SUPER-COUPONING: Quality over price – the argument continues | Lifestyles

With regard to tools, I grew up with a father who valued quality tools, as he is constantly working on one project or another. That said, he’s not opposed to purchasing a less expensive tool if it is only going to be used a few times or for one specific project.

I’ve adopted a similar philosophy on purchasing what is needed for the job. However, I’ve learned that sometimes, a tool is designed for a smaller project than I’ve got in mind.

For example, I needed to buy a small table saw to cut tiles to install a stone kitchen backsplash. In reading reviews of the stone that I planned to use, several reviews recommended a specific model of small table saw to cut the stone which cost around $30.00. Traditional table saws’ pricing began at $120, so I was attracted to the small saw.

My saw came with a masonry saw blade, and it worked perfectly for cutting the stone tiles until the blade went dull. I returned to the store where I’d purchased the saw only to learn that they did not sell the saw blade as a separate item! This small table saw’s blade is a non-standard size, and an email to the manufacturer confirmed that the blade is not sold separately. The saw and blade are a “kit” of sorts.

After presenting all of this information to the manager at my local store, she recommended I bring the saw back, along with its dull blade, and exchange it for an entirely new table saw, which would also include a new saw blade in the box. I ended up doing this three times over the course of the project!