[morgantruce]

Well, then you have the part number. Look up the price.

If it's $1.75--it's a sleeve.

If it's $23.50 it's a roller bearing--or a very overpriced sleeve!

-------------
I don't know about other companies, but I phoned Porter Cable and was able to talk with a service representative who was intimately familiar with every part I could name. Very chatty. Three months later I received a Porter Cable T-shirt in the mail. They even guessed my correct size!

 

[Phil P]

I don't know about other companies, but I phoned Porter Cable and was able to talk with a service representative who was intimately familiar with every part I could name. Very chatty. Three months later I received a Porter Cable T-shirt in the mail. They even guessed my correct size!

Guessed? Don't you know that these guys have software these days which can determine your T-shirt size (and many other things) from the harmonics of your voice? :sarcastic:

 

[morgantruce]

Same experience for me:

1. You call Porter Cable.
2. In a moment you're talking with someone who is intimately familiar with your tool. The one I spoke to was even willing to discuss the merits of a novel repair--since they no longer stocked a very old part. (My idea worked!)
3. Several weeks later, a nice T-shirt arrives that fits perfectly.

Even my wife marveled on how well the shirt fit. Perhaps they know from past experience that 90% of of guys that buy a blade-right circular saw happen to be XL, everyone who buys a blade-left saw is a MED, 80% of random orbital sanders are owned by LRG guys. and all palm sander owners are SM.

 

[edh]

More conversation?

I have about 3 of most tools. Good, better, best. Need a tool for a quick job between paydays I'll buy a good tool like I did when I bought my Dremel multi tool. When it breaks down, like the Dremel has, and I've discovered how handy it is, I'll buy a better one of the same. This time I'll buy the Fein multi.

 

[Lifeishard]

I've had unfortunate experiences in the past with tools as we all have. Foremost in my mind were all those open ended spanners that I had early on that were adjustable by virtue of the fact that even modest force applied to them would see the jaws becoming progressively wider!

The bottom line is most simple. Find someone who relies on tools to generate an income and take notice of the advice they have to give. They'll know what to buy, where to buy it, who offers the best service and so on. As someone who has to know that my tools work first time, everytime I reach for them, I am sorry to inform anyone looking for a bargain that you will have to suffer high initial costs. And that investment will pay you back time after time after time. I've was lucky enough to select a Bosch drill and it's absolutely wonderful. But then it was very expensive. Saying that - I'll probably only buy one!

 

[morgantruce]

The *real bargain* is the tool you buy for big bucks when you're just out of high school... and is still going strong when you show your grandson how to use it. That sort of tool always beats the snot out of the el-cheapo pseudo-bargain -- which mysteriously quit working while you were attempting drill a small hole in some 1/2" cork-board at your first bachelor pad. The trouble is... few of us have that sort of wisdom at a young age.

 

[SOMS]

Hi Guys, I am a handyman that does alot of building. I currently have Milwaukee M18 tools and love them. I have also had an AEG set and they are still going strong I personally like both. Now are they the same? Well I have a mate here in Australia that is an authorised repairer for all brands AEG, Milwaukee, BOSCH, Makita and pretty much everything else. Now here is the shocker as it was for me until shown the parts and replacement parts list for both the Milwaukee and AEG. Yes they are the same right down to the last screw. Basicaly the only difference is the case and battery. Hope this helps

 

[jw2170]

Hi Guys, I am a handyman that does alot of building. I currently have Milwaukee M18 tools and love them. I have also had an AEG set and they are still going strong I personally like both. Now are they the same? Well I have a mate here in Australia that is an authorised repairer for all brands AEG, Milwaukee, BOSCH, Makita and pretty much everything else. Now here is the shocker as it was for me until shown the parts and replacement parts list for both the Milwaukee and AEG. Yes they are the same right down to the last screw. Basicaly the only difference is the case and battery. Hope this helps

G'day Brett

Welcome to the router forum.

Thank you for joining us

 

[paduke]

For my company I have been buying power tools for many years. The tools I have bought for field use are used by everyone and are abused. One observation every tool line has gone from Good to Bad and back to Good. B & D has many brands including DeWalt PC and Rockwell. Each has had a turn at being their quality line. I have been told Bosch USA is not Bosch Europe Within specific brand names, particularly PC it depends on the tool.

I use weight and price as a purchasing guideline. What makes a tool good? Metal gears, metal bushings and bearings heavily wound armatures. My guideline is which tool weighs more for the same cost and I avoid the top end because low volume drives the price up more than the quality difference. Low end tools are for homeowner infrequent use. So I tend to buy at the top of the mid-price range.

 

[edh]

I have about 3 of most tools. Good, better, best. Need a tool for a quick job between paydays I'll buy a good tool like I did when I bought my Dremel multi tool. When it breaks down, like the Dremel has, and I've discovered how handy it is, I'll buy a better one of the same. This time I'll buy the Fein multi.

I did buy the FEIN. I also got a replacement Dremel multi tool. The Fein is worth every penny. The Dremel is like a cheap toy in comparison.

By the way, the Fein is made in Germany.

 

[frank byrne]

I've got an AEG 18v cordless drill (3Ah Li-on) and can't fault it.

 

[udi]

The value of a brand

The truth is that shopping for anything by brand, makes little sense these days.

