Power Supplies Reviews

I ordered this kit because it looked like a great new way to use hole saws. They are sharp and cut well but the big problem is the arbor, it's absolute junk. I don't know about you but when drilling holes with larger bits it's easy to have them hook and stop suddenly. With the old type of arbor, all you had to worry about was smashing your knuckles in tight quarters, or maybe a broken wrist or two :) The arbors for this set bend very easily when they hook. I've gone through three and the third was my last one. I doubt that I drilled 20 holes with the three arbors. Maybe if I was using a drill press to drill holes in wood that's clamped down to the table it might work well. Hopefully another company will make a set that actually works.

If you don't want to spend over $250 for a set of carbide hole saws, then this is as good as it gets at a fraction of a carbide set's price. The best feature about this Bosch set is the terrific quick-connect mandrel system. The hole saws, regardless of size, snaps in and out of the mandrel easily -- no tightening or screwing needed. The saws are sharp. I used the set to install locksets in two metal-clad wood doors without breaking into a sweat. Highly recommended.

This does not set it's self apart from the masks at the harware stores at all, except that it fits a little better. It has a cloth piece where it contacts your forehead and the adjustment in the back is done in such a way that it does not pinch your scalp or hair at all. It has a dial in the back to adjust for hat size and a simple belt type adjustment for across the crown of your head. Visor lowers and rises well and is wider than some I have seen, a plus for me. The visor attaches to the unit via small "pegs" on the headset and holes in the visor. The visor is not very ridged, and the unit came with no written material except a warning about what it would not protcet you from. Not a bad piece, just does not stand out from the competition at all.

I have finally given up on finding some comfortable goggles that would fit over my glasses. This face shield turned out to be a good solution. Easily adjustable to one's head size (I have a large head), the visor provides much better vision than goggles. You can flip the visor up when you need to inspect your work more closely. The only problem I have encountered using the face shield is that my ear muffs no longer can go on my ears comfortably. I have since switched to ear plugs. Good value.

This is a good alternative to the more expensive clear base with the 2-1/2" hole (that item was backordered and this standard base plate is usually available for less). Just enlarge the hole so it's big enough for larger bits like the the 1/2" roundover, and you can use all the larger 1/2" shank edge forming bits that wouldn't fit through the standard base plate hole. There's still enough meat around the six outer holes if you enlarge the hole to about 1-5/8" with a forstner bit or a holesaw on a drill press. It won't give you a huge hole like the 2-1/2" model, so you can't use a big slot-cutter, but you'll save money over the specialty clear base plate.

This is the standard Porter Cable base plate for most 690 & 890 series routers.

This base is mainly used in conjunction with Porter Cable or similar generic template guides for pattern work. Porter Cable has the industry standard for template guides & there's a good reason... they work.

The center opening is a bit small for anything over a 1 inch diameter bit, so if you're going to be using a large roundover, chamfer, ogee or any other large bit, you're going to need another sub base. Large opening sub bases can easily be made from lexan or polycarbonate materials of 1/4" to 1/2" thickness.

These bases are specifically made for Porter Cable routers, but with a little engineering, you can adapt it for use with other routers.

This base is black with some holes for viewing your work, but I much prefer a clear base.

If you do a lot of template guided routing, you need one of these bases (along with a good set of template guides).

Ordered this table and got to me just fine. However it did take a bit of time to assemble. The good side of that is now I know how everything goes together if it should break someday. Some that reviewed this item found the bit hard to change, My guess is they are incompitent. I have had no trouble with any of the operations or features with this product. Either myself or one of my crew use the table once or twice a week. My advice, buy the tool that works right the first time, this is one of them.

First off I must say I purchased this table because LOWES had put them on clearance for $138.00 and I thought, what the heck.
I have several BOSCH tools and have been pleased with all of them. I have found this table to be handy to have in the field and serves me well during various remodeling tasks. I have a 1617EVS under the table and have not experienced any of the bit changing or fence issues others have posted. I've run edges on MDF for flat door panels, made trim from composite Tuff Board as well as pine and various other trim carpentry applications and I not have had any issues or complaints with the table. The real plus I feel is it's size and portability factor. It takes up little room in the truck and I take it to every job where I find I use it for something. While my tasks are not as demanding as cabinetmaking, I suspect the table could be used for those tasks if properly set up and adjusted. I did however have my buddy make an aluminum mounting plate to replace the composite plate supplied. Not because of a specific problem, I just felt it was a need "upgrade". All in all, I feel it was a worthwhile purchase.

