Bend- Pak lifts

[brownbagg]

How do yall feel about Bend- Pak lifts.

 

[mikeyr]

Love mine, would highly recomend them and have many times.

I would not recomend Perfect Park which I also have next to the Bend-Pak

 

[cc_rider]

I am in the market for a lift, and have nearly decided on a Rotary over a Bend-Pak. The ONLY reason is the Bend-Pak has pneumatic locks, so it needs an air line to it. Not that big a deal really, and the Bend-Pak is a tad cheaper. My Dad has already said he wants to get me a lift, so I'm holding out for the Rotary. He could afford to have it gold-plated to match his 500SL, so I'm not TOO worried about the extra cost. He's even looking at the Aston Martin Vantage! Droooool...

I think both are US made and reputable. I'm skeptical of those imported $1800 jobs. I've seen the kind of hardware (nuts and bolts) those importers use; I wouldn't trust them on my lawnmower, much less something I'm gonna stand underneath.

c.

 

[Ign]

Too bad no one searches. The single best post I've ever seen on lifts is this:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=47692&postcount=31

But you guys might do well to read the whole thread

Based upon that I'm heavily leaning toward Worth. And yes, I've wondered how Bend Pak can sell so cheap ($2400 for a 10k lb unit), so it seems plausible they're just made in China and assembled (or painted) here. $3k for 10k lb Worth seems very reasonable to me.

 

[brownbagg]

The ONLY reason is the Bend-Pak has pneumatic locks,

are you sure, I ordered mine this weekand I dont remember that.

http://www.e-autolifts.com/xl/xl.html

 

[bmwpower]

The ONLY reason is the Bend-Pak has pneumatic locks,

are you sure, I ordered mine this weekand I dont remember that.

http://www.e-autolifts.com/xl/xl.html

That would **** if they were pneumatic. You'd have to have air up and running anytime you'd want to use the thing.

 

[OldCarGuy]

Based upon that I'm heavily leaning toward Worth. And yes, I've wondered how Bend Pak can sell so cheap ($2400 for a 10k lb unit), so it seems plausible they're just made in China and assembled (or painted) here. $3k for 10k lb Worth seems very reasonable to me.

Great bunch of down to earth people over at Worth. If you’re talking with DR,, tell him hi for the OldCarGuy!

 

[Ign]

Great bunch of down to earth people over at Worth. If you’re talking with DR,, tell him hi for the OldCarGuy!

I haven't gotten around to calling them yet. I don't have the limitations you did, so a more "traditional" 2 post lift w overhead bar is just fine for me.

And while I generally go for the top end when it comes to tools, the Mohawks seem just TOO spendy, even for me.

 

[katit]

I didn't know it has pneumatic locks when ordered. Good thing that you buy complressor first and THEN buy car lift.

Had to run a line to my bendpak.

However, I don't see why not just get quick disconnect out of the back and connect your air hose when you need to lower the car.

I like my BendPak SP-7X. Had a leak when just got it installed - but that was fitting on one of the cylinders. One more turn did it.

 

[cc_rider]

The ONLY reason is the Bend-Pak has pneumatic locks,

are you sure, I ordered mine this weekand I dont remember that.

http://www.e-autolifts.com/xl/xl.html

The four-post models indicate pneumatic locks. I need a four-poster because my garage is limited on width; if I installed a two-post I wouldn't be able to get a car in next to it. But again, if you have even a small compressor, air-op locks is not that big a deal; I would not make it a huge issue.

FYI regarding Wurth (sp?) lifts, my buddy had a nice two-poster in his place and it worked great, but he said repairs on it were freakin' unbelievable; they had to send a technician from Ulan Bator or something. I doubt any home hobbyist would ever need repairs though; this was a high-volume shop and it got a real workout every day.

c.

 

[brownbagg]

that mohawk look good but at $6000, it three time that I can afford. The bend-pak is high to me, so it either china or nothing at all. And with the type garage posted here. I,m not worthy to post. most garage here are triple the value my house.

 

[OldCarGuy]

that mohawk look good but at $6000, it three time that I can afford. The bend-pak is high to me, so it either china or nothing at all. And with the type garage posted here. I,m not worthy to post. most garage here are triple the value my house.

You have one other option,,, that is look for a good used lift.

