No more dept store power equipment for me

I to, try to avoid buying consumer grade tools. The issue, these days, many of the major brands that have a reputation for for quality have a low quality / low cost model. It can be hard to know the difference. My method is to do a lot of research before buying.

I have had great luck with Milwaukee.

Troybuilt was a good name when it was actually built in NY. Not anymore.

Every tool I really depend on, is a name brand tool. Once in a while, occasional use, knock off or cheaper brand.

I have had some good luck with Ryobi small tools, like their jigsaw. Half the price, works like a charm. Again, occasional use.

Don't overlook Ridgid thru big orange (HD)...all of my cordless are from there. Lifetime warranty, even on the batteries now.

Iv been using Royobi from HD lately. After many years of Satisfied Craftsman use ,but now afraid to buy new replacements for fear of them going belly up at any time. Got the weed whacker, did my whole yard yesterday and still 4 bars(out of 4) of charge. Got the work lights many of the power tools. They do sell chain saws for the +ONE systems so thats next i guess. Very satisfied. Fantastic price for the quality.

Read the reviews most the time you get what you pay for. But sometimes there are some cheap tools that actually are decent. I bought a electric chain saw for $40 from Lowes. I wanted it to cut at stumps and not destroy my good chainsaw with dirt. It worked wonders I was able to cut several stumps below the surface in a short period of time. Saw survived and I was impressed with it.

My_3_Girls said:

Don't overlook Ridgid thru big orange (HD)...all of my cordless are from there. Lifetime warranty, even on the batteries now.

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Rigid makes a really cool multi-tool with interchangable heads.

sportbikerider78 said:

Rigid makes a really cool multi-tool with interchangable heads.

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Always liked rigid. They make the best power threaders ,pipe wrenches ,plumbing tools in general. Expensive but worth the price. I have their power threading machine all the way up to 6" pipe.

I never liked the new diaphragm air compressors.Noisy as hell and just dont last. I still have few of the old piston type, some are 50 yrs old .
Quiet efficient and last a long time.

My Stihl weed eater's carburetor is Chinese made. I've had to replace it three times already. I don't know how widespread use of Chinese made (i.e. junk) parts is in Stihl products, but it is disappointing in a company whose products could formerly be relied on for quality and dependability. Hard to know where to turn for quality tools anymore as so many companies have been outsourced to Asia where quality control seems to be an unknown concept. I was looking at an Ingersoll Rand 80 gallon compressor at Tractor Supply just yesterday. Made in India. Wouldn't buy it on a bet.

What brand older piston type compressors do you have Randy? I'll probably have to find an older used one and would prefer to have the old quiet type.

Mike

Seasoned Oak said:

Always liked rigid. They make the best power threaders ,pipe wrenches ,plumbing tools in general. Expensive but worth the price. I have their power threading machine all the way up to 6" pipe.

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Different company. I own a lot of grandpa’s old Rigid plumbing gear, and also a few Rigid tools from Home Depot, but I don’t think one has much relation to the other.

Thanks for the links begreen. I'd never heard of the Polar Air model before and wish I could afford a new Quincy. Even the old ones are pricey. I keep my eyes open though and maybe I'll luck into one.

You ought to be into the nice weather now in the South Puget Sound area. I moved to Olympia from NY, May of 1980, just as Mt. St. Helens was erupting. Weather was beautiful then, other than the ash coming down like snow. Stayed in Western Washington for the next ten years before the rain finally drove me back East, Take it easy,

Mike

Ashful said:

Different company. I own a lot of grandpa’s old Rigid plumbing gear, and also a few Rigid tools from Home Depot, but I don’t think one has much relation to the other.

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Seem to be true of a lot of companies.
My power threaders are the old models. As are my cutters and pipe wrenches. Seem to never wear out. The new stuff does look considerably cheaper made. Most recent purchase was a rigid pex cutter, Rigid name on it but cant make a straight cut. Good thing the old stuff last forever. You can still find a lot of the old stuff on Ebay.

