HPR: The worst tool I've ever owned--Harbor Freight Bauer Band Saw 

*takes a deep breath* I’m here to share my harrowing endeavor with the Bauer Portable Bandsaw.... well first of all I picked it up and oh the pain I’m pretty sure my poor little baby arms will never be the same ever again, it was just oh so heavy. And as I dealt with the searing weight of my awful tool purchases I set to work because, alas as my baby arms screamed the work had to be done. So I hefted this behemoth up and started cutting. As my strength faded and I neared the end of my 2” cut I felt this monster binding up, it would have been easy to let it bind all the way up, but alas I understand how saws work and instead I repositioned a bit until it was out of a bind, surely I barely escaped with my life! The cut finished I dropped to the ground to nurse the awful burning in my arms. I sobbed, “Why GOD?! Why did you give me such baby arms?” And then all of a sudden I remembered... I’m a welder that lifts all sorts of metal and gas bottles and on second thought my arms don’t hurt at all... ya know because I’m not a poon... thank you for hearing my tale of woe and misery

You got one that was made on a Monday or Friday. Had the same thing happen on first use with the Dewalt. So does that mean I should throw a fit a drop it?

I just bought my 10 amp variable speed band saw from Harbor Freight. I watched your video the other day. I unboxed it this morning, I opened the case, there was the owners manual. I started to read through the manual, low and behold there’s the parts hotline phone#. So, I called, and young lady answered. She’s sending two new guide blocks, along with all new guide bearings and hardware. I’ll have a spare set, just in case. I’m looking forward to enjoying my new tool!

I've used mine for 2 years cutting knife steel, up to 1/4" stock on a weekly basis and never one problem. Mine is stationary on a swag table, maybe that's the difference, Manually holding the saw and moving it without any guide will snap a blade in a second and that goes for Bauer, Dewalt, Milwaulkee, or any porta band for that matter. I did have to buy a guide bearing and I called Harbour Freight they directed me to Bauer and I had the $12.00 part within 3 days. No Problems. I have 3 other friends who make knives that have a Bauer and have used them for longer than I have with no issues.

I have had bad luck with made in China Milwaukee and Dewalt as well. At this point I love my Harbor freight saw works great for me. I used to love my Milwaukee tools when they were made in the good Ol' U.S but now they are three and sometimes four times the price and all made in China. It is too bad Now I just buy cheap and when it breaks throw it away. It has made us a disposable society. I hate it but it is just what it is. My HF has done me well for $99.00.

I'm sure the problem Mr. Miller experienced was very disheartening. I know how I feel when I have high expectations for a tool I just purchased doesn't pass the mustered. With that said, I wonder why he didn't just return it to the store for a replacement since he had it less than three months? I too have this saw and it performed extremely well making nearly a hundred cuts on 3/16" x 2" cuts of angle iron. I did some earlier cuts freehand cuts but most of the cuts were with the saw mounted in the Hercules bandsaw stand. I did have one issue and that was the machine stopped working. I diagnosed the problem to be the switch and called HF. They sent me a new switch, free of charge, and in just a few days.

No problems whatsoever with mine after 2 years of use.

Mine just stopped cutting. After more than 4 years of use. I think I was covering the exhaust ports and pushing too hard. Defeatedly user err. This saw is by no means, junk. Was hoping I could find a video of someone taking one apart. Want to see if I can fix it. But at 120 bucks... its worth it.

Got one a few years ago. Mounted to a Swag plate and have used the heck out of it. the top bearing is going bad but for a saw that is $200.00 less than top-o-the-line models. I thinks its a good deal. When this one dies I'll get another.

I had a Bauer set up on a SWAG bandsaw table . It worked great & cut pretty square & was a powerful saw . Thought I was upgrading by replacing it with a Dewalt . Well the thing never had the power & try as I might it NEVER cut square or in a straight line . I'm going to give the Dewalt away to my son in law for rough cutting .

Bummer, definitely got a lemon there bud. You shouldn't buy HF power tools for "someday projects". You have to use the crap out of them right away, if they're going to fail they usually do it quickly, within a couple hours of use typically. If they survive the initial use they usually hold up pretty well, if they fail it's within the standard return window. Just return it and put the new one thru it's paces to make sure it's a "good one". Still a huge PITA if you have to run out mid project for a replacement. Sometimes they will have different item numbers for the same thing and a lot of times one will be slightly better than the other. I know this is true for the infamous $9.99 angle grinders. I believe model number 60626 is the preferred model for those. I forget the name, but there is a channel out there that does tear-downs of HF tools, and if there are multiple versions of the same item they will do a side by side tear-down.

