Well what a load of rubbish by the OP. What exactly is wrong with making up a long lead? It is a tool. It needs to be a) long and b) continuous. Those are the only two qualities it requires. Who cares what it looks like? We can all buy lovely shiny things but they will all have an inch thick coating of plaster in a week, so whats the point? I don't know anybody who bought a long lead from a shop, and to be honest if anyone I worked with turned up with one, they would have 'mug' stamped on their head for the rest of the week.
What exactly is wrong with cheaper rods for light, domestic use? Super rods are wildly expensive for what is effectively a few glorified tent poles. I will probably get a few sets when I'm at the top of my game, but people like me, durham and many others on this forum are just starting up, and considering we are just house bashing for the time being, the cheap set will do just fine.
I print my certificates straight from the PDFs on the ELECSA website. They are black and white. I staple them together and use carbon paper. Crucially, they have spaces for me to record relevant information. I have never had a customer say 'hmm, these certificates are a bit bland looking. I was going to mount this above the fireplace, but now I wouldn't even frame it in the bog.' Who cares?
I print my own cards directly. I also do all my own adverts. Mind you, I did work as a graphic designer for a bit. My cards are every bit as good as one from a printer, but cost me next to nothing to produce. My adverts are infinitely better than anything any company round here could offer me, and cost me precisely sod all. I also did my own vehicle decals which, while the back window one is top, the side decals aren't that great. That said, they are certainly better than nothing.
On the subject of vehicles, I use a 94 clio for work. It is clean and tidy, I have ground out the rust and resprayed where I ground, and now it is very shiny. The car cost £180, the primer cost a quid, the paint cost three quid, and putting it all together cost me a lazy afternoon. I also got some roofbars for free off freecycle. It is more than I need right now, and suits me down to the ground. We would all love to go and buy brand new transits before even registering with a scheme, but we are not all that well off, mad or both.
As durham said - I turn up on time, with bright eyes and clean hair. I am polite to the customers, and build a little relationship with them. I also give reasonable quotes. This blows them away to start with, because they were expecting an arrogant know-it-all who would charge the earth to move a lightswitch. I do a good job, am neat and tidy, and am friendly and personable with the customers. This gets me repeat work. If I have the opportunity to use cheaper goods that are of decent quality, I will do. I have used Wylex, Crabtree (exactly the same by the way) squareD and MK boards, as well as Newlec, Castlec and several other low-priced boards. The only one I have had a problem with was newlec, but to be honest I found the cheaper boards on the whole easier to work with that Wylex/Crabtree, and I find MK sentry to be exceedingly annoying. Using cheaper stuff benefits me and the customer, as they get a little off, and I make a little more. I also get non-17th boards cheaply from the markets and convert them. Again saving money.
I don't want to offend you but I have always been under the impression that people who just throw money at things and rely on big brand names, instead of using a little ingenuity and shopping around for something that suits you are dull, unimaginative, pig headed and a bit naive.
