Blush! Blush!

[Dale Thompson]

Hi Folks,
Does anyone have any experience with Chicago Electric power tools? Harbor Freight has an 18 volt, 4 tool Combo set for $129. The set includes a drill, circular saw, reciprocal saw, flashlight, two batteries and a charger.

My son-in-law will never be a woodworker but he has a house to maintain and may use tools occasionally - VERY occasionally. :rolleyes: I would like to get this package as a Christmas present for him but if it is TOTALLY junk I would scratch it from the list. I am already making him a 10'x7'x14" bookshelf system for his home office so this would just be an add-on.

NO!! He will NOT get a $700 DeWalt Combo set!! :eek: :)

Dale T.

[thomas prevost]

Junk!!! The tool body may last, but the batteries appear to be rejects. They will not hold a charge overnight and last only about 15 minutes in use. My neighbor bought a 3 piece set and had that problem. Exchanged batteries at local HF store but results were similar. I had a 12 v drill given to me because of that problem. Discarded the drill except for chuck and used the charger to replace Craftsman that died.

Look at Ryobi sets at HD. They have had sales locally. 3 piece starter for $79 or 5 piece for $149 and expandable piece by piece. Batteries right price also.

[Carl Eyman]

I bought their 14.4v drill, 2 batteries and charger in Oct. 2001. It is still going strong. I think the PC is a little better balanced, but I feel I got good value.

[Jim Becker]

A Ryobi kit from the 'depot would be a better and likely longer-lived alternative.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I'm with Jim. I've had two Ryobi cordless drills for over 6 years and both have plenty of torque and moderately long battery life. Takes about an hour to charge the battery. The bigest difference between a Milwaukee or Dewalt and the Ryobi is plastic instead of metal gears and a chuck you need to use two hands to operate. Neither of which is a big deal for most homeowners.

[Ted Shrader]

Dale -

Stay away from the "Tools by the Pound" store and their battery/electric tools. They will provide your SIL with only frustration.

As others have said, Home Depot has deals on the Ryobi right now. They would be great for an occasional user.

Regards,
Ted

[Larry D. Wagner]

:) Dale,

Truth is, I've had two of the HF 18 volt drills for over 3 years now and neither has ever let me down. I also have a 7.2 Makita 90 degree head, a 12V Dewalt(6yrs), 14.4 B&D(11yrs), 14.4 Craftsman(4yrs) and a new 19.2 Craftsman EX. Every one has served me well and all are used if not daily, at least every other day. I have yet to purchase a replacement battery for any of them. If I were going out right now and purchase another new one, it would be another 19.2 EX. If you watch Sear's sales they are, in my opinion the best bang for the buck on the market. I know, I know, the Craftsman haters will be out in force. :p

Larry :) :) :)

[thomas prevost]

Just got the Home Depot Christmas catalog. 3 piece set non sale price $99 5 piece set $169. Buying the 3 piece will give you future gifts adding other tools all within the $40-$80 bracket and as his needs grow.

[Keith Christopher]

only think I ever bought from HF was a machinest vise for my DP. I can "dial-in" small movements to get things spot on. worth every penny. but I never trust something that low cost to perform as I'll need it to. Just my 2c.

[David Dixson]

Another brand to consider is the Black and Decker Firestorm or orange colored tools. I've recently bought the 18Volt drill with two battery set and have used them heavily in the new house we just moved into. I've been very pleased at both the torque and battery life. The two battery set cost me about 60 dollars max at Wally World.

While I have many Harbor Freight tools, I wouldn't recommend buying any of their power hand held tools unless someone else gave me a specific number for one of their tools they've had good luck with. That's the way I buy and get good service from their floor model tools, by watching the recommendations of folks who have bought and had good success with a specific tool on internet forums. Then I get the tool number from the happy owner and buy it when it's on sale at it's lowest price. To date, this method has been my formula for success when buying Harbor Freight items.

I wish I could give you specific numbers I've been happy with in hand held battery tools from HF, but I don't own any.

As a side thought, the most useful tool from any of those combo kits is the drill, as many of the other items lack the necessary torque to be really useful. Were I you, I think I'd simply buy him a reasonable quality drill with a couple of batterys as a set like the one I have. Mine came with a drill, two batteries, a charger and a molded plastic case.