Home Depot has the table and stand assembled for $175, so I took a chance. I was very nervous due to the bad reviews. Here's what I've found. First off, the Bosch 1617evspke does not mount on the 'b' plate with the 'j' pattern as described. It drove me nuts. Just align the 3 tapered head screws to base plate 'b', forget the 'j' pattern. It can only go on one way. The above the table depth adjustment works great. The fence is a bit complicated, but is otherwise excellent. I want to address a couple of issues that concerned some other reviewers. One is base plate flex. There is none. The base plate is suspended on EIGHT screws. There is no room to flex! I'll bet the reviewer who complained about base flex never took the time to properly adjust the height of the support screws. Second is the difficulty of changing bit. This is true if you are used to lifting the router/plate assembly out every time. However, that's not the design of this table. Simply take the motor assembly out of the base form under the table, change the bit, stick it back in. Takes 2 seconds. Don't mess with the fence. This is an excellent table, and not deserving of some of the criticisms. I would check the local Homedepot since they have much better price.

I wonder if there's something wrong with the clamps on a batch of these. We bought this a couple years ago and never really used it much. Just started trying to use it in earnest this evening and I will add my "paper falls off" woes to the group.

I tried about ten times with a number of different types of sandpaper - it seems that the clamps tighten down when you pull up on the lever, but in order to lock the levers into place they "relax" just a little bit and the paper doesn't hold in place well. Just a tiny bit of sideways motion and yep, paper starts to slide right off...

Sounds like they've had this model forever - maybe it's time the old B&D spent some money on R&D and upgraded their product a little bit.

Looks like it goes on the garage sale pile and it's time to try out another...

I came to the website looking to see if B&D still made this puppy. I bought mine in '84, and have been diligently beating it to death ever since. My first house - total gut job. Used the sander on everything. Second house, much better, lots of woodwork and moldings, and a built-in wet bar all done in cherry.

I built a 20 foot long work bench and LOTS of cabinets for the garage/workshop. A couple of kid's furniture projects later, bookselves, desks and dollhouses - the thing started making a very loud rattling noise.

Its the same top bearing issue mentioned before. Its not really a bearing at all, just a weird metal donut that started to melt the inside of the plastic case. And after only 20 years! What a piece of junk, huh?

Yes, I would love to have kept more skin on my knuckles, but I do change the paper often, and those teeny little levers are a joke. Mine never let go of the paper, though. You've got me a little worried.

I've had good and bad experiences with B&D. Their belt sanders are about as sturdy as a styrofoam cup. Had one two months and it crapped out.

I've got other sanders, but this one has the right weight, the right size and (until last week), the right level of invincibility I need from powertools.

I think I'll risk it and go drop another 25 bucks - the same price it was in '84. I'll let you know in 2025 if it was worth it.

I've had this sander for more than 15 years! I sanded everything from cars to sheetrock! I can't count the times I've dropped it, and it still worked. The felt pad has worn completely off to the base. I just placed an order for a new one for $25.00 it's not worth fixing it, or maybe if I make the time to find the parts. All around sander, light weight no frills.

I purchased the 2400-PSI spray painter, and wanted to let you know I found the product dreadful. (The lower power 1600-PSI would be even worse with this problem).

Without warning, the spray would start "spitting". I spent hours of effort and time making spray adjustments; making sure the can was full; making sure the sprayer was level; using different attachments; cleaning the heads; with no improvement. I am confident they manufacture an inferior product and could not recommend this to anyone. With all the mess and time of cleanup, I was further convinced I wasted my money.

I came to grips that their product was useless when I realized I was painting as much with my roller fixing the blotches, as I was spray painting. I put away the painter, grabbed my roller and painted two rooms in about 1/2 the time, with a lot less mess to clean up.

After sharing my experience with some friends, several said that is typical of the product. (Too bad the advertising leads one to believe otherwise.) Sorry, but I will discourage anyone I talk to from buying a Wagner paint product.

...I finally finished the job after 1.) switching to the quart container and ditching the tubes that fed into a gallon can 2.) adding the Floetrol additive from Home Depot to prevent the clogging & splattering 3.) called Wagner for support. I do have to say Wagner's support was excellent. That's the only reason I gave it 3 stars instead of 2. I agreed to try a few things before requesting a replacement unit although I probably didn't have to. The rep gave me her direct extension and needless to say, I did end up calling her back and requesting the replacement. This was before I added the Floetrol which made all the difference in the world. I'd also learned not to hold the button down for more than 8-10 seconds at a time. You can't leave the unit sitting for more than 3 - 4 minutes or the paint will dry and clog it up. A quick rinse of the internal parts fixed that, but it was a pain. I ended up finishing the job with the old unit. A brand new unit arrived from Wagner the next day. All in all, I'm glad I had it, despite the problems. A brush or roller would have taken much, much longer. This review is on the 2-speed 2200 PSI version.

