WAHOO!!!!

Just saw in the local paper Harbor Freight is opening a new store on
the Naperville-Aurora border, about 1.2 miles from home. No more
driving 30 minutes to the next nearest store.

Now I am going to have to discipline myself to not go there more than
2x a month unless I leave my cash and credit cards at home. Just wish
they had been open 45 years ago when I bought this house.

In article
,
"hr(bob) " wrote:

WAHOO!!!!

Just saw in the local paper Harbor Freight is opening a new store on
the Naperville-Aurora border, about 1.2 miles from home. No more
driving 30 minutes to the next nearest store.

Now I am going to have to discipline myself to not go there more than
2x a month unless I leave my cash and credit cards at home. Just wish
they had been open 45 years ago when I bought this house.

I live about 50 miles from corporate HQ, yet I'd never been to a store
in my life until 3 months ago. It was just a bunch of junk. I've bought
3-4 items from them "mail order," and been disappointed every time.
Think about that: You expect junk, and the quality is so bad that you're
still disappointed. Beats the hell out of me why everyone raves about
them. I'd rather have 1 good tool than 100 ****ty ones.

On Fri, 14 Dec 2012 19:20:11 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:




I live about 50 miles from corporate HQ, yet I'd never been to a store
in my life until 3 months ago. It was just a bunch of junk. I've bought
3-4 items from them "mail order," and been disappointed every time.
Think about that: You expect junk, and the quality is so bad that you're
still disappointed. Beats the hell out of me why everyone raves about
them. I'd rather have 1 good tool than 100 ****ty ones.

Pretty much agree, but they do have the occasional "good enough" tool
at reasonable price. It all depends on your needs. Recently, I
bought two digital readout micrometers for $10 each. Would I use them
as a machinist? Hell no. Would I use the to see of a rod is 10 mm or
12 mm? Certainly, that is what I bought them for. Nor do I get upset
if one of the setup guys drops them.

Do I need .001 accuracy? Sometimes, and then I pull out the good mic
in my desk drawer.

When to comes to hand tools, even simple stuff like a hammer and
screwdrivers, I get the best brands and appreciate the difference.

On 12/14/2012 9:54 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Fri, 14 Dec 2012 19:20:11 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:




I live about 50 miles from corporate HQ, yet I'd never been to a store
in my life until 3 months ago. It was just a bunch of junk. I've bought
3-4 items from them "mail order," and been disappointed every time.
Think about that: You expect junk, and the quality is so bad that you're
still disappointed. Beats the hell out of me why everyone raves about
them. I'd rather have 1 good tool than 100 ****ty ones.

Pretty much agree, but they do have the occasional "good enough" tool
at reasonable price. It all depends on your needs. Recently, I
bought two digital readout micrometers for $10 each. Would I use them
as a machinist? Hell no. Would I use the to see of a rod is 10 mm or
12 mm? Certainly, that is what I bought them for. Nor do I get upset
if one of the setup guys drops them.

Do I need .001 accuracy? Sometimes, and then I pull out the good mic
in my desk drawer.

When to comes to hand tools, even simple stuff like a hammer and
screwdrivers, I get the best brands and appreciate the difference.


There is a store about 5 blocks away from me. Plenty of decent tools at
great prices. Really great when you need some weird tool that HD sells
for 3 or 4 times the HF price, like that strap wrench I bought for $4
(for 2) and HD had for $15. Worked just fine.

In article ,
Ed Pawlowski wrote:

Nor do I get upset
if one of the setup guys drops them.

Your setup guys don't own their own tools?

On Fri, 14 Dec 2012 21:32:17 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:

In article ,
Ed Pawlowski wrote:

Nor do I get upset
if one of the setup guys drops them.

Your setup guys don't own their own tools?

Most, but I provide them with some. Like the 120 mm open end wrench
that gets used maybe once every two or three years.

I won't buy most sockets, cordless drills, other common and easily
stolen tools.

On 12/14/2012 9:54 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Fri, 14 Dec 2012 19:20:11 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:




I live about 50 miles from corporate HQ, yet I'd never been to a store
in my life until 3 months ago. It was just a bunch of junk. I've bought
3-4 items from them "mail order," and been disappointed every time.
Think about that: You expect junk, and the quality is so bad that you're
still disappointed. Beats the hell out of me why everyone raves about
them. I'd rather have 1 good tool than 100 ****ty ones.

