Harbor Freight

[rone]

Anybody got one of these?
http://www.harborfreight.com/10-inch...saw-98199.html

On sale now for $79.99 with coupon. Just wondering what the consensus is on these. I know a couple woodworkers who buy their routers just to keep from having to change bits

Just wondering how useful this saw would be considering I recently spent $35 on a manual miter box that might cut small picture frames, but is useless for anything bigger than a 1x2.

[mike s]

I don't have one, but this might help.

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=52516&page=2

The folks at fine homebuilding and JLC (Journal of light construction) were not too impressed.

I got the sense most sites seem to think the factory blade needs to be
replaced before you power it on, which negates the low price a bit.

[depthsounder]

I've tried it. My opinion: worth the price, but not precise or pleasing to use. The bearing slides are gritty with a good amount of play and as was said the blade is junk. It will get the job done for building a deck or basic trim work, but I wouldn't use it for picture frames or crown moulding. I had trouble with the unit flexing when cutting at a 45 degree miter, to the point where I actually cut into the plate on the base when cutting outdoor trim work. Granted the trim was putting some pressure on the blade, but it was reason enough for me to return the unit and purchase a Hitachi from Lowes.

-David

[Paul Carmody]

I have one. I think depthsounder's description is pretty accurate. A miter saw is not one I get much use out of (mostly just trim work as I remodel my house), and it works fine for that. I've also built garage shelving with it. Like people say, the sliding portion is kind of gritty and sloppy, so I pretty much never use it for that. But sometimes I just need a chop saw, and for a "sometimes chop saw" it's fine for me.

[Face]

A cheap tool will get you in trouble.

[Whitneyville1]

All very valid points. You can Google "Hitachi reconditioned power tools" and ReCon tools sells reconditioned Hitachi miter saws often for less than good ol' Harbor. I've purchased many re-con tools from my DeWalt cordless drill, to a Hitachi cordless drill (I often use 4-6 cordless/corded drills with different bits/drills,etc. in them) to my Milwaukee 15 amp SuperSawzall to my sanders. At 40-70% off "discount" prices, I find them great values. The HF miter saws are OK for framing work or deck building (with a decent blade!) , but not for trim/finish work. Spend 50% more for a recon Hitachi (or DeWalt, or other), that's much better built, and much more precise.

[r-carpenter]

this saw cost as much as a good miter saw blade. I'd stay away from junky tools as this one. Cheap isn't always good. People usually find out then they try to cut anything harder or thicker then 3/4" pine.

[Soundslike]

Here's a link to a site I recommend whenever someone is thinking about buying a Harbor Freight tool. The upshot of the advice there is that some tools are "good enough," while others are "abysmal." I've got a few tools from HF -- I think just about everyone has. But you need to be discriminating about what you buy there. Whenever I'm at their store, I almost always check on the quality of various things -- the mitre saws have never given me a favorable impression. I'm certainly not saying I'd never buy one -- if that's about all you can afford to spend on a saw, it'll probably get you by. But they're definitely not equal to a brand name saw.

[Whitneyville1]

Harbor Freight's hand tools and clamps and such are fine, but some of their power tools are terrible, some are OK, some are fine if you don't use them 5-6 days a week, 8-12 hours a day. They have one 12" miter saw that might be OK, but as I mentioned, you can get a brand-name refurbished for just a little more, with far more capabilities. The Chinese motors and bearings usually leave alot to be desired, plus the less than rigid frames. You can learn to work-around the short-comings, and if I needed a miter saw for one project, and couldn't find one at the used tool shop here, I might buy one from HF. BTW, I'm rather fond of HF's 10" table saw blades for ruining them cutting MDF. The resin glue in MDF/particle board/marine plywood just grinds up carbide tips, and rather than use my $100 Frued and pay $40 for re-sharpening, I get the $15 60 tooth 10" blades, use them up and toss them. Home Despot had a special on some Avanti blades this spring, 2 for $22.50 (thin kerf) and I stocked up on them.

