I'm tempted to take the bait and put out 40.00 for a Chicago Electric 14"
die grinder at Harbor Freight - 39.00. Has anybody here got any experience
dealing with these dudes? My mouth is watering for that giant box of
crackerjack the tool is coming in, unless I get some bad reviews here.

I have bought a number of things at Harbor Freight and have always been
satisfied. It probably will be noisier and more difficult to adjust than a
decent brand, and might wear out faster; but for the price it is probably a
good product.
At least that has been my experience.

You think $14 more ain't too much for the Ingersoll Rand whole kit???
I don't... HF: 40681-7VGA that's the way to go big bro...

Alex

On 11 Aug 2004 01:32:09 GMT, (BUB 209) wrote:

I'm tempted to take the bait and put out 40.00 for a Chicago Electric 14"
die grinder at Harbor Freight - 39.00. Has anybody here got any experience
dealing with these dudes? My mouth is watering for that giant box of
crackerjack the tool is coming in, unless I get some bad reviews here.


generic chinese tools at generic chinese tool prices. it's a bit
risky- some CE stuff self destructs the first time you pull the
switch, some performes adequately for years.

(BUB 209) wrote in
:

I'm tempted to take the bait and put out 40.00 for a Chicago Electric
14" die grinder at Harbor Freight - 39.00. Has anybody here got any
experience dealing with these dudes? My mouth is watering for that
giant box of crackerjack the tool is coming in, unless I get some bad
reviews here.


Just one warning about electric die grinders - power. I have
the $100 Makita, and I feel it's pretty wimpy,

For ***very*** limited uses, I've used a Bosch trim router
instead: no base, the router bit hanging out.

It's incredibly dangerous, it doesn't have a long enough neck,
but much much more oomph.

I'll probably switch to air powered for my next project.

(BUB 209) wrote in message ...
I'm tempted to take the bait and put out 40.00 for a Chicago Electric 14"
die grinder at Harbor Freight - 39.00. Has anybody here got any experience
dealing with these dudes? My mouth is watering for that giant box of
crackerjack the tool is coming in, unless I get some bad reviews here.

I have purchased a few things from Harbor Freight and I guess I would
summarize as you get what you pay for. For example I bought a biscuit
joiner for I thinkk $39 bucks. I used it successfully for many
projects until SWMBO sprung for a DeWalt, at which time I realized how
much better a quality tool was. Adjustments were easier. The base was
made of steel instead of plastic on the Chicago electric version.
That said, the Chicago unit did what it advertised.

I have also purchased some bar clamps. They work fine, but rust sooner
and are not as stiff as Jorgensen clamps. Again, you get what you pay
for, but sometimes a tool that does the job and we can afford is
better than a superior tool and not eating this week.

George

On 11 Aug 2004 01:32:09 GMT, (BUB 209) wrote:

I'm tempted to take the bait and put out 40.00 for a Chicago Electric 14"
die grinder at Harbor Freight - 39.00. Has anybody here got any experience
dealing with these dudes? My mouth is watering for that giant box of
crackerjack the tool is coming in, unless I get some bad reviews here.

I'm 2 for 3 with Chicago Electric (Harbor Freight) tools.

An 18v cordless drill sat on the shelf until after the warrantee expired (90
days) then was used to drive a bunch of deck screws - stripped out the gearbox
before the job was complete, replaced with an 18v DeWalt XRP, a MUCH better
tool.

A 4-1/2" angle grinder purchased a couple of years ago for a particular project
outlasted the project and continues to perform. Only sees occasional use, but,
so far, has met my requirements. I have no basis for comparison with other
brands/models.

A 10" Sliding miter saw purchased about 3 years ago for $100 continued to
operate satisfactorily through a fairly large deck project. The saw was OK for
rough carpentry/framing work but I would not recommend it for trim/finish work
or anything requiring high precision. Main complaint was sticky slide action and
soft, mushy miter stops. A new project required higher precision work so the saw
was given to a friend while still serviceable and replaced with a Hitachi SCMS
for about 5 times the initial cost. Although the Hitachi is a far, far better
saw, it was also far, far more expensive.


Tom Veatch
Wichita, KS USA

I have one. It works very well. If you plan to grind any metal, get some
solid carbide burrs from Enco. They have US made ones for around $5 each in
various shapes and sizes.

"BUB 209" wrote in message
...
I'm tempted to take the bait and put out 40.00 for a Chicago Electric 14"
die grinder at Harbor Freight - 39.00. Has anybody here got any
experience
dealing with these dudes? My mouth is watering for that giant box of
crackerjack the tool is coming in, unless I get some bad reviews here.

I have one. It works very well.

Allright. One thing I won't use though
are the big (2"or larger) reinforced cutoff wheels because they will burn the
tool
up very fast.

I'm by no means an expert, but I'm not sure that a cutoff wheel belongs on
any die grinder, name brand or not. I have a pneumatic cutoff tool for
that--the wheel is perpendicular to the handle and there is guard around it.
It also spins much slower.

"BUB 209" wrote in message
...
I have one. It works very well.

Allright. One thing I won't use though
are the big (2"or larger) reinforced cutoff wheels because they will burn
the
tool
up very fast.