Pretty much agree, but they do have the occasional "good enough" tool
at reasonable price. It all depends on your needs. Recently, I
bought two digital readout micrometers for $10 each. Would I use them
as a machinist? Hell no. Would I use the to see of a rod is 10 mm or
12 mm? Certainly, that is what I bought them for. Nor do I get upset
if one of the setup guys drops them.

Do I need .001 accuracy? Sometimes, and then I pull out the good mic
in my desk drawer.

When to comes to hand tools, even simple stuff like a hammer and
screwdrivers, I get the best brands and appreciate the difference.


Harbor Freight is a good source for "loaner" tools. A fellow wants to
borrow my DVM, I hand him a $6.95 HF meter and say "That will be ten
bucks and you can keep it." ^_^

TDD

On Fri, 14 Dec 2012 19:20:11 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:

In article
,
"hr(bob) " wrote:

WAHOO!!!!

Just saw in the local paper Harbor Freight is opening a new store on
the Naperville-Aurora border, about 1.2 miles from home. No more
driving 30 minutes to the next nearest store.

Now I am going to have to discipline myself to not go there more than
2x a month unless I leave my cash and credit cards at home. Just wish
they had been open 45 years ago when I bought this house.

I live about 50 miles from corporate HQ, yet I'd never been to a store
in my life until 3 months ago. It was just a bunch of junk. I've bought
3-4 items from them "mail order," and been disappointed every time.
Think about that: You expect junk, and the quality is so bad that you're
still disappointed. Beats the hell out of me why everyone raves about
them. I'd rather have 1 good tool than 100 ****ty ones.

You must be reading my mind. I bought a few of their garbage items.
They wont be seeing me or my money again. It's the same crap all the
stores are selling now for stocking stuffers. Cheap made in China crap,
that generally breaks within it's first months use.

Smitty Two wrote:

I live about 50 miles from corporate HQ, yet I'd never been to a store
in my life until 3 months ago. It was just a bunch of junk. I've
bought 3-4 items from them "mail order," and been disappointed every
time. Think about that: You expect junk, and the quality is so bad
that you're still disappointed. Beats the hell out of me why everyone
raves about them. I'd rather have 1 good tool than 100 ****ty ones.

So, you might have one GOOD hammer and are confronted with cutting a board.
What do you do?

Every tool, EVERY SINGLE TOOL, I've bought from HF has been acceptable and
did an acceptable, if not perfect, job.

I recall the old saying: "It's a poor workman that blames the tool."

Smitty Two wrote:
In article
,
"hr(bob) " wrote:

WAHOO!!!!

Just saw in the local paper Harbor Freight is opening a new store on
the Naperville-Aurora border, about 1.2 miles from home. No more
driving 30 minutes to the next nearest store.

Now I am going to have to discipline myself to not go there more than
2x a month unless I leave my cash and credit cards at home. Just
wish they had been open 45 years ago when I bought this house.

I live about 50 miles from corporate HQ, yet I'd never been to a store
in my life until 3 months ago. It was just a bunch of junk. I've
bought 3-4 items from them "mail order," and been disappointed every
time. Think about that: You expect junk, and the quality is so bad
that you're still disappointed. Beats the hell out of me why everyone
raves about them. I'd rather have 1 good tool than 100 ****ty ones.

Lots of people seem to think of Harbor Freight in the same manner as they
think of lauan and poplar; i.e., unuseable junk. I'm not one of those
people, like all three. I really miss the ability to go buy nice lauan
boards for whatever.

Regarding HF tools, I occasionally have the need to drill holes in concrete.
When I have that urge I use my $31 HF hammer drill. I could have bought a
"good" one for $100 - $150 but why?

Every decade or so I have had a need to step down an area of concrete. When
I do I use a HF angle grinder with a diamond blade to make close together
scores so I can break them out. The whole works cost me $15. I do have a
better angle grinder but I particularly like the HF one because it has an
accessory foot - like a circular saw - so that the depths of all cuts is the
same. It can get pretty hot but if I burn it out I can replace it cheaply
if I need to.

I have a HF lathe. Works fine. So do the HF chisels. In fact, they work
just like some better ones I have.

I have some nice German bar clamps. I hate them. I also have a bunch of HF
bar clamps. I like them fine.

Et cetera.

Ojala que viva Harbor Freight.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Maybe just ready for a change? Check it out...
http://www.floridaloghouse.net

On 12/14/2012 7:08 PM, hr(bob) wrote:
WAHOO!!!!

Just saw in the local paper Harbor Freight is opening a new store on
the Naperville-Aurora border, about 1.2 miles from home. No more
driving 30 minutes to the next nearest store.