[Alex2507]

A cheap tool will get you in trouble.

You talk like you know me.

Anything that I have ever seen from HF was broke while still new, broke after I used it once or was something I wanted to break because it was such garbage. That goes for the clamps too. Getting tools there is like fishing in an outhouse.

[DanMan]

Most Harborfreight tools are fine, unless you have to use them.

[Wolverine]

I have one, and I’m very pleased with it. Its $79 dollar saw when on sale!

HF gets no love on message boards. Isn’t it ironic that the majority of those bashing have never used the product inquired about? Heaven forbid anyone actually admit to being on a very tight budget and making due with what they can afford to spend. Well I’ll admit it; I’m on a very tight budget. I often have to make the choice of buy low end or go without.

I have quite a few Harbor Freight power tools. And here’s the irony, fellas. I have 25 years experience as a carpenter. To say I have made 10s of thousands of cuts with just about every category of saw would be an understatement.
A couple of years ago I was tooling my small workshop. I got a like new Jet 12 inch bandsaw off CF for $125, awesome deal! I wanted a radial arm saw too. But shopping craigslist is truly fishing in a sewer. There are hundreds of ads where people are fishing for suckers and asking new retail prices for often worn out junk. It gets tiresome wading through all the garbage there. So I decided on taking a chance on the very same 12 inch sliding miter saw for 79 bucks at a HF sale since it would do most of what the radial arm saw would do anyway in a more compact package. I almost have to grin every time I use it. I got a 12 inch sliding compound miter saw for 79 bucks. It’s in my personal workshop; I don’t use it that often. So my needs didn’t justify spending 400-700% more on a comparable name brand product. I shopped around; I know what the market offers. That Hitachi mentioned above is not a slider; a Hitachi 12 inch slider is $700. When I’m doing projects around the house, it’s already set up and fulfills most of my needs just fine. I’ve cut everything from treated 4x4 45 degree bevels on it to some crown molding to general square cut chop saw type needs. The compound cuts have been dead on accurate every time. It cuts treated 4x4s just fine.

I have most tools any general contractor would have of various brand names from Porter Cable to Delta to DeWalt, and (gasp!) HF stuff too. I have around 5 reciprocating saws; I drag out the HF one I got on sale for $17 for abusive type tear out work and it hasn’t broke or worn out yet and I’ve even cut tree limbs with it.

Generally speaking, on message boards you’ll find a lot of professional guys with a lot more disposable income than I have that get off on bashing lower end products. Since the economy is consumer based, consumerist snobbery is manufactured into the system so people feel compelled to either keep up with or out do the Joneses. This is why so few people that use lower end drivers bother to post here.

Buying tools is about needs assessment. If you’re going to use a tool every day, obviously buy upper tier professional grade. If you’re going to just build a couple sets of speakers and do occasional stuff around the house, lower end stuff will be just fine, usually.

I may have some lower end power tools. But ya know what? When a job or task presents itself, I can get it done.

[Steve Henry]

I have bought several power tools over the years from HF. One thing I learned was ALWAYS buy the extended warranty. I've only had to use it once for an actual claim, but even if it works fine, you take it back before the warranty expires & get a new one. Renew the warranty for something like $10 & get a new tool every 1-2 years. This process was given to me by an HF cashier.

[Alex2507]

I have 25 years experience as a carpenter.

Me too ... great, now I'm depressed.

Another carpenter friend of mine absolutely loves HF. I use his HF stuff sometimes and it never fails to disappoint. Router bits that have the bearing fall apart sending the bit into Mahogany at like 30,000 RPM ... great. A parts cleaner that leaked about 5 gallons of solution all every everything ... perfect. An impact gun that broke after it's first use ... back to wrenches and ratchets.

I haven't used that saw but I have used plenty of others and I don't like using cheap tools. Ryobi happens to be a brand of tool that I also would never spend money on. I look at it like this, the money even though very little is gone for good with a purchase like that and the tool I want still isn't there. It's a matter of preference. The best way to explain the way I feel about it is to say that I would rather spend $25 on the one Craftsman wrench I do need than to spend the same money on two full sets of SAE and metric wrenches from Ohio Forge.