 

[bmwpower]

that mohawk look good but at $6000, it three time that I can afford. The bend-pak is high to me, so it either china or nothing at all. And with the type garage posted here. I,m not worthy to post. most garage here are triple the value my house.

Any garage is worthy of a post.

 

[ultgar]

My personal favorite is the Nussbaum QL8000 . Its an electric screw lift, extremely quiet and quick (full rise takes 35 seconds). The posts are relatively short at around 118" . There are no hydraulics and no equalization cables to deal with....you can run all the cabling (for line voltage and control) in a conduit in the floor or above the ceiling for a nice clean look.

Price is on the high side at $3895 (as of June 2006) and you will need 3-phase electric.

When it comes to garage projects that I work on outside my local area, I typically tell the customer to call their local Rotary or Mohawk dealer and get a delivered and installed price. These are the better of the US lifts with plenty of local support and service anywhere in the country. Steve

 

[katit]

I have 2 car garage (20x21) and bendpak scissor lift fit just fine into left bin. I park over it every day (until I will get weekend car)

To me with low ceiling, small garage, and 4 inch floor 2 post was out of question.
4-post also looks too big for me and I didn't understand what exactly I will use it for.

Full rise scissor works really well for me.

 

[JMURiz]

I have not heard of any failures on the BendPak lifts. Does anyone have experiece with the Rotary 'revolution' line? Wondering how their 7000lb lift compares to the cost of a 9000lb bendpak.

Also, like others said, no such thing as an unworthy small garage to post about

 

[Aahz]

A few things to watch out for on the Bend-Pak...and some words about Rotary Revolution....
Bend Pak.....make sure you measure the width of your wheelbase....from outside wheel to outside of wheel...I had a customer recently trade in hise Bend Pak because he was blowing out tires as he drove in...(Lamborghini = expensive tires)...The cross member bracing on the Bend Pak was catching the corner of the tire because the lift was just a bit too narrow. He was also not aware of the air requirement for his safety locks and needed to buy a small compressor after purchasing the lift. (Read the literature from Bend Pak!) Other than that, I cannot say I have heard of any failures....we stopped installing Bend Pak products for a few reasons...none of them safety related...The reasons were as follows: If parts were short shipped, we had to make 2nd (or 3rd) trips to get an installation finished....which neither the customer or Bend Pak were willing to pay for. This shouldn't be a major issue if you install your own lift, but for a company that sells and repairs them...it's a big deal.. Bend Pak's warranty policy is pretty poor (in comparison to Rotary Lift's). They will only pay something like $45.00 per job for a warranty call...and here in Chicago, that's like doing it for free.

Rotary Lift, by comparison...USUALLY ships all of the correct parts with the lift. Installation is a one-shot deal and people that buy Rotary's typically do so because they know that Rotary has the reputation and quality they are looking for. Rotary also has the largest service organization in the U.S. with authorized installers nationwide. (Used by Sears, Goodyear, Firestone, all of the OEM's, Midas, etc...) I'm not going to say that you never have a problem with their products....but I will say that the problems are repaired quickly and efficiently.
Feel free to browse rotary pring at www.standardus.com and let me know what we can do for you!

 

[Rothaus]

Did anybody ever buy one of these 4 post lift from Ebay? Some of them sre under $2000 delivered. Most of them sre 7000 Lb and they have 3 drip pans, Casters and jack tray included.


Here are links to the once I'm refering to.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AMERICAN-PRODUCTS-7K-4-POST-AUTO-CAR-LIFT-LIFTS_W0QQitemZ270008987074QQihZ017QQcategoryZ63697QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Car-Auto-Lift-Four-Post-Portable-7000-lb-Parking-Garage_W0QQitemZ260009310681QQihZ016QQcategoryZ63697QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/4-Post-Hydraulic-Lift-Car-Lift-Pro-Park-7-Hoist_W0QQitemZ140007688285QQihZ004QQcategoryZ63697QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/7000lb-4-POST-HOIST-2-POST-AUTO-LIFT_W0QQitemZ120006936159QQihZ002QQcategoryZ63697QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Since also my butged is limited and my garage is not as big as most here posted I'm looking in to these.