Now I am going to have to discipline myself to not go there more than
2x a month unless I leave my cash and credit cards at home. Just wish
they had been open 45 years ago when I bought this house.

Start saving those 20% off coupons.

They opened near me about two years ago. Prior to that the closest store
was about 20 miles away.

My son is in the marching band and I think the marching band is one of
Harbor Freight's biggest customers. We build a lot of equipment for
moving large instruments and field show equipment and scenery and we use
a lot of wheels and casters. HF has the best selection of these items of
any store around. We also buy a lot of lighting equipment there. They
have a good selection of towing equipment.

The quality of these items is often no worse than what you get at other
stores like Home Depot.

Now for tools, some items are fine, and some are disappointments. Their
ratchet bar clamps are almost single use (sometimes zero use) before
they break (if they work at all in the first place). Some of their power
tools like drills are almost single use as well before the plastic gears
break.

A lot of times the quality of HF tools is sufficient for someone that's
not a professional and not using them commercially. I needed some very
long drill bits to use only very occasionally and HF was far cheaper
than any other place.

On 12/15/2012 4:58 AM, dadiOH wrote:
Smitty Two wrote:
In article
,
"hr(bob) " wrote:

WAHOO!!!!

Just saw in the local paper Harbor Freight is opening a new store on
the Naperville-Aurora border, about 1.2 miles from home. No more
driving 30 minutes to the next nearest store.

Now I am going to have to discipline myself to not go there more than
2x a month unless I leave my cash and credit cards at home. Just
wish they had been open 45 years ago when I bought this house.

I live about 50 miles from corporate HQ, yet I'd never been to a store
in my life until 3 months ago. It was just a bunch of junk. I've
bought 3-4 items from them "mail order," and been disappointed every
time. Think about that: You expect junk, and the quality is so bad
that you're still disappointed. Beats the hell out of me why everyone
raves about them. I'd rather have 1 good tool than 100 ****ty ones.

Lots of people seem to think of Harbor Freight in the same manner as they
think of lauan and poplar; i.e., unuseable junk. I'm not one of those
people, like all three. I really miss the ability to go buy nice lauan
boards for whatever.

Regarding HF tools, I occasionally have the need to drill holes in concrete.
When I have that urge I use my $31 HF hammer drill. I could have bought a
"good" one for $100 - $150 but why?

Every decade or so I have had a need to step down an area of concrete. When
I do I use a HF angle grinder with a diamond blade to make close together
scores so I can break them out. The whole works cost me $15. I do have a
better angle grinder but I particularly like the HF one because it has an
accessory foot - like a circular saw - so that the depths of all cuts is the
same. It can get pretty hot but if I burn it out I can replace it cheaply
if I need to.

I have a HF lathe. Works fine. So do the HF chisels. In fact, they work
just like some better ones I have.

I have some nice German bar clamps. I hate them. I also have a bunch of HF
bar clamps. I like them fine.

I bought some of those HF bar clamps with the orange pads. My experience is:

1. Abut half of them won't ratchet tight at all.
2. The ratchet handle often falls off as the plastic tabs holding it in
break (I have drilled a hole and put in a small bolt to fix this).
3. The ends break off if you tighten it too much.
4. The pads are so loose that the constantly fall off (though you could
glue them on).
5. The bolts holding the ends on constantly loosen and fall off (need
some thread-lock on them).

I saw the same ones at Costco in nicer packaging, in a differnt color,
but I already knew the problems.

A lot of the HF tools are just fine for the non-pro, but I'm surprised
you like the $1.99 bar clamps.

SMS wrote:
On 12/15/2012 4:58 AM, dadiOH wrote:
Smitty Two wrote:
In article
,
"hr(bob) " wrote:

WAHOO!!!!

Just saw in the local paper Harbor Freight is opening a new store
on the Naperville-Aurora border, about 1.2 miles from home. No
more driving 30 minutes to the next nearest store.

Now I am going to have to discipline myself to not go there more
than 2x a month unless I leave my cash and credit cards at home. Just
wish they had been open 45 years ago when I bought this house.

I live about 50 miles from corporate HQ, yet I'd never been to a
store in my life until 3 months ago. It was just a bunch of junk.
I've bought 3-4 items from them "mail order," and been disappointed
every time. Think about that: You expect junk, and the quality is
so bad that you're still disappointed. Beats the hell out of me why
everyone raves about them. I'd rather have 1 good tool than 100
****ty ones.

Lots of people seem to think of Harbor Freight in the same manner as
they think of lauan and poplar; i.e., unuseable junk. I'm not one
of those people, like all three. I really miss the ability to go
buy nice lauan boards for whatever.

