Power Tool Brand Preference Poll

[Dave Avery]

This isn't going where you think it's going......

When buying power tools, do you

1. exclusively or almost exclusively buy one brand

2. have a preference for a single brand, but will consider others

3. buy whatever brand you think fits your need the best

[Jason Roehl]

Let's see...I have tools from Delta, Porter-Cable, Jet, Milwaukee, Craftsman, DeWalt, Stanley, RotoZip, Dremel, ShopVac, plus all the miscellaneous small tools from the borg that have various generic brandings on them. But I do tend towards those tools within a brand that have a good rep (like a SawZall from Milwaukee, but am leary of their routers--no real rep good or bad that I'm aware of).

[Michael Cody]

Originally posted by Dave Avery
This isn't going where you think it's going......

When buying power tools, do you

1. exclusively or almost exclusively buy one brand

2. have a preference for a single brand, but will consider others

3. buy whatever brand you think fits your need the best

Interesting, but for me I have: (just off the top of my head)

P-C
Craftsman
Delta
HF
Makita
Dremel
Hitachi
Jet
Rand
B&D
Panasonic
Milwaukee
Shop Vac
Nova Lathe
Sorby
Crown
Glaser
Wolverine
Vertias
Shapton
Tormek
Central Machinery
American Clamping
Stanley
Knight Toolworks
Dunlop
Sandusky
Pexto
Bracht
GI MIX
-- oh well lots of chisels from various manf's ---
Disston
Lee Valley
Husvarna
Echo
McCulloch
Shindawa

I go for the best deal I can but will try for higher end stuff if I can swing it for a good deal.. My Milwaukee Sawzall is worth the 3x price over my old Craftsman, but other items like Central Machinery bandsaw at 1/3 the price of a Delta is a steal. Sure I would like the Delta (might buy one some day) but it's not 3x better.

[Jim Becker]

Dave, I think it is human nature for most folks to tend to buy the same brand (major items), especially when first starting out. This may be due to a recommendation, the brand your local dealer "specializes" in or some other factor. I'm a good example of that in that most of my major tools are Jet...from the same dealer. Frankly, I'd buy from them no matter what the brand and they now have Jet, Delta and Powermatic as their major lines.

That being said, I also have a lot more experience than I did three to five years ago and do a lot more shopping. Consequently, I have interest in more more unique things for future consideration, such as the F-350 14" combo jointer/planer from MiniMax. I think that many folks tend to relax a little when it comes to brand choice once they gain experience...and learn a lot from the the great resources available today, including forums like this!

[Ted Shrader]

Dave -

Like the others, my list of manufacturers is pretty long. One tool that suits my needs, preferences and "feel" may come from a different manufacturer than the last three I just bought from another source.

Given that all things are equal, price being one of them, I <i>may</i> show some brand loyalty to PC for small power tools and Powermatic for big iron.

Ted

[Paul Kunkel]

When buying power tools, do you

1. exclusively or almost exclusively buy one brand

2. have a preference for a single brand, but will consider others

3. buy whatever brand you think fits your need the best [/B][/QUOTE]

I believe in saving $$$ whenever & wherever I can AND get a tool (or 2) that will do the job I ask of it. When I first started my business I had a partner who had a shop full of Jet tools but no shop. He moved on (with tools) and I bought Grizzly. That was 13 years ago and they have served me well. Do I see a difference? Yes! In money in my pocket. His Jet tools were no more accurate or easy to use or safer-but when he offered to sell them to me instead of move them, I found I could buy new Griz for less. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. Grizzly is better now than then. Their service is superb! Do I have other brands of tools? sure, but not in the stationary tool catagory. To some this is a tool buying hobby- to me it's a livelyhood where every dollar counts. I'd rather not keep up with the Joneses and have a Cadilac when down the road I can drive a MB (presently a ML320 & Dodge 2500 Cummins). Sorry it's so long-follow your heart or your wallet. Paul

[Bob Lasley]

I like good tools regardless of what brand they are. I have a wide assortment of brands, some I love and some I will be glad when I can replace them. When I buy tools, I look for the one that will do the best job for the bucks I have available regardless of what color it is.

