Harbor freight tools is the answer to Chinese unemployment. I hate it
but I am addicted to the place.

right on, decent quality at excellent prices, and there stores are nice

DECENT QUALITY? Guess you haven't bought any combination wrenches yet huh?
Well, the quality of those are horrible, some are not even the correct size
and when you use them they expand and slip on the nut. Most of the air tools
( at least the ones that I have) are pretty good, they have been holding up
for over a year now with no complaints. The welding wire is good, and the
sand blasting equipment is decent. I guess some of the stuff is good, but
like I said the hand tools are crap.

Searcher

Shopdog, 5/23/2006,10:26:54 PM, wrote:

DECENT QUALITY? Guess you haven't bought any combination wrenches yet huh? Well, the quality of those are horrible, some are not even the correct size and when you use them they expand and slip on the nut. Most of the air tools ( at least the ones that I have) are pretty good, they have been holding up for over a year now with no complaints. The welding wire is good, and the sand blasting equipment is decent. I guess some of the stuff is good, but like I said the hand tools are crap.

Searcher

Well, I just ordered a reciprocating saw or $19.99. We'll see how that holds up.

Shopdog wrote:
DECENT QUALITY? Guess you haven't bought any combination wrenches yet huh?
Well, the quality of those are horrible, some are not even the correct size
and when you use them they expand and slip on the nut. Most of the air tools
( at least the ones that I have) are pretty good, they have been holding up
for over a year now with no complaints. The welding wire is good, and the
sand blasting equipment is decent. I guess some of the stuff is good, but
like I said the hand tools are crap.

Searcher

I buy there fairly often - but am careful of what I buy. I've bought
crescent wrenches, hammers, clamps, "dremel" accessories, tarps, and
wheels and have been quite satisfied. However saw blades were a
disappointment.

Bob S.

Bob S. wrote:
Shopdog wrote:
DECENT QUALITY? Guess you haven't bought any combination wrenches yet huh?
Well, the quality of those are horrible, some are not even the correct size
and when you use them they expand and slip on the nut. Most of the air tools
( at least the ones that I have) are pretty good, they have been holding up
for over a year now with no complaints. The welding wire is good, and the
sand blasting equipment is decent. I guess some of the stuff is good, but
like I said the hand tools are crap.

Searcher

I buy there fairly often - but am careful of what I buy. I've bought
crescent wrenches, hammers, clamps, "dremel" accessories, tarps, and
wheels and have been quite satisfied. However saw blades were a
disappointment.

Bob S.


I, too, am a fan of Harbor Freight and shop at our local
stores frequently. I am quite familiar with the differences
between "good" and "bad" quality tools. If you shop at
their stores, looking and handling a tool will give you a
pretty quick indication about its fit and finish. Today, I
looked at screwdrivers that I could probably twist in half
with my own hands, and also at some that I would probably
pass along to my children. What I especially like is their
in-store specials.

Today, I bought a 600' drum of 3/8" polypropylene braided
rope for $10. It's about the size of clothes line and is
perfect for tying down things in the pickup. I also bought
6 of their $3 flyswatters to give to folks. They use 2
D-cells and really nuke a fly or bug when they come in
contact with the grid. I found a $3 multimeter that is
shirt-pocket sized and similar to another I keep on the
bench. I bought it to give to a neighbor boy who's starting
to assemble his own toolbox.

If you don't know what you are buying, then Harbor Freight
is just like pot luck. However, if you have experience with
tools, including power tools and even bench and floor tools,
then you can get some really good deals.

Nonnymus

On Tue, 23 May 2006 21:23:58 -0700, Nonnymus wrote:

Bob S. wrote:
Shopdog wrote:
DECENT QUALITY? Guess you haven't bought any combination wrenches yet huh?
Well, the quality of those are horrible, some are not even the correct size
and when you use them they expand and slip on the nut. Most of the air tools
( at least the ones that I have) are pretty good, they have been holding up
for over a year now with no complaints. The welding wire is good, and the
sand blasting equipment is decent. I guess some of the stuff is good, but
like I said the hand tools are crap.

Searcher

I buy there fairly often - but am careful of what I buy. I've bought
crescent wrenches, hammers, clamps, "dremel" accessories, tarps, and
wheels and have been quite satisfied. However saw blades were a
disappointment.

