The two exceptions to this are the 4" angle grinder which can sometimes be
found for as low as $12, and the 7x10" machinist's lathe which has sold
for
as little as $250 in the past and gets very good reviews from folks who
seem to know what they are talking about. My angle grinder takes a licking
and keeps on ticking. If it ever stops, it goes in the trash with few
regrets.

LD

Ah the old argument, cheap v expensive tools.
I'm in UK so no HF here but we have our equivalents and I assume that the
same Chinese tool factory supplies our retailers.
I have a number of cheap 4 1/2" angle grinders. They're great tools. Not as
powerful as the top line stuff so I take a little longer on a job. That's
not a problem for a hobbyist. I take the view that even top grade tools fail
eventually. If you have spent all of your $ on one of those, then you are
stuck. I have a few cheap grinders so when one fails I always have a
replacement. I can also have them set up with different wheels for the same
job. e.g. one for cutting, one for grinding.
The other side of the argument is whether the tool will actually do the job.
This is when cheap = nasty. When you need accuracy or you are relying on one
tool, pay for quality. I carry good quality tools in my car so that I don't
have to carry more than one of each. In the workshop, space is not so much
of a premium so I may risk cheaper tools.
It is not always the case that cheap = poor quality. Many Chinese tools are
now very good indeed. When I was maintenance engineer in a sawmill, a local
supplier sold spanner sets (6 - 19mm) for £2.99. That's 1/4" - 3/4" for
about $3. In 5 years we never had a spanner fail and, believe me, they were
used hard every day. We lost a few but who cares at that price.
The difficulty is spotting quality in a tool. If anyone can tell me how to
do that without reference to the brand name, please do so.

John