On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 08:13:39 -0600, "Dr. Deb"
wrote:

davefr wrote:

90% of them are pure junk not fit for the intended purpose. The other
10% are OK for occassional use.

Forget these HF dregs and buy known quality tools that you can trust
and that will help you achieve quality work.

Chicago Electric is a brand name intended to decieve the consumer into
thinking these are made in the USA. Chicago Electric along with
Pittsburg Forge, and Central Pnuematic are farmed out to the lowest
cost/lowest quality manufacturers in China.

Buy quality and you'll only say ouch once. Buy this crap and you'll
curse and swear every time you use it and eventually get so frustrated
it'll go in the garbage can.


ender (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


It all depends. It depends on what you are going to use it for, your skill
level, income, severity of use, etc. Take their cordless drills for
example. The 18v. is a very good tool for the occasional hobbist, home
use, etc.

You are right, the quality is not there, most of the time. But for those of
us who are beginning or occasional hobbists, there is no way we can justify
the added expense of "name brand." Speaking of which, A lot of stuff
Grizzly sells LOOKS an awful lot like the stuff from HF. Are you
suggesting a person buy Grizzly just because of the name? Just kidding!

If price were no issue and my skills warranted it, I would buy top of the
line everytime. However, as they say, this is not a perfect world.

Deb

It sure isn't a perfect world. (If it was I'd have real shop!) However
look at it this way: The purpose of tools, especially power tools, is
to make your life easier. If the tool makes your life harder on the
balance because it's poorly made, you have to get two or three before
it runs right, etc., is it really making your life easier.

Less money for less quality only works to a point and my experience
with Harbor Freight is that they are perilously close to that point.

--RC

You can tell a really good idea by the enemies it makes