Don't we all buy HF tools cheaply in order to -make- the tools we
actually -need-? vbg

I find this to be true.

I do still sometimes buy some HF tools, but I do it with my "eyes
open", knowing what some of the weaknesses will be.

I bought the "$169" band saw -- but I knew I would immediately replace
the motor, throw out the HF blade, beef up the stand, and replace the
gearbox oil before I even turned it on. You would be right -- it is no
longer a $169 saw. It is now a $235 or $250 saw. But is is now a
bulletproof saw which could not have been bought for the price I paid.

Same is true, for example, for the small (7x10, etc.) lathes. They are
not lathes -- they are more like do-it-yourself-lathe assembly kits.
If you purchase one with that attitude, and you're willing to do a
little machining to get the thing "up to snuff", you can wind up with a
pretty nice little machine. (And the work you had to do in getting it
really working certainly does not hurt your eventual machining
ability!)