Thanks for any feedback

 

[Toolmaker]

Did anybody ever buy one of these 4 post lift from Ebay? Some of them sre under $2000 delivered. Most of them sre 7000 Lb and they have 3 drip pans, Casters and jack tray included.


Here are links to the once I'm refering to.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AMERICAN-PRODUCTS-7K-4-POST-AUTO-CAR-LIFT-LIFTS_W0QQitemZ270008987074QQihZ017QQcategoryZ63697QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Car-Auto-Lift-Four-Post-Portable-7000-lb-Parking-Garage_W0QQitemZ260009310681QQihZ016QQcategoryZ63697QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/4-Post-Hydraulic-Lift-Car-Lift-Pro-Park-7-Hoist_W0QQitemZ140007688285QQihZ004QQcategoryZ63697QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/7000lb-4-POST-HOIST-2-POST-AUTO-LIFT_W0QQitemZ120006936159QQihZ002QQcategoryZ63697QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Since also my butged is limited and my garage is not as big as most here posted I'm looking in to these.

Thanks for any feedback

No doubt they are made in China at that price.

Just think about it. Look at some of the recent comments on this board about Horrible Freight’s car jacks that are malfunctioning and being returned. They are made in China. I don’t know about anyone else; but I sure wouldn’t go under any car held up with a Chinese lift. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4953

I understand that lots of folks cannot afford the going price of a good American made ALI certified Lift, priced just north of $3,000.00. You would be far better off purchasing a good used one at $1,500.00. Or use the old reliable method of a set of jack stands before purchasing an unknown lift made in China.

 

[Rothaus]

I got some equipment from HF and for the price I paid, I could not even get the material. I got the Engine hoist and stand and some small stuff and it's okay
However, talking about made in China. If these lifts are made in China and imported they have to be to a certain standard like all the other million things you buy all the time.
Just look around your house or garage and you will find more stuff made in China then you like to believe.

I think I will get one of these 7000# 4 post lifts for under 2k

At least the beer I'm drinking is not made in China

Cheers

 

[nukeddad1]

Safety aside, ask where you will get repair parts on a Chinese lift. The power company I work for was buying Chinese knock offs for use in our power plants. After a year or so of constant equipment failures we went back to oem equipment. Much cheaper in the long run!!

 

[Rothaus]

Safety aside, ask where you will get repair parts on a Chinese lift. The power company I work for was buying Chinese knock offs for use in our power plants. After a year or so of constant equipment failures we went back to oem equipment. Much cheaper in the long run!!

I agree 100% on your point, because I work for an OEM in Power Generation and we are not the company who makes also light bulbs. However, all about that business is reliability and availabliity. We also like that customers stay with us or come back to us after getting screwed. Our Eqipment is designed and made in Europe except the simple parts.

Now, to get to the point, I own 2 Stihl Chain saws and I would never buy anything else even if it's made here in the US, not even talking about China. It's also the question how much I use it. Some things I use as much in a year as a business would use in a day, would last a lifetime for my and the risk is small.

As I said before, the Beer I'm drinking is not made in China
and it's not Bud


Cheers

 

[nukeddad1]

Rothaus: Don't get me wrong, I/we have no qualms about taking oem parts and copying them and we can usually make better parts for a cheaper price. But as an individual buying an expensive piece of equipment such as an automobile lift, I think you are better served paying a little more initially to get a lift that you can get parts for, rather than having a broken lift sitting around for months waiting for parts to come in from China or elsewhere. Just my opinion!

 

[Aahz]

I got some equipment from HF and for the price I paid, I could not even get the material. I got the Engine hoist and stand and some small stuff and it's okay
However, talking about made in China. If these lifts are made in China and imported they have to be to a certain standard like all the other million things you buy all the time.
Just look around your house or garage and you will find more stuff made in China then you like to believe.

I think I will get one of these 7000# 4 post lifts for under 2k

At least the beer I'm drinking is not made in China

Cheers

There's a common misconception that the products made in China need to conform to U.S. standards...(or Canadian or European...etc.) If you are simply buying something that is not going to be used in a commercial application (where there is a threat of an employee calling OSHA or the owner being sued...), those products do not necessarily need to conform to any sort of guideline. With lifts, for example, there is no agency out there to prevent a company from importing pathetically poor quality products and selling them to an unsuspecting customer. Most folks that sell this stuff don't stay in business for any length of time. Either the warranties kill them or their customers do... I know of several companies that have pulled out of the cheap end of the market for precisely that reason....

