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Re: [Shop-talk] Sawzall blades

To: shop-talk@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] Sawzall blades
From: John Miller <jem@milleredp.com>
Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2012 22:26:43 -0700
Delivered-to: shop-talk-archive@autox.team.net
Delivered-to: shop-talk@autox.team.net
References: <5031FA53.2020007@landform.co.uk> <503317B8.2080706@earthlink.net>
User-agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:14.0) Gecko/20120713 Thunderbird/14.0
> http://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-1-1-inch-sds-rotary-hammer-97743.html
> and
> http://www.harborfreight.com/2-piece-sds-masonry-flat-chisel-set-42651.html
>
> $49 for the drill and $10 for the bits on sale.
>
> It isn't necessarily efficient and it might have been quicker and easier
> to go with some of the blades mentioned in a Sawzall, but I didn't think
> about that.  I throw this out to the list as another choice and use for
> a fun tool.
>
> I love the rotary hammer.  Wear hearing protection though as it is
> loud.  The only thing I use my regular hammer drill for now is precision
> stuff with small bits.

You got it for $49?  Score!

Seriously, on the tool-quality scale it's a pretty rude piece.  The 
Makitas that Home Depot rents are a much, much nicer product, smoother, 
shock-damping handle, fewer knobs to twiddle to change settings, and 
just a more balanced feel.

But...those Makitas are something over $300 new, or close to $50 a day 
to rent, and I've never found one used at a price I'd pay.  So after 
renting those things for probably a total of two weeks over a four-year 
period I bought the Harbor Freight cheapie.  And it works.  As I said, 
not as well as the Makita, but it works.

A couple days ago I put a 1in hole for a piece of plastic conduit 
through the back of our brick outdoor kitchen island.  I no longer have 
to plan ahead when I want to put in anchor bolts for some fencing or 
gates, to ensure I can do them all in one four-hour rental.

I have a few of those not-very-good-but-great-for-occasional-use HF 
tools, like this thing:

http://www.harborfreight.com/compact-2-speed-1-2-half-inch-right-angle-drill-97622.html

Bought it when we were remodeling the house back in '03 and needed to 
put a whole lotta holes in studs, plates and fireblocking for gas, 
water, and drain pipe.  When I got it, it sounded like it was eating 
itself. I opened it and cleaned out the rendered goose fat or whatever 
their supplier greases the gears with and refilled it with Redline axle 
grease; it sounded a bit better.  Ran it hours and hours a day for three 
straight weeks and it far more than paid for itself; still use it 
occasionally.

John.
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