Thanks for the video. I just decided to buy a bandsaw and toyed with the purchase of the Bauer. I decided on the Hercules HE79 at a higher price. I hope I made the right choice.

I've never been able to get parts for their tools. I prefer to fix things, rather than toss them in the garbage. So, when I called HF for the third time, only to get shot down, I decided to quit their products.

THANKS for the video! I literally bought this today - Rats! - at least it was on sale. I kindof HAVE to use this on a project because of time (and money) restraints. In your opinion, is there anything at all that could avoid that that guide block break, like making sure the bearings are lubed? I'm sure the sintered metal sucks, but maybe it was torqued down wrong at the factory? How about using a thinner/better/stronger blade? All of the above? I gotta get going on this project and will return the saw if it breaks. One thing to their credit, HF does have a pretty cool return policy for sure.

Thanks for the review. And BTW, Lagunitas IPA is my favorite beer, hands down. Good choices al around.

While I don't think anyone would say HF makes the best power tools, I'm not sure all the criticism is merited. First, there was a 90-day warranty, did the failure occur in that time frame? Second, how well was the tool set up for the material you were cutting? The harder the material the closer the guides need to be to the material, and the tighter the blade. It would be a safe bet the blade they include is junk, too. Would've been interesting to see if you had the same issues with a quality blade. tg67hj56tThe Dewalt was definitely a good call, but I believe the HF unit could provide a good value, if it's shortcomings are taken into account.

Ya I’ve had mine for years , used it quite a lot, no problem . Handy when you need it , if it brakes I’ll get another . Still be less than the Milwaukee. Only had one problem with there stuff, not bad for after 15t years . Ya some of there stuff sure isn’t the best I agree.

When I buy a tool from them and it craps out prematurely I go buy another, wait a day and take the broken one back with the new receipt and get my money back. If you’re lucky, they throw your broken return in the dumpster out back and you can grab it after hours for parts 🤣

Think of it as pre-purchasing a case for your Dewalt bandsaw... for $100! Lol.

I have had mine for about 2 years use mine about every day no problems

I bought one of these, too. Wish I'd have applied my 100 bucks to a decent saw. Tracking on mine is way off, no way I can find to adjust. Difficult to make accurate, square cuts. It's simply a junk Chinese tool. But heck, from a distance it looks just like a Milwaukee!

I bought one a few months ago and made a platform for it. I cant believe how loud this thing is.

Harbor Freight is not worth it! When I first went in there several years ago, I was kind of impressed. I learned pretty quickly that what you pay is what you get. Not worth it!

You do know that they warranty their stuff for ninety days , no questions asked , right ?? When it broke the day you got it , why did you not just return it ??

I have 2 of them and both get used hard. I think this is 100% anecdotal, and I think you know it is so you intentionally put out clickbait. Good job

You had it for a month, but instead of returning the defective saw, you post a video and trash talk it….ok

Saw a Harbour Freight store on our quick get-away and just had to laugh as I thought of your video!!!

If it is a clone of a milwaukee, just buy the part from them.

lets see..... you said you could make the part but YOU didn't want to bother with it? for that tool!

Dewalt over Bauer? No way!!!. Stop abusing your bauer tools...so heavy handed😊😅

I’ve owned mine for years with no problem whatsoever. I think your problem is user error, sounds like you bound it up causing it to break. Any time I buy a tool from harbor freight I always buy the two year warranty, which in a case like yours you could have taken it back and got a brand new one. I think I paid $30 for my warranty. Like I said I be had mine for a long time and I use it a lot with no problem others than replacing the cheap HF blades with really good ones. Sometimes we need to know our limitations and if we don’t know what leaver A does, Leaver B.

Any tried this part? It looks the same. 94396-085ASM Bearing Guide Block 1 for WEN 94396

Why not just make a new guide block yourself. You said you like projects and to make things

I guess don't even consider doing the logical thing (return it) when you can make a video whining about it.

Just take it back

Waw waw waw 😫