Last trip to the box store I walked by a display of Hitachi power
tools, turned and stared and soon had tears in my eyes laughing at the
at the ridiculous styling of the line. There was a thing I thought was
a ski boot that might have been a sabre saw, who knows?
Seems to me this is a total waste of corporate talent that will lead to
loss of market share. General Motors used this style-above-all tactic
for years and, sadly, soon will be eclipsed by Toyota as the premiere
auto manufacturer in
the world. How Toyota got there is obvious: every year they made the
product better, and made it more efficiently. They quietly axed the
blunders (T100 pickup, for example) and moved on.
IMO, for tool users, form follows function so that the tool works
intuitively with balance and heft and other attributes that produce a
good result. Phony styling (for me and maybe others) does nothing
except get in the way or jack up the price.
Before I get flamed for trashing Hitachi, I own some of their tools,
like the portable air compressor, a fine little no-frills item that
does it's chores every day without the benefit of the Nike touch.
Of course I could be wrong...maybe we need to have Powermatics with
Dayglo candy apple paint jobs and diamond bedecked DeWalt hammer
drills.
Opinions?
Joe
Joe wrote:
> Last trip to the box store I walked by a display of Hitachi power
> tools, turned and stared and soon had tears in my eyes laughing at the
> at the ridiculous styling of the line.
[snip].
> Opinions?
>
Yup, they're ugly.... in a Stockard Channing sort-of way. Interesting
in a WTF sort-of way.
Maybe they did that so nobody would steal them? Then again, on that
last jobsite there was that dude with the spiked hair and bone through
his nose and tatoos up the side of his neck... maybe I'm stereo-typing?
Maybe Hitachi is appealing to the subconscience where we think that if
you're that ugly, you better be good.
The Totota versus GM thing is much more complicated than just
"style-above-all" tactics of GM. Business schools will study that in
years to come.
Regarding the Hitachi tools: I agree they are a bit gaudy but then
again years ago I thought thte same of Nike shoes and look how
immensely successful Nike was/is.
I haven't actually tried any Hitachi tools. Are you saying they did not
follow the axiom of "form follows function?" Maybe the function is
quite good...
On Jan 1, 11:04 am, "Joe" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Last trip to the box store I walked by a display of Hitachi power
> tools, turned and stared and soon had tears in my eyes laughing at the
> at the ridiculous styling of the line. There was a thing I thought was
> a ski boot that might have been a sabre saw, who knows?
> Seems to me this is a total waste of corporate talent that will lead to
> loss of market share. General Motors used this style-above-all tactic
> for years and, sadly, soon will be eclipsed by Toyota as the premiere
> auto manufacturer in
> the world. How Toyota got there is obvious: every year they made the
> product better, and made it more efficiently. They quietly axed the
> blunders (T100 pickup, for example) and moved on.
> IMO, for tool users, form follows function so that the tool works
> intuitively with balance and heft and other attributes that produce a
> good result. Phony styling (for me and maybe others) does nothing
> except get in the way or jack up the price.
> Before I get flamed for trashing Hitachi, I own some of their tools,
> like the portable air compressor, a fine little no-frills item that
> does it's chores every day without the benefit of the Nike touch.
> Of course I could be wrong...maybe we need to have Powermatics with
> Dayglo candy apple paint jobs and diamond bedecked DeWalt hammer
> drills.
> Opinions?
>
> Joe
The new Hitachi tools don't appeal to my sense of style either. But I
lived a couple of years in Japan. Their sense of style is simply
different from ours. They seem to have no sense of tackiness; and
garish, over-the-top styling seems to be synonymous with new and
improved, high-tech and cutting edge. You should see some of the cars
on the road over there. The US market and styling tastes may represent
a small fraction of the world market for their tools. They may yet
learn to tone down the styling of the tools they send over here.
DonkeyHody
"Be not the first by which the new is tried, nor the last to lay the
old aside."
Mortimer Schnerd, RN wrote:
> Never Enough Money wrote:
> >> I haven't actually tried any Hitachi tools. Are you saying they did not
> > follow the axiom of "form follows function?" Maybe the function is
> > quite good...
>
>
>
> You know, as recently as just a couple of years ago, most of the do it yourself
> shows on TV had their guys using professional grade tools from companies like
> Dewalt. All of the sudden everywhere you looked on TV, there was one of the new
> Hitachi tools. I've wondered if that was because the tools were so good that
> the contractors quickly moved towards them or was it because some producer
> insisted they use them because they added visual interest?
