Bummer...I am finally going to Harbor Freight!

[MicroZone]

I think the Chicago Electric stuff from HF is decent. Are their motors or housing made in china ?

[wizard]

Surprisingly there are a lot of good American made tools still available. It is the result of the importers specfically going for the lowest price point possible, so you get what you pay for.

As to SEARS well they are now owned by KMART and that should scare most reasonable people off right there. Even before that take over thought Sears tools where on a fast down hill slide, I would not get to excited about shopping there anymore for tools. The reality is that if you shop around you can find imported tools that are better than what Sears is offering now.

As to inexpensive tools I still think the best approach is the used market, especially estate sales and auctions. If you are carefull excellent deals are to be had at estate sales. Remember the people running these sales have to get rid of everything in a day or two. Of course the good deals go early but I've picked up stuff at the end of the sales amazingly cheap, in the strangest houses to. One house owned by a widow had little if anything in the way of tools except for one very nice Irwin auger bit. Hit another house once very late in the sale and came up with a huge basket of stuff from the 'shop', for 50 cents I got hardware, a couple of plumb hammer heads rawhide heads and misc. wrenches. Then there are the power tools and stuff if you arrive early.

As to Harbor Frieght well you can call it wasting money if you want, but I do think there are opportunites there for good servicable tools. Atleast locally they carry a wide range of tools including some that are made right here in the USA and beat just about everybodies prices. On top of that they have a wide range of imported tools some better than others. I don't dismiss them completely as a supplier of tools, it is just a matter of being aware of what is junk there and what isn't. Further for some jobs you really don't want to use your good tools anyways.

Personnally I'd not spend money on tools unless I needed them for specfic usages and then buy quality if going new. If you buy on a "as needed basis" then I think you will be much better off.

Dave