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Chicago Power Tools?

straitg | Posted in Tools for Home Building on October 3, 2003 04:10am

Anyone ever use, or ever hear of, Chicago Power Tools?  I was sent a Harbor Freight Tools Catalog and they’re selling Chicago Tools on the cheap.   I know… you get what you pay for but I’m still curious.

4″Angle grinder – $24.99

4″Dry Tile Saw – $49.99

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  1. AXE | Oct 03, 2003 04:14am | #1

    I'm a self-called "tool snob."

    I personally don't like them, but I use my tools a lot.  If you are looking to just "have" a cordless drill or whatever for occasional minor work, it might be a good way to save a few dollars.  If you plan on doing any serious work though, I'm almost certain a Chicago tool is not going to help you achieve fine work.  There are already many obstacles to overcome if you want to achieve high level work, I try not to add sub-standard tools to the list.

    Merc.

  2. User avater
    BillHartmann | Oct 03, 2003 04:18am | #2

    They are HF house brand of Chinese tools.

    If you have a local store where you can return it and if you are a DIY and can afford to have it break down in the middle of a job then go for it.

    I have heard of many people getting them and they are servicable and many of them work fine, but you never know.

  3. Piffin | Oct 03, 2003 07:05am | #3

    I've heard tales of things like handles falling off, smoke pouring out upon first use, bearings going Kapowie...

    Other than that, I've never heard anything good about them.

    .

    Excellence is its own reward!

    1. CAGIV | Oct 03, 2003 07:29am | #4

      we had an electric impact wrench at work for awhile... 

      The only good thing about it was watching it finally  self implode

  4. Parrothead2 | Oct 03, 2003 07:01pm | #5

    Most of them suck and breakdown quickly. I'm have heard of a few gems in the rough though. Like the cordless drill.

  5. parrothead | Oct 03, 2003 07:26pm | #6

    I haven't owned them my self, but a friend had some. For any detailed/accurate worked they sucked, the runout on the shafts is really bad. Also the bearings and the switches don't hold up well.

    Mike

    We are the people our parents warned us about. J. Buffett
  6. User avater
    johnnyd | Oct 03, 2003 09:48pm | #7

    Kind of embarrassed to admit this, but I have been using a 10" SCMS, Chicago brand...$99....that does everything the pro tools do.  Dead-on accurate, plenty of power,  cut all the trim for a 20X24 cabin, still going strong, used for chop saw on studs, PVC, and various other projects.  I plan to use it until it breaks and then either buy another or $ permiting upgrade.

    Probably would wear out/break rather quickly in a production environment, but perfect for the occasional DIY project where the user flat out wouldn't have one except for the $99 price tag. Guess I'd rather get the job done than worry about what the tool snobs think.

    1. Piffin | Oct 04, 2003 04:49am | #9

      I'll take your comment that yours is as good as any other SCMS at face value, though I then wonder why you would expect it to break or consider "upgrading".

      I don't doubt that you can get an occasional tool that performs well from them. But you need to consider the state of the tool industry , especially as it exists in China. Realize first that there are three Chinas for purposes of our discussion here.

      Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China proper - in order of highest to lowest quality in production of manufactured items.

      A few years ago, I read a long article looking into the background of tool production in Taiwan. This is the home of many machine and woodworking tools sold in this country. Grizzly, Jet, Delta, and others all source from there, except for some of the larger Delta equipment.

      Taiwan is a strange mix of backyard foundries and multimillion dollar factories existing side by side. An importeer might just go into the market and buy what is available or he might spec out what his company is looking for. Once the specs are written and a contract is signed for production, many import buyers turn and look the other way, relying and the contract language stipulating that any items returned for breakage will be replaced by the plant that made them. After a fedw units pile up, the factory ends up closed or in the hands of another owner who is not responsible for the deeds of the prior...It is free market at it's best - and worst.

      Delta was at the time rated as the company who did the most actual onsite factory inspections for quality of parts, methods, etc. Grizzly and jet were not far behind. There are a dozen other American importers who were apparently buying on the equivalent of the manufacturing flea market. You might end up with a solid table and maoter but with bearings made by Yoling's BIL who just openned shop yesterweek...