Neither, I think. Every show I've seen uses sponsored tools (altho w/
the plethora of cable now there are nos a zillion I've not seen, but
I'd venture it's still true) ...
Leon wrote:
> "DonkeyHody" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > The new Hitachi tools don't appeal to my sense of style either. But I
> > lived a couple of years in Japan. Their sense of style is simply
> > different from ours.
>
> Yeah!!! Having worked for a dealer that sold Isusu I learned the the
> American named Pup truck in Japan was called Lotus Flower.
>
> Come-on Bubba hop in the "Lotus Flower and get a load of stinkin mulch. LOL
The name badges on their cars are usually spelled out in English. Some
are even more comical. I remember one very utilitarian vehicle over
there that was very similar to Honda's Element. The name of the
vehicle? "NAKED" But they had some very cool little trucks over there
that I'm just beginning to see here. They were tiny little cab-over
flatbed pickups that would just about sit in the back of one of our
full-size pickups. 4-Wheel drive and a 2 speed transfer case. They
were the workhorses of the farmers over there just like our F-150 is
over here.
One other thing about the Japanese is their ability to adapt. If their
tennis shoe Hitachis aren't selling well, you can be sure they'll
change before it hurts them too bad.
DonkeyHody
"Even an old blind hog finds an acorn every now and then."
"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" <mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> John E. wrote:
>> There are a lot more people in the market with little to no experience
>> with
>> tools than there are in the market with a lot of experience with tools.
>> That's the market that Hitachi is going after.
>
>
>
> That doesn't bode well for their commitment to excellence. I find myself
> attracted to quality tools because I learned a long time ago that you pay
> once, cry once. With cheap tools you cry every time you use them. If
> they're chasing the occasional user, they must not be building long
> lasting stuff any more. Pity.
>
> At least that's the way I think....
Unfortunately if you own a cordless drill you are still buying a tool with a
limited lifespan much shorter that one with a cord. You'll cry again. ;~(
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Mortimer Schnerd, RN" <mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> John E. wrote:
>>> There are a lot more people in the market with little to no experience
>>> with
>>> tools than there are in the market with a lot of experience with tools.
>>> That's the market that Hitachi is going after.
>>
>>
>>
>> That doesn't bode well for their commitment to excellence. I find myself
>> attracted to quality tools because I learned a long time ago that you pay
>> once, cry once. With cheap tools you cry every time you use them. If
>> they're chasing the occasional user, they must not be building long
>> lasting stuff any more. Pity.
>>
>> At least that's the way I think....
>
>
> Unfortunately if you own a cordless drill you are still buying a tool with
> a limited lifespan much shorter that one with a cord. You'll cry again.
> ;~(
And for that limited lifespan, you trade ease of use. I imagine most people
have both and use them when the particular tool's strength is required.
todd
Their current trend in styling doesn't really matter to me. I have a few
Hitachi tools (old style, before the tennis shoe influence) and like them.
If I were in the market for something and their tool would fit my needs, I
wouldn't hesitate because of the looks. I don't, however, think it was a
wise move on their part. Someone without experience with their tools would
likely pass it by simply because they look so toy like.
"Joe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Last trip to the box store I walked by a display of Hitachi power
> tools, turned and stared and soon had tears in my eyes laughing at the
> at the ridiculous styling of the line. There was a thing I thought was
> a ski boot that might have been a sabre saw, who knows?
> Seems to me this is a total waste of corporate talent that will lead to
> loss of market share. General Motors used this style-above-all tactic
> for years and, sadly, soon will be eclipsed by Toyota as the premiere
> auto manufacturer in
> the world. How Toyota got there is obvious: every year they made the
> product better, and made it more efficiently. They quietly axed the
> blunders (T100 pickup, for example) and moved on.
> IMO, for tool users, form follows function so that the tool works
> intuitively with balance and heft and other attributes that produce a
> good result. Phony styling (for me and maybe others) does nothing
> except get in the way or jack up the price.
> Before I get flamed for trashing Hitachi, I own some of their tools,
> like the portable air compressor, a fine little no-frills item that
> does it's chores every day without the benefit of the Nike touch.
> Of course I could be wrong...maybe we need to have Powermatics with
> Dayglo candy apple paint jobs and diamond bedecked DeWalt hammer
> drills.
> Opinions?
>
> Joe
>
On 1 Jan 2007 12:24:40 -0800, "DonkeyHody" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>The new Hitachi tools don't appeal to my sense of style either. But I
>lived a couple of years in Japan. Their sense of style is simply
>different from ours.