Once upon a time, the brand was a mark that told you something about who designed and manufactured a product. Knowing the brand, informed us about the place of manufacture and the people involved, their attitudes and attention to detail. Today, brand is a label only, and says little about the product, and more about a marketing message. Whether you are buying an HP printer with Canon internals or a Panasonic microwave with an LG cyclotron or a Saab car with a Chevrolet floor pan, it is impossible to know exactly what you are getting. Even two items with exactly the same model designation, sold under the same brand, can vary in design, internal components and place of manufacture.

I own many tools including some AEG cordless and a 50 year old Milwaukee drill with enough torque to break your arm or stir concrete. I have given up on trying to predict the reliability or longevity of tools, by relying on labels. I look at materials, feel the weight, listen to the motor/gearbox and check the warrantee. I also read up about company customer service and how they deal with warrantee claims, which is probably the most important factor in choosing tools.

About 12 years ago, I was across the country in Sydney at a friends house without any tools when something needed repairing. I bought the cheapest 1000W hammer drill available in Australia (Ozito) for $39 dollars and have been using it to drill concrete and stir paint ever since. i even left it out in the rain once. It still works well, though the chuck is getting a little worn. Who would have guessed?

 

[DozerDad]

I have been using Milwaukee tools for 25+ years and for the past two years I have been purchasing the M12 series of 12 volt power tools and also their newest hand tools and I have still experienced the usual high level of quality and value ! I am sorry you got a defective tool but as already stated, they have a great warranty !

Dan

 

[OPG3]

Reasonable Expectations...

Well, I know this is an old thread - but it keeps "floating to the top" when members make new posts. My tools get used every day except Sundays. My tools do not get abused, but are never "babied" either. I do not impulse buy power tools - but rather DO MY HOMEWORK prior to making a purchase.

All of the vendors that I deal with treat me with respect - WHY? - you might ask... It is quite simple actually, I tell the owners or the managers that I always want to deal with people that KNOW THEIR STUFF! I DO NOT CHOOSE TO DEAL WITH SOMEONE from Lawn & Garden while the tool person is at lunch. I have a full expectation of truthful answers from these vendors, and I have made it VERY CLEAR that while honest mistakes can happen anywhere, OUTRIGHT LIES WILL NEVER BE TOLERATED!

Since I go into a store (or order online) with a foreknowledge of what I'll be purchasing, I have already done my HOMEWORK. To me HOMEWORK consists of an in-depth study ahead of time, including downloading, printing and studying the owner's manual - paying particular attention to "TROUBLESHOOTING". Homework (for me) also includes online studies of customer comments, knowing ahead of time that some of the reviews must be taken "with a grain of salt".

If I go out to eat at a steakhouse - I order steak. If I go to a fish restaurant - I order fish. Along that same line of thought, there are some tool brands that may be best known for one or two types of tools, but maybe are pitiful for others. I am fortunate in that I am in the metro Atlanta area, and all of the brands I have can be serviced on the spot at convenient locations.

I'll bet that many of the tools that people are disappointed with were bought without "homework" as I have described above or some may have even been bought on impulse. A cheap price on something that will never get utilized is not a good deal! Tools that sit on a shelf do not fail. Tools that are abused usually fail. Proper tool usage includes knowing that tool's applications and limitations.

Heavy earth-moving equipment can suffer major damage from a cup of sugar in the fuel tank - that is abuse and so is running a tool that is as hot as a firecracker. Think about what you're doing and then we can understand why more people get cut with dull knives than with sharp knives!

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia

 

[baldir]

AEG-router 1400w 3 yrs guarantee?

I have an AEG router and after using it flawlessly for a year and a half it just stopped. Bought in Germany and shipped to Sweden. The Swedish service center wouldn´t first look at it, but after talking to Techtronic I, they agreed to have a look. Still pending so I´ll let you all know if the guarantee is for real.

 

[Dejure]

Back before the Net, I'd buy Craftsman for my shop, but only if I could find the tool in a Milwalkee, Porter Cable or similar catalog.

When the two looked exactly the same, I could call the actual maker and get parts I needed. While Sears always gave me a run around and was slower than molasses getting replacement parts to me, the big names would over-night it, if I needed it and would do it COD.

The H.F. Pony type bar clamps aside, and the grinder I bought to lend out aside, everything in my shop is home-made or displays the name of a tool maker known for its professional quality tools. There is more than a little validity to the saying "I can't afford cheap."


"I'll bet that many of the tools that people are disappointed with were bought without "homework" as I have described above or some may have even been bought on impulse. A cheap price on something that will never get utilized is not a good deal! Tools that sit on a shelf do not fail. Tools that are abused usually fail. Proper tool usage includes knowing that tool's applications and limitations."

 

[Dejure]

I guess this would be another exception to my statements and also pertained to a drill. I bought a H.F. impact drill for a job I expected it to die on, but it didn't. It just kept going and I finally gave it to a kid starting a handyman business, after I'd replaced it with a Bosch.

"About 12 years ago, I was across the country in Sydney at a friends house without any tools when something needed repairing. I bought the cheapest 1000W hammer drill available in Australia (Ozito) for $39 dollars and have been using it to drill concrete and stir paint ever since. i even left it out in the rain once. It still works well, though the chuck is getting a little worn. Who would have guessed?"

 

[Mike]

I edited the first post in this thread to note that it is product slamming by someone who does not know tools. It is sad that this was not caught a long time ago and deleted. Since there are many valid opinions in this thread it will not be deleted but it is now closed so no further posting is allowed.