For the last few months I've been using a borrowed Porter-Cable portaband handheld bandsaw on my TrackT project and have found it very,very useful...However , my friend needs it back and I'm faced with buying one ..With an almost non-existent budget , I cannot afford either a Porter-Cable ($255-$275)nor a Milwaukee brand ($310-$330) ...In todays mail ,I rec'd a flyer from Harbor Freight with a variable speed portaband Model 47840-4AJ8 ,on sale for $57.49 ( Reg. $114.99).. Any HAMB'rs use one of these and have some feedback..I know sometimes HF tools are very good for occasional use and while I wish I could afford a heavy-duty quality tool ,right now it's just not possible. I don't use one every day ,but it's been a very useful tool when I do need it.. any comments yea or nay appreciated. Thanx Stan
like most everything you get what you pay for. you might find the better machines in the paper, the buy and sell, the little nickle, or whatever your local common cl***ifieds paper is, may have someone looking to unload the real thing. you can also try pawn shops.. Paul
i have a Milwaukee i have had it over 7 years all i have had to do to it is change the rubber drive tires a couple of times and it gets used a lot they have since come out with a model that has a stand unit that the machine clips into but we make due by locking it down in the vise and using a spring clamp in the trigger i have seen the harbor freight verson it looks ok most of there stuff requires some sort of adjusting from what i have seen good luck bill
What about renting one from a rental shop? There are a few on line used tool sites you can google for. Also, check locally if you have an auction house that specializes in commercial equipment auctions. Finally, there is always the pawn shop route.
Paid $125 for a milwaukee at a pawn shop, worked great till it grew legs and walked off. I'd rather have a used quality tool than some new piece of **** import, same way with vehicles.
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