How much asthetic value do you put on tools?

[Bobby O'Neal]

I was thinking today that I really don't care for the look of Freud's red blades. It doesn't affect how they cut but I just don't care for it. Then I wondered how much I care about the look of any tools I have. I only own one Lie Nielsen plane but it is beautiful and I really think that enhances my time spent using it. I think the new Unisaws are gorgeous and they'd just look awesome in any room.

Anybody feel me?

[Jerome Hanby]

Guess I have to confess. I like Freud Blades and Record planes mostly because they work, but the look definitely is part of the equation. With that said, if they sucked as tools it wouldn't matter what they looked like...

[Andrew Hughes]

I'm with you on this one Bobby.Good looking well built tools inspire me to do my best work. Amen

[johnny means]

I like the look of a well worn tool. Like a favorite hat or pair of boots, its quality allows it to live through years of work and occasional abuse. It's quality gives it time to build character. The shine may all be gone, there may be a little tarnish, and dings and chips, but when you look at it you see it still has a lifetime of utility left in it. Usually, these types of items don't require a whole lot of embellishment when new. There form follows function, thus there beauty lies in there functionality.

Personally, I think that Freud stuff is all god awful. IMO that garish red paint is there to hide some shortcoming in there machining.

[Victor Robinson]

I'll admit it, good tool aesthetics do appeal to me...not so much colors but fit and finish.

As a related issue, I like power tools that keep looking new due to good dust collection. I can't stand the build-up of superfine dust on sanders and routers and their power cords. Of course, dust collection is much more valuable than just keeping tools clean and looking good.

[James Baker SD]

Silly me, I love pretty tools. If they work well, that's a bonus.:D

[Peter Quinn]

I've long advocated picking tools based on aesthetics. Some colors appeal to me more, some I find displeasing. I generally avoid green tools in most shades, though I would make an acceptation should a Felder come my way, and I have made room for an older green minimax machine, but its a subtle celery shade, not that garish stop light meets pine tree green some manufacturers prefer. I love gold machines, I have an old DeWalt RAS I initially took as a basket case because the industrial design was just too handsome to discard. My BS is a very generic shade of blue/grey that allows me to forget its color and focus on my work. The list goes on. Hand tools, power tools, looks matter. Men are visual creatures by nature and this is largely an aesthetic pursuit, or we would all be cobbling crude boxes out of 2X4's. Of course with a very few exceptions if a tool doesn't function, in my world its going in a dumpster regardless of how pretty it is. But lets face it, there are at least 7 cabinet saw choices I can name from the top of my had that are all more than most of us will ever need in a one man small shop, picking the "ultimate" one is largely a matter of taste, not science. So I say throw away the silly tool guides, do consider ergonomics for tools you will hold in your hands, and by all means pick your favorite color with the confidence that its as good a basis for decision as any other.

As a side not I have several freud blades, but I generally stay away from the red ones so I can tell right away if I've cut my self.:eek:

[phil harold]

Freud does make a clear or silver coating too
http://www.carbidespecialties.com/Freud_Silver_ICE.htm

[Bobby O'Neal]

Guess I have to confess. I like Freud Bladed and Record planes mostly because they work, but the look definitely is part of the equation. With that said, if they sucked as tools it wouldn't matter what they looked like...


I do actually dig the Records.

[Will Overton]

I love the look of a new tool. I put a coat of wax on them and clean up the ones that sit next to them. Then I get back to work.

I recently picked up the Delta scroll saw at WoodCraft and ordered an 18" Delta drill press. I cleaned up the old ones prior to giving them away. I hadn't paid much attention to how they looked as I used them over the past 20 years. Once all the spit and polish was done, they both looked pretty good.

[Van Huskey]

Personally, I think that Freud stuff is all god awful. IMO that garish red paint is there to hide some shortcoming in there machining.

Pretty much proved incorrect if you look at their ICE blades some can be had both in ICE and Perma-shield. It is simply marketing and brand recognition. I initially didn't read that far but Phil points out ICE also.

