I've been using an old Harbor Freight Chicago Electric rototool that's about 15 years old and has seen some pretty heavy use. I'd already gone through one shaft and though the replacement was still going strong, I started smelling something electrical during use that wasn't normal. So, I decided to retire it and invest in a new one.I purchased the 560W version (the orange one), opting for the greater power and the metallic rotoshaft instead of the rubberized one I had before.In setting it up, I did notice that the cords were very short compared to the Chicago Electric one, coming in at about a foot shorter. It was too short to directly plug in and replace where I had my previous rototool. I had some spare 1 foot extension cords (the kind used to separate out power chargers on a single power strip), which closed the gap, so I made due. But if you have a distance to go for plugging in, this may not be long enough.Firing it up I was (and am) a bit concerned about the foot pedal. It's a lot bigger, but also a lot less sturdy than the Chicago Electric. But the CE version doesn't have a grounded plug to the new rototool. So I gave it a try (I can always swap out the cords if I get that motivated).The new rototool is actually quieter in operation, and somewhat smoother. I only ran it long enough to ensure that under usual conditions, there wasn't any stutter in the shaft. That's always an indication of insufficient lubrication (for those of you who may have experienced that with these) unless you're bending it at an extreme angle. Some white grease will fix that right up, but be sure to remove the old grease from the shaft cable as best you can before applying new grease.The one thing that made this four, instead of three, stars is that it's a 1/4" chuck. For a rototool, that's huge. It literally opens up all of the accessories that a small power drill has that come with 1/4" shafts. I had bought some roto sanding drums, but they were 1/4" and didn't fit my old one. Now I
charlotte 
