My 2cents worth.
As others have pointed out, DO NOT go cheap when it comes to tools. Cheap tools are cheap for a reason, they do a 'cheap' job and then break early on causing you to realize you should have bought better quality tools to begin with. Good quality tools do not only a quality job, but with half the effort (especially when you factor in the multiple re-do's) and at least give you the opportunity to end up with a high quality finished product. Good quality tools are more expensive, thats a given, but you will LOVE them (especially after using a cheap tool that just helped you screw your project up). Ofcoarse, your own skill plays a major role but you can be a professional builder and still have less than quality work if you use cheap tools. But then again, you wont find a professional using cheap tools because they know better.
My own shop is almost finished and I've been researching power tool brands for big ticket things like a drill press, band saw and bench grinder. It's been interesting listening to what the sales people at the major tool stores say about what brand makes the 'best' power tools. I always walk around the store first and if they only carry one major brand of power tool, I'll already know what the answer will be. My best information has come from popular wood working web sites. These guys know their tools and wont tolerate cheap products or hesitate to say which ones to avoid.
So far, the general concensus has been brand names like Powermatic and Jet make solid, long lasting, quality power tools. Delta, used to be one of the top brands but has had a decrease in quality the last few years. Delta is now considered a reasonable choice if you cannot afford the latter two and Sears Craftsman is hard to beat for the occasional enthusiast. The best hand power tool brands change monthly as each comes out with a new feature and it's also highly dependant on which tool your referring to. For example, back when I bought all my hand power tools I bought only the highest rated at the time (ofcoarse
). That left me with a Porter Cable circular saw, Milwaulkie Sawzall, Bosch saber saw and a DeWalt drill. I have heard repeatedly not to buy tools online from large tool venders, namely Harbor Freight, do to their cheaper Chinese made components, however there are some folks that have reported very little problems with their HF tools.
Same goes for air compressors. Get oiled, highest gallon and cfm @ 90psi you can afford and in a well known brand name.
It all sounds like expensive overkill but as many on this board can tell you, the money spent replacing cheap or inadaquate tools and compressors adds up to what it would have cost you to just buy the better quality stuff in the first place!.
Like I said, just my 2cents, take it for what it's worth.
Mike
