Hey, Kelby -
Let me chime in, a bit late but I have a really good excuse…
First off- steer clear of some of the Home Despot and Lowesy ‘tools’ . Or, if you don’t , check the model numbers Very Carefully versus what you see at a ‘real tool store’ for the same brand tool. What happens is that with those two outfits, they are big enough that the tool company will bring out a special, cheapened edition of a tool. And cut corners, so that it’s just not the same. And of course, the staff at Home Despot and similar tend to be people who have no idea of how to use said tool, so they’ll be of no use in picking one over another. I know one guy works at one of 'em, he used to sell cell phones. You think he knows sander/grinders? Me either.
A kind word for the Orient: look, many of the good-brand tools now are made in the same factories as the HF. Especially bigger shop tools like Delta. I have, for example, a Yuasu or something similar, gasoline powered water pump. Looks just like the Honda that goes for 3x the money. It should…when they made all the Hondas they needed to make for that lot, they made a few more, switched stickers and there ya go. Look carefully, you may find a deal.
Volvo Theory. Huh? Right, Volvo Theory. Look, Volvos have this reputation for lasting forever, and I think I know why. See, when Joe Shmoe buys a Volvo, he figures he spent a bunch of money for a car that’ll last a long time, so he suddenly becomes a maintainance freak and really does the upkeep right. And yes, it does last a long time. But hey, if you did that kind of maintainance that regular, hell, you could make a Yugo go forever. Take care of your gear.
Parallell example: one of my brothers buys nothing but Makita and Yellow and Decker* - oh, sorry, DeWalt. He thinks they are peachy keen. But they live in the open back of his pickup. And die young. Now, me, I have Rockwells. Not Porter Cable, Rockwell, those things are all old enough to vote, at least. And I take care of them. My brother, he actually gives me grief for babying my tools. So, they were better tools then and they are better tools today than the crappe’ he has ever was or ever will be. And will be for the rest of my working life.
*Yellow and Decker - There are some tools I just don’t trust. A new HF item, until I have used it a while and found its quirks. Anything Makita. And everything made by Dewalt/Black and Decker. The former can be a crapshoot, though I have to say that in value for money they can be great. And 90% of the HF stuff I have is good enough for anything but production and for irregular use it’s the nutz. Makita stuff is made for a different kind of hands than I have. They don’t fit. Rockwells and Milwaukees do.
You know what they say: Big hands…
.
.
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…big tools.
Last, don’t fall in love with the idea of buying new. The indisputably good stuff, like Rockwell and Milwaukee, can be found used, like when a disgruntled employee sells off some good tools, or somebody goes out of business, stuff like that. Repaired tools don’t always get picked up. And the old stuff, even after somebody runs a truck over it, can be worth fixing. Or the newer Hitachis ( two lines of tools, production grade and junk, steer clear of the junk) or Feins or Porter Cables.
Hope that’s of use…
doc…
