Good place to find cheap power tools?

[BaconTastesGood]

I'm on a power tool binge, but I'm having a hard time justifying full on retail prices for stuff I use rarely like pneumatic finish nailers, etc. For computer equipment I tend to be target-of-opportunity oriented using slickdeals and techbargains -- is there anything like that for Lowes or Home Depot? Any good places to get really good discounts on refurb type equipment?

I don't need anything in a hurry, but I would like to pick up things as bargains show up. For example, I just got a Husky air compressor (portable) for $39 from Home Depot (regular $129) -- even if it explodes after the last nail I punch with it (I'm installing hardwood right now) it's a hella bargain.

[Rob Beschizza]

If you only expect to use the tools very infrequently, get the Black and Decker ones on special. Note: very infrequently. B&D was once a mighty name in power tools, and is now trash. But it's warranteed, brand-name, properly-constructed trash, so there you go.

The best stuff to get for the budget conscious home destroyer, however, is Home Depot's own brand, Ryobi. It's only a very little out of the budget league in pricing, but the quality is closer to the Craftsman, DeWalt, etc., brands than to other budget brands. Unless you are using the tools every other day, that's what I would get (and it's what I do get.)

[Lunch of Kong]

my buddy says that most Lowe's stores have a "Nation's Rent" store inside them that rents power tools. check them out.

[BaconTastesGood]

If you only expect to use the tools very infrequently, get the Black and Decker ones on special.

That's what I've been doing -- I used to always go for the higher end quality stuff, but that ends up not being worth it as rarely as I use stuff. I just picked up an inexpensive B&D jig saw, drill (I'm sick of cordless drills, both my DeWalts have already had their batteries age and replacement batteries are almost as much as the freakin' drills it seems), a portable Hitachi table saw, an air compressor, and hose for a total of like $400. Not bad.

I draw the line at Ryobi though -- good lord that stuff is really, really bad in my experience. I prefer DeWalt, Porter Cable, and Senco.

I really, really want a finish nailer, but a $20 rental vs. $200 for a new one -- I gotta be finishing a LOT of stuff before I'll make that plunge, unless I can get a really good quality one for like < $150. I've already rented a finish nailer 3 times for various projects (quarter rounds mostly) and will do so again for this project, and I don't see needing one again in the forseeable future. But if I do, screw it, I'm getting the Senco and justifying it by saying that I'll have it for five years.

Hell, there are probably a dozen tools I'd love to have but just can't justify...miter saw (HD just had an 8.5" cheapo on sale for $39 that I didn't find out about until too late), reciprocating saw, router, drill press, compound arm saw, grinder...

Lowes near me (I have 3 near me) do not do power rentals, but HD does. Been renting Paslode finish nailers and a Bostitch floor stapler.

[Angrycoder]

Unless you want the big brand name tools, harbor frieight should be right up your alley. They were a godsend when we were fixing up our house.

http://www.harborfreight.com/

Looking on their site I see they have a few stores in the Atlanta area.

[BaconTastesGood]

Unless you want the big brand name tools, harbor frieight should be right up your alley. They were a godsend when we were fixing up our house.

Whoa, never heard of them. They have a bunch of amazingly cheap items from a company called "Central Pneumatic" that I have never heard of -- is that their version of Ryobi? A pneumatic flooring stapler for $160? You shitting me? The Bostitch unit is like $460 and looks the exact same.

Now, I know you get what you pay for and all, but shit, I can stock up on shitty tools for 1/3rd the price from these guys. I'm sorely, sorely tempted to get that floor nailer -- rental is $40/day from HD, and I'm thinking I'll need it for at least 4 more days, then I can sell it and still come out ahead.

Shit, thanks for the tip!

[Ben Sones]

I always religiously seek out the cheapest power tools I can find, and then religiously avoid buying them. Seriously, tools are not a good thing to skimp on. Finding a good deal on a good tool is one thing--just make sure it's a good tool. Every time I have tried to buy tools (especially power tools) on the cheap, I've always regretted it. And it ends up being even more expensive in the end, when the tool in question turns out to be a piece of crap and I have to replace it with the tool that I should have bought in the first place. Detail sanders were my worst experience; I went through three or four of them before I finally caved in and coughed up the cash for a Fein Multimaster, which is the best power sander I have ever used, and worth every penny. After that, I stopped even looking at the bargain basement tools.

[Angrycoder]

Whoa, never heard of them. They have a bunch of amazingly cheap items from a company called "Central Pneumatic" that I have never heard of -- is that their version of Ryobi? A pneumatic flooring stapler for $160? You shitting me? The Bostitch unit is like $460 and looks the exact same.

Now, I know you get what you pay for and all, but shit, I can stock up on shitty tools for 1/3rd the price from these guys. I'm sorely, sorely tempted to get that floor nailer -- rental is $40/day from HD, and I'm thinking I'll need it for at least 4 more days, then I can sell it and still come out ahead.