Form imparts a subtle hint of quality to me. With many tools pleasing curves and overall pleasing design is usually an extra step and means the designer and manufacturer care. It is true that you could put Ferrari sheet metal on a Yugo but the sheet metal costs a LOT to form with those complex curves. Color means something to me on machines as well, I tend to HATE the grays and most of the greens I do not like either. I do love the Evergreen on 70s era PM, the EXACT shade of pea/vista green on Northfield and the Oliver teal as pleasing, however, that may be the reverse in that I see those colors as a sign of quality.

[ed vitanovec]

I have the Freud Diablo Table saw Blade, Red of course. I think the Red has some lubricant in the paint. I think the way a tool looks is some what imprtant to me, whether its in the castings, machining or final finish. It shows me the workmanship that the company has in its tools. I understand in castings it maybe a little hard to control the finish and its all about the labor that it takes to make the molds look good before they are poured. The grinding of the surfaces on Tables, Jointer Beds and Fences is critical for accuracy and looks too and all this costs a lot of time to do. I think when a new tool is going to market and has a target price, the price will dictate the level of quality throughout the tool. The target price has to pay for all the R & D, Materials, Labor, Overhead and what the annual volumes wil be, because its all about the profit margins. I think we all have an idea what a quality tool should look like and what it should cost. Most all of my tools are mid priced and I think the quality of them are pretty good. I know the paint on them could be a little better but they are acceptable for my use.

[Kevin W Johnson]

Simply put, a lot.

I think for a lot of people it boils down to the thought that if the manufacturer doesn't put the effort into making the tool look nice, you question if they put effort and quality in to the tool itself.

[Steve Griffin]

I must be an aesthetic illiterate. Though I do like the looks of words spelled correctly ;)

Can't think of a single tool in the shop where I placed the slightest value in looks during purchase or use.

Sometimes I choose colors based on functional advantages--I like my orange tape measure for visibility. I also prefer red blades and bright orange throat plates for visibility and situational awareness at the table saw.

[Mark Ashmeade]

I'll take it a bit further. I actually consider having a well equipped, presentable shop a hobby in itself. I like having a shiny shop. Not that my shop is remotely presentable today. It's in the throes of moving 40ft across the basement, but it'll get there, and rule #1 is: "Have nothing in the shop that doesn't look like it should be there".

[Rich Engelhardt]

My shop echo's my life.
A disorganized chaos of piles of things laying about.

Just finding a tool in that mess is a project in itself...

Once I actually find the tool, I don't care what it looks like. I'm just happy I don't have to go out and buy another one because I can't find the one I know I have....

[Bobby O'Neal]

I must be an aesthetic illiterate. Though I do like the looks of words spelled correctly ;)

Can't think of a single tool in the shop where I placed the slightest value in looks during purchase or use.

Sometimes I choose colors based on functional advantages--I like my orange tape measure for visibility. I also prefer red blades and bright orange throat plates for visibility and situational awareness at the table saw.

Good eye, Steeve.

[Cary Falk]

It matters to me to some extent.I like a nice looking tool. I wouldn't keep a nice looking tool if it didn't do it's job. I got rid of my 1970 UNI because it didn't have a riving knife. I still love the looks of the old Unisaws though. I also have some not so pretty tools that I am almost embarrassed to use but they work well so I keep them. I bought a old DeWalt GWI RAS and a Delta 24" scroll saw mainly for looks. It's not that they don't preform well, it is that I don't use them all that much to justify their space, but would not want to part with them because I love the way they look. I buy Woodpecker squares over Pinnacle because I like the red alunimun over the black even they are the same tool. I will never touch a Hitachi coordless tool because I can't stand the green and black tennis shoe look. Operation being equal, looks are the tie breaker.

[Jerome Hanby]

Not sure if it totally applies to aesthetics, but I just noticed that when I (slightly mis-) typed "Freud blade fro RAS" into Google, it auto suggested a search phrase containing Ragnarok...

[shane lyall]

Operation being equal, looks are the tie breaker. I'm with Cary on this one.

