Originally Posted by
ScottCommutes
Also, due to continuing improvements in fields like metallurgy (alloying), forging, plasma cutting, welding, electroplating, and CNC machining, the cheap tools of today are very often equal to or better than the esteemed tools of yesteryear.
This, exactly. My dad had a tendency to buy cheap tools; I can remember some of his screwdrivers that appeared to be made of cheese. On the other hand, he also sometimes bought really good tools which I still use today, 50 years on. I have bought a few inexpensive tools, though, which are perfectly serviceable - much better than their ancestors of 50 years ago.