That seems to be a very respected high end tool in the router community these days, but I'm too cheap for stuff like that unless it's bought used. My two main routers are similar era Porter Cable and Rockwell from back when everything was polished aluminum. I've recently restored and replaced all the bearings in them, but the bodies are getting a bit too "chewed up". If I'd been the original owner, they'd probably still be in mint condition, but they were bought used from a really grouchy old man who was parting out a large cabinet shop. They'd probably been through hell by the time I got them (25+ years ago!).
I have a few that ended up like your Ozito. I still use the Craftsman scroll saw I bought as a kid, and a Skil drill and circular saw bought not much later. A plastic B&D router I bought used for $15 and made into a "D-handle" ended up seeing more use than my good router. I bought it as a cheap laminate trimmer (back when those were expensive), but it was so small and maneuverable, I started using it for all light to mid-duty routing. It's amazing how many hours of use some of that cheap shit can endure when it's kept in one place and not left in the back of pickup trucks in the rain or dragged by its cord across jobsite dirt. The impression I've gotten from people who use power tools professionally (maybe not cabinet makers) is that they sort of expect to be able to abuse the stuff, which is understandable, but sometimes have little respect for it (less so when the boss does all the purchasing).
Regarding the brands, I can't even keep up with what's cheaply made now and what's not. Seems like all the main players keep buying each other, and two or three of the big ones own all the others. Seeking out NLA parts for a small 30 year old Craftsman belt/disc sander recently, I was surprised to see what was basically the same damn machine offered by companies from Delta all the way down to sub-Harbor Freight brands that I'd never heard of. Not just stuff that looked like it, but part-compatible models clearly coming from the same people with minor cosmetic differences. Replacement parts ended up coming from Grizzly.
Take Care (and sorry for all the text)
Don't apologize, I quite enjoyed reading your post. It's right about your impression of how tools are treated on the job. I'm more careful than most, but not all times are jobs on lovely concrete floors. It can be in trenches, cutting through brickwork, blockwork, concrete etc...every now and then the tool you use may not be big enough for the job, but it is still expected to perform. If it performs, it cuts the grade as a a tool worth having.
Of all the tools I have had in my time the best was a Metabo rotary hammer drill with chisel function. What a great little piece of machinery and toughness. What I put it through, it was a sad day when it finally told me it had had enough.
You are right about companies owning each other these days, it's here as well, engineering, bolt, screw and nail manufacturers are the same. The companies have been bought by other companies, and all the brand name is, is a front for importing the goods. The steel they are made from is crap, it's soft and weak. There are screws and boxes of 3" nails left in the shed here from years back....totally superior quality to what is available now. I'd forgotten what a quality nail was. The same as many power tools now, made from material and put together to throw away. Even the humble lead builders pencil has suffered in the quality department. You sharpen it, it breaks, you sharpen it, it breaks.
I have some of my dads old power tools out back, still work, but they are widow makers, solid aluminium casings and weigh a ton. The drill has no clutch...so if it grabs, you either let go, or it will twist your arm off. Or flip you on your back
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