Dave

[Gary Sutherland]

Seems like Harbor Freight's big problem is quality control. One person buys a tool and it works great, next person buys the same tool and it literally falls apart in 20 minutes. This makes individual reviews much less usefull than for brands with more consistant product.

Personally, I can tell you that a friend bought several of the 'cheaper' Harbor Freight cordless drills and a couple of the cordless circular saws for use by helpers in a volunteer organization. They were truly junk; several had bushings go out after a few hours of use.

I have a couple of HF corded tools ('holehawg' style drill, 12" disc sander) that I use only occasionally, and they have been fine, but I wouldn't buy anything for regular use. The only exceptions being the few items which have been thoroughly reviewed by many users, such as the band saw, lathe, drill press and dustcollector. Some of those may need a lot of 'tweaking', but at least their shortcomings are known and can be planned for. It's the 'random chance' nature of their power tools that scares me away.

gary

[Dale Thompson]

Thanks guys,
For the first time since I joined this forum in the 1840s, you guys have been of absolutely NO help! ;) YES? NO? MAYBE? What is an old tired brain supposed to do?

I have tried to stay away from Ryobi since I bought their first oscillating spindle sander that gave out more smoke than sawdust. On the other hand, my Ryobi thickness planer has been a real "soldier" for a number of years.

My son has a number of B&D "Firestorm" tools that he is very pleased with. I have no problem with B&D except that their rapid interchange drill/driver adaptor does not fit into their new "swivel" drill/driver - that is, not until you grind off part of the hex wrench on the end which is intended to allow you to adjust drill position. :(

Whatever, thanks a LOT for NOTHING!! :D :D Now I will have to seach all of the B&D and Ryobi combos to see which one may be the best.

You guys must think that I have a job and have nothing to do with my spare time but compare TOOLS!! :rolleyes: Remember, I'm retired and far too busy to spend my time with those kind of bourgeois activities. :cool: :)

Seriously though, THANKS TO ALL!! I'll either look at tools (a REAL burden) or buy him a tropical fish for his aquarium. They both cost about the same. :eek: :)

Dale T.

[David Dixson]

Dale,

You're welcome. :)

I have an alternative solution for you. I'll be your son in law and you can buy me one of those Porter Cable router combo sets Sam's Club is closing out for a 100 bucks. That's cheaper than the Ryobi set and I can guarantee you I'll be happy with it and use it. How's that for a solution? (grin)

Dave

[Tyler Howell]

Is this the same SIL that got your sweet and lovely in trouble??? Let's face it Dale, your going to be doing all the work any way so give him the HF as a token and go out and buy yourself a good combo set to take when you go over there to take care of business:D

[Tom LaRussa]

You guys must think that I have a job and have nothing to do with my spare time but compare TOOLS!! :rolleyes: Remember, I'm retired and far too busy to spend my time with those kind of bourgeois activities. :cool: :)

Sheesh Dale, you retired guys are so hasty! ;)

As (apparently) the only member of SMC who will admit publicly to actually liking Harbor Freight, I think I need to chime in here.

General Background:

The best thing going at HF is their clamps. I particularly like the Chicago Forge F-Clamps, which on 50% off sale run less than 1/10th the price of those Bossies and Gorkies everybody around here is always drueling over. Yeah, the long ones tend to flex a bit when you torque them tight but so what? Just add another clamp or two or three or four or five, etc.

Their aluminum square clamps are a pretty nice deal too. I got my six 48 inchers for $4.45 each. (Same flex problem, same easy solution.)

For grinders and such they can't be beat. I picked up my 3/4 HP 8" grinder for about $30 and my 4x36 (belt) & 6" (disc) sander for a few bucks more. I use and abuse both just about every day.

Anyhoo, the point is that HF, IMHO, is a great place to buy stuff, provided you follow three rules:

[Rule 1] Never buy anything at HF unless it's on sale -- or one of those very few items which does not go on sale at least once every 8 weeks or so. (Note: Until you've spent quite a bit of time hanging out at HF you won't know which items fall into the latter category, so for most of you it's probably just better that you follow the rule without the exception.)

[Rule 2] HF quality control leaves a bit to be desired, but their extended replacement warranties are great. So, if you buy anything electric from HF, always buy the extended replacement warranty.

It works as simple as can be -- break it or burn it up during the replacement warranty period and all you have to do is take it back to the store and they hand you a new one. No muss, no fuss.