I guess it matters a little to me as well. On the other hand, I own several tools that are not much to look at but I wouldn't part with. My Woodmaster is as ugly as a mud duck but will be in my shop no matter what. I love the colors of the SawStop but don't own one and never will but thats for other personal reasons. NOT knocking Sawstop as i'm sure it's a good saw. My ol' Powermatic model 60 isn't going to win any beauty contests but is a fantastic jointer so it stays.

I do love the looks of L-N planes but don't own any....yet

[Jeff Duncan]

Well I'm in the minority here b/c a do like the red blades and the pea green machines:D

I like the red blades b/c they never rust. I've had a couple uncoated blades get some rust spidering over the years, and though it hasn't affected the operation, it does kinda bug me.

I like the green machinery, though not b/c of the color! I have several European machines that are very similar shades of "bridge green", (same color most of the bridges around this way are painted). Don't care much for the color, but I love the machines.

I don't usually buy equipment or tools based on the aesthetic value....though there could be exceptions! A Tanny J250 or Wadkin PK as far as saws go. A bauerle tilting spindle shaper, and an Oliver 166 jointer are just a couple of the machines that I would very much like to own just as much for the "look" as the quality.

Hand tools are less a factor for me, as most of them have very similar looks. My Stanley planes look very much like my Record planes, which look very much like my Lie Nielsen planes, except not quite as pretty;) I have them all tuned fairly well so I'm happy using any one of them. Of course if I could afford a Norris I might change my stance;)

good luck,
JeffD

[Bobby O'Neal]

I also agree that sometimes tools look great to us because we know what they are capable of. I may not like the old PM green but it's an attractive machine because I know it's quality.

[Prashun Patel]

I never pick tools or machines based on color. I've never had 2 tools be so equal on quality, price, features, ergonomics, and customer reviews that it came down to color.

Colors of power tools are so brand-specific, when I see one, it triggers a Pavlovian reaction to everything I've experienced and read about the quality. The arguably ugliest color out there is the Mustard of Powermatic. But when I see it, I think high quality. Aesthetically, I love Jet's white, but their tools get mixed reviews.

[Matt Day]

A quality tool is aesthetically pleasing to me.

[Richard McComas]

While I like nice looking tools its at the bottom of my priority list. If they function well that's what counts. The saw below has rust, but it works as good as new , I have no plans to up-grade how it looks.


http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o159/rmccomas0043/14saw-1.jpg

[Bruce Page]

I have to admit my preference is toward good looking tools. Even though I live less than 10 miles from Woodworkers Supply’s main warehouse, I will never own any Woodtek machinery, simply because I find their green & yellow paint scheme obnoxious. I’m flexible though, I bought my first DeWalt cordless drill a couple years ago even tho I don’t like yellow...except on flowers. :)

[Van Huskey]

I have to admit my preference is toward good looking tools. Even though I live less than 10 miles from Woodworkers Supply’s main warehouse, I will never own any Woodtek machinery, simply because I find their green & yellow paint scheme obnoxious. I’m flexible though, I bought my first DeWalt cordless drill a couple years ago even tho I don’t like yellow...except on flowers. :)

Woodtek may indeed have the worst paint scheme ever, fine for a tractor though.

[Bruce Page]

Woodtek may indeed have the worst paint scheme ever, fine for a tractor though.

Completely agree with you on that.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Woodtek may indeed have the worst paint scheme ever
I dunno,,,,that funky green Grex uses and the Festool green are pretty bad..
IMHO - in both cases it's a good thing the tools are of such high quality since neither company could get by on looks alone.

[John Coloccia]

I was thinking today that I really don't care for the look of Freud's red blades. It doesn't affect how they cut but I just don't care for it. Then I wondered how much I care about the look of any tools I have. I only own one Lie Nielsen plane but it is beautiful and I really think that enhances my time spent using it. I think the new Unisaws are gorgeous and they'd just look awesome in any room.

Anybody feel me?

