major considerations in reviews, it could have a positive impact as companies strive to be better than their competitors.

With tools there is considerable variability in quality. When I was younger I tended to buy the well known brands but have been dismayed to discover better quality cheaper products that are obviously much better value for money. Which? and other tests have often shown this, yet the power of advertising means that many stick to familiar brands, even when they are no longer owned by the same company.

I have even seen quality variations within brands. For example I have a Bahco adjustable spanner I bought in the 70s and it is still in good condition despite considerable use. I bought different size of Bahco adjustable from the same shop soon after and it was soon apparent that it was much inferior.

One way of improving your chances of buying quality products is to go for ones that are sold for non-domestic use, such as Felco secateurs, and it’s not always necessary to have an account with a distributor these days. Most professionals would not tolerate substandard goods.

I would love Which? to do more advance testing covering repairability and durability, but there is not much sign of this happening.

I bought Felco secateurs because I use them regularly. I find my Wilkinson Sword ones more comfortable but the pivot bolt has to be tightened periodically because they don’t have a locking adjuster like the Felco ones.

There was no point in buying expensive loppers when they were used once a year for light work. Now that I will need to use loppers regularly it’s time to get a decent set. Back in the 90s I used to do conservation work and our group had a pair of cheap loppers that were very heavily used, often abused, and carried on working.

At our previous house we had a lot of trees and shrubs and I did a lot of lopping and pruning. I gradually built up a range of Wolf tools and they have performed exceedingly well. I use them less often now but will not part with any of them because of their superior quality and durability. I also have three Bosch electric lawnmowers of varying sizes and they have served me very well with no difficulty getting replacement blades. I recently bought an excellent pair of secateurs in Sainsbury’s for light work [£6 if I remember correctly] and worked with them for over two hours today chopping up a bamboo plant which had overgrown its position. I didn’t want to use my best secateurs on it and the Sainsbury’s ones performed very well . . . I now need a decent tool to get the root out – a day’s work perhaps with the replacement Wilkinson Sword spade [made by Fiskars] that I wrote about at the top of this Conversation.

dieseltaylor, I totally agree. I wish we could have a proper discussion with Which? about such matters. The New Conversation might be appropriate, but as it basically involves members it could be better on the Which? Member Community – if only that were more functional and better used. Or, of course, they could involve Which? members through Connect, or even invite an open discussion with a proper survey through their magazine. After the EU referendum – though I hope we don’t copy the tactics of either side.

The site is: pavingexpert.com which is run in the UK by a professional who loves his work and the site is vast and well worth a read if you are interested. It doe have practical applications if you are looking at commissioning work.

It is not encyclopedic as I have used cheap polypropylene jacks for supporting a 300 sq.ft garden room on a slope and AFAIR they are not something he covers.

My experience of using plastic grid, gravels and railway sleepers would I suspect be of interest as it is a very useful alternative to the omnipresent brick pavers [pavours]. It is very easy to pay [as a neighbour has] well north of £10000 on a patio where functionally a similar result could have been had for 20% of that.

@patrick
People post many useful links here which get lost after a very short time.

Any chance we could have a section of useful links posted by registered users?

…and suggested in 1998 but turned down. We did try it ourselves, but one issue is that links don’t seem to stay ‘active’ for all that long.

I can vouch for pavingexpert being around for at least a decade ….

And with a larger active community and a curating system of some sort it could be a goer. Reader reports duff link or a suspect piece of information …

In fact the duff link problem surely can be covered by having a prog that advises of changes to the watched page.

I’ve in the past bought a couple of Wolf handles that accept interchangeable heads – a rake, cultivator, hoe and lawn rake. They were (are) not the cheapest but have lasted very well. A bit of WD40 on the handle release and the tool spigots keeps then working nicely.

I assume you get what you pay for with gardeners as well. Good luck and hope your new garden is not so established you won’t add to it. 🙂

Beryl as regard garden implements parting company with the operating end and the handle you have several options . # 1- is to screw either wood-screws into the two parts leaving an inch or two place between them or drill holes right through both when pushed together and fit bolts with screwed ends for nuts. #2 – is to use some type of proprietary glue that will glue either or all wood/plastic etc and leave to set but make sure its expensive high quality stuff . Personally being an ex engineer I use the first method . I also wholeheartedly approve of buying high quality implements like garden tools and in regards to wavechanges comment on sharpening them cheap ones use inferior grade metal as well as metal unsuitable to sharpening ,which although look shiny and sharp are poor value in the long run . High carbon steel is a good one to use but some stainless steel wont sharpen properly .

The lopper and saw on the end of the longest Wolf handles come in very useful for high branches so Wavechange might be interested in them. They do wave about a bit at full height though.

I have a collection of Gardena tools (same set as Malcolm) and a couple of detachable handles. They were pricey and obviously not selling. The local DIY store decided to sell them off at less than half price and I was lucky to be there at the right time. I wondered if these new-fangled tools would prove durable but they have done well.

My favourite hoe is one that belonged to my grandfather.

Like Alfa I have enjoyed using my Wolf telescopic handles to reach quite high branches with either the saw or the rope-operated pruner. When I bought them I also bought a helmet with faceguard and always wear it when doing work with the extension pole. A way of improving the manual control of implements is to wear gloves with rubber facings on the palms and fingers. I rarely use any tool, even a screwdriver, without wearing gloves because of the increased control as well as the protection. I have a high regard for Gardena products and have many of their interchangeable heads and handles, as well as a very long hose that does not kink and is easy to coil up after use. Many of my best tools were bought in 1976 when I first bought a property with a garden and are still in use today.

Thanks Alfa. I will have a look at the Wolf loppers. I don’t think I can justify paying Felco prices for ones that I might not use very often once the garden is under control. Like John, I am very happy with my Gardena hose, which has had a lot of use.

Perhaps, Wavechange, you will be able to change the amount of waving about that Alfa reports with his loppers.

I cannot think of an easy way to stop a long pole waving about, but I do enjoy improving everyday products. A relevant example was the addition of a couple of metres of length of flexible garden hose to the hedge trimmer cable where it was at risk of being cut accidentally. The diameter of the hose is larger than the gaps in the blades. Orange Gardena hose does not look out of place on an orange cable. I deserve no credit because I copied the idea from a friend who had protected the cable of his electric planer in this way.