[Rule 2.1] Don't buy anything electric from HF unless you live close enough to go down to the store and exchange it if if blows up.

[Rule 3] Remember that they give rain checks on sale items! This is important because the stores often sell out of these items.

Now then, back to the situation at hand.

The cordless combo kit you are looking at is on sale for $129, http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=45803 but it's only $10 off its regular price. As HF goes that's a pretty cruddy discount. :(

Plus, the two-year replacement warranty will cost you an extra $34.99, (I just happen to have the chart handy -- :D ), which brings your total, prior to tax, up to $164.98. :(

The Ryobi combo folks have mentioned retails for $169.00, so I think you're better off looking at that, or the $149 B&D combo, or the $187 Skil combo, (all at the BORG), or the $189 Firestorm combo at Lowes.

Okay, so, that takes care of your question.

**********************************************

Now let's examine a larger issue that I think you haven't looked at very carefully. You said in your original post that "My son-in-law will never be a woodworker but he has a house to maintain and may use tools occasionally - VERY occasionally."

From the tone of your post I'm guessing that SIL is one of those modern young guys who has never seen the inside of an automotive air cleaner or rewired a lamp?

If so, I have three more questions:

[1] Do you really want to give him such a variety of tools? Mightn't it confuse and/or frighten the poor fellow trying to figure out what to do with all those beasties?

[2] Are you sure it's safe giving him tools with sharp edges? I know a lot of young guys I would not trust with a circular saw under any circumstances, let alone in the same home in which my daughter and grandchild(ren?) live.

[3] Assuming you are really sure about questions [1] and [2], are you certain you want to give him cordless tools? If he's a spaz he'll probably never have the thing charged up when he needs it, and it's not like he's going to take them anywhere. So why not go for the fork-tailed models, where you can get more bang for your buck?

Here's what I'd recommend:

Ryobi D45C drill/driver -- this is an updated version of the one I've been abusing for about 8 years now. I like it because it has a multi-position clutch, so a clutzy user will strip out fewer screws. It retails for about $40 at the BORG but is not on their web site for some reason.
http://www.ryobitools.com/product/product.asp?prodid=138&prodcat=2&toolcat=1

Skil 2.4 HP circ saw -- retails for $49.99 at the BORG. I have one of these and it's a very nice little homeoner saw, except that the blade that comes with it is absolute garbage, so allow another $10 for a DeWalt or whatever.

Stinger 2 Gallon Wet/Dry Vac, $26.97 at the BORG. This thing will kick the tail off any of those cordless shop vac thingies and its' cheaper besides. I also have one of these and it's a nice little bugger.

*************************************************

Okay, now for the final issue.

(Huge sigh of relief from anyone still awake.)

Your SIL has already taken your daughter from you, are you sure you want to buy the little punk a present besides?????? :eek: :p

[Carl Eyman]

Tom LaRussa can out-Abby Abby any day. Good advice Tom. Now can I ask you how I can get my wife to get rid of her cat?

[Rob Bourgeois]

Bring it near a swamp where theres gators. I hear there's a big one "back of the high school"( I don't know which one) You might have to wait till it warms up a bit. You could also sell it to a crab fisherman for bait. :D ;)


As for Dales problem...Give him the HF..its the thought that counts. :rolleyes: Even if it dies in a year, he might not know since he probably wont use it much.

[Rob Bourgeois]

with those kind of bourgeois activities. :cool: :)



Who me? How do you know thats what I do all day. ;) :rolleyes:

[Carl Eyman]

I don't think I can pry it out of her hands, but maybe the alligator can.

[Dale Thompson]

Your SIL has already taken your daughter from you, are you sure you want to buy the little punk a present besides?????? :eek: :p[/QUOTE]




You guys are certainly a bunch of Shakspearean geniuses! However, do ANY of you know ANYTHING about tools? :confused: I asked a simple question and look what I get in return! You are all being turned in to the AARP Political Correctness Police. The only thing worse than spending years in the AARP dungeons is having ALL of your sharp edges dulled by an unseen being. HEH! HEH! :eek:

Tom, my SIL will get six Piranhas added to his aquarium in the middle of the night! :cool: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Whatever, LOML and I are headed down to Oak Creek, WI tomorrow. My daughter is due to deliver her second "indiscretion" with the infamous SIL on Monday. :) Your thoughts and prayers will be much appreciated - even though you guys know NOTHING about tools!? :) :)

Dale T.