Bob

[Bart Leetch]

I am not in production so the tools were chosen according to that & my bank account & will be upgraded as they wear out & the bank account allows. So far they have worked out real well.

1. Craftsman 1979 Emerson Contractors saw
2. “ 1979 Jointer
3. “ 1979 8" Benchtop Drill press
4. “ 1967 12” Radial Arm Saw
5. “ 1950’s 12” Band Saw
6. “ 4”x 6” Belt disk sander
7. “ 7 1/4”“ Circular Saw
8. “ 2 Scroll Head Saber Saws
9. “ Router
10. “ Pro 1/2” Drill
11. “ 3/8” Drill
12. “ Pro 4” Angle Grinder
13. “ 3” x 21” Belt Sander
14. “ 4” x 24” Belt sander (old metal cased)
15. “ Pro 1/2 sheet straight/orbital Sander
16. “ Air Compressor
17. DeWalt Panel Saw frame with B&D 71/4 circular saw
18. Shop Fox Mortiser
19. Grizzly G1019 14” Band Saw W/ riser
20. “ G7946 Radial Drill Press
21. “ G1029 Dust Collector
22. “ G1017 Portable Planer
23. “ G5969 5” Angle Grinder
24. “ 18 gage Nail gun
25. “ 18 Gage Staple Gun
26. Makita 2 3/8” 9’6 volt drills
27. “ Reciprocating Saw
28. “ BO5021K 5” Random Orbit Sander
29. Porter Cable Biscuit Joiner
30. Porter Cable 693 router
31. Black & Decker Router
32. Mechanics Brand 1/4 sheet Pad Sander
33. Rockwell Laminate Trimmer
34. Ace 6” Bench Grinder
35. Weller hand held Planer
36. Dremel Jig Saw
37. Harbor Freight hand held Planer
38. Harbor Freight Clamps. 3/4” Pipe, Light Duty Bar Clamps.
39. Aluminum Rectangular Tube clamps (I call these my Betsy Clamps)
40. Pony 3/4 “ pipe clamps 2 3’ & Several light Duty Bar Clamps
41. Delta 1930’s Double Duty Lathe with 3/4 hp Grizzly motor & all the accessories.
42.Delta Router/shaper
43. Solar 295 amp Welder
44. Complete Gas / Diesel Mechanic Tool Set in Roll around base & top box.
45. Workmate.
46. Numerous sheet metal hand tools.
47. Ryobi Spindle sander (with burnt out motor when it was given to me).
I have it apart & will extend the the shaft using pillow blocks & put it back
together with a new motor.
48. Jet Dovetail jig.

[Rob Russell]

At this point, most of my stationary equipment (Saw/shaper, jointer/planer, mortiser, dust collector) is from one manufacturer. The biggest reason that I upgraded to a suite of machines from the same manufacturer was a) I was able to do so and b) there are accessories that interchange. That plus the overall quality of the machines. Before that I had (OK, still have) a set of Delta/Rockwell machines.

My drill press, band saw and lathe are also big old American iron (Clausing, Rockwell and Rockwell respectively). SCMS is a Dewalt.

For the most part, my approach has been to buy upper end, although that has lead me to focus on some manufacturers.

For hand tools, I seem to end up with Dewalt, P-C or Milwaukee. I did buy a Makita angle grinder because it was inexpensive and a Hitachi hammer drill because it was on the markdown table at HD. I guess my attitude towards hand tools is also buy upper end, although I do tend towards the American names instead of the good imports (Bosch, Hitachi, Makita).

[Dave Avery]

Looks like most people are like me - buy what suits your needs the best. What got me thinking about this is that, with the exception of my TS (Dewalt DW746) and my ROS (also a Dewalt), no other brands are represented twice, though almost all major brands are represented once. Dave.