Bob S.


I, too, am a fan of Harbor Freight and shop at our local
stores frequently. I am quite familiar with the differences
between "good" and "bad" quality tools. If you shop at
their stores, looking and handling a tool will give you a
pretty quick indication about its fit and finish. Today, I
looked at screwdrivers that I could probably twist in half
with my own hands, and also at some that I would probably
pass along to my children. What I especially like is their
in-store specials.

Today, I bought a 600' drum of 3/8" polypropylene braided
rope for $10. It's about the size of clothes line and is
perfect for tying down things in the pickup. I also bought
6 of their $3 flyswatters to give to folks. They use 2
D-cells and really nuke a fly or bug when they come in
contact with the grid. I found a $3 multimeter that is
shirt-pocket sized and similar to another I keep on the
bench. I bought it to give to a neighbor boy who's starting
to assemble his own toolbox.

If you don't know what you are buying, then Harbor Freight
is just like pot luck. However, if you have experience with
tools, including power tools and even bench and floor tools,
then you can get some really good deals.

Nonnymus

I personally try to avoid places like that. I have only dealt with a
few items from Harbor Freight, and I would rate them as tolerable for
the average homeowner, but not for a professional. I must say that I
also bought from Homier. Their stuff is pure garbage. They do not
stand behind their stuff either. In fact I bought a defective power
tool which was defective right out of the box. They refused to even
return my calls. After I contacted the Better Business Bureau, they
finally contacted me, but still refused to replace or repair the tool.
I would not recommend Homier to anyone. Compared to Homier, Harbor
Freight seems like top of the line.

For me, being a farmer and retired handyman, I tend to only buy name
brand tools. I have busted far too many knuckles using cheap tools.

Hey Badgolf,

Please let us know, I have been VERY reluctant to purchase electrical
items from them. I look at it this way, if I need a tool for a once in
awhile job, I'd rather buy it from HF then spend big bucks on it elsewhere.
I did buy the wrenches and learned the hard way how bad they were. Luckily,
they were only to keep at work for happenstance tightenings.

Searcher

I just tried their larger recip saw, and returned it immediately. At the
lower speed setting (for cutting steel) it didn't have enough torque to make
a cut at all.

I've had good luck, though, with a small hammer drill, and with their big
breaker hammer.

Bill



"badgolferman" wrote in message
...
Shopdog, 5/23/2006,10:26:54 PM, wrote:

DECENT QUALITY? Guess you haven't bought any combination wrenches yet huh?
Well, the quality of those are horrible, some are not even the correct
size and when you use them they expand and slip on the nut. Most of the
air tools ( at least the ones that I have) are pretty good, they have been
holding up for over a year now with no complaints. The welding wire is
good, and the sand blasting equipment is decent. I guess some of the stuff
is good, but like I said the hand tools are crap.

Searcher

Well, I just ordered a reciprocating saw or $19.99. We'll see how that
holds up.

bill allemann, 5/24/2006, 7:12:26 AM,
wrote:

I just tried their larger recip saw, and returned it immediately. At the
lower speed setting (for cutting steel) it didn't have enough torque to
make a cut at all.

I've had good luck, though, with a small hammer drill, and with their big
breaker hammer.

Bill

How about cutting wood or through nails?

badgolferman wrote:
Shopdog, 5/23/2006,10:26:54 PM, wrote:


DECENT QUALITY? Guess you haven't bought any combination wrenches yet huh? Well, the quality of those are horrible, some are not even the correct size and when you use them they expand and slip on the nut. Most of the air tools ( at least the ones that I have) are pretty good, they have been holding up for over a year now with no complaints. The welding wire is good, and the sand blasting equipment is decent. I guess some of the stuff is good, but like I said the hand tools are crap.

Searcher


Well, I just ordered a reciprocating saw or $19.99. We'll see how that holds up.
I bought one of their $20 reciprocating saws a couple of
months ago. I needed it to work on the beam that holds
up my back porch roof, and figured it it got through
that then $20 was a pretty good price.

Once I had gotten rid of the blades that came with it,
and the $10 pack of Harbor Freight blades I bought at
the same time it has been working pretty good. I don't
claim it is a great tool, but for my occasional work it
seems to be doing just fine.

