PSA, HF Tools is closing out the Bauer SCT...

[XJSuperman]

I bought one when they first came out. Thought it would be perfect for a lot of stuff I use a grinder with a knotted wirewheel on, but I find myself sticking with the wirewheel more than using the surface tool. I wasn't as impressed as I wanted to be with it, but recently I bought a wire drum for it, so hopefully that'll improve its use for my purposes. Rusty plate, flat stock, tube, this should be good for that. My understanding is the HF models and Eastwood all share the same drums. I was pretty pissed when I saw them moving to the Hercules model, but after some comparing, it appears to be the exact same tool with a new blue shell and label. Price a week or two ago (just after they announced the Herc model) was still $10 more for the Bauer. I didn't notice the difference in included drums though, so I missed that detail apparently. I've got a couple spares in the toolbox, but the tool itself sits on a shelf for now. It needs a better home.

 

[Aaron_W]

I already have the Bauer, but I was curious what was going on when I saw they had added one for Hercules at a higher price.

The Hercules has essentially the same specs as Bauer, both 9 amp, 8-ish lbs, and even the same 90 day warranty. Hercules often includes a better 3-5 year warranty, but not in this case.

The Bauer is not showing as a Clearance item on the website, but the price has been dropping from $119 when it came out, to $89 and now it shows $59 on the website. I think I paid $59 last year when it was marked down from $89 as an ITC deal.

I suspect this change is more about Bauer having a tool that Hercules doesn't. The Bauer tool seems to have been well received, so making a better one would be costly, and probably not sell as well. Easier to make it blue and upgrade it from Bauer to the Hercules line and help mask a price increase.


I haven't used mine much, mostly just for cleaning up metal sheet and plate. It is distinctly different from a sander or angle grinder and at less than $100 seemed like a good thing to have available.

 

[Aaron_W]

Crimped wire brush.



Zoom in should get you the part number. I'm at work otherwise I would get a better picture of it.

For my use the wire drum will be a nice addition. I had not noticed with the switch to Hercules that they added more variety in drum types.

 

[whateg01]

Surface conditioning tool

(and yes, I had to look it up)

Probably not a great seller

Thanks! I use mine from time to time. Used it a couple nights ago. Pretty handy for people who don't always have fresh new metal to work with.

 

[whateg01]

I purchased that tool and my arm was getting tired, carrying it around the store.

Using it for extended periods, would probably suffice in lieu of a gym membership.

If you have to hold it up, yeah, it would be like using a 7" grinder the same way. I try to lay whatever I'm working on flat so I can use the weight to my advantage.

 

[LryFx1]

For comparison, I think the Eastwood has a little bit of an edge when it comes to overall feel and quality - it sounds more solid and the trigger is a lot better. Where the Bauer wins is the cable - thicker than the Eastwood. They are completely different in their builds, so one is definitely not just a rebranded version of the other.

I have not used mine on a job yet at this point, so some of these opinions might change once I do. I played around with it some last night, and watched a few more videos about these tools of several different brands. One of those videos had a couple of tips for using it that seem obvious when you think about things. Sorry to say I don't recall which video it was though.

I do agree with what @Achilleus said about the trigger. It feels strange and the motor seems to start slowly. Even though it's not noted in the manual, I think that is designed as a variable speed trigger. So the speed control dial gives you a maximum speed range, but you can also use the trigger to some degree to vary the speed within that range.

The drum rotates clockwise or forward, and one reviewer commented that it takes off material best when the tool is pulled backwards rather than pushed forward. That seems to make good sense.

Because it apparently works better when pulled backwards, it seems like the handle position in all the ad photos is not optimal. Since the handle is held on by two screws it is possible to mount it in either direction. So I put mine on with the curve facing backwards rather than forward right over the drum. It looks and feels better balanced that way. I suppose that handle position might be better for some uses, and the forward position better for others. Trying it out both ways will tell better of course.

I currently have many, many, options for grinding and sanding and general refinishing of stuff, and this is the sort of tool that might not get regular use too often. However it is a wonderful option to have in the arsenal for times when it might be the best option.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I already have the Bauer, but I was curious what was going on when I saw they had added one for Hercules at a higher price.

The Hercules has essentially the same specs as Bauer, both 9 amp, 8-ish lbs, and even the same 90 day warranty. Hercules often includes a better 3-5 year warranty, but not in this case.

The Bauer is not showing as a Clearance item on the website, but the price has been dropping from $119 when it came out, to $89 and now it shows $59 on the website. I think I paid $59 last year when it was marked down from $89 as an ITC deal.