Shit, thanks for the tip!

I haven't used their central pnumatic brand, but have used a lot of their Chicago Tools brand power tools. They aren't going to last you for 20 years, but I have yet to have any of them die on me. They usually sell a warranty on their tools for 10-20 bucks if think you are going to be using them for any heavy duty work.

[Jeremy Johnsen]

I draw the line at Ryobi though -- good lord that stuff is really, really bad in my experience. I prefer DeWalt, Porter Cable, and Senco.
Really? My Ryobi sander and drill have been great while I've been finishing my basement. I wouldn't buy them for day-to-day use, but for my twice a month use they've been the best tools I've ever bought.

[Rob Beschizza]

Really? My Ryobi sander and drill have been great while I've been finishing my basement. I wouldn't buy them for day-to-day use, but for my twice a month use they've been the best tools I've ever bought.

Yeah - Ryobi have that "halfway between budget brands and pro brands, at the budget price" thing nailed. They are also blue.

[BaconTastesGood]

I always religiously seek out the cheapest power tools I can find, and then religiously avoid buying them. Seriously, tools are not a good thing to skimp on.

I agree with the sentiment in theory, but in practice this is literally a factor of 3 different in buying power for the home hobbyist. If I was a contractor, hell yeah I'd only be buying top end shit. In fact, at HD or Lowes most associates will qualify items as "If this is for around the house, this is great" vs. "This is a great item if you make your living at this".

Case in point -- the Central Pneumatic floor nailer is $160. A Grizzly, which is another noname, is like $200. The next step up are like Bostitch and Porter Cable, and we're talking $400-500 for those.

I gotta lay down about 500 sq ft of hardwood. Buying a $500 unit doesn't make sense, but neither does dropping $200 on rentals if I can BUY a unit for $200 you know? And then sell that fucker on eBay for $75.

What worries me most about the Harbor housebrands are the complete and utter lack of reviews. Seriously, if you don't even have an entry in ePinions, which will review any goddamn thing, then that worries me. A lot.

And it's not like this is new stuff, Harbor has been around since dirt. I've found a handful of Web reviews by random Web dudes for some Harbor stuff, and in general they're all very positive. The big complaints are shipping time, which I'm not too stressed about since I got one 20 minutes from me.

Finding a good deal on a good tool is one thing--just make sure it's a good tool.

Well, that was my original intention, finding the mystical Web site or store where I could find some kind of refurb DeWalt or Porter Cable finish nailers for $99.

But when I see this "Central Pneumatic" 15ga finish nailer that looks _exactly_ like the Porter Cable DA250 and then see a price of $130 vs. $330, I'm like, shit, I should check into this. 30 day money back guarantee, so what the hell?

In the world of musical equipment there's Behringer, who are basically the same thing -- Chinese knockoffs that are sometimes outstanding bargains but sometimes ripoffs.

Every time I have tried to buy tools (especially power tools) on the cheap, I've always regretted it.

I'm about 50/50. My $39 air compressor (40 or 90 PSI, 135 PSI max, 0.5 gal capacity, on sale at HD) has worked great so far -- if the goddamn thing explodes when I'm done installing flooring, it's still a deal. Then again, I've had high end shit up and puke on me for no reason, and sometimes the manufacturer is great and other times...not so great.

[BaconTastesGood]

So I visited my nearby Harbor Freight, and what a completely run-down piece of shit place it is. But I bought this nailer (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47612) for $75 -- come on, that's a CRAZY price! Especially given that it's trying to knock this Porter-Cable model (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004SBBW/qid=1137617246/sr=8-12/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i12_xgl60/103-8830970-6550244?n=507846&s=hi&v=glance) which is like $300+.

Anyway, it was in a Publix (supermarket) anchored strip mall in what looks like a converted Walgreens -- same aisle structure and everything. Except, instead of a Walgreens, imagine a Walgreens built in 1976, left alone, and then you stepped into it today right after someoned loaded up all the shelves that used to hold Valentine's Day decorations with like power drills and screwdrivers and tarps.

It was a decrepit, grimy place. Blech. The employees didn't know anything about the tools, and they all seemed like they'd rather be someplace else.

I originally went there to buy a floor stapler that was $160 vs. $460 for the Bostitch it was cloned from, but they were out. Bah. But that finish nailer, which I was more than happy to pay $129 for, was on sale for $75, so I call it a wash.

Now I'll see if this thing actually works.

[Houngan]

Harbor Freight won't screw you, but they don't delude, either. It's strictly low-rent, and looks that way. However, the great thing is that you're buying a lot of cheap Chinese crap that is probably made by the same people who make expensive Chinese crap, rebranded for niche marketing. Based on my experience, I don't think you're going to be disappointed.

