Rockler January 2009 catalog ?

[Ron Jones near Indy]

I received the new Rockler catalog yesterday, and I noticed, what I consider to be, an oddity on the back cover.:confused: The Rockler Table Saw Crosscut Sled was shown and it was shown as "Woodworker Tested and Recommended" by The Handyman Club of America.:eek: My question to you is how will this endorsement affect your decision to buy this or a similar product? Personally I have no interest in this product and if I did, the endorsement would seem more of a negative than a positive. What do you think?

[Bryan Berguson]

That endorsement would make me raise my eyebrows a little, just a little. Definately doesn't carry the weight of say a "Fine Woodworking" or a "Sawmill Creek" endorsement!

Bryan

[Steven DeMars]

Who is The Handyman Club of America?

Are they a subversive group?

A group not aligned with principles of the American way of life . . .?

To answer your question, if they are neither of the above, I will continue to do business with them . . .

I deal with Rockler on a very regulars basis & have found them to be nothing but pleasant to deal with . . .I have always received excellent service ordering & returning merchandise . . . .

They were founded in 1954, thats 55 years ago . . . . must be a pretty good company to last that long . . .

As to the particular product you mention . . . . like always, Sawmill Creek Members will be the deciding influence in what I buy . . .

Besides, who ever pays attention to endorsements from "groups" that have nothing to lose in the making of poor endorsements . . . Good woodworking magazines have a lot to lose . . .

Take care,:)
Steve

[Kevin Godshall]

A looooooooong time ago, I got a gift subscription the Handyman Club thing. It was a very basic introduction into various fix up projects around the home. (basic wiring, plumbing, construction, landscaping, etc.). The biggest draw was supposed to be the opportunity to have tool companies "donate" tools and innovations for testing and recommendations.

Well.......if you give me a free tool over $100, and I can keep it, I'm gonna try to find something good to say about it. I can overlook a lot of minor issues for the freebie. Unfortunately, these tools tests were not given to members with a skill level or knowledge base of what they were using (which is what is nice about being here, you get the opinion straight from the horse's mouth, and there are many fine thoroughbreds here).

This piece of equipment could have (could have) been sent to a member that doesn't even own a table saw, and they wrote up a recommendation: "I don't own a table saw, but if I did......." And, even if they did, the accuracy and precision of their "handyman" projects would probably not equate the quality seen here on this site.

I deal with Rockler a lot. The recommendation gives me a chuckle, but I wouldn't put any faith basis in it. The Rockler name means more to me then the Handyman Club of America ever would.

[Ron Jones near Indy]

I also deal with Rockler for many of my woodworking needs. That endorsement just makes me wonder if Rockler even checked out the HCA. About a year ago I put a new lockset on my Dad's back door. I forgot to take my chisels so Dad called a neighbor about borrowing his. The neighbor had a brand new set of HCA chisels. I sharpened a couple of them for use. I would have had better chisels if I used a screwdriver.