I suspect this change is more about Bauer having a tool that Hercules doesn't. The Bauer tool seems to have been well received, so making a better one would be costly, and probably not sell as well. Easier to make it blue and upgrade it from Bauer to the Hercules line and help mask a price increase.


I haven't used mine much, mostly just for cleaning up metal sheet and plate. It is distinctly different from a sander or angle grinder and at less than $100 seemed like a good thing to have available.

Actually , if you click "Deals" at the top, then the left window pops up, click "Clearance" and it allows you to view all the clearance items, sort by brand, "Bauer" and you will see it.

Clearance - Harbor Freight Tools

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!

www.harborfreight.com

 

[zendriver]

If you have to hold it up, yeah, it would be like using a 7" grinder the same way. I try to lay whatever I'm working on flat so I can use the weight to my advantage.

I’ll be mostly using it on a rusty backhoe, so as far as laying it flat, - probably not

Besides, the weighs 8 pounds so seems like it be a bit of a chore with extended use.l at any angle

That’s the main reason I wanted one strip long sections without a lot of side to side like with a disc

 

[Steve_P]

I picked one of these up today for $60, no coupon, but still a steal. It's not something I'll use much, but I've been wanting one since I first saw them online. My store had six on the shelves today at noon, and the 6? stores within an hour of me all showed them as "in stock".

From the descriptions here about the weight I figured it weighed 30 lbs Damn, you guys need to hit the gym, the boxed assembly weighs 12 lbs! Yeah, I know, I haven't used it hanging upside down stripping the bottom of a wing of a 747 and that's when it gets really heavy....

I compared the Bauer and Hercules pics online and they revised the plastic portion, so it's not just a color change in the same tooling as I initially assumed. I haven't used mine yet, just verified that it was all there.

 

[californiamilleghia]

I went Saturday morning and my local store only had a display model ,

Its pretty heavy and we a hard workout to do a car !

 

[DGersic]

I do agree with what @Achilleus said about the trigger. It feels strange and the motor seems to start slowly. Even though it's not noted in the manual, I think that is designed as a variable speed trigger. So the speed control dial gives you a maximum speed range, but you can also use the trigger to some degree to vary the speed within that range.

The drum rotates clockwise or forward, and one reviewer commented that it takes off material best when the tool is pulled backwards rather than pushed forward. That seems to make good sense.

Because it apparently works better when pulled backwards, it seems like the handle position in all the ad photos is not optimal. Since the handle is held on by two screws it is possible to mount it in either direction. So I put mine on with the curve facing backwards rather than forward right over the drum. It looks and feels better balanced that way. I suppose that handle position might be better for some uses, and the forward position better for others. Trying it out both ways will tell better of course.

I currently have many, many, options for grinding and sanding and general refinishing of stuff, and this is the sort of tool that might not get regular use too often. However it is a wonderful option to have in the arsenal for times when it might be the best option.

The motor is a soft start. The trigger is an on/off.

Yes, you’ll want to be pulling the machine toward you if horizontal, or going top to bottom if vertical.

I mostly end up using the U handle up front to steer with my left hand, right hand providing support on the rear handle by the trigger.

 

[DGersic]

From the descriptions here about the weight I figured it weighed 30 lbs Damn, you guys need to hit the gym, the boxed assembly weighs 12 lbs! Yeah, I know, I haven't used it hanging upside down stripping the bottom of a wing of a 747 and that's when it gets really heavy....

Yeah. Hold it out in front of you for a while. It gets heavy that way.

 

[Achilleus]

Yeah. Hold it out in front of you for a while. It gets heavy that way.

Right - try 8 hours non-stop leaning over scaffolding, sanding a 30-foot wall.

 

[Dh3256]

I own the Eastwood version of this and truly love the machine. I've been using it to sand off the old stain from the siding on my house. I've done 3 very large walls (and 200 feet of fence) so far and it's easily the best tool I own for this - and I own just about every possible tool for sanding or planing. It can strip off down to the bare wood usually in one pass. It's a very nicely built machine. If the drums are on sale I've got to pick up a few. They were like $40 a pop.

It sounds like the surface conditioner is working well for you. I got the PC version when Lowes closed them out and haven't been very happy with it, it has not worked well for what I have tried it on. One example is an interior plaster wall that had been textured with some kind of texturing, maybe joint compound or plaster, not sure. It had also been painted, probably with latex paint. I tried several types of wheels but they just clogged up and removed very little material.

I'm pondering whether it is the tool, the drums, or the application that is the problem. I am debating whether it is worth getting one of those to try. I'd appreciate your (and everyone's) thoughts, thanks.

 

[XJSuperman]

I believe texturing on walls is usually removed by scraping rather than grinding? No wheels or pads to gum up that way.

