HF Portaband on sale

[Broccoli1]

I have one of these and recommend it. I also have a Milwaukee one.

On Sale $89.99 until 10/31

[Bls repair]

I bought one of these to cut some 2” solid round stock .worked good good for me.

[Oscar]

I had to return mine because the drive wheel was off-center so the blade was tight on only half each revolution.

[Kelvin]

Indispensable tool. I have a Milwaukee, but that's a great price if it's comparable.

[N2 Welding]

I've been considering finding a used Milwaukee deepthroat 18v Fuel portaband and getting a Dewalt battery to Milwaukee tool adapter then selling the corded Milwaukee portaband it would be replacing that I use for hand held saw cutting. If I didnt have two Milwaukee portabands already I'd be getting one of these HF portabands to see if it is worth it.

[danielplace]

You get what you pay for.
Several people in another thread all said the same thing about the wheels being out of round.

[Broccoli1]

You get what you pay for.
Several people in another thread all said the same thing about the wheels being out of round.

I haven't seen that thread.

I guess I got lucky.

[Weldordie]

A friend and I each have owned one of these for a couple of years. I made a table mount for the friend's saw, so we have one available that maintained portability and one that is fixed. Friend uses his almost daily with no problems. Mine is rarely used, but does a great job when needed. We put new bands on both saws early on, following recommendations by others online.

[acourtjester]

One thing with the rubber bands be sure to loosen the band tensioner when in using it or you will deform the rubber.

[albrightree]

I have one of these and recommend it. I also have a Milwaukee one.

On Sale $89.99 until 10/31

Do they both take the same size band saw blade ?

I like my Milwaukee, but I think I payed over $400 for it about 16 years ago. Its still in nice shape, but would be nice to have one like that for the helpers to use on field jobs.

[danielplace]

Do they both take the same size band saw blade ?

I like my Milwaukee, but I think I payed over $400 for it about 16 years ago. Its still in nice shape, but would be nice to have one like that for the helpers to use on field jobs.

I believe all the full size deep cut porta bands run the same 44 7/8" length.

[John T]

I believe all the full size deep cut porta bands run the same 44 7/8" length.

yeah, My HF and Milwaukee use the same 44-7/8

I have been using the Morse 8/11 blades.... and I like them... but I'd like to try something else next time as comparison ..

Any suggestions? what are ya'll using? (general purpose/mild steel mainly)

[motolife313]

The bauer 4” belt sander I got from HF seems the speed control bottom has a mind if it’s own. And the 20% off coupon don’t won’t on Bauer stuff at HF. I may exchange mine

[danielplace]

yeah, My HF and Milwaukee use the same 44-7/8

I have been using the Morse 8/11 blades.... and I like them... but I'd like to try something else next time as comparison ..

Any suggestions? what are ya'll using? (general purpose/mild steel mainly)

I really like the Lenox 14/18 TPI blades. They seem to be about the toughest ones against cracking and just last longer than many other ones I have used.

[SlowBlues]

I use my portabands all the time, the milwaukee tool is obviously nicer but I've never been "held back" or let down by the HF units. Again they are not as smooth, or as nice, but strictly getting the job done I've had zero problems with them.

I like the lennox blades just a tad better but the milwaukee blades are more widely available here in different TPIs. They seem to be pretty comparable these days, along with the HF bauer brand blades. There was a noticeable difference IMO before (2 or 3 years ago even) but nowadays I think it just comes down to price and availability as I haven't noticed one is really any better than the other (lennox, milwaukee, and bauer blades).

I'm 99% sure the bauer made in USA harbor freight blades are morse - haven't bought too many of them lately (last 6 months) but the packs I have gone through have lasted as long as the lennox and milwaukee.

The variable tooth TPI blades are best IMO (they will have two numbers on the TPI listing ie 14/18) and make a big difference unless you're just cutting one thickness/type of material all the time - in that case do the math to get the correct 3 tooth contact and you will get the most mileage out of it.