Think "Power Rangers" and the "Super Terrific Happy Hour". <G>
You made quite a leap there, the styling has virtually nothing to do with
the quality or the lack of quality of the function of the tool. It's simply
a marketing tool.
Much like Makita used their blue plastic covers to help market their own
line of tools.
Hitachi is going after the market that will buy more of their tools, they
may or may not be long lasting, time will tell.
I've read some pretty good reviews of some of the Hitachi line, in
woodworking magazines. But the financial facts are that there is a lot more
money spent by folks who do more of their shopping at Home Depot than they
do at Lee Valley.
John E.
"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" <mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> John E. wrote:
> > There are a lot more people in the market with little to no experience
with
> > tools than there are in the market with a lot of experience with tools.
> > That's the market that Hitachi is going after.
>
>
>
> That doesn't bode well for their commitment to excellence. I find myself
> attracted to quality tools because I learned a long time ago that you pay
once,
> cry once. With cheap tools you cry every time you use them. If they're
chasing
> the occasional user, they must not be building long lasting stuff any
more.
> Pity.
>
> At least that's the way I think....
>
>
>
> --
> Mortimer Schnerd, RN
> mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com
>
>
Joe wrote:
> Last trip to the box store I walked by a display of Hitachi power
> tools, turned and stared and soon had tears in my eyes laughing at the
> at the ridiculous styling of the line. There was a thing I thought was
> a ski boot that might have been a sabre saw, who knows?
> Seems to me this is a total waste of corporate talent that will lead to
> loss of market share. General Motors used this style-above-all tactic
> for years and, sadly, soon will be eclipsed by Toyota as the premiere
> auto manufacturer in
> the world. How Toyota got there is obvious: every year they made the
> product better, and made it more efficiently. They quietly axed the
> blunders (T100 pickup, for example) and moved on.
> IMO, for tool users, form follows function so that the tool works
> intuitively with balance and heft and other attributes that produce a
> good result. Phony styling (for me and maybe others) does nothing
> except get in the way or jack up the price.
> Before I get flamed for trashing Hitachi, I own some of their tools,
> like the portable air compressor, a fine little no-frills item that
> does it's chores every day without the benefit of the Nike touch.
> Of course I could be wrong...maybe we need to have Powermatics with
> Dayglo candy apple paint jobs and diamond bedecked DeWalt hammer
> drills.
> Opinions?
>
> Joe
>
If you are referring to this stuff it is pretty hideous looking. I have
used some nice Hitachi tools. Back in the day before the tiger striping.
http://www.hitachi-koki.com/powertools/products/products.html
"B A R R Y" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Mon, 01 Jan 2007 22:19:01 GMT, "Leon"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>>Hitachi is a humongous company and has deep pockets for advertising.
>>DeWalt
>>is a dwarf company by comparison.
>
> The cost of sponsoring DIY TV shows probably pales in comparison to
> the cost of sponsoring NASCAR teams.
Most likely. When you think of Hitachi, think in terms of Toyota or GM
world wide. They are big into industrial equipment, electronics, very
high end medical treatment facilities. etc. Perhaps not as large as Hyundai
but probably one of the bigger world companies.
In article <[email protected]>, jbobst4
@aol.com says...
> Before I get flamed for trashing Hitachi, I own some of their tools,
> like the portable air compressor, a fine little no-frills item that
> does it's chores every day without the benefit of the Nike touch.
> Of course I could be wrong...maybe we need to have Powermatics with
> Dayglo candy apple paint jobs and diamond bedecked DeWalt hammer
> drills.
> Opinions?
>
> Joe
ROTFL. Had the same experience as you - I was looking for an accessory for my
TR-12 Hitachi router, and could no longer find it on Hitachi's website,
instead, this stuff that just made my eyes water. Good grief, I wouldn't want
to be seen to be in the same room as one of those! Ye gods. Maybe they're
designed by a roller skating rink ornament artist?!?
-P.
--
=========================================
firstname dot lastname at gmail fullstop com
Never Enough Money wrote:
>> I haven't actually tried any Hitachi tools. Are you saying they did not
> follow the axiom of "form follows function?" Maybe the function is
> quite good...
You know, as recently as just a couple of years ago, most of the do it yourself
shows on TV had their guys using professional grade tools from companies like
Dewalt. All of the sudden everywhere you looked on TV, there was one of the new
Hitachi tools. I've wondered if that was because the tools were so good that
the contractors quickly moved towards them or was it because some producer
insisted they use them because they added visual interest?
