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Pro-Quality tools worth the price premium?
LordKaosNY:
I purchased a Ryobi 18v cordless set consisting of a Drill, 6 1/2 inch circular saw, Miter saw, Saws-all, flashlight, dremmel, two batteries, a charger, and some other accessories from Home Depot and it works great. I've used them for all kinds of home repairs and projects. They are surprisingly powerful for cordless tools.
I have since purchased a corded regular sized circular saw for the times when the cordless one doesn't cut it (pun intended) and a corded router.
crsdawg:
this is really kinda a tough question because in some cases a cheap tool will work fine, but not in others.
if it's a tool that will be used a lot, like say a cordless drill. this is a tool that once you have it you will find yourself useing it all the time. and not just building projects in the garage. i'd recommend spending the exta $'s and getting a good one.
otoh, if it's a tool that's kinda one dimensional and will not get used much then getting a cheap one should be no big deal.
i've got a garage packed with tools and it's about half and half quality vs. cheapies and i have no regrets.
Matt Berry:
In tools for the most part you get what you pay for. While in some situations "cheap" tools will work, they are not constructed very well and use inferior parts. The cheap tools are not built to be ran for any long periods of time. They are also usually not as accurate as the more expensive tools. Most companies do make various levels of tools, some they can make well, others not so good. Craftsman power tools are junk, do not buy any craftsman power tools. For jigsaws the Bosch and Hitachi are very good, Routers it all depends on if you want plunge or not. Porter Cable use to be good, not too sure about it now since they were bought by Black and Decker. Black and Decker now owns Delta, Porter Cable and Dewalt. For a corded drill you'd be hard to beat a milwaukee. Besides Craftsman The other Brand to stay away from is Panasonic. Harbor freight does have some good deals - but you really have to watch what you are buying because they do have some real garbage too.
Good luck, and the best option is to buy the best that you can at the begining.
MonitorGuru:
Jigsaw, Drill, Palm Sander, Random orbital sander - Go CHEAP. If you have a Menards home improvement store, they routinely (like every 3 months) have these items (except the random orbital) on sale for $15 with a $5 rebate = $10. Sometimes you can get them for as low as $8.49. Also check Harbor Freight you can get similar prices. The random orbital normally hits $20-$25 on sale at Menards. A RO sander is needed to more quickly eat away edges of particle board or MDF. A palm (non RO) works good for finishing off flat sides.
Router: Buy *good* quality. DO NOT BUY THE CHEAP CRAP at harbor frieght or off of ebay. They are utter trash. A router is a very precise instrument and is actually pretty deadly if they aren't assembled right. I have tried a couple cheap ones off of eBay, Harbor Frieght and Hominer Tools and they are almost too dangerous to use.... when they work. I wont go into all the problems I had with them, but suffice it to say, my fathers 1965-ish Sears router works hundreds of time better and is much more precise. Don't spend less than $50 on a router, but no need to spend more than $120 either. Shop around, and try them first.
By the way, DeWalt *IS* Black+Decker. B+D used to be a "high end" brand, but in the 70's when they started making home appliances (toasters, irons), and lowered their pricepoints, professional users balked at using "home crap" and started going with other brands like Makita, etc.. B+D then started putting out their same tools labeled under the DeWalt brand name. They're the same things, just with a different label.
nostrebor:
--- Quote from: MonitorGuru on April 06, 2005, 09:48:18 am ---<snip>
By the way, DeWalt *IS* Black+Decker. B+D used to be a "high end" brand, but in the 70's when they started making home appliances (toasters, irons), and lowered their pricepoints, professional users balked at using "home crap" and started going with other brands like Makita, etc.. B+D then started putting out their same tools labeled under the DeWalt brand name. They're the same things, just with a different label.
--- End quote ---
While I do agree that B&D makes Dewalt, just as many other tools come from similar makers, I cannot agree with the blanket statement of "same thing - different label".
The reason smart tool purchases are so difficult, is that many do not take the time to learn what makes a good tool good, and what the differences are between brands. If you take a B&D drill and Dewalt drill and disassemble them, you will find many differences. Smaller windings, plastic gears, less efficient cooling, plastic case parts at high impact points will be present in the B&D. Heavier windings, metal gears, better clutches, metal case parts, etc. in the Dewalt. Just because they come from one producer does not make them the same thing.
How can I justify this? Research. Wood, PWW, FWW and other woodworking magazines regularly compare tools and tool quality. Check their sites, read at the mag rack, subscribe. The forum I mentioned above has posts listing "real world" tool experiences and comparisons, using exact model numbers in some cases. Epinions has reviews (grains of salt needed...) and so on.
I have a wide variety of tools ranging from HF to Porter Cable, and all in between. I take seriously *any* tool purchase over $20 and carefully research before I buy. NO impulse tool buys are allowed. I chose bt3central because they are NOT a bunch of "tool snobs" who insist that more $$ = better tools. I have had fantastic results with my major tool purchases since using this philosophy, and I literally have $10,000+ in tools in my shop. (this encompasses car building/wood working/arcade stuff over a 15 year period) In all honesty, the 2 BEST tools I have are the internet, and patience.