Have bought a lot of stuff from HF over the years. Most of it is pretty
good. BUT, my rule is "Never buy anything with an edge on it; it won't have
one for long..." I've had a couple things fail (small vise, 3/4" rachet)
and they exchanged them with no hassle. A lot of things will need "some"
work, but at the price, one can well afford it. I bought a wood lathe that
vibrated like crazy. Turns out, the drive belt had a little "S" curve in
it. A good one from the auto parts store ($2.75) and the machine works
great. A small, metal cutting bandsaw went through its original blade in
about two turns. I run Starrett blades on it and have had nothing but great
service from it. A few things have been absolute junk, but, overall, my
experience with them has been very positive. The price on a few things was
so low that I figured they wouldn't last long, but worked well, so I went
back and bought a spare. In every case, the spare is still in its box...

Jerry
"DeepDiver" wrote in message
...
wrote in message
ups.com...

A firm with ethics like this deserves special reconition! While I can't
get into the products that they sell, I really have to respect their
business ethics, and now feel almost obligated to buy something from
them, not because I want the product, buy just to show them my respect.

You don't have to feel guilty about buying from Harbor Freight. While some
of their stuff is definitely crap (particularly cutting tools like saw
blades and drill bits), they also sell some things that are just fine and
at
a great price. It's up to you to be a discriminating buyer.

For example, you could get a brass or copper head hammer from them and it
will be as good as most other similar hammers at more expensive outlets
(probably even made by the same manufacturer). Or you could buy some
welding
supplies. Or a shop crane. Or even a decent Chinese mill-drill (not as
good
as the true Taiwanese Rong-Fu, but probably as good as any other Chinese
mill-drill of that design).

And Harbor Freight does stand behind many of their products. I bought a
pair
of bearing press plates from HF a number of years ago (in Southern
California). Recently, a piece broke off the thin edge. I took them up to
the local HF (in Northern California), and without a receipt, they
exchanged
the broken set for a new pair.

And lest you think HF only sells cheap Chinese tooling, you should know
that
they also sell name-brand tools at good prices. I bought a high-end
Ingersoll Rand air impact wrench from them a while back at a very low sale
price.

Give HF a try, not just because they practice good business ethics, but
because they offer a good value for your tooling dollar.

(Standard Disclaimer: I have no interest in HF other than being a
satisfied
customer.)

Regards,
Michael