[AT] OT - Harbor Freight sliding miter saw update

[CWI47 at comcast.net]

I purchased their $99 free ship 10" double ended 2HP grinder and have
nothing but praise.  I put heavy duty cord on before plugging in.  It is
quieter than my Delta 6"-(has had noisy armature/bushing/bearings since day
one), Very High Torque, I can really reef into grinding or polishing and
equivalent pricing on US was over $300.  I have Delta Sliding 10" Compound
Sidekick and at business Wholesale with stand paid $399.  If it was a
sometimes item I'd purchase from them.  Kinda like a Detroit Car Mon or Fri
??? Tues-Wed-Thur  usually super fit and finish.  I'd say US made has 5-10%
failure rate on tools and China tools 20-25% but when exchanged for working
seems to stand up.  I would I think require them to plug in and run the next
one before ya take it home:-} lotsa luck hope ya do well.  Charlie remember
what I said about the lower i.e.HD cord.  We were selling the 4.5" hand
grinders and having a 65% failure rate started putting $1 heavy duty cord
and failure rate dropped below 5%.  Little more up front trouble but really
lower later and when dealers started seeing pieces go out and not come back
we doubled,tripled sales.
John Cable
In Lower Slower Western Michigan
Grand Rapids, MI
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "charlie hill" <chill8 at cox.net>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 1:52 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] OT - Harbor Freight sliding miter saw update


> Hi Richard, it was me.  Thanks for not cussing at me....yet.   Mine has
been
> shipped but has not made it here yet.  I'm sorry yours did not work well.
I
> sure hope mine is better.  The nearest store to me is 125 miles away.
>
> Oh well if it is no good it won't be the first time I blew $105 bucks.
> Maybe the thing to do would be to get it running and pawn it.  Grins.
>
> Charlie
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Richard Walker" <richardwalker at pobox.com>
> To: <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 12:04 PM
> Subject: [AT] OT - Harbor Freight sliding miter saw update
>
>
> > My thanks (with reservations!) go to whoever alerted the list about the
> $99
> > deal for a 10" sliding compound miter saw deal at Harbor Freight.
> >
> > I didn't feel comfortable with ordering the saw on-line due to worrying
> > about the possibility of finding a fault and then having to eat paying a
> > high freight charge to return the 50-pound saw for warrantee.  I checked
> > with the manager of my local HF store and he said since they don't stock
> > that model, it could NOT be returned to them if ordered on-line and it
> > proved to be faulty.  They only handle exchanges/refunds on items bought
> > directly though their store, not on catalog purchases.
> >
> > So instead I bought the saw from a HF store 45 miles from me which did
> have
> > it in stock and would honor the warrantee if returned to them.  I hauled
> it
> > home, unpacked it, plugged it in, and squeezed the switch. It ran for
> about
> > half-a-second, then quit.
> >
> > OK, figured I would do some simple troubleshooting before returning the
> > saw, just in case it was a bad wire connection at the plug or a switch
> > malfunction.  Continuity check, voltage check, etc. I'd rather fix it
> > myself, even if it took a few minutes, instead of doing a 90-mile round
> > trip to return the saw.  I mean, what's so hard about taking a switch
out
> > of a power tool?  Right.  Took out the four screws which were securing
the
> > plastic handle half, and as I was removing the half, SPROING!!!  The
damn
> > thing had Jesus pins inside related to the safety interlocking
> > mechanism.  Jesus pins are, in case you don't know, small components
that
> > spring out of equipment while being disassembled and wind up under the
> > workbench, lost in the dirt, out of sight twenty feet away, or otherwise
> > gone for good.  You then shout "Jesus!" very loudly.
> >
> > The wiring checked out fine, the switch checked out fine, the brushes
> > checked out fine, the motor windings had continuity, no clue as to the
> > problem.  So I buttoned the saw back up (minus the several missing Jesus
> > pins!) and will return it soon for another one.  If this next one proves
> > bad too, I'll simply request a refund and forget about owning one.
> >
> > Was wondering how the rest of you who bought these saws like them.  My
> > thoughts are that the construction seems typical of most Asian
machinery,
> > being light (cost-cutting), and somewhat  Mickey Mouse in design,
> > especially when you look at things like adjustment procedures, etc.  But
> at
> > 1/5 the price of an equivalent Makita or De Walt sliding miter saw, it
> > seems to have a place in a shop where it will just get occasional usage.
> >
> > Provided it runs, that is!
> >
> >
> > Richard
> >
> >
> > Richard & Judy Walker
> > Monrovia, CA
> >
> > richardwalker @ pobox.com
> > judywalker @ pobox.com
> > delete spaces to use addresses
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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>
>
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