BTW my cheap HF tool loving friend has done some very nice work with his cheap @$$ tools. I think I would rather cut wood with a dull rock and a broken beer bottle.

[XtremeRevolution]

I have one, and I’m very pleased with it. Its $79 dollar saw when on sale!

HF gets no love on message boards. Isn’t it ironic that the majority of those bashing have never used the product inquired about? Heaven forbid anyone actually admit to being on a very tight budget and making due with what they can afford to spend. Well I’ll admit it; I’m on a very tight budget. I often have to make the choice of buy low end or go without.

I have quite a few Harbor Freight power tools. And here’s the irony, fellas. I have 25 years experience as a carpenter. To say I have made 10s of thousands of cuts with just about every category of saw would be an understatement.
A couple of years ago I was tooling my small workshop. I got a like new Jet 12 inch bandsaw off CF for $125, awesome deal! I wanted a radial arm saw too. But shopping craigslist is truly fishing in a sewer. There are hundreds of ads where people are fishing for suckers and asking new retail prices for often worn out junk. It gets tiresome wading through all the garbage there. So I decided on taking a chance on the very same 12 inch sliding miter saw for 79 bucks at a HF sale since it would do most of what the radial arm saw would do anyway in a more compact package. I almost have to grin every time I use it. I got a 12 inch sliding compound miter saw for 79 bucks. It’s in my personal workshop; I don’t use it that often. So my needs didn’t justify spending 400-700% more on a comparable name brand product. I shopped around; I know what the market offers. That Hitachi mentioned above is not a slider; a Hitachi 12 inch slider is $700. When I’m doing projects around the house, it’s already set up and fulfills most of my needs just fine. I’ve cut everything from treated 4x4 45 degree bevels on it to some crown molding to general square cut chop saw type needs. The compound cuts have been dead on accurate every time. It cuts treated 4x4s just fine.

I have most tools any general contractor would have of various brand names from Porter Cable to Delta to DeWalt, and (gasp!) HF stuff too. I have around 5 reciprocating saws; I drag out the HF one I got on sale for $17 for abusive type tear out work and it hasn’t broke or worn out yet and I’ve even cut tree limbs with it.

Generally speaking, on message boards you’ll find a lot of professional guys with a lot more disposable income than I have that get off on bashing lower end products. Since the economy is consumer based, consumerist snobbery is manufactured into the system so people feel compelled to either keep up with or out do the Joneses. This is why so few people that use lower end drivers bother to post here.

Buying tools is about needs assessment. If you’re going to use a tool every day, obviously buy upper tier professional grade. If you’re going to just build a couple sets of speakers and do occasional stuff around the house, lower end stuff will be just fine, usually.

I may have some lower end power tools. But ya know what? When a job or task presents itself, I can get it done.

I'm on the boat with people that say you get what you pay for. I looked into a lot of sliding miter saws before I bought mine and did a lot of research as well. This one crossed my mind, but the reviews aren't favorable.

When I cut a piece of wood, I need my cuts to be accurate. I don't want to have to align that tool. I don't want the blade to walk, I want an attachment for a shop vac, I want something that is guaranteed to do the job I need it to every time without the lost time of having to go to the store to replace it. I want a slider that is smooth and effortless and doesn't walk, wobble, or shift at any angle or during any cut.

I don't do this for a living (yet), but I understand the value of quality tools. I ended up buying an 8" DeWalt sliding miter saw for $350 shipped and put a Diablo (home depot brand) finishing blade on it for another $45. I've wasted way too much time and destroyed way too many projects in the past with cheap tools.

[LouC]

IMO Of all the tools you can buy for wood working, a sliding compound miter saw needs to be made to the highest tolerances (except for a router). Any bending or slop will make the job miserable. I've tried upscale versions of these and found some of them less than precise. If a tool has the ability to kill or seriously maim you, pass on Harbor Freight.