Feel free to e-mail me if you have specific questions on manufacturers....I'll be happy to point you in the right direction, whether or not you want a Rotary! I'm more concerned about folks being safe...

 

[brownbagg]

Aahz, I notice you are a saleman for auto equipment, I would be willing that all you sell is Rotary lifts. wouldnt this make you a little bias.

 

[Aahz]

Aahz, I notice you are a saleman for auto equipment, I would be willing that all you sell is Rotary lifts. wouldnt this make you a little bias.

I will be the first to admit that yes...I sell Rotary Lifts....and I will also tell you that there are other competitive brands on the market that have similar quality and cost as much....

That being said....I have a SERIOUS problem with companies that sell products because they CAN and never worry about whether or not that equipment is SAFE. I know of companies that have dropped their Chinese suppliers like a hot potato when they found out the products wouldn't hold up to safety standards in the U.S. Unfortunately...whatever their small inventory cost was...the customers that bought their products are the ones that are most likely to suffer.

A list of some lift companies are as follows: Rotary Lift (Manufactures in US), Challenger Lift (Manufactures in US) and Quality Lift (Quality is the Chinese or Korean brand sold by Challenger), Bend Pak (Some US manufacturing mostly Chinese), Worth (US Manufacturer), (Wurth mentioned somewhere else in this post is a German manufacturer), Forward (Some US manufacture, some Chinese and owned by Rotary), Mohawk (Manufactured in US $$$$), Raptor Lift (Chinese), Hunter Engineering (Made in USA)

I have Chinese companies that contact me on a weekly basis to sell their products....Until they can get their product certified to meet the ALI/ETL Standards (find them at www.autolift.org) I'm not interested. Ask any of the people selling these $2000.00 lifts for a copy of their insurance policy when you order...You're gonna' need it!

 

[mikeyr]

A LOT of scare tactics going on here about these lifts.

A lift is a lift, Chinese or USA built makes no difference these things are so overbuilt anyway that they are all plenty safe. Sure USA built should have better quality steel but does it really ? are you going to cut your lifts apart and have the steel analyzed ? I am not. The only real issue that you should be concerned about is where to get parts in the future, a fly-by-night Chinese lift company might be a problem but Bend-Pak is here to stay, no concerns about them having parts. Then again, most of the wear parts are standard off the shelf items anyway, my hydraulic pump and ram are standard parts, cables are easy to get made at the local aircraft supply place.

Perhaps for a business there might be a difference but not for us normal folks.

The only lift I have heard of actually failing and dropping a car is the Perfect Park lift and I happen to own one and I am under that thing everyday, it is a fine lift and I have NO concerns about that lift. I found out why the one failed and check mine when i remember to. I would recommend a Perfect Park to anyone looking EXCEPT the company ***** and that is why I don't recommend them. My second lift is a Bend-Pak, love it, highly recommend it and the company.

 

[Luckydevil]

The only lift I have heard of actually failing and dropping a car is the Perfect Park lift and I happen to own one and I am under that thing everyday, it is a fine lift and I have NO concerns about that lift. I found out why the one failed and check mine when i remember to.

Why did the one fail?

 

[Ramblur]

My $.02. I don't see it as scare tactics. If they would pass a certification
why wouldn't they have one? Fly by night is something to consider too.
Autolifters is one(and US built I believe) thats disapeared in the last few
years. How many lifts are out there with no factory support?

 

[brownbagg]

bend-pak has certification

 

[mikeyr]

Why did the one fail?

one of the pulley's seized on the pivot bolt and so when the lift went up (or down dont know which) with the pulley seized on the bolt and turned the bolt out, once the bolt was out the pulley and cable went bye-bye and down came the Corvette on one end. This did NOT happen to me or anyone that I know, I remember seeing pictures of it and as I recall the Vette was not damaged but without hydraulics and cables and one end broken it must have been a bear to remove the car.