[Jim Young]

When I first started in this hobby I picked the tools that had the best bang for the buck. Now I operate under the best tool in its class theory. I pick the tool which I think has the highest quality/function, no more wishing I had bought the better tool. With that said, I'm not always right. It's not easy picking the best tool when you rely on magazine tool tests or what others on forums have to say about their own tools.

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

I'm pretty much on the same page as Jim when it comes to tools. I try to check out all the information I can before a purchase. I think some manufacturers have speciality areas, and I am under the opinion that no manufacturer does everything the best. With that being said, the only brand that I try to stay away from on big ticket items is the one that Bob Vila represents. Although I have had (and still do) a few of these tools, for the most part, I think nowdays they are more geared for the occasional user. Just my 2 cents worth! ;)

[Rick Potter]

Large tools I will use forever...I pretty much go for Delta because I know I can get parts. I do have some from Jet, RBI, and Felder.

Portable tools that I want to last.....Pretty much PC, with a few Bosch or DeWalts thrown in.

Hand tools.....pretty much Craftsman....I have had good luck with them.

Tools I may only use a few times........I go for the junk at HF. and if they don't work, I live close, and can return them.

Rick Potter

[Mike Evertsen]

I buy what looks like it will do the job I'm doing in the
shop I ryobi,delta,craftsman,rockwell,hiatchi,pc,b&d,dewalt,
campellhaus,senco,hf,ect.

[Jim Baker]

Like many of you, I have several different brands of tools.

My stationary power tools are Jet, mainly because of the dealer more so than the actual brand.

The portable stuff tends toward Bosch, Porter Cable, and Dewalt, but there are others.

I find tools to have similarity to golf clubs. Just as my golf clubs are not the limiting factor where my golf score is concerned, my tools are not the limiting factor to the quality of my woodworking. Both come down to my skill and experience level. Obviously, though, I do need an appropriate tool to do the job.

I occasionally hear someone comment that they could make some really nice furniture too if they only had Norm's shop full of tools. I don't know about the rest of you, but I couldn't reproduce the work of Norm (or any other highly skilled craftsman) with his set of tools any more than I could match golf performance with Tiger Woods if he loaned me his clubs.

[Sam Chambers]

I have a woodworking buddy who is very brand loyal - Porter Cable for all pneumatic tools, Makita for portable electric tools and Ridgid for major stationary tools.

Me, I try to go with best of breed. I have Porter Cable, Delta, Jet, DeWalt, Grizzly, Makita, Powermatic, Airy and Penn State tools in my shop, along with one ill-advised Black & Decker machine. No Bosch yet, but somewhere out there is a jig saw with my name on it. I learned my lesson about buying cheap tools - they become much more expensive when you have to replace them because they fail or do a poor job.

There's something to be said for each method. His Makita biscuit joiner is not as good as my Porter Cable 557, and he could have bought a better jointer for the same money that he spent on his Ridgid. OTOH, his Porter Cable finish nailer is better than my Airy.

The best $50 I ever spent was a little battery operated Black & Decker quazi-circular saw. The batteries don't hold much of a charge and it won't cut wood worth a darn, but it's perfect for cutting sheet rock and acoustical ceiling tiles. A very handy little tool when doing a basement remodel.

What it comes down to is this - you're the final judge when it comes to your tools. If it gets the job done the way you want it, and you paid what you think is a fair price, it's a good purchase.

[Jim Becker]

Originally posted by Jim Baker
I occasionally hear someone comment that they could make some really nice furniture too if they only had Norm's shop full of tools. I don't know about the rest of you, but I couldn't reproduce the work of Norm (or any other highly skilled craftsman) with his set of tools any more than I could match golf performance with Tiger Woods if he loaned me his clubs.

Although you are absolutely correct, I will submit to you that most of us would probably have a better go at the "Norm thing" than the "Tiger thing"!!! :D