I know we're getting a little off the subject here, but know that Robin engines are better than Honda; and as for lawn mowers, Honda ones are involved in a lawsuit along with Briggs and Husqvarana and a couple others for giving out bogus specs for their engines. Robin is part of Subaru and I have one I am putting on a bike, hopefully next week, if I get the mount system by then. I have run the engine already and it is quite remarkable, in that it is quieter than the Honda, puts out the same power, and the stats show it's more reliable. Robin has also been going after the go-cart market for small engines and the only problems they have encountered has been with the clutches, but the factory reps have been on it to find out the problems and fix them. The rental places were a bit wary at first, but found the Subaru engines to be more dependable and quieter, the only problems being the clutches. And this was something like a year ago, when I first started looking for small engines. About HF tools - I also have been surprised now and then with the better than expected quality of some of their tools. I am using a half-inch drill that has outlasted a Ryobi for less than a third the latter's price. But I also bought a Rigid, which is a lot better than the cheap HF, and for those jobs requiring the power it has, it can't be beat. BTW the bits that came with the HF drill were a joke - they couldn't even put a good hole in cardboard, much less drill through Aluminum (- the head of my 250, changing an exhaust stud). I expect to get something like 275 to 300 miles to the gallon with this engine and my little baby hydrogen genereator, built just for it. If I had some research money and assistance from Robin I would up the compression of the little thing and water inject it, for around - I estimate - 450 miles to the gallon. Stanley
________________________________ From: Kyle Munz <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sun, July 25, 2010 10:03:36 PM Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] tool theft I no longer do PC repair full time so I've gone back to a regular magnetic screwdriver. For the majority of my tools I usually go to Harbor Freight because it's cheap, or Home Depot because it's close. I don't expect much out of the HF tools, but I've been surprised by some too. Cheap and they've lasted longer than I expected. I picked up a gimicky wobble headed ratchet from them a few years ago. It didn't look very sturdy but it was cheap so I gave it a try. That's the first one I reach for each time and it's still going strong after several hours of wrenching on the cars and bikes. I traded in the old weed eater and bought an Echo. Straight shaft and it starts on 3rd pull. I picked up spare heads for it at the time I bought it so I'm not worried about it anymore. The lawnmower I've still got but I've torn it down a couple of times and rebuilt it. Underneath that Craftsman badging was a cheap tecumseh engine which isn't very stock anymore. I keep threatening to buy a toro or honda mower but instead I keep rebuilding this one... -Kyle On Sun, Jul 25, 2010 at 9:17 PM, stanley/ Randolph <[email protected]> wrote: Being as I buy commercial line trimmers, I don't have that problem. I go to one of the local shops to replace or repair what I can not do myself. I can get a new head for my Shindaiwa trimmer for around $40 and replace it myself. I have two heads now, one which feeds the line automatically without the bump thing; and the other, a bump head, which is the original and is starting to exhibit an imbalance, which means time for a new one. >My Shindaiwa is like over 20years old and still starts on the third pull, and >I >have used it for doing lawns commercially. I have an Ariens 30" hedge clipper >that I bought in 1988 and it still starts the third pull. Of course, I use >Amsoil two stroke oil for lawn equipment... >Other things, I usually buy commercial grade because I know that almost all of >the merchandise they sell today is made mostly for the homeowner to use on a >single job or two around the house and then sit and collect dust, until out of >warranty, and then you use it maybe a year or two down the line and it gives >up. >WallyWorld does sell Stanley hand tools, which are good and reasonably priced, >but the warranty thing is still the problem. I do not wear out tools like I >used to, so the best bet for the money is the Stanley sets at WW or Pittsburg >at >Harbor Frgt. >If you want a good small driver for working on computers all day I would get >a Makita, Bosch, or Rigid, the latter which you can get guaranteed for life >free >online after purchase. Bosch makes some of their stuff in China now, but it >must meet the German specs or gets rejected. A friend of mine who ownd a >fastener business sell mostly US made, but deals with suppliers who buy >Chinese, >but to their specs. They have to inspect every shipment and if it doesn't >pass >muster they reject iot and send it back. Their Chinese suppliers have learned >not to try to pass something off on them. In those cases, Chinese is >grudgingly >acceptable to my friend. > >I have broken off or rounded out many screws or screwheads from Lowe's or >home >Depot, or WallyWorld until I found out he sells sheetrock, wood, and sheet >metal screws: no more broken screws or rounded out heads.. And that's not >mentioning the poor quality and ridiculous price for bits at those places... > >Stanley > > > > > > ________________________________ From: Kyle Munz <[email protected]> > >To: [email protected] >Sent: Sun, July 25, 2010 5:33:30 PM > >Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] tool theft > > >Bad customer service is usually the first sign that a nat'l chain is about to >go >under. They used to sell a small electric screwdriver. I've never seen another >one that small and handy. Not much power, but perfect amount of torque for >working on PCs. I was using one 8hours a day but they would only last around >4-5 >mos. I'd take it back and swap it out. The third one they decided not to >replace >for me. They decided I was being too rough on it. I guess I wasn't supposed to >use it to turn screws. > >I also had a Craftsman brand lawnmower that essentially was crap. Again same >customer service problems, trying to get them to own up to their own faulty >products. >My favorite is that you can no longer get parts through their retail stores. >You >have to find one of their warehouses or repair centers which are always >inconveniently placed. Why the !#$% can't I order another head for my weed >eater >where I bought it? Would it kill them to have it at the store the next day for >me to pick up? Really? > >-Kyle > > > >On Sun, Jul 25, 2010 at 4:34 PM, stanley/ Randolph <[email protected]> wrote: > >Was it Sears or was it K-Mart? Or did they just do a mutual merger? I never >heard the whole story. But you're right, it's not the same, and they >outsource >their appliance repair now, and have sold off their fleet of trucks and vans. >>I see now that you still have a choice between made here or made in China, >>mostly in self-defense. But the China goods don't have the lifetime warranty. >> >>Stanley >> >> >> >> >> ________________________________ From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> >> >>To: [email protected] >>Sent: Sun, July 25, 2010 8:43:16 AM >>Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] tool theft >> >> >>Sears is not what it once was. Keep in mind they were bankrupt just a few >>years >>ago and now are part of Kmart. >> >>Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry >> >>-- >>You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>"Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. >>To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>[email protected]. >>For more options, visit this group at >>http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. >> >> >> >>-- >>You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>"Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. >>To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>[email protected]. >>For more options, visit this group at >>http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. >> >-- >You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >"Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. >To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >[email protected]. >For more options, visit this group at >http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. > > >-- >You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >"Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. >To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >[email protected]. >For more options, visit this group at >http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en.
