Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[Charlesaf3]

Thanks on the saw stop - I saw a review citing it and the powermatic as the 2 best cabinet saws out there, having nothing to do with safety, just saw quality.

[patrick_g]

Originally Posted by Charlesaf3

What annoys me is not HF junk being junk - I expect that. My new Dewalt being junk is thoroughly irritating.

I was just so thrilled when I took a cover off the side of an expensive DeWalt tool and found that under the cover the next layer of plastic had the following text molded into the part, "Made in CHINA", which really made my day. It may be yellow and it may be labeled DeWalt but it may still be made in China.

Of course if it says DeWalt on it it just has to be way better than anything you could ever possibly buy at HF.

Pat

[IXLR8]

Does anybody know if one of these $20 4-1/2" angle grinders is better than the other?

Drill Master;
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

Chicago Electric;
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

[shvl73]

Originally Posted by IXLR8

Does anybody know if one of these $20 4-1/2" angle grinders is better than the other?

Drill Master;
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

Chicago Electric;
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

I've got the orange one. So far its been great. Frequently on sale for about $15.

[California]

Originally Posted by IXLR8

Does anybody know if one of these $20 4-1/2" angle grinders is better than the other?

I would judge them on amperage rating, the more the amps the better. I didn't look at your links, but I think a pro unit draws over 10 amps and these are in the 4 to 6 amp range.

At such a low price I don't see any other criteria to compare them on. I've had good luck with both the orange and blue ones, in light use. I have several and haven't smoked one ... yet.

[patrick_g]

Originally Posted by IXLR8

Does anybody know if one of these $20 4-1/2" angle grinders is better than the other?

Drill Master;
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

Chicago Electric;
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

I saw them on special in one of the stores for $8. Surely it had to be worth $8. I don't recall if it was the orange one or the blue one. I paid about $50 to get my American brand, made who knows where) $100 4 1/2 inch rebuilt. I could have bought 3 to 5 (depending on specials etc) for the price of the repair.

I recently bought the 7 inch Milwaukee. It is quite a handful (heavy) but what a torque monster. I hope it lasts as well as some of my other Milwaukee tools which are over 30 yrs old and running strong. I intend to abuse the heck out of it, treatment that would be courting disaster with the light duty HF stuff.

Pat

[RobJ]

Originally Posted by patrick_g

I saw them on special in one of the stores for $8. Surely it had to be worth $8. I don't recall if it was the orange one or the blue one. I paid about $50 to get my American brand, made who knows where) $100 4 1/2 inch rebuilt. I could have bought 3 to 5 (depending on specials etc) for the price of the repair.

I recently bought the 7 inch Milwaukee. It is quite a handful (heavy) but what a torque monster. I hope it lasts as well as some of my other Milwaukee tools which are over 30 yrs old and running strong. I intend to abuse the heck out of it, treatment that would be courting disaster with the light duty HF stuff.

Pat

I bought 2 of the $8 ones, blue, work and sound the same as the others. Bummer though when you order on the web, they will no back order anything under $10. So I missed out on a couple more.

[RobJ]

Originally Posted by patrick_g

The Saw Stop cabinet saw (I have the 52 inch table) is a heck of a fine machine. A brief momentary lapse while using a tapering jig and ZHAZAM. I had a spare cartridge for just in case. Now you see it (the blade) and then poof, you don't. A previous lapse using the Makita customized my left thumb to the consternation of several national agencies who have to change their files.

Hey Pat, don't the spare cartridges cost $100 or more? Not counting the blade. Not that much to save a finger I admit. I think most have see the hotdog video.

They now have a chop saw, comes up from the bottom..

YouTube - SawStop

YouTube - SawStop Chop Saw

[California]

A couple of pages back I asked about HF's #90385 compressor. But I learned that model is mail order only.

Instead, today I bought their #90234.

90234 (distinguished by its red tank) is slightly larger than the common black-tank compressor (#40400 or 95386) that is always in the stores.

90234 has a larger tank compared to twins 40400/95386, (10 gal/8 gal) and its air output is 20% greater at both 40 and 90 psi. Its weight is greater, 75 lbs vs 55, but it's still easy to lift into the car. It is presently on sale in the stores for $119.

The common black smaller unit (#40400 or 95386) is also on sale, temporarily $99. Both sales may end after 7/4.

I hope this is helpful to someone considering a compressor. I think paying the additional $20 is worthwhile.

And I'm still curious about the following: I have a 30 gallon compressor tank with its compressor gone. Will it work to put a T fitting on the output of the little guy then use this larger tank as additional buffer to provide more air to tools before the pressure sags? Will this be usable (after adding filters) for hobby-level painting?

[IXLR8]

Originally Posted by California

And I'm still curious about the following: I have a 30 gallon compressor tank with its compressor gone. Will it work to put a T fitting on the output of the little guy then use this larger tank as additional buffer to provide more air to tools before the pressure sags?

Yes... but it will take longer to recover.

Originally Posted by California

Will this be usable (after adding filters) for hobby-level painting?

Maybe... depends on your gun... but for hobby painting I would strongly suspect yes. For the cost of fittings I would certainly try it.