power tools

[J Man]

I am in the market for some new toys since I have a garge to put them in. I want a dril press, band saw and a chop saw. I also want a better drill(electric as well as a circular saw. What brands does everyone use. i have used craftsmen in the past and not had any problems. what else out there is a good quality product? Thanks

[Greazer]

If I have the money and a choice, I usually go with Delta, Dewalt, and Rigid.

On tools I won't end up using too often, I'll skimp and go with Harbor Freight's off brand stuff.

[fastcat]

I really like milwaukee's tools They are high powered and I have never hada problem with them. on the chop saw if you have the money get one with the metal blade, not the grinding wheel, they work great. Shawn

[tommy]

If I might make a suggestion, I'd substitute a horizontal band saw for the chop saw. We use a chop saw every day and the mess and dust is no fun. The band saw is slower but much cleaner. A big pluss for a home shop where productivity isn't a priority. something to think about.

Buy the best quality to last you a life time even if it takes longer to out fit the shop. You'll end up buying the good stuff anyway when the cheap stuff fails.

[delaware george]

so far i've had the best luck with makita and milwaukie...

[Larry Day]

If it has gears and turns or plugs in....stay away from CRAPSMAN stuff

[atch]

i've got one thing to say about the craftsman comments above:

what you say is probably true for new craftsman tools. however, if you're talking 40 years or so old they made some pretty good stuff. i've got two of the drill presses from the 50's that have real cast iron heads and really heavy posts & tables. i wouldn't trade either of these for anything new unless it was factory quality stuff.

i've also got several woodworking stationary tools (not appropriate to mention here) which are also that old and are top notch.

i'd rather go find an old/heavy piece of equipment if i could.

note that i'm only talking about stationary equipment here, not necessarily smaller tools, although their non-motorized hand-held tools from back then were generally pretty good.

[rustymetal]

wondering if you would have a web site where i could get a good chop saw for metal.
the one that uses metal blades for metal.
thanks

[Fastsporty]

My favs are Skillsaw for the circlar saw get the MAG77 other wise your arm will fall off. Emerson electric who used to make all of craftsman stuff now makes tools for ridgid, I have a 14 inch band saw and are pretty happy with it. As a side note I wondering if they are making the hand tools also because the quality especialy the chrome is old craftsman quality. For a drill I would recomend the 1/2 inch milliwake a killer drill give it to your grand kids when your done. 3/8 drill go midrange your gonna kill it anyway I'm real happy with my dewalt in both the portable and the electric. I have a compound dewalt chop saw that I love, Look for a high amp motor, mines a 15 amp draw, so it keeps the motor from bogging down. Also I would really Look into JET. I know they are china but there quality is nice for the price. I have been seeing more and more in higher end shops lately. with a drill press make sure it has at least a MT2 spindle.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

The majority of my power tools are Porter-Cable and I really like them all. One Craftsman item I have is a 3/4 hp. bench grinder that I've been beating the snot out of for over 30 years. It still has the original 1" X 8" stones.

My Milwaukee Portaband is excellent as well.

[redmeat]

<font color="red">OK as a primer I usta sell tools for a living(Tool dept manager of a Home Base)......I tested and destroyed many a tool at my counter over my time there......If you want your tools to last and you work with the tools for a living you real got 4 choices in powered hand tools........Milwaukee , Dewalt, and Bosch........Milwaukee builds the best drills and sawzalls ever built......Dewalt build great tools all around but none stand out as the "best"......Bosch makes extremely quiet and very ergonomic tools including the some of the best grinders I have ever seen(Metabo is mainly a wood working company but also makes superior grinders).....next is the Porter Cable company ..once again great tool line overall and also MY choice for a skill saw..I ahve there bad boy it has same power as a Skil worm drive but not as bulky or heavy it features a Magnesuim table and the left hand blade like a worm drive but in a sidewinder style.........now on to bench tools......I am with some others chop saws are messy and nasty albeit getting the job done, as stated before a band saw makes a better cut....there are lots of companies to choose from....Delta.....Grizzly.....Jet..the list goes on and on...things like drill presses, lathes and the like should be good quality (wondering bits suck).....one of the best places to look into these tools is the wood working magazines as they compare all the time.....they even rate the usage for steel.....stay away from consumer reports as they "Sell" good ratings to advertisers!

As for my $$ if it were me I would check out Grizzly tools....these guys bought the old Dewalt,Porter Cable, and Delta factories in Tiawan and have the motors re wound here locally when they arrive in the states.....they make good tools at a fair price and shipping is reasonable.

All that said I still run with a Harbor Freight grinder and bench grinder....Harbor Freight stuff ain't all that bad for the home builder with limited useage....

GOOD LUCK

R E D M E A T </font>

[redmeat]

<font color="red"> Oh yeah here is grizzly's web site

http://www.grizzly.com/

R E D M E A T </font>