I've painted my 21' sailboat, my travel trailer and now am painting my house interior with this gun. It's easy to use and does a super job. I can't believe all the negative comments I see here. I've never tried the additive mentioned. It is a bugger to clean up, but it saves so much time in painting and does such a good job that a little clean up isn't a big deal. I'm a videographer, not a handyman, so if I have good results with this tool, you should too.

The Dremel Scroll Saw that I received was defective, and previously owned. As received the saw would not run. I removed the access covers to evaluate the problem. During this operation I discovered tool marks made your provious customer when he tried to evaluate/repair the defect.

The defect was a misinstalled auxillary drive arm. This was an original assembly positioning error. This indicated that the misassembled saw was not tested by the original manufacturer.

I have corrected the misassembly and the saw appears to function correctly.

I think the following actions are required:
1. Develop a basic quality assurance program with your suppliers.
2. Change your operation pattern to assume that when a customer returns a produce, it returned for a reason and not because he is an idiot that likes to ship things back.

I had mine now for good month and I been working with it quite a bit. I find the vibration at higher speed to be so much so that it will be impossible to do any delicate work.

I bought mine at Home Depot and I am going to return it tommorow, this saw is a disappointment for a name brand saw.

I got one of these saws that had been refurbished from Ebay. I believe it was the best buy I could have made with the money I had. I had used the scroll saw DeWalt makes(roughly $400) before. Amazingly, this Dremel compares beautifully, with only slightly more vibration. Blade changes are quick and easy, with simple thumb screws. The saw comes with a vacuum port, light, and blower, none of which the higher priced DeWalt had.
The light and power switches are both very convenient and upfront.
Also, the 5 inch sanding disc is handy for small jobs.
One disadvantage is that while moving a piece on the sanding disc table, the table may leave a black mark on your work. The mark is easily sanded off, but it is still somewhat annoying.

Overall, the saw is an excellent one, especially considering the price. I give it 4.5 stars.

I prefer brass. The Porter Cable guides are fine, they install easily, center easily, and perform flawlessly,, Most of the time. Just once in a while though, they fail completely. Steel, no matter how you protect it, will eventually corrode. Mine turned white and rusted, not all over, but on one side or the other. My guides often get removed from the case and hauled out to the job-sites while attached to the router. Early, foggy mornings and those sudden summer-time cloud bursts, expose my tools to far more of the elements than I like. So maybe,, it's my fault. But brass just hasn't let me down yet.

Search "brass template guide set" and be amazed at the difference in price and the fact of the quality of these "no-brand" guides. Occasionally you may need to shine them up a little, but being solid brass, that's not a big problem. I've used both steel and brass on door hinge templates, dovetail templates, stair tread templates and strike plate templates. Brass just slides easier, smoother. On dovetail templates, especially plastic and soft aluminum the brass guides show less wear on the surfaces that the guides contact.

I'm sorry P.C. ,,, I can't recommend these guides.

I saw a review with a problem, the steel guides were too long and reached past the bottom of the dovetail template. With brass you can simply file the guide down to size to get the right length. Simple.

I've had a 42000 template guide kit since the mid 1990's. The set works OK, but my advice is to buy another brand. The P/C kit comes in a cheap & fragile hard plastic case that must have cost all of ten cents to make and the components are held in place with inexpensive cardboard separators. In addition, after a dozen years or so, every component in my set had corroded terribly -- the metal looked similar to very old aluminum storm windows, pits and all. It's not clear why this happened, since they've never been outside the basement workshop, and no other tools corroded. There is so much corrosion, there is significant resistance when screwing on the lock-nuts. Steel wool reduced the roughness of the corrosion, but the pieces still look dreadful.

The three largest guides in the P/C set are too long for numerous dovetail jigs, such as the Leigh jig. It's possible to modify them to work with these jigs, by hack-sawing the excess length off the offending guides, flatten the cut end on a grinder and sanding the edge smooth. A no-cost approach.