 

[Achilleus]

It sounds like the surface conditioner is working well for you. I got the PC version when Lowes closed them out and haven't been very happy with it, it has not worked well for what I have tried it on. One example is an interior plaster wall that had been textured with some kind of texturing, maybe joint compound or plaster, not sure. It had also been painted, probably with latex paint. I tried several types of wheels but they just clogged up and removed very little material.

I'm pondering whether it is the tool, the drums, or the application that is the problem. I am debating whether it is worth getting one of those to try. I'd appreciate your (and everyone's) thoughts, thanks.

I'm with XJSuperman on this - I'd guess even the 40-grit stripping tool would clog up. Did you try this drum at all? What about a wire brush drum? Sorry all I've removed is paint / stain.

 

[niget2002]

If I can make it to HF sometime this week and they have one, I'll probably pick one up. Half the time I'm working with metal, I have to strip off a layer or rust dust. I'm hoping this will speed up that process.

 

[whateg01]

...

I'm pondering whether it is the tool, the drums, or the application that is the problem. I am debating whether it is worth getting one of those to try. I'd appreciate your (and everyone's) thoughts, thanks.

What you need for that is to get 8-10 of these and adapt them into a drum shape to go on the tool! Just make sure it is running the right direction.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Just a thought to add this to the discussion. Their application selection guide.

 

[Snip's]

Because of GJ.... Very bad influence...
I stopped in to HF this morning to see about the Bauer SCT....
I got the last one on the shelf...



Was thinking this would come in handy with stripping the paint off the garage door I'll be working on this Spring...
Need to see if I can find one of those woven wheel jobbies that won't get clogged with paint... None at HF...
Saw this one on the Jungle site, but sorry, I just can't buy it from this merchant store...

 

[Aaron_W]

Actually , if you click "Deals" at the top, then the left window pops up, click "Clearance" and it allows you to view all the clearance items, sort by brand, "Bauer" and you will see it.

Clearance - Harbor Freight Tools

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!

www.harborfreight.com

Odd most (70%+) "clearance items" have a clearance tag on the regular page. I wonder why some get this tag attached to them, and others don't. Seems to be no rhyme or reason to it.

 

[stillnostrebor]

You guys are killing me one HF purchase at a time.

I bought the last one on the shelf at Springfield, MO south. Not entirely sure why yet. I'm certain I will think of something!

 

[zendriver]

 

[Snip's]

On the SCT from HF...
To remove the bolt and washer that secures the abrasive drum, the instructions says "Rotate clockwise to loosen"
So.... "Not" Righty tighty but Righty loosey (Bolt is left hand threads)
Was really put on tight from the factory... Had me going back 3X reading the instructions...
Had to use a "cheater" pipe on the Allen Wrench just to loosen it...

 

[whateg01]

On the SCT from HF...
To remove the bolt and washer that secures the abrasive drum, the instructions says "Rotate clockwise to loosen"
So.... "Not" Righty tighty but Righty loosey (Bolt is left hand threads)
Was really put on tight from the factory... Had me going back 3X reading the instructions...
Had to use a "cheater" pipe on the Allen Wrench just to loosen it...

I think my daughter said the same thing about theirs.

 

[zendriver]

I didn't RTFM so it was "wow, this screw feels like it getting tighter!"

I knew I had a 50/50 chance of getting it loose, first try.

 

[whateg01]

I didn't RTFM so it was "wow, this screw feels like it getting tighter!"

I knew I had a 50/50 chance of getting it loose, first try.

If you get to the oak tree the head snaps off, you went too far!

 

[DGersic]

Because of GJ.... Very bad influence...
I stopped in to HF this morning to see about the Bauer SCT....
I got the last one on the shelf...



Was thinking this would come in handy with stripping the paint off the garage door I'll be working on this Spring...
Need to see if I can find one of those woven wheel jobbies that won't get clogged with paint... None at HF...
Saw this one on the Jungle site, but sorry, I just can't buy it from this merchant store...

There’s one in the box.

 

[Firebrick43]

What you need for that is to get 8-10 of these and adapt them into a drum shape to go on the tool! Just make sure it is running the right direction.

Ladies and Gentleman, Tonight I am honored and thrilled to be introducing the future Winner of the 2025 Darwin awards!

 

[vwpieces]

Ladies and Gentleman, Tonight I am honored and thrilled to be introducing the future Winner of the 2025 Darwin awards!

Line up about 8 of'em and if too big make sure to remove the guard.

 

[Snip's]

There’s one in the box.

Yup...
Wanted a spare... None available on the HF rack...

 

[lmg]

Eastwood has the SCT for about half price now, and very good prices on the drums too.

