Footprint - any good?

[foxhunter]

I found these Footprint firmer chisels at the bottom of an auction lot I bought recently. I'm not a tool collector, just an occasional user but wondered if they are worth keeping. I remember Roebuck being mentioned in connection with Footprint but these are Thos. E. Ellin.

 

[Harbo]

I've got a couple of those - older Footprint stuff is generally good.

Rod

 

[AndyT]

Yes, decent stuff - and one of the last Sheffield tool makers, still clinging on - see http://www.footprint-tools.co.uk/index_home.htm for more details - now trading as Footprint Sheffield Ltd to emphasise that they do still manufacture there.

 

[Sawyer]

They look little-used and in good order: I'd certainly keep 'em if I were you. Footprint is good stuff in my experience: I have some of their saws, chisels and planes, 25+ years old and still giving excellent service. When acquiring my first tools, they were recommended to me by an old cabinet maker - and it appears that he was correct!

Andy, thanks for the link. I thought Footprint went to the wall a couple of years ago and am very glad to learn different.

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

+1 Good stuff.

 

[SteveB43]

I thought they'd gone under, that website has'nt been updated in ages and the occasional tool you see is for sale is old stock. i picked up a few chisels from Tilgear a few years ago which was closing down remnants or maybe that was just the sales blurb..
shame some of these folks don't collaborate more, Footprint as a 'budget' version of Clifton perhaps... Point is it's a competitive world out there and the dross from China is really driving demand for a return to a quality product IMHO....

 

[Tony Spear]

Footprint as a 'budget' version of Clifton perhaps... Point is it's a competitive world out there and the dross from China is really driving demand for a return to a quality product IMHO....

Unfortunately (fortunately?) not everything made in China is "dross".

As far back as the late 80's I was in China discussing a "Technology Transfer" arrangement with Shanghai Pump Works and whilst touring the factory I noticed a large batch of pumps of a fairly standard design and the quality was appalling!
Their Chief Engineer saw me looking and pointed that they were for a Government Irrigation project and therefore built to be as cheap as possible. He then took me to another part of the Works and showed me a couple of massive Boiler Feed pumps for their latest 600mW power stations and although I realised that they were pirated copies of an earlier vesion of our own pumps, I couldn't fauilt the quality! Which proved to us that they could do it if they had to, but if they were to build anything for us, we would have to monitor their quality control very closely.

So, coming back to your original point, I doubt very much that anybody in the U.K. could compete with somebody like Quansheng.

If it were possible, I would imagine that Matthewwh would already have explored that option. From the variable qualty of some of the Quansheng planes marketed by other people, it would appear that Matthew took the quality issue on board very early on.

 

[foxhunter]

Thanks to all for the recommendation and information. Yes, they are in good condition, just a little evidence of mallet use on the handles.
I feel some sharpening coming on.

 

[SteveB43]

Hi, yes point taken, Quangshengs as supplied by Matthew are indeed excellent, however as you say Quangshengs elsewhere are a bit dubious, my point is large scale manufacturers, Stanley, Irwin etc do use Chinese sourced materials and the boards are full of comments on that output.
But for Footprint, if you can't compete on price; building alliances, quality and customer service are your only options...
Then there's the choice option, I may be happier to pay a few ££ more for a UK manufactured Sheffield steel tool, rather than a Far Easterns version
Happy weekend all, good luck with those projects!
Cheers..

 

[dickm]

Not really on topic, but does anyone know how the Chinese get away with their blatant copies? My chipper/shredder has what looks exactly like a Honda 6.5hp engine, even down to the typeface of the lettering and Honda parts fit directly on to it, but it doesn't actually say "Honda" anywhere and a bit of research shows it's one of several versions made in China. So a complete knock-off, like the pumps mentioned above.

Why don't Honda take any action?