H.

[Flowers]

Reputable Auction. You'll be bidding against some wily contractors who have inspected the tools ahead of time, bid carefully and you can snag pieces on the cheap and get the rest at a good store, bid like and idiot and you can easily overpay for junk. So caveat emptor.

FYI: Some auctions are bankruptcy seizures or estate sales, or seizures of assets of people going into nursing homes. Get ok with that before you go or don't go, and if you decide you are not ok with it, don't be shy about leaving immediately without buying anything. Some people are bleeding hearts.

[BaconTastesGood]

Reputable Auction.

You mean a local auction I assume? Don't even know where I'd go for that.

I did find a lot on eBay, but in general the prices aren't that much better, even for all the people like me that buy a piece of equipment to do some work then sell it right after (a kind of discount, extended rental).

[BaconTastesGood]

Based on my experience, I don't think you're going to be disappointed.

Well, so far my experience with the finish nailer is a resounding 'maybe'. I read the instructions (which were surprisingly not shitty -- far better than the instructions I used to get with my motherboards made in Taiwan) and did what it said, and while it's all rickety and clicky feeling, it seems to be okay.

I added the oil, loaded it up, fired, and...it only got in half-way. Shit. I tried again. This time nothing shot. Tried one more time, and this time it jammed. WTF. So I unjam it (this is pretty much a direct, and I mean DIRECT rip of the PC 250B, so it has the unjamming port), and against my better judgment, I try again.

And it works fine...fired a half dozen nails and it worked great. So I'll see how it goes, I have 30 days to decide if it's a POS or not, but since I don't have any experience with higher-end air nailers like the Senco or PC, I'm not sure what to expect. I've used a Paslode gas nailer before, and it worked great but also suffered from the occasional misfire.

Right now I kinda treat it like a cursed magical broadsword* -- it has some handy abilities, but I sure as shit don't trust it.

* Geek++

[beecubed]

i use the taunton yearly tool guide magazine (sort of a stripped down consumer reports for tools) to figure out what i want, then just use google or froogle to search out the best price. admittedly, this isn't going to get you anything dirt cheap, but you can still get some good deals and generally don't end up with anything that is total junk.

my dad calls me a tool snob, but i figure that i've got a good 5-7 years of tool use in my future, and can probably resell some of the stuff after that (assuming that it isn't completely obsolete).

i'd rather spend the money to get something that makes my projects easier (and, dare i say it, enjoyable), as opposed to something that is frustrating and makes my projects more difficult.

[Houngan]

Well, so far my experience with the finish nailer is a resounding 'maybe'. I read the instructions (which were surprisingly not shitty -- far better than the instructions I used to get with my motherboards made in Taiwan) and did what it said, and while it's all rickety and clicky feeling, it seems to be okay.

I added the oil, loaded it up, fired, and...it only got in half-way. Shit. I tried again. This time nothing shot. Tried one more time, and this time it jammed. WTF. So I unjam it (this is pretty much a direct, and I mean DIRECT rip of the PC 250B, so it has the unjamming port), and against my better judgment, I try again.

And it works fine...fired a half dozen nails and it worked great. So I'll see how it goes, I have 30 days to decide if it's a POS or not, but since I don't have any experience with higher-end air nailers like the Senco or PC, I'm not sure what to expect. I've used a Paslode gas nailer before, and it worked great but also suffered from the occasional misfire.

Right now I kinda treat it like a cursed magical broadsword* -- it has some handy abilities, but I sure as shit don't trust it.

* Geek++

Heh, welcome to poor tolerances. Quite a bit of the money you saved was most likely in the polish/deburring aspects of manufacturing. Just like a new pistol, you have to cycle it a few times to knock all the corners off and get things sliding smoothly. Either that, or it's going to take your hand off any day now.

H.

[VegasRobb]

Unless you want the big brand name tools, harbor frieight should be right up your alley. They were a godsend when we were fixing up our house.

http://www.harborfreight.com/

Looking on their site I see they have a few stores in the Atlanta area.

I really like Harbor Freight. It's one of the few stores where I always purchase something. They always have a good deal on something.

[BaconTastesGood]

So I started using the finish nailer some more, and I ran into a significant hiccup early on because it was easy to feed nails incorrectly into the loading port. I chalked this up to shitty Chinese design, but on a whim I downloaded the product manual for this nailer's twin made-in-America sibling, the Porter Cable DA250A. It is a functionally identical unit, such that the same manual can be used for both (in fact, some of the wording in the manual for my unit is borderline plagiarized).

Anyway, that same design flaw exists in the Porter Cable model, so at this point it just looks like tolerances might be different. Now that I'm feeding the nails properly, this thing is working like a champ.

If HF sold undercutting saws I'd pick one up. A friend just got a brad nailer for $14 (vs. like $75 for one at Home Depot).