Main > Main Forum
Pro-Quality tools worth the price premium?
<< < (5/5)
Lilwolf:
I used to say buy expensive ALWAYS..

but lately I've changed my tune.  Buy cheap... and figure out what you use ALL the time and buy the best. 

Sometimes you don't know what you really will use... and it can change year to year.

Miter saw is worth the extra cash imho.  ESPECIALLY one with a site laser.  VERY useful for fast cuts.  Don't get one with all the weird angles and such (at least for your main miter saw) at the expense of anything else.  you will cut 90 or 45 degrees 99% of the time.

Router is a GREAT thing.. You will use it for TONS of projects if you get a good one.  Plunger is a must.

But a ton of other tools I use once a year... Not worth the extra money and works ok for when I do.
Matt Berry:
Sometimes it "pays" to buy cheap to figure out what you want, and then if it is something you use frequently then upgrade it latter.
Other times it doesn't. The cheap tool performs very poorly, breaks, doesn't finish the job, or just creates more hassle then its worth.
Some will say, oh I can just return it for another one or it has X-amount of warranty. Sure you do, but all of that takes time. What good is the warranty if it breaks everytime you use it?
Plunge routers are nice but are not a necessity. For a first router a fixed base like the pc 690 is a good choice. From there you can expand into a plunge router. Routers are like clamps you can never have too many, I think I have 4 of them now.
Navigation
Message Index
Previous page

Go to full version