Regarding HF tools, I occasionally have the need to drill holes in
concrete. When I have that urge I use my $31 HF hammer drill. I
could have bought a "good" one for $100 - $150 but why?

Every decade or so I have had a need to step down an area of
concrete. When I do I use a HF angle grinder with a diamond blade
to make close together scores so I can break them out. The whole
works cost me $15. I do have a better angle grinder but I
particularly like the HF one because it has an accessory foot - like
a circular saw - so that the depths of all cuts is the same. It can
get pretty hot but if I burn it out I can replace it cheaply if I
need to. I have a HF lathe. Works fine. So do the HF chisels. In fact,
they work just like some better ones I have.

I have some nice German bar clamps. I hate them. I also have a
bunch of HF bar clamps. I like them fine.

I bought some of those HF bar clamps with the orange pads. My
experience is:
1. Abut half of them won't ratchet tight at all.
2. The ratchet handle often falls off as the plastic tabs holding it
in break (I have drilled a hole and put in a small bolt to fix this).
3. The ends break off if you tighten it too much.
4. The pads are so loose that the constantly fall off (though you
could glue them on).
5. The bolts holding the ends on constantly loosen and fall off (need
some thread-lock on them).

I saw the same ones at Costco in nicer packaging, in a differnt color,
but I already knew the problems.

A lot of the HF tools are just fine for the non-pro, but I'm surprised
you like the $1.99 bar clamps.

I'm not talking about ratchet clamps, I am talking about steel bar clamps
like this. They have none of your problems.

http://www.harborfreight.com/18-inch...amp-96211.html

--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Maybe just ready for a change? Check it out...
http://www.floridaloghouse.net

On Dec 15, 7:58*am, "dadiOH" wrote:
Smitty Two wrote:
In article
,
"hr(bob) " wrote:

WAHOO!!!!

Just saw in the local paper Harbor Freight is opening a new store on
the Naperville-Aurora border, about 1.2 miles from home. *No more
driving 30 minutes to the next nearest store.

Now I am going to have to discipline myself to not go there more than
2x a month unless I leave my cash and credit cards at home. *Just
wish they had been open 45 years ago when I bought this house.

I live about 50 miles from corporate HQ, yet I'd never been to a store
in my life until 3 months ago. It was just a bunch of junk. I've
bought 3-4 items from them "mail order," and been disappointed every
time. Think about that: You expect junk, and the quality is so bad
that you're still disappointed. Beats the hell out of me why everyone
raves about them. I'd rather have 1 good tool than 100 ****ty ones.

Lots of people seem to think of Harbor Freight in the same manner as they
think of lauan and poplar; i.e., unuseable junk. *I'm not one of those
people, like all three. *I really miss the ability to go buy nice lauan
boards for whatever.

Regarding HF tools, I occasionally have the need to drill holes in concrete.
When I have that urge I use my $31 HF hammer drill. *I could have bought a
"good" one for $100 - $150 but why?

Every decade or so I have had a need to step down an area of concrete. *When
I do I use a HF angle grinder with a diamond blade to make close together
scores so I can break them out. *The whole works cost me $15. *I do have a
better angle grinder but I particularly like the HF one because it has an
accessory foot - like a circular saw - so that the depths of all cuts is the
same. *It can get pretty hot but if I burn it out I can replace it cheaply
if I need to.

I have a HF lathe. *Works fine. *So do the HF chisels. *In fact, they work
just like some better ones I have.

I have some nice German bar clamps. *I hate them. *I also have a bunch of HF
bar clamps. *I like them fine.

Et cetera.

Ojala que viva Harbor Freight.

--



I agree. Some of what they have is real junk. But
they have a lot of the kind of tools that a typical homeowner
might need once in 5 or 10 years at cheap prices.
Some recent examples are pipe strap wrenches and a
tailpipe expander. They also have things like cable ties,
heat shrink tubing, at a fraction of the cost that you would
pay at HD. I bought a complete portable sandblaster
for like $80. I used it on my stamped concrete patio
and it did the job. I could not even find anyone else
selling one locally.

Now, if I wanted say an air compressor that I was going
to use frequently, like a contractor, would I buy that at
HF? Hell no. You just have to be a smart shopper,
selective and use some common sense.

On 12/15/2012 8:29 AM, SMS wrote:
On 12/15/2012 4:58 AM, dadiOH wrote:
Smitty Two wrote:
In article
,
"hr(bob) " wrote:

WAHOO!!!!

