HF 5" Double Cut Saw

Great advise, I couldn't agree more. Lots of good deals mixed in with some serious junk.
The secret of happy buying at Harbor Freight is in reading the reviews. Go online to the HF website and look at the item you are contemplating. Don't just look at how many stars it has. Read all the reviews. Some items have poor reviews because the idiots that bought it did not read the instructions, have no clue how to use it, and quickly say it is a POS. Other items have five star reviews but the owner has never used the tool! Read all the reviews carefully and make your own decision. After learning this, I will not buy anything from HF without reading the reviews. The last thing I bought without reading the reviews was a vise. After I got it home I read the reviews, which were awful. People talked of opening the box and finding a jaw broken off. Others broke off a jaw with a gentle tightening. That was enough for me, and I returned the vise with the box unopened. I also learned my lesson. When I read the reviews, like what I read, and buy it at a good price on sale, I am always a satisfied customer. Do your homework first, Caveat Emptor...

Oh, by the way. Only buy the stock number that you read the review for, not a "similar" item. I have a HF only a couple miles from me, so it is easy for me to work their system. They have a lot of crap, and also some great deals on inexpensive stuff. Your job is to determine the difference.
 
Harbor freight is hit and miss do your research and go to the store and lay your hands on the tool you wish to buy. HF changes tools all the time so some items have 2-3 different item numbers for the same tool. There is HF pass and fail tool threads out there that can be helpful garage journal has a large one people post to everyday.
 
Bob Korves has given excellent advise on reading the reviews. I'd go a step further. Goggle the hf item with the item number. Read about what people have used it for and the mods. That has helped many times. Mark
 
I purchased this double saw from HF for $49, with a coupon, to use for cutting metal. First, for those that say the saw burns up on the first use, it very well may, if you don't first break the saw in. To break the saw in I put Hi Temp Lithium Grease with Teflon between the blades then ran the saw for about 10 minutes with NO Load.


I also found that the main problem with this saw is it does not have a base plate so cutting a straight line for any distance is not going to happen unless you have a hand far better than mine. To remedy this problem, I constructed a stainless 16 gauge metal base plate to fit the saw; being able to TIG weld was definitely an asset. Then I attached my baseplate to a "Kreg Rip-Cut" adjustable saw guide, which allows me to make quick and accurate straight cuts up to 24" wide or I can just run the base along a straight edge. I have now used this saw to make numerous cuts on metal, completely using up a 4'X8' sheet of 16 gauge steel. I have also cut many feet of 1/8" aluminum plate and 18 gauge stainless sheet steel. So far the saw is still going strong and the blades still zip through 16 gauge steel like butter. I understand these saws will cut through much heavier steel, but for those purposes I just use my chop saw, torch or plasma cutter. I purchased this saw because I wanted a quick and easy way to make straight cuts through sheet and for that it works great. The two counter rotating blades must be lubricated using included lubricating sticks, which look like some type of polymer. With this blade design there is no kick back. When making long cuts the blades get hot so if you don't keep them properly lubricated I am sure you will end up ruining the blades and probably the saw. For my use the saw has already paid for itself and if it does fail one day I will buy another.

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Dragonheart,
I do not have HF but it has the same weakness no foot plate. I was thinking of doing the same as you, just haven't got to it yet. Like you, I never pland on using mine to cut thicker steel. .25 tops and I also see it for use on what can't be cut in the band saw. To me the position of the on off switch make it a bit clumssy also. But all in all I like the tool for the nitch it fills for me.
Mark
 
Dragonheart,
I do not have HF but it has the same weakness no foot plate. I was thinking of doing the same as you, just haven't got to it yet. Like you, I never pland on using mine to cut thicker steel. .25 tops and I also see it for use on what can't be cut in the band saw. To me the position of the on off switch make it a bit clumssy also. But all in all I like the tool for the nitch it fills for me.
Mark

Actually, I made my base out of stainless scrap so the cost was almost nothing but time spent. You are right the switch is a pain as I found it required two hand operation to use the saw without the baseplate, probably a good idea for safety reasons. However, once my baseplate was installed you have a stable base so the saw no longer has the tendency to roll, making it easy to use one handed and push in on the switch. This saw is now my "go to" for sheetmetal.
 
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