When is “cheap and throwaway” a total waste of time if you are relying on something to work?

Whether you need it to work reliably on a job in order to pay the mortgage or you need it to work after three years in an emergency situation, will a throwaway component fit the bill?

If you just do the maths on the basis of “time is money” then the answer must be that it is a big risk. You could be seriously out of pocket whether we are talking about a cheap and nasty electric motor or mind bogglingly inexpensive power tools.

What domestic punters may buy in their quest to find the cheapest is irrelevant. If you are selling kit on or using it for your livelihood, then think again. I think that professionals should be on a different planet.

What are the big issues?

You hope that a reputable brand that has spent years building a name will not suddenly risk everything by sourcing rubbish in the Far East. Some idiots have, to their cost. Ditto bolting a “hobby” range onto a long established quality brand. You might not be buying wisely although on some products such as power tools the world seems to work happily with this and people appear to know that they get what they pay for. If you have 12,000 holes to drill, you don’t go a buy a budget drill in B and Q.

Another pitfall seems to be that it seems to be quite common for National distribution companies to build up a market share with a known good brand over a few years then drop it and substitute their own name. Quite risky! I suppose the same is true of surfing the web looking for value and buying on price.

You don’t really know who you are buying from of what you are buying.

If you buy cheap, where does that leave you? I would have said the big holes are on expectation, quality of construction and serviceability. If you do have a problem, you will get no support or sympathy. The supplier may even say you had a dodgy one and send a free replacement. It is a fix, but not really the best customer experience. Nobody probably knows what the thing is made out of. If all the hard chrome comes off the piston rod or the main seal blows after 13 months, people will just shrug their shoulders. If a bearing goes after two years or a handle mechanism becomes massively worn, you are most unlikely to be able to repair it or if you do, there will be much messing about.

Move to a better engineered unit and you would expect engineering support over the life of the unit, a route to service the kit rather than instantly throwing it away and something that has been manufactured in a controlled and consistent way.

Micropac hydraulic hand and pressure test pumps are still made in our factory in Salisbury. Engineering support, ISO9001 manufacture and low cost spares for long term serviceability are part of the deal.  If you need a hand pressure test pump or hydrostatic test set there are a whole range of models that just do the job for years. If you need a decent quality hydraulic hand pump, we can provide a range of materials and compatibilities. If you have a more specialist need like stainless or 316 stainless and polymer, that is our speciality.

If you know what you want. Buy on line at out pump shop www.pumpshoppro.com . If you have questions or need advice, call us on www.sarum-hydraulics.co.uk or telephone 0044 (0)1722 328388.