Just saw in the local paper Harbor Freight is opening a new store on
the Naperville-Aurora border, about 1.2 miles from home. No more
driving 30 minutes to the next nearest store.

Now I am going to have to discipline myself to not go there more than
2x a month unless I leave my cash and credit cards at home. Just
wish they had been open 45 years ago when I bought this house.

I live about 50 miles from corporate HQ, yet I'd never been to a store
in my life until 3 months ago. It was just a bunch of junk. I've
bought 3-4 items from them "mail order," and been disappointed every
time. Think about that: You expect junk, and the quality is so bad
that you're still disappointed. Beats the hell out of me why everyone
raves about them. I'd rather have 1 good tool than 100 ****ty ones.

Lots of people seem to think of Harbor Freight in the same manner as they
think of lauan and poplar; i.e., unuseable junk. I'm not one of those
people, like all three. I really miss the ability to go buy nice lauan
boards for whatever.

Regarding HF tools, I occasionally have the need to drill holes in
concrete.
When I have that urge I use my $31 HF hammer drill. I could have
bought a
"good" one for $100 - $150 but why?

Every decade or so I have had a need to step down an area of
concrete. When
I do I use a HF angle grinder with a diamond blade to make close together
scores so I can break them out. The whole works cost me $15. I do
have a
better angle grinder but I particularly like the HF one because it has an
accessory foot - like a circular saw - so that the depths of all cuts
is the
same. It can get pretty hot but if I burn it out I can replace it
cheaply
if I need to.

I have a HF lathe. Works fine. So do the HF chisels. In fact, they
work
just like some better ones I have.

I have some nice German bar clamps. I hate them. I also have a bunch
of HF
bar clamps. I like them fine.

I bought some of those HF bar clamps with the orange pads. My experience
is:

1. Abut half of them won't ratchet tight at all.
2. The ratchet handle often falls off as the plastic tabs holding it in
break (I have drilled a hole and put in a small bolt to fix this).
3. The ends break off if you tighten it too much.
4. The pads are so loose that the constantly fall off (though you could
glue them on).
5. The bolts holding the ends on constantly loosen and fall off (need
some thread-lock on them).

I saw the same ones at Costco in nicer packaging, in a differnt color,
but I already knew the problems.

A lot of the HF tools are just fine for the non-pro, but I'm surprised
you like the $1.99 bar clamps.

I have a theory that: Costco sells a lot of defective goods that other
stores won't carry. I've just learned over the years to except it. I
think mfg's. dump their defective items there at a discount; hence, the
liberal return policy. I've just bought too many defects there for it to
be a coincidence.

On 12/15/2012 8:50 AM, wrote:
On Dec 15, 7:58 am, "dadiOH" wrote:
Smitty Two wrote:
In article
,
"hr(bob) " wrote:

WAHOO!!!!

Just saw in the local paper Harbor Freight is opening a new store on
the Naperville-Aurora border, about 1.2 miles from home. No more
driving 30 minutes to the next nearest store.

Now I am going to have to discipline myself to not go there more than
2x a month unless I leave my cash and credit cards at home. Just
wish they had been open 45 years ago when I bought this house.

I live about 50 miles from corporate HQ, yet I'd never been to a store
in my life until 3 months ago. It was just a bunch of junk. I've
bought 3-4 items from them "mail order," and been disappointed every
time. Think about that: You expect junk, and the quality is so bad
that you're still disappointed. Beats the hell out of me why everyone
raves about them. I'd rather have 1 good tool than 100 ****ty ones.

Lots of people seem to think of Harbor Freight in the same manner as they
think of lauan and poplar; i.e., unuseable junk. I'm not one of those
people, like all three. I really miss the ability to go buy nice lauan
boards for whatever.

Regarding HF tools, I occasionally have the need to drill holes in concrete.
When I have that urge I use my $31 HF hammer drill. I could have bought a
"good" one for $100 - $150 but why?

Every decade or so I have had a need to step down an area of concrete. When
I do I use a HF angle grinder with a diamond blade to make close together
scores so I can break them out. The whole works cost me $15. I do have a
better angle grinder but I particularly like the HF one because it has an
accessory foot - like a circular saw - so that the depths of all cuts is the
same. It can get pretty hot but if I burn it out I can replace it cheaply
if I need to.

I have a HF lathe. Works fine. So do the HF chisels. In fact, they work
just like some better ones I have.

I have some nice German bar clamps. I hate them. I also have a bunch of HF
bar clamps. I like them fine.

Et cetera.

Ojala que viva Harbor Freight.

