OT: tools

We don't get Harbor Freight here, but I'd avoid the Black and Decker. They used to be good medium-range tools too - a sensible choice if you didn't feel like paying lots for the top of the range Bosch. Sad that.

Dave Milne, Scotland

The slave labor factories in Red China will now make tools to your specifications...

DeWalt's Red Chinese tools are good quality..... Harbor Freight tools are...... well....... what we consider to be "Made in Red China" tools.

My cheapo Chinese made Makita has lasted way longer than I thought it would. At least it is made to the specs of a recognizable brand name, the Harbor Freight stuff is defiantly the bottom of the barrel however.

I have two grinders. One I bought new for 15$ out of a box at a flea market and a Makita I paid about $140 for.

Here is what you get.

The cheapo uses stamped screws (yep, they got a mold mark) and basic pot-metal housing. The motor is good, even has replaceable brushes, but the worm drive is very noisy and the sucker will not balance. It vibrates so badly with a grinder wheel that I only use it with a wire brush for cleaning rust.

The Makita is perfectly balanced and grinds smoothly without sagging. It will also cut metal if you use one of the thinner grinding wheels.

Hey, we bought one of those Harbor Freight cheapo 4.5" electric grinders something like FIVE years ago - We use it all the time and the little thing just keeps on chugging right along. We bought it back then because it was cheaper than buying a new air compressor for his pneumatics at the time.

My husband is usually a tool snob, has two big boxes full of Snap On tools... He's still scratching his head over this one.

Kate

The secret of Harbor Freight is to buy the orange tools, not the blue tools. The orange ones sound like they are going to self destruct in less than 20 minutes of use, but run forever. The blue ones sound like they are going to self destruct in less than 20 minutes of use, and often do...

Same experience here with *some* of HB's tools. Bought the pneumatic

3.5" die grinder/steel cutter with carborundum wheel 10 years ago, and that stupid $7.00 thing is still working. Most of their stuff is junk, but a few items are worth having. The trick is knowing what's good: stick with the "orange" tools for best results. They're still junk, but they last longer than their other junk.

"Ken Finney" wrote

It's funny you should mention this. Our little ginnder IS orange.

During our recent remodeling project we needed a tile saw and bought one big enough to handle the 18" travertine at a diagonal.. It was about $100 cheaper than the cheapos at the home stores.

We have cut a tone of tile with it, and it's still going! it's orange. For our hardwood, we bought a nailer/stapler. It quit on the second day, we had to drive the 120 miles back to Memphis to exchange it. It's blue.

So, there may be something to your theory there.

Oh, we DID buy the extended warranty on the saw and the nailer - just in case.

Their orange tools are named something like "Chicaco Electric" - Chicago SOMETHING. Hell, I'd look but all the tools are up in the shop and it/s 40? outside!

Hmm.. .the orange ones.

I LOVE Ridgid tools. They are a good bang for the buck. This summer because of all these projects I got to buy a Ridgid 12" compound, sliding miter saw with the folding cart and a palm sander. Oh yea! I can get into all kinds of trouble with these! Our neighbor (a contractor) came by to snoop and told Hubs he liked his saw - I hollered over that it is MY saw and got the most pecular look.

anyway, don't be afraid of the orange tools at Harbor Freight.

Kate

Must.... Resist.... Risque... Double entendre...

-- "I defer to your plainly more vivid memories of topless women with whips....r" R. H. Draney recalls AFU in the Good Old Days.

That would be low.

I have a Snap-On stud puller, a Vixen file, a Bastard file, spindle sockets, and a reamer. I have a socket cleaner, a cherry picker, and a Magnaflux crack finder.

I love you.

WEG

Kate