--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com
There are a lot more people in the market with little to no experience with
tools than there are in the market with a lot of experience with tools.
That's the market that Hitachi is going after.
I doubt that they're much worried about pleasing the style concerns of the
folks who chat about woodworking in a newsgroup so much as they are about
the millions of folks who keep Home Depot and Lowes in business, and those
are the folks who will buy the Hitachi tools.
John E.
"CW" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Their current trend in styling doesn't really matter to me. I have a few
> Hitachi tools (old style, before the tennis shoe influence) and like them.
> If I were in the market for something and their tool would fit my needs, I
> wouldn't hesitate because of the looks. I don't, however, think it was a
> wise move on their part. Someone without experience with their tools would
> likely pass it by simply because they look so toy like.
>
> "Joe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Last trip to the box store I walked by a display of Hitachi power
> > tools, turned and stared and soon had tears in my eyes laughing at the
> > at the ridiculous styling of the line. There was a thing I thought was
> > a ski boot that might have been a sabre saw, who knows?
> > Seems to me this is a total waste of corporate talent that will lead to
> > loss of market share. General Motors used this style-above-all tactic
> > for years and, sadly, soon will be eclipsed by Toyota as the premiere
> > auto manufacturer in
> > the world. How Toyota got there is obvious: every year they made the
> > product better, and made it more efficiently. They quietly axed the
> > blunders (T100 pickup, for example) and moved on.
> > IMO, for tool users, form follows function so that the tool works
> > intuitively with balance and heft and other attributes that produce a
> > good result. Phony styling (for me and maybe others) does nothing
> > except get in the way or jack up the price.
> > Before I get flamed for trashing Hitachi, I own some of their tools,
> > like the portable air compressor, a fine little no-frills item that
> > does it's chores every day without the benefit of the Nike touch.
> > Of course I could be wrong...maybe we need to have Powermatics with
> > Dayglo candy apple paint jobs and diamond bedecked DeWalt hammer
> > drills.
> > Opinions?
> >
> > Joe
> >
>
>
Fugly.
"Joe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Last trip to the box store I walked by a display of Hitachi power
> tools, turned and stared and soon had tears in my eyes laughing at the
> at the ridiculous styling of the line. There was a thing I thought was
> a ski boot that might have been a sabre saw, who knows?
> Seems to me this is a total waste of corporate talent that will lead to
> loss of market share. General Motors used this style-above-all tactic
> for years and, sadly, soon will be eclipsed by Toyota as the premiere
> auto manufacturer in
> the world. How Toyota got there is obvious: every year they made the
> product better, and made it more efficiently. They quietly axed the
> blunders (T100 pickup, for example) and moved on.
> IMO, for tool users, form follows function so that the tool works
> intuitively with balance and heft and other attributes that produce a
> good result. Phony styling (for me and maybe others) does nothing
> except get in the way or jack up the price.
> Before I get flamed for trashing Hitachi, I own some of their tools,
> like the portable air compressor, a fine little no-frills item that
> does it's chores every day without the benefit of the Nike touch.
> Of course I could be wrong...maybe we need to have Powermatics with
> Dayglo candy apple paint jobs and diamond bedecked DeWalt hammer
> drills.
> Opinions?
>
> Joe
>
John E. wrote:
> There are a lot more people in the market with little to no experience with
> tools than there are in the market with a lot of experience with tools.
> That's the market that Hitachi is going after.
That doesn't bode well for their commitment to excellence. I find myself
attracted to quality tools because I learned a long time ago that you pay once,
cry once. With cheap tools you cry every time you use them. If they're chasing
the occasional user, they must not be building long lasting stuff any more.
Pity.
At least that's the way I think....
--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com
In article <[email protected]>, "Joe" <[email protected]> wrote:
>Last trip to the box store I walked by a display of Hitachi power
>tools, turned and stared and soon had tears in my eyes laughing at the
>at the ridiculous styling of the line. There was a thing I thought was
>a ski boot that might have been a sabre saw, who knows?
[...]
>Opinions?
I think they look stupid. I also wonder what corners were cut in construction
or in functional specification, in order to pay some foo-foo designer to make
a nail gun look like a sneaker.
I don't even buy *sneakers* that look like that. Power tools? No way.
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.
On Mon, 01 Jan 2007 22:19:01 GMT, "Leon"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>
>Hitachi is a humongous company and has deep pockets for advertising. DeWalt
>is a dwarf company by comparison.