 

[mrvm]

Bit surprised to find one on the shelf as the Bauer SCT had high interest on SD which tends to make it disappear. Looking forward for some other surface cleaning possibilities.

 

[WWheeler]

Welp, Garage Journal strikes my wallet yet again. lol
I wasn't really intending toget one but I was at HF getting something else I did need and there they were in a display stacked up on clearance. Currently have no particular use in mind but seemed like a good deal if I ever do.

It sounds like the surface conditioner is working well for you. I got the PC version when Lowes closed them out and haven't been very happy with it, it has not worked well for what I have tried it on. One example is an interior plaster wall that had been textured with some kind of texturing, maybe joint compound or plaster, not sure. It had also been painted, probably with latex paint. I tried several types of wheels but they just clogged up and removed very little material.

I'm pondering whether it is the tool, the drums, or the application that is the problem. I am debating whether it is worth getting one of those to try. I'd appreciate your (and everyone's) thoughts, thanks.

I believe texturing on walls is usually removed by scraping rather than grinding? No wheels or pads to gum up that way.

Yeah with the last house we had we removed all the textured ceilings by laying down plastic, filling a 16" 'wide boy' paint roller bucket with hot water with just a tiny bit of dish soap, and then rolling the ceiling with a couple passes with a sponge roller to get it all just a bit moist, then hitting it with a 'popcorn ceiling scraper' on a pole. It all came off quick and easy like that, like once I got it started it was one single pass all the way across the room, leaving a scraper-wide path of nice clean ceiling ready for a light pass with a pole sander and new paint, but holy F'ing hell about the mess. The plastic on the floor was a must and still was a pain to get up because a decent sized room the debris weighed well over a hundred pounds. i suspect close to or more than 200 lbs. In hindsight I wish we used a thicker mil of plastic instead of just cheap painters drops and had laid down several smaller sheets overlapping.

 

[whateg01]

I know they have scotch Brite pads for bench grinders. I could see one of those drums being handy on a motor shaft

 

[finn]

Three still on the shelf at Tucson North, on Oracle this afternoon.

I already have the Eastwood version. They’re pretty similar, and I obviously didn’t have them side by side, but my impression is that the Eastwood might be a little less toylike, for lack of a better description.


Good buy at $59, even if you only use it a couple of times.

 

[whateg01]

Three still on the shelf at Tucson North, on Oracle this afternoon.

I already have the Eastwood version. They’re pretty similar, and I obviously didn’t have them side by side, but my impression is that the Eastwood might be a little less toylike, for lack of a better description.


Good buy at $59, even if you only use it a couple of times.

Not sure what about the Bauer one is toy-like. It seems pretty solid.

 

[Brandon_Lutz]

You guys are killing me one HF purchase at a time.

I bought the last one on the shelf at Springfield, MO south. Not entirely sure why yet. I'm certain I will think of something!

I'm glad I've been able to contribute to your (and so many others) degeneracy

 

[finn]

Not sure what about the Bauer one is toy-like. It seems pretty solid.

I don’t really know how to describe the feel. HF has certainly improved over the years, but their stuff just doesn’t inspire confidence. It lacks in the industrial design areas, ie lack of tactile feel or connection to the user.

Sort of a Playschool feeling, or a Yugo feeling instead of a Lexus feeling.at least to me.

I’m not trying to belittle them, but there’s something missing in their presentation of many of their products. That said, I realize it’s probably made in the same factory as the Eastwood or a dozen other clones found on Amazon.

 

[Dh3256]

Yeah with the last house we had we removed all the textured ceilings by laying down plastic, filling a 16" 'wide boy' paint roller bucket with hot water with just a tiny bit of dish soap, and then rolling the ceiling with a couple passes with a sponge roller to get it all just a bit moist, then hitting it with a 'popcorn ceiling scraper' on a pole. It all came off quick and easy like that, like once I got it started it was one single pass all the way across the room, leaving a scraper-wide path of nice clean ceiling ready for a light pass with a pole sander and new paint, but holy F'ing hell about the mess. The plastic on the floor was a must and still was a pain to get up because a decent sized room the debris weighed well over a hundred pounds. i suspect close to or more than 200 lbs. In hindsight I wish we used a thicker mil of plastic instead of just cheap painters drops and had laid down several smaller sheets overlapping.

The wall texture was painted, probably more than once, so I couldn't get it wet and it would not scrape off.

I got one of the HF SCTs, there are a lot still available around here. Significantly different tool that the PC tool of that name. The PC is essentially a 2" drum sander with a fence, like a handheld electric planer. The Bauer SCT is a bigger, more powerful tool with a 4" drum and more aggressive drums. It may well work to remove the texture.