Customer Reviews

HTC TS-9112 Tool Saver 72-by-112-Inch Jumbo Machine Cover

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let's face it. The chance of any married guy getting a new machine because the old one is rusty or dusty is pretty slim. You've got to look after what you have. With that in mind, these covers do the job well! The jumbo easily covers my table saw with outfeed or my 16" bandsaw. The fabric is heavy yet flexible, so you can easily toss it right out like spreading a blanket across your bed. Each corner has a magnet sewn in, so you can fasten it to any ferrous metal surface and it'll stay put. Dust can be shaken right off outside, and the cover protected my Laguna BS from a recent roof leak.

I used to use tarps in my old workshop, but they would hold moisture in, so I had to resort to keeping a layer of talcum powder on the surfaces of the tools to absorb some of the moisture away.

As I live in the South Jersey Pinelands, where it has been getting very humid lately, the moisture doesn't get trapped under the cover, but "breathes" right through, just like a top quality car cover, with the difference that it actually gets used regularly.

Oh, by the way, I still do the talcum powder thing, as it is an excellent non-staining lubricant for woodworking tools... better than light machine oil or waxes, both of which can stain the wood being machined.

Some how something with water in it got knocked over on the top of my table saw. Since I had the cover on, I did not realize it. You could image the sight I had when I took the cover off. A HUGE rust spot. This despite a generous coating of paste wax. So the cover might be good for keeping dirt off, but not damaging water.

I had two of these covers and decided to buy a third. Same exact model, but the new one is made of a noticeably thinner material. The magnet design has changed as well, but is still pretty much worthless. The new (thinner) ones have a green trimming, while the older (thicker) ones are trimmed in black. The thinner one still does the job, but I wonder how long it will last? I'd give these four stars normally (minus one for useless magnets), but the change to thinner material (while keeping the price pretty high) brings them down to three stars. I don't think I'll be buying another, at least not without seeing it first.

Incidentally, one nice way to side-step the weak magnets is to buy a set of small neodymium magnets (I used 1/4x1/4x1/2 from eBay) and inset them into some scraps of wood (I used 1"x 1.5"x 1/4" walnut). Use epoxy to hold the magnets in place. You can then use these to trim up the covers, make them fit the machine better, and keep them from dragging on the floor. The surrounding wood makes them a lot easier to remove and the magnetic force is distributed to a larger area, which should keep the magnets from damaging the cover.

The sewn-in magnets just don't hold at all... this is a huge improvement that's inexpensive and not difficult to do.

I have been purchasing and using faithfully, the HTC covers for a few years now and swear by them. I have listed a few things to think about. Be careful before you order these covers. Make sure the size (dimensions) is correct for your needs. You may think that a "medium" cover may work for you when if fact a large or jumbo would have fit better. You will want to have the cover drape over the object being protected, not just covering the tops.
My woodshop is located in the garage. If the heat is off or down low, the average temperature is 40 degrees. The shop is well insulated and will hold that temperature even as the outside air is much warmer. That's where the problem starts. If I open the overhead door on a nice warm, MOIST day, the cold machine tops act like water magnets. In a day or two a slight film of rust will form. It's like taking a shower and having the cold bathroom mirror steam up, only on metal surfaces the moisture is absorbed into the pores where the oxidation or rust starts its nasty process. The HTC covers really do prevent this all from happening
I use these covers for all my woodshop equipment for three reasons. #1 reason, to keep the cast iron tables from rusting. #2 reason, to keep dust, which collects and holds moisture (like mulch in your garden) off my idle equipment. And the #3 reason, to keep the peering eyes of pedestrians and vehicular traffic (my garage is near the street and sidewalk) from seeing all the expensive toys when the overhead door is open.
The first two reasons are worth the cost of the 8 covers I own. The third reason is just for my peace of mind!

This is a great product to protect costly equipment from the detritus created in the shop. I particularly like the weight of the cover, which prevents slippage.

I have a couple of these HTC machine covers. The material seems of very high quality and I'd expect it to perform well overtime. After a couple of weeks in my garage shop, in the South Carolin summer, my covered tools seem to be doing just fine - no collected moisture and no rust. The construction is solid. This size cover works fair on my Jet bandsaw, the length is ok but the width results in open sides. I'd just as soon have grommet holes for bungee cords than the magnets. They aren't particularly effective at holding the cover neatly in place. Overall, though I'm satisfied with my purchase.