[Shop-talk] Power Tools from Harbor Freight
Bob Spidell
bspidell at comcast.net
Fri Nov 3 16:25:56 MDT 2017
OK, I admit it; I buy stuff there, esp. since they built a new store
less than 2 miles from my house. It appears they've conjured up a
couple new 'brands' to go with long-time 'favorite' Chicago Electric:
'Bauer' and 'Hercules.' I'm not in the market--well, we're all always
potentially 'in the market' amiright?--and my old Makita 9V driver/drill
with fresh batteries does all the power stuff I need, but I can't help
but be curious. These new brands appear to be higher quality: Hercules >
Bauer > Chicago Electric, and I checked them out last time I burned a
20% off coupon and they looked good to me. Has anyone bought any of the
Hercules or Bauer tools and put them through the paces? I've had some
Chicago Electric stuff--particularly a 4" grinder and a buffer--that
have done yeoman's duty for years, if the newer brands approach DeWalt,
Milwaukee, Snap-On, etc. quality at significantly less cost those brands
could be in trouble and, truth be told, they probably all come from the
same Chinese/Taiwanese/Indonesian/Indian factories anyway (maybe not
Snap-On). It appears to me HF has upped their game over the last few
years and they can't be beat for that esoteric tool you may use once
every 3 years. Plus: free flashlights!!!
Bob
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