So far I have finished the back porch work, cut up some
limbs that fell out of my back yard trees, and cut a
drain pipe that I had to remove. It still seems to be
working just as good as ever. That isn't a whole lot of
work, but I don't expect to do a whole lot of work with
it. And as I say, $20 for the back porch roof was a
reasonable price, so everything else I do with it is so
much gravy.

I do have a number of other Chicago Electric tools from
HF, and am satisfied with them for my occasional use.
If I was a professional I wouldn't even bother with
them, I would go get better tools.

Bill Gill

I have a home inspection business and I bought two of those little GFCI
testers and they failed to trip the ground fault and I put that info
into my report but luckily I found out that the tester was faulty and
re-tested with another device before it was too late. With Harbor
freight it is hit or miss.

"tmurf.1" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a home inspection business and I bought two of those little GFCI
testers and they failed to trip the ground fault and I put that info
into my report but luckily I found out that the tester was faulty and
re-tested with another device before it was too late. With Harbor
freight it is hit or miss.


I had two of their GFIs trip but the front of the unit bulged out and was
unuseable. I guess it worked but I bought better ones when I replaced them.

tmurf.1 wrote:
I have a home inspection business and I bought two of those little GFCI
testers and they failed to trip the ground fault and I put that info
into my report but luckily I found out that the tester was faulty and
re-tested with another device before it was too late. With Harbor
freight it is hit or miss.
..

I only buy things like clamps and magnets from them. They generally can't screw
those up.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

In article VAWcg.56982$ge7.22877@trnddc01,
says...
Hey Badgolf,

Please let us know, I have been VERY reluctant to purchase electrical
items from them. I look at it this way, if I need a tool for a once in
awhile job, I'd rather buy it from HF then spend big bucks on it elsewhere.

Last year I bought their $99 special 10" sliding compound miter say
thinking that if it was good enough to 2x4's it was worth the
money. I was very pleasantly surprised. A couple of cow-orkers
bought them too, one was pleased the other had issues with the
slider bearings being too stiff.

I bought a "6-n-1" 10Ga. framing nailer a couple of months ago.
The thing is *huge*. I'm not sure it was such a good purchase. You
pays your money and takes your chances.

I did buy the wrenches and learned the hard way how bad they were. Luckily,
they were only to keep at work for happenstance tightenings.

Most people don't realize how important the accuracy of the
business end of a wrench is. A lot of times cheap wrenches have
crappy plating so they're off-size. I've seen some that were the
right size before plating. I don't think I'd buy any hand tools
from HF, particularly without seeing them. OTOH, HF is great for
things like chip brushes, gloves, and other throw-aways.

--
Keith

Ignoramus16643 wrote:

Their air tools all serve me faithfully. (saws, grinders etc)

i

I got their air hammer with 9 chisels when it was on sale for $10 and it
works beautifully. The combo with the 1/2 impact wrench and 3/8 ratchet
also works flawlessly. Their 20T air/hydraulic jack is now on my non
Harbor Freight H frame press.

Pete C.

Yeah, I just got done sanding and painting with HF air tools today. Still
working great. I also have an HF vacuum canister, the kind you use for
"sucking" liquids, for the 20.00 I paid for it this thing is incredible. I
didn't like the acid brushes they sell, they fall apart quickly.

Searcher

On Wed, 24 May 2006 18:43:33 GMT, Pete C. wrote:
Ignoramus16643 wrote:

Their air tools all serve me faithfully. (saws, grinders etc)

i

I got their air hammer with 9 chisels when it was on sale for $10 and it
works beautifully. The combo with the 1/2 impact wrench and 3/8 ratchet
also works flawlessly. Their 20T air/hydraulic jack is now on my non
Harbor Freight H frame press.

Pete C.

Do you know anything about their sawzall?

I need a sawzall for occasional use.

i

WHere you at "ig"? Cause I have one that I am not using, its not HF but its
not Sears either..

Sear her

Hold on fore ya get to happy, I just went to "put hands on it" and I can't
locate it. But, if I find it your welcome to it.

