FRUSTRATED! Circular saw question

[rooster-red]

My Dad was a mechanic and he always told me "You get what you pay for with tools"

When I was still young, I guess I tried to test his theory.
I would buy cheap tools, and get in the middle of a project and break them almost everytime.

Now older and hopefully wiser, I buy only high quality tools.

I have a set of sockets that my Dad purchased when he was 17 years old, and I use them quite a bit.

 

[FisherMOM]

These are Coleman, but I guess they just stink. We have 2 batteries... but the saw just isn't all that. The Drill now.. that goes quite a ways.

 

[JennsPeeps]

Problem with buying cheap tools (or cheap anything) is that it breaks quickly, then you either replace it with another cheap one (rinse, lather, repeat, repeat, repeat...), or you buy the one you should have in the first place.

I've had terrible luck with Black & Decker anything. I refuse to buy the brand any more. The circular saw's mechanism to adjust the blade broke within 3-4 uses. The electric mower's magnet in the motor blew up within a year... and my yard is teensy!

 

[silkiechicken]

Sad to say I have a black and decker drill and jig saw. So far they have held up for me, but I rarely use them for big projects. Lasted me about a year so far... but all I've cut is one sheet of plywood into two and maybe two dozen cuts through a 2x4. LOL. You really get what you pay for and with a big project, go for something nice. They aren't nearly as sturdy as the items 10x their cost and I doubt will last past a few small projects.

Although cords are a pain, I find quitting batteries and having to recharge a bigger pain. 300 feet of daisy chained extension cords anyone? (j/k)

 

[CUDA]

Well, this may sound strange, but I have built a lot of pens, and not all are near a power source so I use my little 017 Chain saw, it's a lot easier than trying to run extension cords...

 

[chicken_angler]

My dad bought this huge power tool set from Sears about 5 years ago. It is holding up good. It came with a reciprocating saw, a drill, a circular saw and a flashlight. He has 4 batteries for it and each battery holds charge for about 2 hours on one charge. It works good for big projects. I think it is a 19.2 volt or something like that.

 

[nautical_bouy]

I can only tell what I see in a heavy industrial enviroment,,, Metabo makes by far the best, next in second place, Porter cable and Millwaukie, after those three,,,, B&D and Dewalt, I mean default, craftsman, they aren't worth buying. My 25 year old Metabo grinder works better than the others do new, and the default and B&D's are made by the same company, they usually burn up within a week.

Buying a good tool once and having it allways work for years is like paying a good plumber or electrician, complain every now and then about paying to much, or complain every time you try and use it and it doesn't work.

 

[chicken_angler]

Oh I forgot to say that the craftsman set my dad bought will still work ater it has been dropped.

 

[Bi0sC0mp]

Dewalt makes a nice cordless saw will run you around $200 bucks though..

another one that is not to bad is the Craftsman C3 19.2 volt 7-1/4 in. Circular Saw with Laser.. sears has it on sale for $99

 

[firem3]

im a former construction worker and my experience is that the cordless tools are more heart aches and trouble than they're worth. by the time you get batteries charged, because the wont hold a charge while idle for more than a couple of weeks, you could have stretched extension cords. I personally own Hitachi tools but they are contractor grade which is very important. alot of the tools are disposable now days so be cautious when buying and look for quality and not so much the price.