Any brands of power tools jump out as better than others? Do some manufacturers make better drills & others better saws, etc.? Any tools still made here in the US?
Tim seems to have described a wide variety, but none came across as a stinker. Any brands to completely avoid?
Power tool brands
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Tim
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DeWalts are still made in the US, as are Porter Cable. Two excellent brands with good reasons to back it up. I would choose either of these brands without really thinking about it. I like PC routers and saws, and love DeWalt drills. I rarely look farther than these two brands when making a tool purchase. Milwaukee tools are often overlooked, but are also excellent. I would buy just about anything that any of those three brands made. I'm not much of a Makita fan, personally, but that's just me. There's no real basis for that dislike.
I don't care what anyone else says, but you basically get what you pay for with tools. Buy cheap junk, and be disappointed. Buy an expensive professional tool, and you're usually satisfied. It always seems tempting to buy the $50 drill (or whatever) that looks kind of the same as the $300 drill (or whatever), but usually you find out that the cheap tool is, well, cheap.
Avoid the no-name brands, or house-name brands, like the plague. (Stuff like you see in the Harbor Freight or Northern Tool catalogs, or JC Whitney, or similar.) I have rarely found any of these to be worth much in terms of performance. Sometimes you do what you have to, to get the job done...I have done that, and bought some of these sorts of tools. They get the job done, mostly, but definitely lack and are not satisfying to use. Sometimes a cheap version of a particular tool is just fine, but it will never perform the way a good one will. We all have to make choices from time to time about this.
For everyday tools, I don't think you should ever skimp. Always get the industrial-grade, like DeWalt, Porter Cable, Milwaukee. Note that DeWalt, while part of the Black and Decker company, is not simply a gussied up version of the crappy B&D tools at the hardware store. They are built completely differently, and made to stand up to some real use. How many cheap drills can stand up to repeated (yes, unfortunately) drops 3 or 5 or 7 feet to a concrete floor?
For specialty tools that you might not really need, I think you can sometimes get away with cheaper stuff. Just don't expect it to be any more than that. Ideally, one would buy all the best tools, but realism gets in the way of that. Sometimes, a cheap (fill in the blank) is better than none. Other times, it's not.
Craftsman power tools rarely inspire me. One can do better. I've never used the Ridgid stuff at Home Despot.
I don't care what anyone else says, but you basically get what you pay for with tools. Buy cheap junk, and be disappointed. Buy an expensive professional tool, and you're usually satisfied. It always seems tempting to buy the $50 drill (or whatever) that looks kind of the same as the $300 drill (or whatever), but usually you find out that the cheap tool is, well, cheap.
Avoid the no-name brands, or house-name brands, like the plague. (Stuff like you see in the Harbor Freight or Northern Tool catalogs, or JC Whitney, or similar.) I have rarely found any of these to be worth much in terms of performance. Sometimes you do what you have to, to get the job done...I have done that, and bought some of these sorts of tools. They get the job done, mostly, but definitely lack and are not satisfying to use. Sometimes a cheap version of a particular tool is just fine, but it will never perform the way a good one will. We all have to make choices from time to time about this.
For everyday tools, I don't think you should ever skimp. Always get the industrial-grade, like DeWalt, Porter Cable, Milwaukee. Note that DeWalt, while part of the Black and Decker company, is not simply a gussied up version of the crappy B&D tools at the hardware store. They are built completely differently, and made to stand up to some real use. How many cheap drills can stand up to repeated (yes, unfortunately) drops 3 or 5 or 7 feet to a concrete floor?
For specialty tools that you might not really need, I think you can sometimes get away with cheaper stuff. Just don't expect it to be any more than that. Ideally, one would buy all the best tools, but realism gets in the way of that. Sometimes, a cheap (fill in the blank) is better than none. Other times, it's not.
Craftsman power tools rarely inspire me. One can do better. I've never used the Ridgid stuff at Home Despot.
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Figment
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I think that this is an area where "brand loyalty" can really screw you. Each manufacturer has a certain few tools that they do really well, and the rest of the line is just riding coattails. The following is purely personal opinion, and I'm completely open to learning things to the contrary.....
Bosch, for example, makes a really great jigsaw, but much of the rest of their line is just overpriced. I'm told that their cordless stuff is a particularly poor value.
