Despite being up to 100% more expensive to purchase, premium power tool accessories usually have overall costs that are 30-50% lower than standard accessories. For example, the diagram below shows the comparison between two Hilti tools with standard and premium accessories:
So, why is there such a difference in overall cost? Well, this becomes clear when we look at the purchase price plus the other ‘hidden’ costs:
- Cost of the material: This is the price you pay for the accessory from your supplier. Typically, this will be higher for premium accessories. But as those last much longer, the cost per hole is often similar or even lower
- Cost of purchasing: This is the time you need to select and buy the accessory. On average I think it’s reasonable to assume that it takes 5 minutes per accessory. It's definitely less if you buy multi packs, but significantly higher if you need to drive to a retailer to get one
- Cost of labour: A premium accessory will do the job much faster, meaning you can save on labour costs. For example, on the SDS bits, Hilti 4-cutter (TE-CX) will drill 80% faster than the 2-cutter (TE-C) when drilling into reinforced concrete. What’s more if the bit hits rebar, the TE-CX 4-cutter will get through it, while the 2-cutter (TE-C) might struggle or break
- Cost of the power tool: Because a premium drill bit will do the job faster, your power tool will last longer. In fact, the main factor for the lifetime of a power tool is its working time (so called trigger time). So if an accessory allows to do the job 80% faster, the power tool will last 80% longer
As you can see, the purchase price of the item itself is only a small part of the total cost of an accessory and the savings of the premium lines are significant. How much money would your company save if you would only buy premium accessories?