The manufacturer fixed it on the new ones by welding the bolts that hold the pulleys on and fixed all the others by sending the owners a nice big steel plate to bolt on between the 2 pulley bolts and prevent them from rotating, even included the drill bit

 

[Aahz]

bend-pak has certification

Ben PAk has SOME lifts Certified...Not all of their products are....and some of their products are decent quality...and some are not....Guess which ones I would recommend? If you guess the Certified product...you get a Gold Star!

 

[Aahz]

Last note on this subject....(for me anyways....) I would highly recommend for those of you looking to buy a lift that you read the information on the ALI / ETL website. Some of you regard me as a biased source...they are not biased...they write the standards that OSHA follows and lift manufacturers are supposed to follow...Call them up and discuss your situation...they aren't trying to sell anything...www.autolift.org....

 

[mikeyr]

Last note on this subject....(for me anyways....)

My last also...

I would highly recommend for those of you looking to buy a lift that you read the information on the ALI / ETL website. Some of you regard me as a biased source...they are not biased...they write the standards that OSHA follows and lift manufacturers are supposed to follow...Call them up and discuss your situation...they aren't trying to sell anything...www.autolift.org....

Yes, they are also biased, they are trying to sell you something, they are trying to sell their reason for existing, they are trying to sell their expensive certification process, they are attempting to confirm their need to exist.

Now don't get me wrong, if I ever needed a new lift at this point in my life it would most likely a certified Bend-Pak and if not Bend-Pak, I would very certainly look for certification in whatever brand I chose as I think it is a good thing. But like many good things, it is only a good thing and NOT a requirement.

Certification gives the uneducated low life like me who has no way of knowing any better that the lift I am looking at might be a little better quality than another, that is all. It merely implies that it is safer than a non-certified one, I am sure there are unsafe non-certified lifts but I can have some reasonable hope that there is no unsafe certified lift, there are no guarantees, Joe the welder might have come in with a hangover today and did poor welds on that certified lift. Or as in the case of the Perfect Park posted earlier, Billy forgot to put some grease on a bolt and 6 months after the lift is in your shop, it rusts and seizes and voila certified lift failure. No guarantees in life.

I have both a Perfect Park and a Bend-Pak, I use either one and have no preference which one I will get under but I can tell you if I ever needed another one, it would be Bend-Pak. I would also shop and look around first, I have no brand loyalty and certification would be a plus but not required.

 

[brownbagg]

so you are saying ,these are trash

http://www.bendpak.com/custom_page.isg?ref=certifications

 

[Aahz]

My last also...

Yes, they are also biased, they are trying to sell you something, they are trying to sell their reason for existing, they are trying to sell their expensive certification process, they are attempting to confirm their need to exist.

Now don't get me wrong, if I ever needed a new lift at this point in my life it would most likely a certified Bend-Pak and if not Bend-Pak, I would very certainly look for certification in whatever brand I chose as I think it is a good thing. But like many good things, it is only a good thing and NOT a requirement.

Certification gives the uneducated low life like me who has no way of knowing any better that the lift I am looking at might be a little better quality than another, that is all. It merely implies that it is safer than a non-certified one, I am sure there are unsafe non-certified lifts but I can have some reasonable hope that there is no unsafe certified lift, there are no guarantees, Joe the welder might have come in with a hangover today and did poor welds on that certified lift. Or as in the case of the Perfect Park posted earlier, Billy forgot to put some grease on a bolt and 6 months after the lift is in your shop, it rusts and seizes and voila certified lift failure. No guarantees in life.

I have both a Perfect Park and a Bend-Pak, I use either one and have no preference which one I will get under but I can tell you if I ever needed another one, it would be Bend-Pak. I would also shop and look around first, I have no brand loyalty and certification would be a plus but not required.

OK....One more post...and here...I will somewhat agree with you...they do have a bias towards companies that are certified....but it can also be reasonably expected that if a company is going to spend $20K or more for the certification process...(done by a third party, Intertek Testing Laboratories and listed under ETL) that the company will be a bit more than "Joe the welder" working out of his garage or some leased steel shed. Call me nuts, call me crazy...but if I'm going to put a car over my head...I want some assurance that the company that built it is going to be around for awhile. I remember people buying Yugos and thinking they got a great deal...