The cost of sponsoring DIY TV shows probably pales in comparison to
the cost of sponsoring NASCAR teams.
On Mon, 01 Jan 2007 19:46:17 -0500, B A R R Y <[email protected]>
wrote:
>..." and the "Super Terrific Happy Hour".
ELAINE: Fifty thousand yen? Isn't that only a few hundred dollars?
KRAMER: Evidently.
I love Kramer's delivery of that line.
--
LRod
Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite
Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999
http://www.woodbutcher.net
Proud participant of rec.woodworking since February, 1997
email addy de-spam-ified due to 1,000 spams per month.
If you can't figure out how to use it, I probably wouldn't
care to correspond with you anyway.
"Never Enough Money" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> The Totota versus GM thing is much more complicated than just
> "style-above-all" tactics of GM. Business schools will study that in
> years to come.
Correct.. GM, Ford, and Chrysler are ill equipped to compete because Toyota
does not have to pay benefits to dead employee's families and their extended
families.
"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" <mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Never Enough Money wrote:
>>> I haven't actually tried any Hitachi tools. Are you saying they did not
>> follow the axiom of "form follows function?" Maybe the function is
>> quite good...
>
>
>
> You know, as recently as just a couple of years ago, most of the do it
> yourself shows on TV had their guys using professional grade tools from
> companies like Dewalt. All of the sudden everywhere you looked on TV,
> there was one of the new Hitachi tools. I've wondered if that was because
> the tools were so good that the contractors quickly moved towards them or
> was it because some producer insisted they use them because they added
> visual interest?
Hitachi is a humongous company and has deep pockets for advertising. DeWalt
is a dwarf company by comparison.
On Mon, 01 Jan 2007 17:13:55 GMT, [email protected] (Doug Miller)
wrote:
>In article <[email protected]>, "Joe" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>Last trip to the box store I walked by a display of Hitachi power
>>tools, turned and stared and soon had tears in my eyes laughing at the
>>at the ridiculous styling of the line. There was a thing I thought was
>>a ski boot that might have been a sabre saw, who knows?
>[...]
>>Opinions?
>
>I think they look stupid. I also wonder what corners were cut in construction
>or in functional specification, in order to pay some foo-foo designer to make
>a nail gun look like a sneaker.
>
>I don't even buy *sneakers* that look like that. Power tools? No way.
Not only the designer. The molds and the molding process for these is
far more complex than the standard single color stuff.
On 1 Jan 2007 11:23:06 -0800, "Never Enough Money"
<[email protected]> wrote:
> They quietly axed the
>> blunders (T100 pickup, for example) and moved on.
The T100 bloated into the Tundra.
Oddly enough, my current Tacoma is very, very close to a T100. <G>
"Joe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Last trip to the box store I walked by a display of Hitachi power
> tools, turned and stared and soon had tears in my eyes laughing at the
> at the ridiculous styling of the line. There was a thing I thought was
> a ski boot that might have been a sabre saw, who knows?
> Seems to me this is a total waste of corporate talent that will lead to
> loss of market share. General Motors used this style-above-all tactic
> for years and, sadly, soon will be eclipsed by Toyota as the premiere
> auto manufacturer in
> the world. How Toyota got there is obvious: every year they made the
> product better, and made it more efficiently. They quietly axed the
> blunders (T100 pickup, for example) and moved on.
> IMO, for tool users, form follows function so that the tool works
> intuitively with balance and heft and other attributes that produce a
> good result. Phony styling (for me and maybe others) does nothing
> except get in the way or jack up the price.
> Before I get flamed for trashing Hitachi, I own some of their tools,
> like the portable air compressor, a fine little no-frills item that
> does it's chores every day without the benefit of the Nike touch.
> Of course I could be wrong...maybe we need to have Powermatics with
> Dayglo candy apple paint jobs and diamond bedecked DeWalt hammer
> drills.
> Opinions?
>
> Joe
>
FIY Panasonic and Makita both now have similar looking tools in their
Lithium Ion models.
"DonkeyHody" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> The new Hitachi tools don't appeal to my sense of style either. But I
> lived a couple of years in Japan. Their sense of style is simply
> different from ours.
Yeah!!! Having worked for a dealer that sold Isusu I learned the the
American named Pup truck in Japan was called Lotus Flower.
Come-on Bubba hop in the "Lotus Flower and get a load of stinkin mulch. LOL