--



I agree. Some of what they have is real junk. But
they have a lot of the kind of tools that a typical homeowner
might need once in 5 or 10 years at cheap prices.
Some recent examples are pipe strap wrenches and a
tailpipe expander. They also have things like cable ties,
heat shrink tubing, at a fraction of the cost that you would
pay at HD. I bought a complete portable sandblaster
for like $80. I used it on my stamped concrete patio
and it did the job. I could not even find anyone else
selling one locally.

Now, if I wanted say an air compressor that I was going
to use frequently, like a contractor, would I buy that at
HF? Hell no. You just have to be a smart shopper,
selective and use some common sense.


Yup.

Per :
Cheap made in China crap,
that generally breaks within it's first months use.

But if it's only going to see a few days or weeks of use...
--
Pete Cresswell

In article ,
"HeyBub" wrote:

Smitty Two wrote:

I live about 50 miles from corporate HQ, yet I'd never been to a store
in my life until 3 months ago. It was just a bunch of junk. I've
bought 3-4 items from them "mail order," and been disappointed every
time. Think about that: You expect junk, and the quality is so bad
that you're still disappointed. Beats the hell out of me why everyone
raves about them. I'd rather have 1 good tool than 100 ****ty ones.

So, you might have one GOOD hammer and are confronted with cutting a board.
What do you do?

I go out and buy a good saw. Now I have two good tools.

I don't want a ****ty tool any more than I want a ****ty firearm or a
****ty bottle of liquor. It isn't worth the annoyance.

Like my friend lying under his dismantled car engine when his ****ty
socket broke said, "This ****ty tool came with a lifetime warranty, but
I don't want a lifetime warranty right now, I want a socket that isn't
broken in half."

On 12/15/2012 8:39 AM, Smitty Two wrote:

Like my friend lying under his dismantled car engine when his ****ty
socket broke said, "This ****ty tool came with a lifetime warranty, but
I don't want a lifetime warranty right now, I want a socket that isn't
broken in half."

"Lifetime Warranty" almost implies a poor quality item. I've gotten
replacement Craftsman tools when one broke, and they don't hassle you,
but it's still an annoyance.

On 12-15-2012 11:39, Smitty Two wrote:
Like my friend lying under his dismantled car engine when his ****ty
socket broke said, "This ****ty tool came with a lifetime warranty, but
I don't want a lifetime warranty right now, I want a socket that isn't
broken in half."

When the vacuum cleaner sales man pointed out that theirs has a fifteen
year warranty, I retorted that if I buy fifteen "normal" vacuums with
one-year warranties, I'd be saving money.

--
Wes Groleau

€œTo compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation
of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical.€�
€” Thomas Jefferson

On Dec 15, 8:50*am, "
wrote:
On Dec 15, 7:58*am, "dadiOH" wrote:





Smitty Two wrote:
In article
,
"hr(bob) " wrote:

WAHOO!!!!

Just saw in the local paper Harbor Freight is opening a new store on
the Naperville-Aurora border, about 1.2 miles from home. *No more
driving 30 minutes to the next nearest store.

Now I am going to have to discipline myself to not go there more than
2x a month unless I leave my cash and credit cards at home. *Just
wish they had been open 45 years ago when I bought this house.

I live about 50 miles from corporate HQ, yet I'd never been to a store
in my life until 3 months ago. It was just a bunch of junk. I've
bought 3-4 items from them "mail order," and been disappointed every
time. Think about that: You expect junk, and the quality is so bad
that you're still disappointed. Beats the hell out of me why everyone
raves about them. I'd rather have 1 good tool than 100 ****ty ones.

Lots of people seem to think of Harbor Freight in the same manner as they
think of lauan and poplar; i.e., unuseable junk. *I'm not one of those
people, like all three. *I really miss the ability to go buy nice lauan
boards for whatever.

Regarding HF tools, I occasionally have the need to drill holes in concrete.
When I have that urge I use my $31 HF hammer drill. *I could have bought a
"good" one for $100 - $150 but why?

Every decade or so I have had a need to step down an area of concrete. *When
I do I use a HF angle grinder with a diamond blade to make close together
scores so I can break them out. *The whole works cost me $15. *I do have a
better angle grinder but I particularly like the HF one because it has an
accessory foot - like a circular saw - so that the depths of all cuts is the
same. *It can get pretty hot but if I burn it out I can replace it cheaply
if I need to.

I have a HF lathe. *Works fine. *So do the HF chisels. *In fact, they work
just like some better ones I have.

