On 28 Oct 2004 12:59:47 GMT, (GeoCrunch21) wrote:

Subject: Tool advice
From: "Harry"
Date: 10/26/2004 3:15 PM Eastern Standard Time
Message-id: rs.com

"Trent©" wrote in message
. ..
On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 06:40:32 -0400, "Harry"
wrote:

Some of them need replacing (triggers broken, etc.) I actually took a
look
at B&D again, but was told that they are no longer considered a "good"
brand, just like Skill, Ryobi, etc. Makita seems to be a brand many are
quck to recommend. You are the second person to mention pneumatic tools.
I'll have to take a look at them.

Take yer newmatic drill to the top of a 20' ladder one time...by
yourself. Get back to us!

Skil has a nice, cordless package now. Its an 18v. cordless circular
saw (7 1/4 blade!!), recip saw, drill, and a battery, I think...for
just under $200. I wish I had seen it before I just bought my new
drill.

Also, consider Harbor Freight. I just bought an 18v. 1/2" 2 speed
gear box drill there...hammer drill!!...for under $30. Couldn't be
more pleased. Juice tester light on the battery...keyless chuck...
handy, strong magnet on the drill...bit holder there,
too...level...twist out of the way battery. Extra battery was $8.95.
A charge lasts me about a month.

HF has some good quality stuff.

I took a look at Harbor Freight, and I saw that they carry brand names at
comparable prices. I also saw that they carry some cheap brands that I have
never heard of before (Chicago Electric, Drill Master, etc.) I wonder how
those compare to Ryobi, Skill and other "generic" brands.



Chicago Electrical is great. I have a couple of their tools, and they do as
good a job as my Makita's, plus I don't have to worry about dammaging them or
losing them, because I can replace them very easily. I do, however, get the
rolling of the eyes when friends see me using a very non-distinct loking tool,
while their DeWalt driver is clearly marked "DeWalt". I don't care smile.
DeWalt is the old Black&Decker commercial line. Good stuff. So was
the Black&Decker commercial line. The Black&Decker comsumer line
lost it's good name due to being associated with irons, coffee pots,
etc. Black&Decker bought out DeWalt for the name. DeWalt used to
make the best radial arm saw, if you find an old one, you probably
ought to buy it. I have a Black&Decker commercial right-angle drill
thats great, just like the DeWalt except it's not yellow. Ridgid is
the old Craftsman tool line. Not much to do with Ridge Tool Co., its
actually made by Emerson, the same people who make Insinkerator,
except that they bought the company to have a recognized name. Ridge
still makes very good plumbing equipment, the power tools are
generally questionable, just as the Craftsman tools were. I wouldn't
buy anything from Sears that had a motor on it. Just MHO. Sears
sells good underwear and socks, though.

Dan