Hall of Fame/Shame Tool Survey

Just wondering, what brands have you bought that you've been very happy with and what brands are you sorry you bought???

My experience:

Hall of Fame: Bosch, Porter-Cable, Delta, Milwaukee

Hall of Shame: Ryobi, Powermatic, Craftsman

Reply to
George
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Fame: Craftsman, Porter-Cable, Harbor Freight, Makita, DeWalt, PowerMatic, Delta, Panasonic Shame: Craftsman, Porter-Cable, Harbor Freight j4

Reply to
jo4hn

Is so, is not, so, not..... Not much info there

Reply to
Lee

Fame: Shame: Guerciotti Huffy Taylor Fender D'Addario Black Diamond Krupps Mr. Coffee Glenfiddich Cutty Sark Toyota Chevrolet Victorinox Schrade Johnson-Murphy Timberland Sony IBM Polk Audio JBL Land's End pre Sears Land's End post Sears

Reply to
Michael Baglio

I'm not sure you can break it down by brand-name. For example, I really like my Porter Cable biscuit joiner, but am somewhat disappointed with my

14.4 v PC drill -- I was shaking plastic parts out of it only 2 years after buying it.

I think each manufacturer has its strong products and weaker ones -- which brand is best probably is also a function of what you are buying (i.e. tool type -- drill, joiner, saw, etc.) as well as brand.

Reply to
Mark & Juanita

McInturff: Fender

D'Addario: GHS

Bunn: Mr. Coffee

Anything: Chrysler

Hey - talk nicely about JBL!!!

Reply to
Mike Marlow

I totally agree. Every manufacturer has tools that belong in both the fame and shame catagory.

Reply to
Leon

In my experience's I have found that

A) Chevy ----BAD B) FORD ----NOT BAD but NOT GREAT C) TOYOTA----GREAT!!! D) Craftsman great but you must buy the high end stuff E) Delta ----GREAT F) B & D (scrollsaw) Pretty good G)Buck Bros ehhh, SO SO H)RIGID Home depot brand of CRAFTSMAN must buy high end

These are only my opinions, and Yes I have owned both Chevy and Ford, 3 of each and I had more problems with the Chevy's , I have also purchase many Craftsman items and have only had problems with the lower end models. All my high end Craftsman has been very good to work with, I know that time is an issue and I have only had my wood shop since Jan. I bought all my tools new and will know better about Craftsman as time goes by.I do know that Craftsman had a bad period in the 80's and I can only hope that my tools will lasts as long as Craftsman of yesteryear!

Reply to
Searcher

IMHO, FWIW, etc.

FAME: Toyota Tacoma 4x2 (Timex on wheels. I gave up a BMW for my Tacoma, never looked back). Old Stanleys (all of mine are much older then me, still going strong). Lee Valley Bevel-edge Chisels (incredible bargain at 39 bucks for set of five). Whiteside Router Bits (the best bits on the planet). Freud Thin Kerf Blades (another bargain, especially when compared to pricey alternatives). Taunton Press (dedicated to excellence in woodworking publishing). V-8 Juice (off topic, but still nectar of the gods).

SHAME: New Record Planes (it's easier to raise a child then tune a new record plane). Scary Sharp (over-stated and over-rated). Makita (essentially, low end tools with high prices). Home Depot (low end products, low end advice).

Again, my opinions.

Regards,

Kevin B.

Reply to
Kevin B

I agree but my Porter Cable biscuit joiner is one of the worst things I ever bought, it is an older one, forget the model.

Reply to
Walt Conner

How about Fame for Land's End back when they were just for sailors? IMNSHO, they went downhill from there.

I've got a friend who claims all specialty stores eventually wind up as clothing stores :-).

Reply to
Larry Blanchard

The belt driven one? I have had the 556 IIRC since 1989 and the 557 is a world better.

Reply to
Leon

Yep. I'm thinking the original Mssrs. Abercrombie and Fitch are spinnin' in their graves like lathes. ;>

M--

Reply to
Michael Baglio

I buy only the best tools available because they hold up and cost less in the long run. My shop is almost 100% Craftsman. If Bob Vila uses them, you know they are professional quality.

Ralph Engerman R. E Quick Transit

Reply to
R. E. Engerman

snipped

Now I need to know what the best tool is to get a goopy mixture of chips and salsa out of a keyboard ;)

Allen

That being said I do have my grandfathers old craftman bandsaw and it seems to doing fine.

Reply to
Allen Epps

Amazing...that was EXACTLY what I was thinking when I read the posting you replied to. A&F used to be THE premier sporting goods store in the US. They have gone so far downhill since they once sold Holland & Holland shotguns and Payne and Leonard flyrods. Now they just peddle third world made and Asian made clothing... (like most crap-stores in the country today)

Reply to
George

There is certainly a lot of truth in what you said. Even my "Fame" category includes brands that I have had an isolated problem with but felt they deserved their listing because I have so many great tools from them. Even Delta has a new "junk" line out. The brands I listed under "Shame" wound up there either due to lack of adequate support from the manufacturer/distributor or they were just very poorly made. I almost listed model numbers but decided against it as I was hoping to find reliable brands vs. being a specific buying guide (models change so quickly anyway).

Reply to
George

I wasn't looking for brands of stuff other than tools, but if I included other stuff the top of my list would include:

Toyota -- far and away the least troublesome and least expensive to maintain brand of vehicle I've EVER bought. For appearance sake, I SHOULD replace my Toyota pickup (pre-Tacoma) but it is very hard to part with the best vehicle I've ever bought.

Honda -- the only possible competitor for my next vehicle. Never owned a Honda car or motorcycle but it is listed here because I have two Honda mowers, a Honda tiller, and a Honda snowblower and for 12 years they've all started on the first attempt. Unbelievable!

Nikon -- I have more Nikon lenses than I can count, 5 film bodies going back to 1973, a film scanner, and a digital body. None of them has EVER given me any trouble. As good as Toyota is, Nikon would get my vote for top brand that I've ever purchased.

At the other end of the spectrum, a brand that I'd never buy again is Mazda. Bought one new and spent more than the purchase price in repairs. Totally lost my business for good...quite a bit worse than the Chevys and Fords I've owned.

Reply to
George

Great...wanna buy a Craftsman belt sander? Practically unused. I might even be persuaded to part with my Craftsman router (though it is OK in a table).

Reply to
George

Right alongside Eddie Bauer.

LL Bean is one of the few outdoor-specialty shops that seems to have added a major clothing line while still maintaining the quality of its outdoor gear. REI is another. Nobody else comes to mind.

-- jc Published e-mail address is strictly for spam collection. If e-mailing me, please use jc631 at optonline dot net

Reply to
John Carlson

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