Harvey Woodworking "stain-less

[Warped Woodwerks]

Not sure if this has already been discussed, but I've been away from woodworking for a hot minute, so pardon me if this has already been talked about.

I was recently looking around for some tools, because I am a window shopper, and I came across this "fancy marketing" from Harvey Woodworking.

"Stain-less" tools. Ha.. nice
Obviously, at a VERY quick glance, I thought they were making stainless steel tools (tops, etc.), but obviously they are not.

What are your thoughts on this (the sly marketing & playing)?

 

[tvrgeek]

Well, they do rather clearly say "nickel plating" right there. I think that is a big upgrade from their TiN gold stuff that failed. Compared to You-Tube click bait, not as strait up as we like but not as shady as most. Good tools by the way.

 

[Wilsoncb]

I like the idea but it seems like they are using “stain-less” to get your attention. There’s a few varieties of nickel plating they could have used. Either way you have to put copper on it first to get the nickel to stick. I’d like to see the salt fog test results.

Either way at least Harvey are trying new things to make improvements. Most companies are more focused on cost reduction that ultimately knock a few years off the life of their products.

 

[bob vaughan]

Nickel plating from China. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[danmart77]

This is not woodworking. The post belongs in Power tools...

 

[tvrgeek]

Nickel plating from China. What could possibly go wrong?

Quality depends on the oversite of the brand. They can make trash, they can make best of the best. I am all for bashing bad quality when you get it, but not for uninformed bias.
Good or bad we will have to wait and see. At least they are trying something new. Power tools do need some new thinking.

 

[bob vaughan]

Power tools do need some new thinking.

Maybe they can try a granite table top.

 

[tvrgeek]

Maybe you know, it was tried on table saws and failed. Ridgid brand.

 

[oldtexasdog]

I went to order a Alpha Table Saw with a router extension and was told I could not get the cast iron ( they said discontinued )and had to take a SS top????? There cast iron option shows sold out and the SS option is 200 more!
I would guess it would be lighter and therefore easier to assemble but other than that and shipping (which they still charge a arm and leg for) I see no benefits. I would think you still have to treat the top with a wax or Carbon. Anyone got one of their new ones and have any thoughts on it?

 

[tvrgeek]

You may still want to wax the top for smoothness. Harvey shipping is quite reasonable. Check what door to door for tonnage costs. Shipping has skyrocketed for everything. I guess some companies raise the price so it lowers the apparent shipping. They have to come from the West coast and curb delivery is always higher than dock as they often have to off-load to a truck with a liftgate. Having all the cast iron plated as they say it is, not just the top, is a significant quality upgrade even for those of us with HVAC shops. What I wonder about is the surface finish. My old Alpha was pretty rough milling and I had to hone it down. If you don't like what Harvey has to sell, we all (probably) recommend the Saw Stop. Good saw. Or you can buy a Grizzly ( many made by Harvey) Jet, Powermatic... I see they have also worked on the dust collection, miter and fence. I like some of the improvements on the BS compared to my first gen C14. ( which I still really like)

 

[Oka]

Harvey makes some very nice tools. The best value imho are their Ambassador Bandsaw and their table saws. They got their start as the sub manufacturer for Laguna

 

[oldtexasdog]

Oh I am sure I will be happy with it as I have never had the pleasure of working with anything other than a Craftsman contractor saw and a PC 1001 hand held plunge router. I was just curious as to why all of a sudden they discontinued the cast iron on the router for Stainless steel. I guess time will tell as there are no reviews on the new table tops that I could find.