I put ZERO value on the aesthetics of my tools. Performance, ergonomics, utility....100%. Looks? Absolutely nothing. You should see some of my jigs. Festools look like toys to me. I would love to own some. Zero...nothing...less than nothing, actually, because I don't want to be charged prettiness. It needs to work and be comfortable...nothing more, nothing less.

[Rod Sheridan]

I like nice looking tools, whether they're hand or electrically powered.

That said I have a few hand planes that are old and worn to the shape of the hand that used them. One is from my father, he's long gone, however using his chipped, scratched #3 plane makes me smile every time I use. It's like being able to go back 30 years and shake his hand.

The same item with my more than 100 year old #7C Stanley plane, who knows who held it during those times? I keep it sharp and frequently used, however I'll never paint the knob or tote.

Now, with machinery or hand tools I find that poor finish, ergonomics etc indicate poor design and manufacturing, I expect excellent machining, accuracy, design and finish, and expect to pay for it.

Regards, Rod.

[Dick Mahany]

I often find that aesthetics may provoke an initial interest, but then I defer to specifications, and reviews from others before a purchase. I am a sucker for finely polished hand wheels and the like. In a totally non-quantitative, but rather subjective set of experiences, I seem to find that tools with excellent fit and finish can frequently corelate with tool performance. I have made many jigs, machine mods and the like and while some are quick and dirty and work just fine, I seem to enjoy the ones with the attention to finishing details the most. Although I do not care what color my tool are, there is one style that really turned me off such as the Hitachi green/black "transformer style" tools. Those appealed to my young son who had no idea what the tool did, just wanted it to look cool.

[Steven Green]

First I care about how well it does the job. Second I care about how if feels in my hand if it's a hand tool or how smooth it is if it's a power tool. Then how it looks which is still pretty important to me.

[Bill White]

I guess that I'm just an anal feller 'cause I feel that cleanliness is a bit more important than a color, function is a priority, and finish is a reflection.
I was tought that the shop was cleaned at the end of every day, tools had a home in the shop, and the condition of the shop was an indicator of the quality of your work.
Just the way I work.
Bill

[Edward A Miller]

‘Tools’ are what we are!

Beyond personal choice is the notion that others will judge you in part by what they see. Having hired crews and built homes from Connecticut to Hawaii, log of course, I have found that the best way to judge the potential of a carpenter is by viewing their toolbox! Tools should complement the user!


Performance being a must, I choose tools and machinery that I truly enjoy, using for the most part. Hand tools with balance that I can comfortably grip will get high marks, as will the simplicity of design (which by the way generally reflects more design forethought).


Colors seem to be a highly personal matter, as it should be. I prefer a single color per tool and consider it somewhat annoying to be hyped by the superficial distraction of painted art and racing stripes.


As a life member of the Mid-West Tool Collectors Assn, I have grown to appreciate, and to some extent recognize, the finer touch-marks of a tool maker. As an example, I am quite annoyed by huge manufactures trade names that could be read from down the street, especially model numbers . In older tools, makers took pride in their tool-making craft and often ‘signed’ their work with an identifiable ‘mark’,……………, indiscreetly. In turn, lasting value and identification became part of the project.


Another big ‘turn-off’ for me is as Dick Mahally described above, those “Hitachi green/black ‘Transformer Style’ tools”. You won’t find one in my shop under any circumstances!


Paint on wear surfaces cause me to cringe (as I walk away), but am attracted to those that are replicable or easily renewed. Reviews greatly influence my tool purchase, but I don’t particularly want to pay or be pressured much by that tools advertising nearby. I view forethought in design a plus, like having a power receptacle built-in on stationary machinery; cost and worth should be comparable.


Occasionally however, I will buy a tool based largely on aesthetics, because I feel it represents me and is hopefully a wise investment! This limited edition casting (22/100) of a medieval iron axe, occasionally described as, “The most famous tool in the world” with the face of a bearded knight on one side and a fighting cock on the other, speaks volumes as an honest and uncomplicated cutting tool. Let your tools serve ‘you’ as an inspiration to do your best!