Searcher
"C" monster took the last one

Ignoramus16643 wrote:

On Wed, 24 May 2006 18:43:33 GMT, Pete C. wrote:
Ignoramus16643 wrote:

Their air tools all serve me faithfully. (saws, grinders etc)

i

I got their air hammer with 9 chisels when it was on sale for $10 and it
works beautifully. The combo with the 1/2 impact wrench and 3/8 ratchet
also works flawlessly. Their 20T air/hydraulic jack is now on my non
Harbor Freight H frame press.

Pete C.

Do you know anything about their sawzall?

I need a sawzall for occasional use.

i

Dunno, I've got the Milwaukee Super Sawzall and love it, especially the
quick lock blade holder and the counterbalance that helps it aggravate
my carpal tunnel less.

Pete C.

Downside to HF items.

Rubber used in the tires and wheels is of lower quality, ie; a
wheelbarrow tire that is a year old is already dryrotting (as per friend)
Cutoff wheels 4.5" don't last long at all you need at least 5 just to
complete a small project (as per ME, it took 5 wheels to complete a trailer
(4X8))
Parts washer (the green antifreeze looking stuff, doesn't clean as much
as it suds,and it leaves residue.
Bolt cutters-Jaws are soft
Diamond cut off wheels -- actually Cubic Zarconia
Solar battery charger, melts when placed in sun, no seriously it melted
on my buddys camper

Upsides;

Pittsburg impact sockets are tough
Cutoff wheels are somtimes cheap enough not to worry about how many you use.


Searcher

Keith Williams wrote in
T:

In article VAWcg.56982$ge7.22877@trnddc01,
says...
Hey Badgolf,

Please let us know, I have been VERY reluctant to purchase
electrical
items from them. I look at it this way, if I need a tool for a once
in awhile job, I'd rather buy it from HF then spend big bucks on it
elsewhere.

Last year I bought their $99 special 10" sliding compound miter say
thinking that if it was good enough to 2x4's it was worth the
money. I was very pleasantly surprised. A couple of cow-orkers
bought them too, one was pleased the other had issues with the
slider bearings being too stiff.

I bought a "6-n-1" 10Ga. framing nailer a couple of months ago.
The thing is *huge*. I'm not sure it was such a good purchase. You
pays your money and takes your chances.

I did buy the wrenches and learned the hard way how bad they were.
Luckily, they were only to keep at work for happenstance tightenings.

Most people don't realize how important the accuracy of the
business end of a wrench is. A lot of times cheap wrenches have
crappy plating so they're off-size. I've seen some that were the
right size before plating. I don't think I'd buy any hand tools
from HF, particularly without seeing them. OTOH, HF is great for
things like chip brushes, gloves, and other throw-aways.


I bought a very nice HF jigsaw,a clone of a Bosch 1581(the model just
before the quick blade release),I'm very satisfied with it. $59.95,compared
to a Bosch $160 at HD.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Their industrial duty reciprocating saw is on sale on the web for $39.99. I
don't know if the store will honor web pricing or not. I have not used any
HF power tools but after looking at them in the store I would avoid most
unless they are the industrial series which still are 70% less than major
brand names when they are on sale. I have heard on other forums that their
low line cordless tools are mostly garbage and when taken apart bronze
sleeves are often found instead of ball bearings. I have a HF crown stapler
that I bought for $19 with case and staples that works great to go along
with my Porter Cable kit that came with a pancake compressor, finish and
brad nailer. On other forums users really like their $14.99 [when on sale]
18 ga brad nailer and in general have good things to say about their drill
presses. It seems that quality of tools made in China is improving if they
are meant to be competitive tools. -- Steve

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=42597

"Ignoramus16643" wrote in message
. ..
On Wed, 24 May 2006 18:43:33 GMT, Pete C. wrote:
Ignoramus16643 wrote:

Their air tools all serve me faithfully. (saws, grinders etc)

i

I got their air hammer with 9 chisels when it was on sale for $10 and it
works beautifully. The combo with the 1/2 impact wrench and 3/8 ratchet
also works flawlessly. Their 20T air/hydraulic jack is now on my non
Harbor Freight H frame press.

Pete C.

Do you know anything about their sawzall?

