I tend to shy away from the Chicago Electric brand. I bought a drop light
and it fried the first time
I plugged it in. Took it back. Second one fried. Bought a heat gun.
Fried the first time I plugged it in.
Took it back. Second one fried as well. That said, I have their 4"
grinder and it seems to do the odd job
that I demand of it ok. I tend to think the Central Machinery brand is
better (have their floor standing drill press
and it works great) and I've been pretty happy with the Central Pneumatic
stuff. YMMV of course.
Cheers,
cc


"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