Power tools rank alongside beer and cars as quintessential symbols of manliness. There's something about the satisfying whirr of the motor and the dust flying from whatever piece of wood/wall/metal is being 'improved' that really speaks to the heart of the man. But why, exactly, is home improvement so rewarding a pastime?
Experts have pointed to a number of factors behind the enduring popularity of power tool fuelled home improvement.
Firstly, many power tools simply roar 'quality.' Products made by brands such as Makita Tools and Paslode Tools have been known to last for over 10 years of the most cack-handed use by bumbling home improvers. A paslode nail gun, for instance, has been known to nail planks together even after being dropped in a bucket of window cleaning water by one so-called 'enthusiast'!
Secondly, power tools are a more affordable hobby than cars. Companies like Tool-net offer discount power tools like a DeWalt DW682K 240V Biscuit Jointer for £182.42 Inc VAT. While a top-of-the-range Aston Martin will set you back the best part of £200,000 a top-of the range power tool can be yours for under £200!
Some people suggest that the use of power tools reconnects modern man with his primitive self. Ten thousand years ago we used clubs to bash our dinner into submission. Years later we developed axes and chisels to do make our simple lives a little easier and the first tools were created! Historians can trace the direct evolution of power tools from the primitive axe to the DeWalt DC988KA 18V Combi Drill/Driver via the ruins of Rome and the industrial revolution.
Finally, there is the collecting aspect to power tools. There's no feeling on earth like walking into a fully stocked garage or workshop, a rich aroma of sawdust and elbow grease filling your nostrils, to see a neatly ordered selection of implements ready to slice, buff, grind and sand any piece of wood/metal/flesh into submission.
Of course, not all power tools are for the home improvement market. While Clarke Tools and Dewalt Tools will appeal to the home enthusiast, they are definitely aimed at the professional market. Funnily enough, over the last ten years a huge market has developed for professional workmen who specialize in repairing bad work by home enthusiasts. This brings us back to Lord Acton's famous quote - 'power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.' Perhaps the old nobleman had the foresight to predict the boom in home improvement? Maybe power tools can corrupt and corrupt absolutely in the wrong hands!