224682224683

[Andrew Joiner]

While I like nice looking tools its at the bottom of my priority list. If they function well that's what counts. The saw below has rust, but it works as good as new , I have no plans to up-grade how it looks.


http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o159/rmccomas0043/14saw-1.jpg

Richard, How can you work in a shop like that? Two different color saws just don't go together.:)

At first for me as I read the whole aesthetic value on tools discussion I thought " I don't care as long as they perform". That's how I feel for the most part.

However I love beautiful tools ( like Richard's saws). Do I buy based on looks? No.

I did carry my finely detailed walnut tool box proudly out to jobs when I was a young cabinetmaker. Do toolboxes and workbenches count as tools?

Recently I broke down and made a nice hardwood bench top. I did struggle with using some of my rare wood for something as utilitarian as a workbench, but I'm very happy with it.

[Kevin W Johnson]

While I like nice looking tools its at the bottom of my priority list. If they function well that's what counts. The saw below has rust, but it works as good as new , I have no plans to up-grade how it looks.


http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o159/rmccomas0043/14saw-1.jpg

I believe there is a difference between something you already own that is well worn in appearance, but still functions 100%, and buying something new. Would you buy a new Unisaw from the sales floor that was rusty like that and not care?

[Chris Hedges]

There are a whole bunch of people who claim aesthetics dont play a role in the tools they purchase, though presented with the following, at a slightly more reasonable price, I'd suggest they would go running to the computer to order one!

224741


Chris

[Bruce Page]

Chris, who is the maker of that beauty?

[Kevin W Johnson]

Chris, who is the maker of that beauty?


http://www.bridgecitytools.com/default/se-crowning-plane.html

[Bruce Page]

Thanks, I didn't figure it would be cheap! :eek:

[Chris Hedges]

Chris, who is the maker of that beauty?

Looks like others have answered your question. If you get the chance, look around their website a bit. Talk about form meets function! If they made pencils, Id buy one!

Chris

[John Coloccia]

Looks like others have answered your question. If you get the chance, look around their website a bit. Talk about form meets function! If they made pencils, Id buy one!

Chris

Funny enough, I would too. Have you tried to buy a good pencil lately? The leads break, they're off center, etc etc. I find it unbelievable that we can't even make a good pencil anymore. I have to buy mine from the art store now.

[Chris Hedges]

LOL! I use the 9mm Bic clic-pencils and find them quite satisfactory. Kind of hard to find though...

Chris

[Steve Meliza]

Aesthetics matter a lot to me and I would argue that it matters a lot to everyone even if they don't think so at first. Aesthetic value means that the item has beauty to you, is pleasing in appearance, and is pleasurable to the senses (all of them). Much of aesthetics is looks (like paint color or the shape of the tool), but some of it is also the feel of the controls, the smoothness of the moving parts, the hum of the motor, or even the feel of solid metal versus plastic parts.

A poorly made tool is not pleasurable to my senses and so it has little or no aesthetic value to me. Garish paint colors are a huge turn off to me, but if enough people give positive feedback on the tool I can find a way to look past the color and find the beauty in other qualities of the tool. To some people aesthetic value is that well worn and slightly rusty tool that dad or grandad used to use. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so it is up to each of us as to what has aesthetic value to us, and that doesn't always mean a shiny coat of your favorite color.

If a tool has no aesthetic value then its use gives us no pleasure and therefore it has no place in the shop.

[Mike Cruz]

I think whatever makes you happy makes you happy. If you like shiney new specific paint color, more power to you. If you like heavy old iron that is all rusted up EXCEPT for the working surface because it makes you feel like you are in a "man's" shop, more power to you.

Bottom line, YES, I think the asthetics of your tools/equipment is very important...it is simply a matter of taste as to what you like to see.

[Mac McQuinn]

Aesthetics as far as modern machinery goes means very little to me. Older machinery does mean more as I enjoy the classic lines in the frame castings and covers. The real factor for me is a well set-up and maintained piece of equipment that runs well and has some patina. Toss in a Hammerite silver/gray paint job along with some industrial green and you have my attention.
Mac