"Jeffrey J. Kosowsky" wrote in message
...
Harbor Freight seems to have some very attractively priced power
tools, particularly those under the "Chicago Electric Power".

What has been your experience with Harbor Freight in general and with
the Chicago Electric brand in particular?
- How does the quality and value stack up?
- If one is a serious hobbyist who doesn't have unlimited money to
spend on tools, is it better to buy fewer name-brand, high-priced
tools or go for a broader range of Chicago Electric brand tools to
fill out my home shop?

Presumably you never get something for nothing so I imagine the
quality of a 29.95 sawzall type tool can't be as good as a $200
Milwaukee version... but that being said, is it worth buying this
stuff?

Please share your experiences and advice from a hobbyist perspective
(I know that if you use your tools professionally 8+ hours/day then it
pays to buy the best).

Thanks

This is Turtle.

I have tried out their Chicago recept saw. It is a little bitty thing and is not
big at all. When cutting 2 -- 2" x 6" at one time it will drag down or jam for
second at times if you push it. You just can't push it hard. I have a regular
Porter Cable and will cut the 2 2X6 at one time with no effort at all. I've had
it about 3 months and have not burned it up yet. I only use it for lite cutting
or it being small to reach up in a hole to cut something. It is about 1/2 the
size of the regular Porter Cable saw.

They are on sale this week for $19.99 if you need to know.

All the Chicago tools are for lite cutting and not the get it on cutting. If
your doing lite cutting they usely work fairly well.

TURTLE