Finally had a chance to try out my Harborfreight dual action polisher. I bought it in June in Houston.

Upon opening the box it was missing a screw in handle...hmmm they seem to have got the extra brushes in the kit.

When I powered it, it vibrated but would not spin.

I also tried a composite block sander from Princess Auto. It has a complex 3 part lever for opening the clamp for holding the paper. It makes placing the paper a snap... problem is it won't hold the paper. It slides out after a few strokes.

Moral of the story...beware crap from China and try it in the store first before committing.

I'm seeing some masochism here...

Curious - are you lumping everything from Asia in to "China" or do these two products have "Made in China" labels?

Made in China... most of Asia is ok (including Taiwan and vestiges of Hong Kong)....Mainland China is absolutely alien...been there and worked there.