I have some nice German bar clamps. *I hate them. *I also have a bunch of HF
bar clamps. *I like them fine.

Et cetera.

Ojala que viva Harbor Freight.

--

I agree. *Some of what they have is real junk. *But
they have a lot of the kind of tools that a typical homeowner
might need once in 5 or 10 years at cheap prices.
Some recent examples are pipe strap wrenches and a
tailpipe expander. * They also have things like cable ties,
heat shrink tubing, at a fraction of the cost that you would
pay at HD. * I bought a complete portable sandblaster
for like $80. *I used it on my stamped concrete patio
and it did the job. *I could not even find anyone else
selling one locally.

Now, if I wanted say an air compressor that I was going
to use frequently, like a contractor, would I buy that at
HF? * Hell no. * You just have to be a smart shopper,
selective and use some common sense.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

My sentiments exactly. If I expect a tool to be a one-time use, I'll
go for the best price and just to check that it wll be adequate for
that one use. But if I was buying a hammer that gets used at least
monthly, then I'll look at long-term quailty vs cost.

On 12/14/2012 08:38 PM, gonjah wrote:

There is a store about 5 blocks away from me. Plenty of decent tools at
great prices. Really great when you need some weird tool that HD sells
for 3 or 4 times the HF price, like that strap wrench I bought for $4
(for 2) and HD had for $15. Worked just fine.

I have a store a couple of miles from me, and I've gotten a lot of
things from there. Metalworking bandsaw, abrasive cut-off saw, and a
sliding miter saw. I bought a ground clamp for my welder from them, as
well as a few different sets of drill bits, one of which I use for
metalworking.

Other things, too, like casters, LED lights for my trailer, pneumatic
fittings, safety equipment, a 1lb propane tank filler, a heat gun,
abrasive disks, various clamps, and about 10 multimeters of various
types and prices.

Mind you, these are things I bought in the store, so I could check the
quality, and, for things like the clamps, grade them before they came
home with me.

There are a lot of things I wouldn't consider buying at HF, but of the
things I have bought from HF, I have been very pleased; they have all
suited my (non-commercial) needs well, and saved me a sizeable chunk of
money over what is generally the same cheap China crap that a big box
sells.

Jon

On 12/15/2012 06:29 AM, SMS wrote:

I bought some of those HF bar clamps with the orange pads. My experience
is: [snip]

Yeah, those are utter crap. I got one free with a purchase, and it
failed before it left the store. It's replacement has fared better, but
it's no replacement for a Pony or Bessey.

Jon

On Sat, 15 Dec 2012 11:37:37 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

Per :
Cheap made in China crap,
that generally breaks within it's first months use.

But if it's only going to see a few days or weeks of use...

Then you just wasted your money and made China richer.
If you only need a tool once, borrow or rent it. If you want to use it
again, buy a QUALITY tool. You can always sell it later if needed, on
ebay.

Everything I bought at HF has been cheap junk. I dont want to be
working on my car and smash my hand because a cheap HF tool broke.
Then again, I buy tools to use over and over. I might not always get
the top of the line tools, but I sure dont want the bottom of the line
crap sold at HF. Black&Decker is normally lower quality tools, but they
are 100 times better than that no-branded HF garbage.

By the way, I do have one multimeter that I bought at HF for around $7.
I've had it for 3 years and it still works..... Miracles do happen.....
Then again, it normally only gets used on 12v auto voltage and an
occasional 120vac. Plus, I always make sure to set the proper settings
and not abuse it.... That's the ONLY HF tool that has lasted for me.
All the others are now in some landfill.

wrote:
On Sat, 15 Dec 2012 11:37:37 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

Per :
Cheap made in China crap,
that generally breaks within it's first months use.

But if it's only going to see a few days or weeks of use...

Then you just wasted your money and made China richer.
If you only need a tool once, borrow or rent it. If you want to use it
again, buy a QUALITY tool. You can always sell it later if needed, on
ebay.

Everything I bought at HF has been cheap junk. I dont want to be
working on my car and smash my hand because a cheap HF tool broke.
Then again, I buy tools to use over and over. I might not always get
the top of the line tools, but I sure dont want the bottom of the line
crap sold at HF. Black&Decker is normally lower quality tools, but they
are 100 times better than that no-branded HF garbage.

By the way, I do have one multimeter that I bought at HF for around $7.
I've had it for 3 years and it still works..... Miracles do happen.....
Then again, it normally only gets used on 12v auto voltage and an
occasional 120vac. Plus, I always make sure to set the proper settings
and not abuse it.... That's the ONLY HF tool that has lasted for me.
All the others are now in some landfill.