DeWalt seems to have the whole drill thing down really well, corded and cordless (I like mine, anyway), but a furniturebuilder friend of mine insists that their routers are all show and no go.
Porter/Cable makes a great router and a pretty good corded drill. The rest of their line is fairly solid, but nothing to turn cartwheels about.
Milwaukee invented the sawzall, and most folks think they still do it best. I'm of the opinion that their corded drills used to be king of the hill, but that the design changes (toward use of plastics) over the past decade or so have eroded that image.
Anyway, my point is that I think it pays to do a little bit of openminded research before each individual tool purchase.
I also firmly subscribe to the "life's too short to use crappy tools" school of thought. Money is always an issue, but in my mind, a good tool bought used is far better than a crappy tool brand new. Also, in this day of Ebay, good tools are often a no-loss investment.... purchase a used tool for $250, use it for a year, and you'll probably be able to sell it for near $250 when you're done. I've done this a few times.
Also, don't overlook the option of using a good old fashioned hand tool..... naw, that's a rant for another day =)
Bosch, for example, makes a really great jigsaw, but much of the rest of their line is just overpriced. I'm told that their cordless stuff is a particularly poor value.
DeWalt seems to have the whole drill thing down really well, corded and cordless (I like mine, anyway), but a furniturebuilder friend of mine insists that their routers are all show and no go.
Porter/Cable makes a great router and a pretty good corded drill. The rest of their line is fairly solid, but nothing to turn cartwheels about.
Milwaukee invented the sawzall, and most folks think they still do it best. I'm of the opinion that their corded drills used to be king of the hill, but that the design changes (toward use of plastics) over the past decade or so have eroded that image.
Anyway, my point is that I think it pays to do a little bit of openminded research before each individual tool purchase.
I also firmly subscribe to the "life's too short to use crappy tools" school of thought. Money is always an issue, but in my mind, a good tool bought used is far better than a crappy tool brand new. Also, in this day of Ebay, good tools are often a no-loss investment.... purchase a used tool for $250, use it for a year, and you'll probably be able to sell it for near $250 when you're done. I've done this a few times.
Also, don't overlook the option of using a good old fashioned hand tool..... naw, that's a rant for another day =)
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Dave, 397
Watch out on the Milwaukee stuff. A few years ago I sent one of the guys to replace the Makita 1/4 sheet sander that finally burnt up. Came back with a Milwaukee. After it had been used in the shop for a good week or so, I picked it up to use it. Piece of crap. Looked at it close and it said "Made in Taiwan"! I could have bought the same POS at Grizzly for a lot less than the 60 dollars!
Personally I like the DeWalt Router just fine...the base design works much better in a router table than the PC...but that PC kit with the motor and two bases is a really good deal! The plunge base is prety clunky, but if you want a Cadillac plunge router, best to get the Bosch or the Hitachi.
One tool brand that I loathe...two, actually...are Ryobi and Sears Crapppppsman. Most of the Sears stuff is actually made by Ryobi, FWIW.
I have one of the cheapy yellow DeWalt 3/8 VSR Drills that I have yet to kill...and I've been pretty rough on it. Great Value!
I also like a lot of the Makita stuff, but it's gone in two different directions it seems...really snotty consumer cheap ick, and really good pro stuff. Not just one line anymore.
If it says "Taiwan" or "China"...leave it at the store. Never assume based on brand, either.
Dave
Personally I like the DeWalt Router just fine...the base design works much better in a router table than the PC...but that PC kit with the motor and two bases is a really good deal! The plunge base is prety clunky, but if you want a Cadillac plunge router, best to get the Bosch or the Hitachi.
One tool brand that I loathe...two, actually...are Ryobi and Sears Crapppppsman. Most of the Sears stuff is actually made by Ryobi, FWIW.
I have one of the cheapy yellow DeWalt 3/8 VSR Drills that I have yet to kill...and I've been pretty rough on it. Great Value!
I also like a lot of the Makita stuff, but it's gone in two different directions it seems...really snotty consumer cheap ick, and really good pro stuff. Not just one line anymore.
If it says "Taiwan" or "China"...leave it at the store. Never assume based on brand, either.
Dave