Search results

I feel like Pittsburgh comes in a wider range of quality than the better HF brands. You can buy a whole ratchet and socket set of Pittburgh for less than a single Pittsburgh ratchet. The ratchets included in those Pittsburgh sets are functional, but clearly budget ratchets. The Pittsburgh...

At HF they have Bauer corded and cordless metal shears for $60, and Hercules for $90, all in the style of the Milwaukee shears. They used to have a cheaper model (Chicago Electric probably) for about $30 which was in the style of the Makita shears posted earlier. With the 10" Diablo steel...

Yeah, I have something like that under my current table saw. I have a **** excuse for a concrete floor, cracked and uneven with wide expansion gaps. Essentally an enclosed patio. It was probably installed 80 years ago by a wandering tribe of baboons. That is a me problem though, somebody with...

If you are considering new, these Skil jobsite saws look decent. Nice features, and can pack up pretty small to be stored out of the way when not in use. They get pretty good reviews for what they are (a jobsite saw), and I know someone who bought one last year for a very small shop space and...

One thing that may be a factor for some, Ryobi uses the old style "stalk" battery format. I don't care but people have their various pet peeves and I see that one brought up from time to time. Bauer and Hercules use the now pretty standard slide on battery format. If you are one of those who...

I'm still mostly a corded tools guy, but with the exception of a few selected Makita, my cordless tools are Bauer, Ryobi, and Hercules in descending order. Initially I didn't expect cordless to compete with corded. Now I mostly stick with corded because they are often cheaper and I don't have to...

If multiple sets isn't practical for you, then at the least you could set up a dedicated tool staging spot in each work location. A 5 gallon bucket, plastic tote, shelf tool bag etc. That way you at least know where to start looking. That does require training yourself to put the tools in that...

That is an option. Not for everything of course, but the staple items. You also don't have to buy top quality for every set. Example sockets and wrenches. Get a good set to live where you work on your cars, then buy a decent inexpensive set for inside the house since the work most do in the...

I don't follow any tool review channels. I'll watch some when I'm searching for reviews of a tool but more often I find a channel with another focus that occasionally highlights a tool they like or one they expected to like and didn't. There are tons of issues with channels that just review...

I know a shaper is more than just a big table mounted router, but that is the end of my knowledge, so Yes, I'd be interested in learning more about the shaper.

Looks like there are 7 in the Portland area and one in Vancouver. Seems like HF is due for their Spring sale anytime now. I've put together a basic tool kit for each car, mostly from sales at HF. Probably about $50 for each. I don't think much of the Pittsburgh pliers but the Pittsburgh...

Unless you don't have a handy Harbor Freight, that is a hard option to beat for cheap tools. They are a known item, easy to find reviews / opinions on most of them and you can actually lay hands on them in the store to give a last chance personal appraisal on the actual tool you choose to buy...

I would look at your needs. Will the tool box stay parked in one place except for moving to clean or will you be wheeling it out whenever you want to use it? Cheap boxes will last a lot longer if rarely moved. Are you going to pack it full of heavy stuff, or neatly layout tools so they are easy...

I've always thought of Skil circular saws as mid-higher end to high end (worm drive), but pretty much everything else as lower-mid equal to Rigid, Kobalt, Black & Decker (when they made power tools) etc. I think my Skil circular saw (not a worm drive) is 20+ years old so no idea if that still...

I think I have the same combo, but in black. I've had it maybe 7 or 8 years now, and it is fine, but it is lightly loaded and rarely moved. I also have a US General 26", lower only which is significantly more stoutly built, but the USG as a top and bottom combo would be $649. If you are just...

Those Craftsman lathes are pretty common, but not always well equipped, and many were sold without the QCGB. Unless you intend on upgrading to something larger, I wouldn't part this one out until you've got a replacement as you may want to use parts and accessories on the replacement.

The old Delta / Rockwell 14" from the 1930-70s are popular. The 80s / 90s are similar but they started to cut corners. Craftsman might have some good options but with all the different suppliers could be hit or miss. There are other good options, but often not very common. I was looking for...

I can relate to this

They vary some, as HF looks for existing buildings that they can take over. As a result they do vary some in size and layout. My local HF used to be a bowling alley, so it is pretty roomy, and also very square. I've been in some that look to me like they were originally a Grand Auto or Kragens...

Agree, Miller says the 211 is an invertor welder, while Hobart doesn't say anything about invertor or transformer, but at double the weight I assume transformer. I do think it would be interesting to compare some of the current Hobart machines to older Miller. There was a transformer Miller 211...