I need a sawzall for occasional use.

i

Steven L Umbach wrote:

Their industrial duty reciprocating saw is on sale on the web for $39.99. I
don't know if the store will honor web pricing or not. I have not used any
HF power tools but after looking at them in the store I would avoid most
unless they are the industrial series which still are 70% less than major
brand names when they are on sale. I have heard on other forums that their
low line cordless tools are mostly garbage and when taken apart bronze
sleeves are often found instead of ball bearings. I have a HF crown stapler
that I bought for $19 with case and staples that works great to go along
with my Porter Cable kit that came with a pancake compressor, finish and
brad nailer. On other forums users really like their $14.99 [when on sale]
18 ga brad nailer and in general have good things to say about their drill
presses. It seems that quality of tools made in China is improving if they
are meant to be competitive tools. -- Steve


In my experience the stores are very agreeable to honoring the online
prices (just print the page) and all the catalogs and flyers. Rain
checks on coupons for out of stock items, or in one case an "it's on one
of the two trucks we're unloading right now" item.

Pete C.

Well, I just learned something about HF welding wire. ITs not good, oh it
works well enough but the slag it produces makes you want to rip your hair
out. I think I spent more time removing slag then I did welding. I can't
wait to run out of this crap.

Searcher

Shopdog wrote:

Well, I just learned something about HF welding wire. ITs not good, oh it
works well enough but the slag it produces makes you want to rip your hair
out. I think I spent more time removing slag then I did welding. I can't
wait to run out of this crap.

Searcher

That's so you buy their cheap air scaller and perhaps a cheap compressor
to go with it.

Pete C.

Their sawzall blades go dull rapidly. I got th eir angle grinder, and
have been very pleased with it.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Shopdog" wrote in message
news:s73dg.7487$qn2.807@trnddc04...
Downside to HF items.

Rubber used in the tires and wheels is of lower quality, ie; a
wheelbarrow tire that is a year old is already dryrotting (as per
friend)
Cutoff wheels 4.5" don't last long at all you need at least 5 just
to
complete a small project (as per ME, it took 5 wheels to complete a
trailer
(4X8))
Parts washer (the green antifreeze looking stuff, doesn't clean as
much
as it suds,and it leaves residue.
Bolt cutters-Jaws are soft
Diamond cut off wheels -- actually Cubic Zarconia
Solar battery charger, melts when placed in sun, no seriously it
melted
on my buddys camper

Upsides;

Pittsburg impact sockets are tough
Cutoff wheels are somtimes cheap enough not to worry about how many
you use.


Searcher

Bring the catalog (I get em in the mail every couple days) in. The
store honors the catalog sale prices. Got a $25 flashlight for $10
that way.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Pete C." wrote in message
...
Steven L Umbach wrote:

Their industrial duty reciprocating saw is on sale on the web for
$39.99. I
don't know if the store will honor web pricing or not. I have not
used any
HF power tools but after looking at them in the store I would avoid
most
unless they are the industrial series which still are 70% less than
major
brand names when they are on sale. I have heard on other forums that
their
low line cordless tools are mostly garbage and when taken apart
bronze
sleeves are often found instead of ball bearings. I have a HF crown
stapler
that I bought for $19 with case and staples that works great to go
along
with my Porter Cable kit that came with a pancake compressor, finish
and
brad nailer. On other forums users really like their $14.99 [when on
sale]
18 ga brad nailer and in general have good things to say about their
drill
presses. It seems that quality of tools made in China is improving
if they
are meant to be competitive tools. -- Steve


In my experience the stores are very agreeable to honoring the online
prices (just print the page) and all the catalogs and flyers. Rain
checks on coupons for out of stock items, or in one case an "it's on
one
of the two trucks we're unloading right now" item.

Pete C.

wrote:
right on, decent quality at excellent prices, and there stores are nice

Uh, crap quality at cheapo prices. The stuff is garbage.

On 26 May 2006 10:11:01 -0700, wrote:


wrote:
right on, decent quality at excellent prices, and there stores are nice

Uh, crap quality at cheapo prices. The stuff is garbage.

Yup, been there. The China-made stuff is to be avoided. I have to
confess I did buy a HF China-made grinder stand for $25, but never a
machine or anything that requires precision. Harbor Freight does
carry Milwaukee and Makita tools which are very good. You just have
to be careful when shopping there.