So I was looking at this months ad, and there is a sale this weekend and I need a few tools to pick up.

Front page they advertise a scroll saw for 50 bucks. Should I stay away from this or will it be decent and not break apart on me? It will mostly be cutting plastic and metal (nothing think)

Also what are your opinions on the die grinders?

I'm not knocking HF. But...

Harbor Freight is the Dr Lenards,Carol Wright, (insert inferior catalog name here) of tool stores

I would buy knowing that the tool is less than reliable, but if I needed something quick, fast, and for minimal use, that would be my first choice rather than spending 3 to 5 times as much.

I'm sure some of their tools are better than others. The delta will be higher quality than the Central Machinery. At 1/2 the price of name brand. Well...

As for the electric die grinders. If you are talking about the 4 1/2", they are for LIGHT(and I mean LIGHT) duty. They sometimes come with an extra set of brushes, that you will have to change after a few hours of use. They aren't made for continuous use and can overheat and melt the brush holder if you try grinding something like steel or if you bear down too hard.

I've bought several tools. In the end, you get what you pay for. Just keep that in mind.

Most of everything they sell is cheap knock-off...as you probably already guessed. And, most of the things I've bought were a waste of money (even at the very cheap price).

I have had a few good deals though. I bought a finishing air brad nailer for around $19 that has been great. For the most part I haven't had any bad experiences with any of the air tools. The metal bending/brakes have all failed to work for me. I have the 19x9 lathe which is OK...although I'm spending a lot of time making it OK.

I agree that you get what you pay for, but sometimes you do get lucky.

I would consider looking at grizzly. Many of the tools they sell are identical but they generally have a little better quality stuff...even if to compare which ones might be good deals at HF.

If your looking to keep the cost down and want quality you could always try craigslist http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/search/tls?query=scroll&minAsk=min&maxAsk=max

i tend to buy with the intent on using the castings after it breaks. i have had good luck re machining and replacing bearings. kind of like buying a kit that you get to play with then making what you want after it breaks with the castings.