      So all this to say that even if you went back to CE for another of the exact same model number a year later or even six months, you are unlikely to be getting the same item, in terms of quality. It's a crap shoot and you rolled a good one this time..

      Excellence is its own reward!

      1. CAGIV | Oct 04, 2003 04:57am | #10

        Do you have any idea where you saw that article, I'm guessing not, but I'd be interested to read it.

        I never looked to deep into it, but I though most of Delta's "shop"/bigger tools were still made here.

        Did it mentioning anything about Powermatic?

        1. Piffin | Oct 04, 2003 05:22am | #12

          I purposefully did not gie a name for the rag because I really don't remember that and din't want to mislead anyone.

          But I get the WOOD magazine from Better Homes and Gardens, Tools of the Trade from Hanley Woods, and a couple others. Maybe that is enough of a hint to guide your seach..

          Excellence is its own reward!

        2. User avater
          BillHartmann | Oct 04, 2003 06:20pm | #20

          I believe that FWW had such an article in last 3 years. If not one of the other WW mags.

          Actually in the Delta line the Unisaw and 14" band saws are still made in the US. But recently they have split the BS line and I believe one is off shore.

          For many, many years there jointer where made out of the country. Used to be from Brazil.

          And about 3 years ago there mortiser was shifted to China and there started to be lots of complaints with the quality. Don't know if that is still true or not (either the location or the quality).

          I kind of think that the full blown contractors saw was made in the US, at least until recently. But I think that the contractors II and other cheaper one where imports.

          Probably since that article Powermatic has been bought by Jet's parrent company. I beleive tht they are make the table saw and a few other major pieces in the US. But much of the other is imported.

    2. ArielH15 | Oct 06, 2003 05:21am | #24

      Hey

      What you have is baisicaly a clone of the mak 10 in scms, except probably cheaper material, and no name brand to back it up. I have a friend who owns one and I have the makita, they are pretty similar. As for thier drill (18v) I had one for 3-4 years, I'm only 16, but I wanted a drill bad, and Dad couln't aford somthing name brand, I used that thing hard and it ran well, drywall, hardi backer subfloring 3in deckmates you name it problem was it had no speed control, you couldn't even feather the trigger. I got used to it but Dad always hated it. Any how it finaly died drilling inch and a quarter holes through 20 some joists for plumbing, I replaced it with a milwaukee 18, love that thing!

      AJH

  7. MarkAndersen | Oct 04, 2003 03:45am | #8

    Gerald,

    Along time ago I learned you get what you pay for!!!  I love Milwaukee & Porter Cable tools!!!  You can buy them from most mail order places at a reasonable price.  Don't buy the junk, slowly add the good tools, you'll get much better service from them this way!!!

    Mark

  8. WorkshopJon | Oct 04, 2003 05:11am | #11

    Anyone ever use, or ever hear of, Chicago Power Tools?  I was sent a Harbor Freight Tools Catalog and they're selling Chicago Tools on the cheap.

    Gerald,

    I've purchased a few (from HF). Any tool I plan on keeping for the long haul, I typically buy a name brand ('except for Dewald) Quality has always been real hit or miss with MIC [HF]. Some stuff rivals made in USA, others ... absolute junk. Still, considering that often MIC tools sell for $.10 on the dollar compared to a top quality one, for lite use they MAY pay.

    Bought a 10" wet tile saw MIC about a year ago just for one job. $205 with [diamond] blade and stand [from HF]. HD was selling a similar for almost $600. Renting would have cost $50. day plus blade charge.

    IMO, if you are a DIY and need the tool for a job or two, go for it. But if you need a tool for the long haul, buy made in the USA.

    Jon

    1. CAGIV | Oct 04, 2003 05:35am | #13

      But if you need a tool for the long haul, buy made in the USA.

      Might want to change to that too....

      Buy made by a company known for quality and customer service hopefully at least based in the USA... What with all "good" tool makers shipping their manufacturing overseas. 

      De-functional, excluded, cause even when they were made here, I still had problems all the tools I bought from them...

