How much asthetic value do you put on tools?

[Bobby O'Neal]

I was thinking today that I really don't care for the look of Freud's red blades. It doesn't affect how they cut but I just don't care for it. Then I wondered how much I care about the look of any tools I have. I only own one Lie Nielsen plane but it is beautiful and I really think that enhances my time spent using it. I think the new Unisaws are gorgeous and they'd just look awesome in any room.

Anybody feel me?

[Jerome Hanby]

Guess I have to confess. I like Freud Blades and Record planes mostly because they work, but the look definitely is part of the equation. With that said, if they sucked as tools it wouldn't matter what they looked like...

[Andrew Hughes]

I'm with you on this one Bobby.Good looking well built tools inspire me to do my best work. Amen

[johnny means]

I like the look of a well worn tool. Like a favorite hat or pair of boots, its quality allows it to live through years of work and occasional abuse. It's quality gives it time to build character. The shine may all be gone, there may be a little tarnish, and dings and chips, but when you look at it you see it still has a lifetime of utility left in it. Usually, these types of items don't require a whole lot of embellishment when new. There form follows function, thus there beauty lies in there functionality.

Personally, I think that Freud stuff is all god awful. IMO that garish red paint is there to hide some shortcoming in there machining.

[Victor Robinson]

I'll admit it, good tool aesthetics do appeal to me...not so much colors but fit and finish.

As a related issue, I like power tools that keep looking new due to good dust collection. I can't stand the build-up of superfine dust on sanders and routers and their power cords. Of course, dust collection is much more valuable than just keeping tools clean and looking good.

[James Baker SD]

Silly me, I love pretty tools. If they work well, that's a bonus.

[Peter Quinn]

I've long advocated picking tools based on aesthetics. Some colors appeal to me more, some I find displeasing. I generally avoid green tools in most shades, though I would make an acceptation should a Felder come my way, and I have made room for an older green minimax machine, but its a subtle celery shade, not that garish stop light meets pine tree green some manufacturers prefer. I love gold machines, I have an old DeWalt RAS I initially took as a basket case because the industrial design was just too handsome to discard. My BS is a very generic shade of blue/grey that allows me to forget its color and focus on my work. The list goes on. Hand tools, power tools, looks matter. Men are visual creatures by nature and this is largely an aesthetic pursuit, or we would all be cobbling crude boxes out of 2X4's. Of course with a very few exceptions if a tool doesn't function, in my world its going in a dumpster regardless of how pretty it is. But lets face it, there are at least 7 cabinet saw choices I can name from the top of my had that are all more than most of us will ever need in a one man small shop, picking the "ultimate" one is largely a matter of taste, not science. So I say throw away the silly tool guides, do consider ergonomics for tools you will hold in your hands, and by all means pick your favorite color with the confidence that its as good a basis for decision as any other.

As a side not I have several freud blades, but I generally stay away from the red ones so I can tell right away if I've cut my self.

[phil harold]

Freud does make a clear or silver coating too
http://www.carbidespecialties.com/Freud_Silver_ICE.htm

[Bobby O'Neal]

Guess I have to confess. I like Freud Bladed and Record planes mostly because they work, but the look definitely is part of the equation. With that said, if they sucked as tools it wouldn't matter what they looked like...

I do actually dig the Records.

[Will Overton]

I love the look of a new tool. I put a coat of wax on them and clean up the ones that sit next to them. Then I get back to work.

I recently picked up the Delta scroll saw at WoodCraft and ordered an 18" Delta drill press. I cleaned up the old ones prior to giving them away. I hadn't paid much attention to how they looked as I used them over the past 20 years. Once all the spit and polish was done, they both looked pretty good.

[Van Huskey]

Personally, I think that Freud stuff is all god awful. IMO that garish red paint is there to hide some shortcoming in there machining.

Pretty much proved incorrect if you look at their ICE blades some can be had both in ICE and Perma-shield. It is simply marketing and brand recognition. I initially didn't read that far but Phil points out ICE also.

Form imparts a subtle hint of quality to me. With many tools pleasing curves and overall pleasing design is usually an extra step and means the designer and manufacturer care. It is true that you could put Ferrari sheet metal on a Yugo but the sheet metal costs a LOT to form with those complex curves. Color means something to me on machines as well, I tend to HATE the grays and most of the greens I do not like either. I do love the Evergreen on 70s era PM, the EXACT shade of pea/vista green on Northfield and the Oliver teal as pleasing, however, that may be the reverse in that I see those colors as a sign of quality.

[ed vitanovec]

I have the Freud Diablo Table saw Blade, Red of course. I think the Red has some lubricant in the paint. I think the way a tool looks is some what imprtant to me, whether its in the castings, machining or final finish. It shows me the workmanship that the company has in its tools. I understand in castings it maybe a little hard to control the finish and its all about the labor that it takes to make the molds look good before they are poured. The grinding of the surfaces on Tables, Jointer Beds and Fences is critical for accuracy and looks too and all this costs a lot of time to do. I think when a new tool is going to market and has a target price, the price will dictate the level of quality throughout the tool. The target price has to pay for all the R & D, Materials, Labor, Overhead and what the annual volumes wil be, because its all about the profit margins. I think we all have an idea what a quality tool should look like and what it should cost. Most all of my tools are mid priced and I think the quality of them are pretty good. I know the paint on them could be a little better but they are acceptable for my use.

[Kevin W Johnson]

Simply put, a lot.

I think for a lot of people it boils down to the thought that if the manufacturer doesn't put the effort into making the tool look nice, you question if they put effort and quality in to the tool itself.

[Steve Griffin]

I must be an aesthetic illiterate. Though I do like the looks of words spelled correctly

Can't think of a single tool in the shop where I placed the slightest value in looks during purchase or use.

Sometimes I choose colors based on functional advantages--I like my orange tape measure for visibility. I also prefer red blades and bright orange throat plates for visibility and situational awareness at the table saw.

[Mark Ashmeade]

I'll take it a bit further. I actually consider having a well equipped, presentable shop a hobby in itself. I like having a shiny shop. Not that my shop is remotely presentable today. It's in the throes of moving 40ft across the basement, but it'll get there, and rule #1 is: "Have nothing in the shop that doesn't look like it should be there".