Now that I’m not typing on a 3” phone screen, I can give the better answer. Ridgid tools were made by Ridge Tool Co. in Ohio. They are the classic plumbing tools some of us have inherited from our parents and grandparents. Pipe threaders, pipe wrenches, tubing and pipe cutters, etc. All good stuff.

In the late 1960’s, they were bought by Emerson Electric, maker of the cheap “shelf system” stereos you probably owned in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

In the early 2000’s, they expanded their tool line with many new electric tools (wet/dry vacs, palm sanders, etc.), and aligned themselves with Home Depot. Their tools seem to be reasonably good quality and value, or at least the few I’ve owned.

I’ve read a few places that many of these new additions (the non-plumbing electric tools) are made by third-parties, but I have not been able to find any confirmation of that from any reputable source. They still have more than half of their manufacturing plants in the USA, but they also state they manufacture some of their tools in Europe and Asia.

And then there is harbor freight.... makes you long for the quality gods of canada tire

georgepds said:

And then there is harbor freight.... makes you long for the quality gods of canada tire

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Ahh.... harbor freight. They used to make a lot of limited use tools. That is for people who only need to use it once or twice. When oscillating tools became popular, a craftsman was $89 harbor freight was $9.99 . Just cuz I needed more than one I bought 1 craftsman and 2 HF Tools. First HF one lasted an hour, second lasted 2 hrs. Craftsman still going 10 yrs later. Don't waste yur time with HF metal chop saw ,just spend a little more and get a good one.

Seasoned Oak said:

Ahh.... harbor freight. They used to make a lot of limited use tools. That is for people who only need to use it once or twice. When oscillating tools became popular, a craftsman was $89 harbor freight was $9.99 . Just cuz I needed more than one I bought 1 craftsman and 2 HF Tools. First HF one lasted an hour, second lasted 2 hrs. Craftsman still going 10 yrs later. Don't waste yur time with HF metal chop saw ,just spend a little more and get a good one.

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That’s funny, I’ve only bought three HF tools in my whole life, and one of them is a metal chop saw. Almost twenty years later, I still can’t kill the stupid thing. It’s no heirloom quality tool, but it has been as reliable as concrete.

The other two, you ask? Both pneumatic die grinders, one straight one angled. Both still ticking, but ready for replacement after 20 years of semi regular use. Since I’m no longer young and poor, as I was when I bought them, they’ll get replaced with a better name brand.

When you’re in your 20’s, and making difficult decisions like whether you want to fix your chimney or eat in a given month, HF can be a savior. I won’t knock anyone who buys something there, as long as they don’t try to tell me how great it is.

I bought the $79 chop saw ,lasted about a year of little use ,then bought the better one they sell possibly $99 lasted about a year. Could have had a name brand saw for the price of the 2 combined. I do have few items that lasted namely an large electric jack hammer $500 vs $2500 and up for a name brand hammer.

Seasoned Oak said:

Ahh.... harbor freight. They used to make a lot of limited use tools. That is for people who only need to use it once or twice. When oscillating tools became popular, a craftsman was $89 harbor freight was $9.99 . Just cuz I needed more than one I bought 1 craftsman and 2 HF Tools. First HF one lasted an hour, second lasted 2 hrs. Craftsman still going 10 yrs later. Don't waste yur time with HF metal chop saw ,just spend a little more and get a good one.

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Yep I bought a drywall lift from them. It was like $100 used it for my garage and then sold it for close to a $100. Although it was crappy quality and I wore a bike helmet underneath it in case it decided to give way. I think the helmet was unnecessary but it had a crappy locking mechanism.

I think Ridgid is owned by HD now days- make sure you read the fine print on that lifetime warranty battery wise- They changed that too awhile ago.

Seasoned Oak said:

I bought the $79 chop saw ,lasted about a year of little use ,then bought the better one they sell possibly $99 lasted about a year.

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I think the word that might best summarize the reliability of HF tools is “variable”. Their poor quality does not translate into certain death of a tool, as demonstrated by the difference between my chop saw and the two you bought. It translates to an unknown or unquantifiable lifetime, likely due to very poorly-held manufacturing and process tolerances, which means you’re as likely to get one that dies tomorrow as one that might last longer than you’d anticipate.