everyone has their own favorite tools. that's the way it is. different
strokes, and all that jazz. Your best bet is to see if the comments
people make about a tool reflect your particular concerns. sometimes a
feature for one person is irrelevant to someone else. Sometimes a
comment will strike a chord with you, alerting you to a potential
clunker, or perhaps a superior product. In the end, you should look the
various contenders over and try them out if at all possible. Even if
all you can do is plug them in and turn the knobs, and make a few
adjustments, you'll get a 'feel' for the tool.

Does it do what you want "better" than another tool (assuming you are
willing to foot the bill), or is a cheaper alternative just as functional?

Pick any tool category; there will be disagreement as to what is "best".
REading tool reviews is helpful, but shouldn't be the basis for a
decision. I respect what the reviewer's comments are, but I take it all
with a grain of salt. I used to live in Missouri, so you gotta "show me".

I've bought specific brands or models for a variety of reasons. For
example I bought a Fein vacuum mostly because it is quiet. It's
expensive, but it's quiet. Would a model costing 1/4 as much suck as
much? You betcha! Would I like the noisier model? No frickin' way!

Some tools, while the work well, are overly complicated to use. For
some, it's no big deal, for others, a hassle.

You pays your money, and you takes your chances.

Ask ME about Craftsmen and I'll rant on and on about how much I think
they suck. I think I earned the right to badmouth them because I've
owned several of their POS. A few diehards (now I know why Sears calls
their batteries Diehards) here will defend to the death the wondrous
virtues of their favorite Sears tool. I don't mind SOME of their hand
tools; it's the powered equipment I don't like. As a professional
mechanic, I also shunned Craftsmen hand tools for Snap-On and Mac tools.
For the handyman, Sears hand tools are more than adequate, but for
working 8-12 hours a day with a wrench in your hand, give me the others.

Buying anything sight unseen goes against my grain, but in the case of
the Veritas planes, I'm making a notable exception! g

dave

razingkane wrote:

How does one get a straight answer on which brand of woodworking equipment
is better than another? Is this the age old woodworking question? By
better I mean quality, reliability, functionality... Maybe there is no real
answer to this questions because it tool specific. One brand of router is
better than another but the same brands table saw is not as good. I've
found this question/answer to be person specific. A friend will buy Delta
but wouldn't touch Craftsman. My wife and I are looking for a jointer.
Our hunt has taken us all over town. Woodworking shops, Sears, Lowes... .
While in Home Depot looking for some track lights we ran into a friend who
works there. He talked to us for 10 minutes about how good Rigid is. On
the way out to the car my wife said one of her woodworking friends said
never/ever buy Rigid. Why? Can it really be that poorly made. The way I
see it is if it's that bad (name your manufacture) they would not be in
business. Which brings me back to my question. My wife and I figure the
best way to go about buying equipment is to listen to what others say, read
up on what the manufactures say and buy what we feel is best for us.

Rick and Debbee

BTW, we just started on filling our garage with woodworking equipment after
going to a friends house to use their stuff for the last 6 months. We
bought the Jet lathe we are building a router table. The Delta band saw,
and Craftsmen table saw are on extended loan from a friend who felt the need
to upgrade their equipment.