      1. WorkshopJon | Oct 04, 2003 05:59am | #14

        "What with all "good" tool makers shipping their manufacturing overseas"

        CAG,

        Good point, but some still stand out worse than others (Dewalt, Dewalt, Dewalt). Milwaukee IMO (and the fact the I do work for them having NO BIAS) still has high standards. Harbor Freight is really 20/80 (good/bad) Grizzly........still waiting on customer service to render an opinion.

        Still. It is often difficult even if the label say "Made in the USA, or not" to tell the true countries of origin of the tool. Most mfr'd products now contain content from literally all over the world. While we (the US) have definitions of what is or isn't, in this day and age, it has become pretty hard to tell.

        But that's one of the reasons forums like this exist. So we can say yyy is great or not.

        Jon

        1. CAGIV | Oct 04, 2003 06:04am | #15

          In a perfect world I'd buy things made in the US, but the worlds not perfect and manufacturing is far to much of a global process,

          I can understand why a lot of people wish to buy US goods over foreign, but personally I can't justify it if I know a product made in some far off land is better.

          Rather then US vs Not US, I try to buy Good vs. Crap.

          and often customer service is real selling point, PC, Milwaukee, Makita, Hitachi, Delta etc, have been REAL good to me if I had a problem with one of their tools.

          Even Dewalt had good customer service when I used it, however the 3 dewalt tools I've owned in the past have all bit the big one in terms of reliability and durability.

          1. WorkshopJon | Oct 04, 2003 06:09am | #16

            "Dewalt had good customer service when I used it, however the 3 dewalt tools I've owned in the past have all bit the big one in terms of reliability and durability"

            CAG,

            Yeh, me too. But what good is good customer service if your products,.....rival MIC. (I try not to curse on the internet)

            BTW. Ever mention my two "identical Dewalt cordless drills?

            Jon

          2. CAGIV | Oct 04, 2003 06:33am | #17

            BTW. Ever mention my two "identical Dewalt cordless drills?

            Nope, not I've read anyway...

          3. WorkshopJon | Oct 04, 2003 06:39am | #18

            CAG,

            "Ever mention my two "identical Dewalt cordless drills?"

            Tommorrow. Wifes a callin'. Ah the duties of married life.

            Jon

          4. MarkAndersen | Oct 04, 2003 05:44pm | #19

            You get what you pay for......nothing is free or cheap!

            MArk

          5. User avater
            BillHartmann | Oct 04, 2003 06:26pm | #21

            Wood Mag always shows country where the tools comes from in their review.

            I any one review you might find;

            A US tool company unit made in Twiana

            A Europen tool company made in Mexico

            A Japanese tool company made in USA

            An other Japanses tool company made in Europe

            An other US tool company made in USA.

            ETC, etc. The brand name really does little to indicate the source.

            As you said the company support is what is important.

  9. Pd5190 | Oct 04, 2003 06:30pm | #22

    I am proud to say yes I have a few of them. If I earned a living with them would I use them most likely not. But for that occasional home chore mine have served me well. The only one to take a dump was a heat gun. My 4.5" angle grinder and electric impact have been well worth the money spent on them. I do consider them a throw away tool. But I knew that when I bought them.  Since many of you are professional tool users I can see your disdain for them but they have there place in the world of tools for the occasional user at home. It also helps if you live near one of there stores so if you need to make a return its not a major problem.

    1. raybrowne | Oct 06, 2003 04:24am | #23

      Earlier in this thread it mentioned Japanese power tools made in the US, are there any foreign companies that make their tools in US plants? I always try to buy US made tools whenever I can find one(bought some Wooster paint brushes today...) but in cases where I don't see a US company & made one I'd go with foreign company & US made perhaps.

      -Ray

      1. Piffin | Oct 06, 2003 05:31am | #25

        any foreign companies that make their tools in US plants?

        Makita has a plant or two.

        SBBosch is a German Co making tools in carolina in partnership with Skil

        That's just off the top of my head.

        Excellence is its own reward!

      2. Piffin | Oct 06, 2003 05:32am | #26

        Oh yeah, paslode is a french Co that has a place in the midwest, and isn't Panasonic one that fits here too?.

        Excellence is its own reward!

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