 

[Aahz]

so you are saying ,these are trash

http://www.bendpak.com/custom_page.isg?ref=certifications

Not sure who you are referring to....but I don't remember ever saying Bend Pak's Certifications (or product) are trash....although every one I saw there is meaningless in the U.S. except for the ETL Certification (Intertek)...In Canada and Europe the CE certifications are applicable...In Mexico...as far as I know...there are no standards, so Volkswagen certification is pretty useless, unless you are a Mexican VW Dealer....I don't speak Turkish or Russian or whatever those things are... so I can't help ya' there...

The ETL letter was done in conjunction with ALI....so the lift models listed there conform with US requirements for auto lifts...If a lift isn't listed there and Bend Pak offers it...it means one of a few things....A.) They CAN"T get it to pass the third party certification or B.)They don't have enough demand for a particular model to spend the money to get it tested. If the answer is A., then chances are pretty good you don't want it because of safety concerns...If the answer is B.) then chances are pretty good the lift will be discontinued at some point and you won't be able to get parts for it... Whichh leads us back to why it is a good idea to buy a Certified Lift....Bend Pak or otherwise....

 

[brownbagg]

my china made, metric bolted, etl approved lift came in today.

 

[vintagegto]

Not sure who you are referring to....but I don't remember ever saying Bend Pak's Certifications (or product) are trash....although every one I saw there is meaningless in the U.S. except for the ETL Certification (Intertek)...In Canada and Europe the CE certifications are applicable...In Mexico...as far as I know...there are no standards, so Volkswagen certification is pretty useless, unless you are a Mexican VW Dealer....I don't speak Turkish or Russian or whatever those things are... so I can't help ya' there...

The ETL letter was done in conjunction with ALI....so the lift models listed there conform with US requirements for auto lifts...If a lift isn't listed there and Bend Pak offers it...it means one of a few things....A.) They CAN"T get it to pass the third party certification or B.)They don't have enough demand for a particular model to spend the money to get it tested. If the answer is A., then chances are pretty good you don't want it because of safety concerns...If the answer is B.) then chances are pretty good the lift will be discontinued at some point and you won't be able to get parts for it... Whichh leads us back to why it is a good idea to buy a Certified Lift....Bend Pak or otherwise....

Hey Aahz,
I'm in the market right now for a lift and I find your take on this to be "VERY INTERESTING" and correct. I know that a lot of people buy "Made in China" products and I'm one of them...it depends on what it is. I have impact sockets that have lasted close to 20yrs of almost everyday use and they held up fine...I still have them,but small items vs. large items that are a definate safety hazard are to very different things.

As far as this particular item, I will be digging in a little deeper and will be spending a tad bit more than expected,but I don't want to be under a 3,500 LB car or light truck and have it give out on me. Chances are I probably won't survive,so it's worth the extra effort & money to be safe.


A few month's ago a guy 34 yrs old died a couple of miles down the road from me while he was under the trailer of his boat repairing an axle bearing and the trailer slid off and crushed his head. I know it was a floor jack but it still makes you think of safety first no matter what the cost. IMHO

 

[cc_rider]

Last weekend I was bush-hogging and ran into a mess o' bob-war; it got all tangled around the 'hog blades. So I shut her off, raised the 'hog, and stuck a HF bottle jack under it to keep it up. I started shimmying underneath to extricate the mess, and noticed the 'hog creeping down. WTF? I tightened the valve on the bottle jack some more, and pumped it back up. It still crept down! This jack is about six months old and used maybe twice. With the weight of the hog on it, each pump just barely kept up with the creep. I finally got a piece of 1" rebar and propped the 'hog up. NO MORE HF tools for me!

Another example: I bought an HF nail-cutter for prying out and/or nipping off protruding nails; they look like end-nips but have LONG handles. Used it for awhile cutting nails, it worked okay. When I used it to pull fence staples from cedar posts, the cutter on one side chipped away! Now it's a snaggle-toothed mess. I went to HD and bought a Channel-Lock Fence Tool instead; now that's a quality product!

I used to go to HF all the time, but now I've realized the tools are pretty much 'one use only'. Yes they're cheap, but what's the cost of being stranded because the tools you keep 'for emergencies' bust on you out in the middle of nowhere? Not to mention the whole issue of trading with a Communist country; how we've gotten in bed with them still baffles me.

Enough ranting; the thin air up on this soapbox is making me dizzy...

c.