Clamps, little used air stuff, disposable chisels (cleaning glue residue) maybe. Somebody gave me one of their disc sanders for a present. Worked great till I tried to replace the disc. One of their soldering guns burned out the tip in less than an hour of use.

[Wolverine]

Me too ... great, now I'm depressed.

BTW my cheap HF tool loving friend has done some very nice work with his cheap @$$ tools. I think I would rather cut wood with a dull rock and a broken beer bottle.

Hey, post #2 here too, eh, we must look like spam bots.

What are ya doing using your friend’s crappy tools, too cheap to buy what you can afford? There’s a lot of that going around. You would rather do without than have elitist wannabees look down on you. just kidding

We’re talking about a $79 miter saw here. Of course it won’t compare favorably to the Hitachi equivalent.

The elitist snobbery just gets old. A guy asks advice on a message board about a tool that he’ll likely just use a couple times a year at most and gets peer pressured into buying pro grade stuff when the lower end stuff will often suit his needs just fine.

I’m not here to get into p%^&ing contests with elitists. I gave a highly experienced assessment to an inquiry about a specific tool in which I have experience. You on the other hand gave the usual HF sucks type rhetoric that seems so faddish and hip on forums.

And Lou, it's not that sloppy.

But I'll be the first to say it, if peer pressure gets the best of you, spend 4 times more and get a smaller one.

It’s a good tool for the price. And I’ll leave it at that.

[Alex2507]

I gave a highly experienced assessment to an inquiry about a specific tool in which I have experience. You on the other hand gave the usual HF sucks type rhetoric that seems so faddish and hip on forums.

You're a better poster and probably a better carpenter.

Let's not confuse fad with fact and rhetoric with right.

It's like this. I drive an old F150 with over 300,000 miles on it and have a $300 drill. My friend drives a new truck and has a $30 drill. Again, it's preference. It may seem like I'm being an elitist but let me tell you that if I had real money DIY would be a few random letters and I wouldn't be caught dead talking to a carpenter.

[djg]

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcyc...ex-key-set.htm

You just have to take it on an item by item basis. I haven't seen the saw in question. I shop HF and buy some stuff there.

[XtremeRevolution]

Hey, post #2 here too, eh, we must look like spam bots.

What are ya doing using your friend’s crappy tools, too cheap to buy what you can afford? There’s a lot of that going around. You would rather do without than have elitist wannabees look down on you. just kidding

We’re talking about a $79 miter saw here. Of course it won’t compare favorably to the Hitachi equivalent.

The elitist snobbery just gets old. A guy asks advice on a message board about a tool that he’ll likely just use a couple times a year at most and gets peer pressured into buying pro grade stuff when the lower end stuff will often suit his needs just fine.

I’m not here to get into p%^&ing contests with elitists. I gave a highly experienced assessment to an inquiry about a specific tool in which I have experience. You on the other hand gave the usual HF sucks type rhetoric that seems so faddish and hip on forums.

And Lou, it's not that sloppy.

But I'll be the first to say it, if peer pressure gets the best of you, spend 4 times more and get a smaller one.

It’s a good tool for the price. And I’ll leave it at that.

Its not elitist snobbery. It does depend on the job that you do and the level of precision that job demands, but as someone also pointed out, you don't cheap out on a tool that can seriously hurt you or kill you.

I needed a precise cutting tool for building my wood speakers. The wood pieces I get from home improvement stores isn't square cut on the ends and I need precision, so I bought a good miter saw. I also needed something that would chew through 1.5" of oak like butter. I couldn't afford a very expensive one, so I got an 8" model instead of a 12", which as far as I can tell is a bad thing only if I need to cut thicker pieces of wood, which I know for a fact I won't. It otherwise has the same motor and the same build quality. I paid $350 for mine brand new. Sure, its more expensive, but its worth every bit of that price increase.

I've never been able to spend considerably less and get considerably more with cheap power tools.

Hand tools are different. I adore the harbor freight bar clamps I bought.