Commerical grade tools

[Smith]

Aside from the cheap brands (Sears, Ryobi, etc), what is the difference in these commericial grade tools? Such as Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, Porter Cable, etc?

[Bay Area Dave]

color.

dave

Smith wrote:

[Dave Hinz]

I've got some of each of those, and the primary difference seems to be...color. Seriously, it's like comparing a BMW to an Audi to a Saab to a Volvo - they're all fine vehicles, built and engineered well, and you'll not go wrong with any of them.

The only time, in my opinion, to slavishly stick with one brand, is if you have cordless tools all of which can share common battery packs. DeWalt is good in this regard.

Dave Hinz

[B a r r y]

I look at each tool individually.

For instance, I prefer the Bosch 1617EVS over the Porter Cable 69x and

89x routers, but I really like PC's 5" random orbit sanders. Other people may see things the other way around.

That's why I prefer to hold each tool before I buy it. DeWalt, Milwaulkee, Bosch, Porter Cable, Makita, etc... all make great tools. Sometimes, I prefer one or the other after holding it in MY hand, even though they are all decently built, comparatively functional, and comparatively priced.

Barry

[John]

The better brands "tend" to be more powerful, last longer, and work better. Depending on what you want it for, the cheap stuff might be okay, perhaps even best. I have all the Ryobi 18v, and it works fine. (However, my 12v Dewalt is more powerful than my 18v Ryobi; it is also heavier.) On the other hand, I wouldn't wish a Ryobi ROS on anyone; all the energy seems to go into vibrating rather than sanding. The PC, at about twice the price, is a much much better buy. Cheap isn't a bargain when it doesn't work.

Homier is in a special class all to itself. It is hard to see how they even make a tool for the prices they sell for. Sadly, they break almost immediately.

[Mark L.]

[Thomas Kendrick]

1. Commonality of consumables - e.g. Paslode framing nailers or PC 16 ga. finish nailers. A contractor may buy a pallet of nails based on price. The workers then use what the contractor provides.
2. Reliability and ease of repair - downtime costs money. Availability of parts.
3. Features which increase productivity for pros and make no difference for the DIY folks.
4. Weight vs. power - a 10 amp circular saw may be plenty for a homeowner while a pro will use a 15 amp saw to save time even though it might weigh a bit more.
5. Durability - a homeowner will gently store the one copy of a tool which they own. A construction crew will drop a power tool into a box, trailer or pickup bed as though it were a claw hammer. It will be bounced around and may have other materials riding loose over it. If the finish is only on the surface, the base material will soon be revealed.
6. Some homeowner-grade tools are made so inexpensively that it is not cost-effective to repair them. Replacement is a better choice, since they were low cost initially.

[Andrew Barss]

Smith wrote: : Aside from the cheap brands (Sears, Ryobi, etc), what is the : difference in these commericial grade tools? Such as Milwaukee, : DeWalt, Makita, Porter Cable, etc?

These are all fine tool makers. Each has their own niche -- Milwaukee is the king of corded drills, Makita is well known for their cordless ones, Dewalt and PC for routers, etc.

But you really can't go wrong with any of them.

-- Andy Barss

[J. Clarke]

And don't sell Sears short, just know what you're getting. Most of their jigsaws are cheap crap for example, but one is a relabelled Bosch. Thing I like about Sears is that they keep a huge parts inventory and have decent online ordering for parts.

[Tony]

[Charlie Self]

Tony responds:

And don't forget the Bosch SCMS. I've got the big one and there is none better.

Charlie Self "If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to." Dorothy Parker

[Nova]

I agree the relabeled Bosch jigsaw that Sears sells is a good unit but the last time I looked it was cheaper to purchase the Bosch jigsaw than it was to buy the relabeled Sears.

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

[NoOne N Particular]

Problem with Sears having a large parts inventory is it seem that you have to use it often. I bought their small ROS and it burned out just after the warranty expired. I wnet back and bought the larger one, and it came apart. I had to put it back together myself. The on/off switch on my drill press broke after about 10 uses. The trigger on my 20+ year old Craftsman router broke, and guess what? The trigger is the only part that is no longer available!

On the positive side, I was able to get new rubber rollers for my 1950's vintage 6" belt sander.

Wayne

[Nova]

I currently have a similar problem. About 20 years ago while remodeling my my bathroom I installed a Sears labeled bath/shower faucet with "Lifetime Guaranteed" cartridges instead of the standard washers. The hot water cartridge is now bad, the company that made the faucet is belly up, Sears is out of replacement parts and none of the local plumbing suppliers I tried can come up with a replacement.

On the up side, after 20 years the bathroom was long overdue for an update.

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

[J. Clarke]

That's why you have to be careful about what you get. A relabelled Bosch or Porter Cable or Milwaukee should last as long as the ones that aren't relabelled.

[Larry Jaques]

On Sun, 20 Jun 2004 15:00:03 -0400, Nova calmly ranted:

So how much is Searz kicking in toward the update, Yack? A new faucet set, at least?

[Nova]

LOL.

I could probably get them to give me a new Sears faucet but since I have tear out the wall to replace it I opted to use a REAL plumbing manufacturer's brand who have been in business for 50 years and hopefully won't go belly up before me.

Wait - strike that last part!

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

[Larry Jaques]

On Sun, 20 Jun 2004 18:09:17 -0400, Nova calmly ranted:

Smart man.