[Shop-talk] Power Tools from Harbor Freight

[Bob Spidell]

Hercules or Bauer?


On 11/4/2017 1:49 AM, George P. Dausch IV wrote:
> I recently purchased two large hammer drill / jackhammer units.  Truly amazing quality and they are still being used daily for wall demolition.
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> Sent from my iPhone
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>> On Nov 3, 2017, at 6:25 PM, Bob Spidell <bspidell at comcast.net> wrote:
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>> 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!!!
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>> Bob
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