Dargo said:
I'm not sure I follow you. I realize that you are the biggest HF fan here by far, but some of their products are nothing less than dangerous. I fail to see where "the rest of the discussion really doesn't count" when I am pointing out some facts about the dangers of some of the poor quality items HF sells that can be very dangerous to the user. Just because I am most definitely not their number one fan does not mean that my observations, or other's observations, don't count. I don't have the time to go the thread about the HF tools that suck to list most everything they carry. I simply thought it appropriate to mention being careful with buying the absolute cheapest item available when you in fact are trusting your life to that item.
Dargo, You say you are not sure you follow me. I'm positive you didn't. Let me try again. IF YOU aren't comfortable with a certain quality level then paying a few more bucks to get into your comfort zone is NOT something I would quibble with and agree it is the right thing for you to do.
As to the "REST OF THE CONVERSATION" comment, you really missed on that one. Don't be so defensive. You were not being attacked. What I was saying is that if you aren't comfortable at a certain quality level then the rest of the conversation (the other stuff I would be saying) doesn't matter. Until or unless the tool in question meets your minimums, nothing I say would matter.
Now as to your impression of me being HF's biggest fan... I'm not sure about that. I use HF for what it is, a supplier of less expensive stuff and a convenient wide variety. Sometimes their stuff is a good deal and sometimes not, often depending on the intended use so a particular tool could be a good deal for one guy and a bad deal for another. I don't view it as an all or nothing proposition.
If I were truly a mind dead robot carrying a HF fan club charter member card then I wouldn't have so many Milwaukee tools as well as DeWalt, Delta, and such. If I were really into HF I would have an HF sliding compound miter instead of a DeWalt AND a Milwaukee. Price a Saw Stop brand cabinet saw and compare to any table saw at HF. My second tier table saw is a Makita. I'm not bragging just making a point about not being hard over in the HF camp.
I am not an all or nothing kind of guy. It takes more effort to have to make rational decisions on a case by case basis, considering your intended use and you expectations regarding quality, longevity, and such. I consider risk management and economics. What is the down side if the HF tool fails. Will it be safety hazard and of what proportions? Will it be just a minor glitch or will it be a major hassle with no available workarounds?
If A tool has to be depended on for rugged performance, take abuse and keep on chuggin' and a free replacement is too much hassle, I scrutinize it closely as a candidate for a Milwaukee or lesser tools like Dewalt, Delta, and such. When it comes to welders I have no HF gear. I have a Lincoln AC/DC and a Lincoln MIG and my plasma is a $2K HyperTherm made in the USA. I wear a HF auto darkening helmet which is way better than my old US unit.
I neither universally condemn HF nor am I a blind supporter of HF. I take things on a case by case basis and try to get the most utility for my $. In many cases I have HF tools which perform adequately and in some cases spectacularly, especially considering the price. I have wasted a few $ with HF getting useless junk but have become more circumspect over the decades of my shopping there.
HF is NOT a religious issue with me. I could be going with good American stuff like Sears Craftsman, right? My new Craftsman compressor has a defective pressure switch. They mailed me another one. It is defective. I spent 45 min on the phone this AM and never got to talk to a live person until I hung up and tried a different tactic. I got to talk to a live person, somewhre overseas who connected me with another telephone menu system which ultimately told me they weren't open and hung up on me. Ahh, American quality service. HF does it better.
You will note that there are folks who really go out of their way to put down HF and the people who buy their stuff. Interesting but there doesn't seem to be many people putting down anyone for buying the big name American brands. I wonder what that means, personality wise?
Pat
And, I'm not so sure a wire brush is worth a buck there when all the wire bristles fall out on the first use. To me, some stuff is worth the risk but other stuff than can hurt you is in no way worth the risk.
