Thai toolkits that have no tools

[Gsxrnz]

What is it with Thai handyman toolkits and the lack of tools. Most don’t even have an actual box, they just have them in their pocket.

The local moo baan handyman arrives today to remove an old and partially rotted pergola type structure from my backyard. He’s demolishing it piece by piece with a hammer, and it’s taking him forever and making a helluva mess. His toolkit is one hammer.

I wouldn’t start the job without a hammer, pinch bar, and a saw at the very least. He’s made sod all progress in 2 hours and I reckon I would have nearly finished it and been looking forward to my first beer by now.

Reminds me of the electrician that arrived with nothing but a screwdriver, and the handyman that had a hammer, a 100 year old monkey wrench, a hacksaw blade, and a screwdriver. That screwdriver saw service as a screwdriver, a pinch bar, a hammer, and a cold chisel when he replaced my water pump.

I know tools can be expensive, but even for 1,000 baht these guys could set themselves up with a few luxuries, such as a hacksaw handle or a decent adjustable spanner.

[kcore]

Yeah, had a so called plumber come over the other day to fix leaky pvcpipe under the sink. I had to teach him how to use the PVC cutter wrench. Then had to show him what fittings to go and buy. Then had to show him how to route the fix after he put it together by himself only to find out he had run the repair across the access of the p trap drain . Geez! Then he wanted 800 bht for two hours of work! Geez. I just paid him to get ride of him. Now I am off to global to invest a few 1000 bht on my own house hold tools. DIY from now on!

[jocko]

Several years ago near the house i was at the time they layed a new road in slabs made a fair job of it a week or two later i see some ladies crouching down and banging away at the road so i went to have a closer look.

The expansion joints had'nt been done properly so the ladies were chipping away at them to clean them out using a piece of rough bit hardwood with a long masonry nail at the end bashing away with a claw hammer it took them weeks.

I never seen so many claw hammers in my life that are used in Thailand that is why if they are building something near your house that is the cause of so much noise they even hammer steel with them.

[HeijoshinCool]

Tools aren't much use if you don't know how to use them.

[Langsuan Man]

My favorite is when the owner of the glass company came to measure the space for a custom made glass shower enclosure and had to borrow my ruler, paper and pen

Needless to say, that company didn't get the job

[weegee]

The tools that's supposed to come with the item you bought are now owned by the guy that you will ring for repairs later at a horribly high price....

So are de KRAP.....

[Neeranam]

I've had a lot of tradesmen recently as just bought a house and they've all been very professional and of course had all the proper tools.

But I didn't hire the local moo bahn guys

[Neeranam]

I've had a lot of tradesmen recently as just bought a house and they've all been very professional and of course had all the proper tools.

But I didn't hire the local moo bahn guys.

You get what you pay for - like any country I would think.

Edited August 27, 2013 by Neeranam

[krisb]

I've had a lot of tradesmen recently as just bought a house and they've all been very professional and of course had all the proper tools.

But I didn't hire the local moo bahn guys.

You get what you pay for - like any country I would think.

Not always. Our local guy is fantastic. Great quality work, crap tools. When he was doing our roof, he hooked his shitty no plug drill directly into the mains by splicing the 2 together. To top that off his 3 year old niece was playing on the slab near it while he's on the roof all week. If she had of touched that splice, dead.