If you want steel guides, the Milwaukee's 49-54-0700 set comes with a nice case, and the steel finish looks a whole lot better than P/C's. Unfortunately, the three largest guides in the Milwaukee set are also too long for many dovetail jigs

In any case, brass is a better material for guides than steel, because brass glides slide more smoothly against a jig, and brass is easier on a rotating router bit if it ever touches a guide. Once, near a day's end of routing doors for hinges, my template's locking ring came loose, allowing the guide to touch the spinning bit, and the locking ring to rub against the router-bit lock nut. Since the guide and ring were brass, no noticeable damage to the bit or router occurred. Had I been using any steel template with a steel locking ring, the bit or router could have been damaged. Try "brass router template" via Goggle - and buy a kit made of solid brass, in a decent case, for less money than this set. Also check out the Woodstock International H3134 Brass Bushing set at Amazon.

The Tempalte Guide Kit is a perfect match with the Porter Cable router. The guides fit perfectly in the router base.

I bought this drill after my old Makita was stolen. I thought it would be made in either the U.S. or Germany--Malaysia is not in Germany. This tool is a piece of JUNK. It is loud, but does not have any power. I have since bought a Milwakee, and the Bosch sits on the shelf gathering dust. Don't waste your money.

I bought this as I was very impressed with their jig saw, which I have had for 3 years. This drill is a very weak product and I would not recommmend it for anything other then extremely light use. I am contractor and this tool was getting lots of use for fast, light drilling jobs. For the heavy jobs we use our 1/2" milwaukee. After three months the internal reduction gear stripped while drilling a 3/4" hole (this drill is specified to handle up to a 1" wood hole). I considered it bad luck and replaced the gear for $... 3 months later the cord shorted out where it enters the drill. Again changed same and then 2 months later the chuck broke. I was very disappointed with this drill.

I recently purchased the Bosch 1005VSRK drill. I have a Bosch jig saw and am very happy with it. I figured the drill would be the same quality as the jig saw. Wrong! When I tested my new drill I found that about 50% of the time it would start smoothly and slowly as a variable speed drill should. I found that the other 50% of the time the drill would hesitate then suddenly start up with quite a bit of torque and the speed would be fast. There seemed to be no way of knowing which way the drill would start which is a pain if you're trying to start a hole in a very precise place. I was very unhappy with it, and returned it right away. I then did what I should have done in the first place. I bought a Milwaukee 3/8" Magnum variable speed drill. I am extremely pleased with it.

In regard to the Bosch drill I've learned that this unit is made in Malaysia, and it doesn't seem to be up to Bosch standards. When it comes to this tool you better pass this dog up.

I purchased on of these at Lowes for $90. Initially I attempted to used it in the horizontal position. With only very light pressure the speed would slow down drasticaly. When I removed the piece of wood I was working on the belt speed remained reduced and the motor began to smoke. On attempting to restart the motor the rpm's remained low and I shut it off before it started smoking again. I had to start the sander with the belt disengaged and then re-engage the belt. On attempting to use the sander in a vertical position, I found that the platen would not stay vertical to the table surface. There was about 10 degrees of play in it. When I returned it to Lowes the tool manager showed me in the operating instrucions that the platen is set to vertical with respect to the FINGER GUARD, not the table. I couldn't believe it. Delta expects you to use the 1 inch wide finger guard and not the table as a work surface when sanding at 90 deg.. Pathetic. Thank goodness Lowes took it back in retun or I would have had a very expensive boat anchor.

I got this unit to sand 2 x 4 cedar for a play set. I got the unit home and desovered that half the wholes for the guards were not threaded. So I spent an hour tapping them and assembling the guards. Then I plugged it in and.....nothing.
I returned it and got a new unit, within 10min the belt was slipping and a strong smell of burning rubber was smelled. then I had to hand turn the belt when switching on the unit to get it started.
It has a cheap clutch and a cheap motor. save your money and buy somthing better like the Model 31-695 (That is what I plan on doing)

Seeing as how I paid under $80 for my unit at a holiday closeout/clearance sale in a local home center, my rating of "5 Stars" is directly relevant to that key fact. Well-packed from the factory, easy to assembly, minimal adjustments required, good instruction book. Really light in weight given it's size and it's reasonably quiet too. Low or no vibration and I used mine clamped onto a B&D Workmate with no problems. The miter and fence assemly is a bit too loose in the track and so it has a tendency to slip right out. But, once I realized it did, I was more deliberate using it and didn't have any further problems with it. I did not experience any problems with the belt portion during operation -- no walking or chatter. It did a really good job of sanding a 6" cutdown piece of Douglas Fir rough planking. The end result was a very smooth, uniform surface all the way around including the ends. All-in-all, this is a well-made and very solid-performing, low-priced piece of equipment for a small, cramped and tight-budgeted shop like mine. Be mindful of your actual needs and your means when choosing this type of unit. It's probably not a wise choice for heavy or frequent use.