My local harbor freight is really good about exchanging anything you're not satisfied with (even out of warranty), as long as the reason is valid, you're not a complete jerk about it, and you don't expect to get a cash refund for a 5 year old, well used tool (though i have literally seen them do this to get rid of a hassle). I'd say take the portaband back and see what they can do for you moto, I usually never even have to speak to a manager - just grab a new one off the shelf and i'm out after they do the exchange dance.

I'd buy two if I was in the market for them, make one stationary (with a large base plate for vertical use) and some sort of stand/hook (I made hooks for the upper grip and "hang" the portaband against the wall for vertical use - make sure you find a way to secure it to the hooks and not just hang it as it will be wanting to move in use and will want to jump "out" of the hooks, i use a ratcheting chord holder to hold down the trigger)

[John T]

I really like the Lenox 14/18 TPI blades. They seem to be about the toughest ones against cracking and just last longer than many other ones I have used.

[455dan]

Picked up one of the HF portabands and It sounds like a box of rocks in a washing machine on spin cycle, but the blade ran true so I am keeping it.

Migged up some legs to a 1/4" plate and followed a youtube vid.

My garage is such a disaster I had no place to set it but my portable unit for the Rage 3 miter which gave me an idea... used the junk wood from stealing the wheels off of the 1000lb HF wood dollies and used a hole saw to cut some reliefs to match the tubing an added an HF foot switch . Thinking this is going to work I also added some felt pads so It can be set on any flat surface.


Still thinking about a quick way to lock the wood supports on the round tubing.

[John T]

Still thinking about a quick way to lock the wood supports on the round tubing.

Can you buy another set of clamps like you are using to hold the chop saw? If not, they sell all kinds of clamps for tubing.

such as these below...
also, I would countersink the screws on the portaband table.

.

[metalmelter2021]

So far my HF Bauer Portaband has done a fine job. I have used both the HF Hercules bands on it and the Lennox bands. Just put a new one on a couple days ago. My wheels run true, and not any issues to date for 7 months of moderate use. I’ve not used any other brand, so I have no frame of reference for comparrison, but I do like quality tools. For parts quality, the wheels, etc seem to be good, but I have had no reason to look at the internals, but the performance is there, so I’m of the opinion the HF unit is a good value/performance tool.
I do see they now list a Hercules unit with a blue plastic housing and the Bauer with the red housing. The Hercules blades/bits are usually the most rugged and durable, so I’m not sure if there is any difference in the internals between the Bauer and the Hercules lines.

Perhaps someone can speak to that?

[Oscar]

I really wanted to like the Bauer portaband, but both that I got back-2-back had wheels that ran out of round, by a lot. Needless to say both were returned. I even bought nice Starrett blades for it. I need to look for a "replacement".

[metalmelter2021]

I really wanted to like the Bauer portaband, but both that I got back-2-back had wheels that ran out of round, by a lot. Needless to say both were returned. I even bought nice Starrett blades for it. I need to look for a "replacement".

Must have been from the same lot or run where there was a parts problem. I just purchased mine last Christmas at the local HF, and it runs true and smooth.

[smithdoor]

It is a great price.

Dave

I have one of these and recommend it. I also have a Milwaukee one.

On Sale $89.99 until 10/31

[metalmelter2021]

It is a great price.

Dave

I believe that one you're showing is from 2019, maybe 2020, but today they run about $139 -$149 depending on the Bauer or the Hercules sub-brand. Still a good price, and I have noticed an uptick in HF quality, as they also uptick the prices.

[smithdoor]

Uptick in HF quality is probably had to many returns on 30 warranty had improved the quality. But a uptick in price too.

I do have a few things from Harbor Freight but I fix that group that I have purchased.

Dave

I believe that one you're showing is from 2019, maybe 2020, but today they run about $139 -$149 depending on the Bauer or the Hercules sub-brand. Still a good price, and I have noticed an uptick in HF quality, as they also uptick the prices.

[SlowBlues]

Seems like you might have gotten two from a bad lot, Oscar.

Either way two lemons in a row leaves a hell of a sour taste in anyone's mouth - I probably wouldn't let them burn me a third time either (and I'm a fan of the HF bandsaw, even with the box of rocks transmission).