HF sells more than tools. They sell zip ties, dollies, sand paper, gloves,
rope, moving blankets, and hundreds of other non-powered items.

They sell many of these items much cheaper than a lot of other places and
the quality is as good as it needs to be for these type of items.

And let's not forget our favorite HF item, the $2.50 electronic fly
swatter.

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog...Insect+swatter

On Mon, 17 Dec 2012 01:46:03 +0000 (UTC), DerbyDad03
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 15 Dec 2012 11:37:37 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

Per :
Cheap made in China crap,
that generally breaks within it's first months use.

But if it's only going to see a few days or weeks of use...

Then you just wasted your money and made China richer.
If you only need a tool once, borrow or rent it. If you want to use it
again, buy a QUALITY tool. You can always sell it later if needed, on
ebay.

Everything I bought at HF has been cheap junk. I dont want to be
working on my car and smash my hand because a cheap HF tool broke.
Then again, I buy tools to use over and over. I might not always get
the top of the line tools, but I sure dont want the bottom of the line
crap sold at HF. Black&Decker is normally lower quality tools, but they
are 100 times better than that no-branded HF garbage.

By the way, I do have one multimeter that I bought at HF for around $7.
I've had it for 3 years and it still works..... Miracles do happen.....
Then again, it normally only gets used on 12v auto voltage and an
occasional 120vac. Plus, I always make sure to set the proper settings
and not abuse it.... That's the ONLY HF tool that has lasted for me.
All the others are now in some landfill.

HF sells more than tools. They sell zip ties, dollies, sand paper, gloves,
rope, moving blankets, and hundreds of other non-powered items.

Just drove over to one today (20mi, or so). I walked out with zip
ties. They do have some stuff worth owning but not much. I was
looking at one of their tool cabinets. It wasn't too bad for the
price.

They sell many of these items much cheaper than a lot of other places and
the quality is as good as it needs to be for these type of items.

Some other stuff is good. I have their 10" SCMS, which is good enough
for framing and I don't care if it gets wet. ;-) I also have one of
their wet saws that is perfectly adequate and about 1/4 the price of
anything the box stores sell.

And let's not forget our favorite HF item, the $2.50 electronic fly
swatter.

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog...Insect+swatter

wrote:
On Mon, 17 Dec 2012 01:46:03 +0000 (UTC), DerbyDad03
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 15 Dec 2012 11:37:37 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

Per :
Cheap made in China crap,
that generally breaks within it's first months use.

But if it's only going to see a few days or weeks of use...

Then you just wasted your money and made China richer.
If you only need a tool once, borrow or rent it. If you want to use it
again, buy a QUALITY tool. You can always sell it later if needed, on
ebay.

Everything I bought at HF has been cheap junk. I dont want to be
working on my car and smash my hand because a cheap HF tool broke.
Then again, I buy tools to use over and over. I might not always get
the top of the line tools, but I sure dont want the bottom of the line
crap sold at HF. Black&Decker is normally lower quality tools, but they
are 100 times better than that no-branded HF garbage.

By the way, I do have one multimeter that I bought at HF for around $7.
I've had it for 3 years and it still works..... Miracles do happen.....
Then again, it normally only gets used on 12v auto voltage and an
occasional 120vac. Plus, I always make sure to set the proper settings
and not abuse it.... That's the ONLY HF tool that has lasted for me.
All the others are now in some landfill.

HF sells more than tools. They sell zip ties, dollies, sand paper, gloves,
rope, moving blankets, and hundreds of other non-powered items.

Just drove over to one today (20mi, or so). I walked out with zip
ties. They do have some stuff worth owning but not much. I was
looking at one of their tool cabinets. It wasn't too bad for the
price.

They sell many of these items much cheaper than a lot of other places and
the quality is as good as it needs to be for these type of items.

Some other stuff is good. I have their 10" SCMS, which is good enough
for framing and I don't care if it gets wet. ;-) I also have one of
their wet saws that is perfectly adequate and about 1/4 the price of
anything the box stores sell.

And let's not forget our favorite HF item, the $2.50 electronic fly
swatter.

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog...Insect+swatter

I've bought a few of their plastic tool boxes to store some of my power
tools that didn't come with a case, like my DeWalt angle grinder. Keeps
everything together for a pretty decent price.

I will admit to owning a HF 1/2" hammer drill. I was resurfacing my garage
floor and wanted to make sure I didn't burn out my "good" corded drill
mid-job while mixing the resurfacing material. I spent something like $35
on the drill and not only did it make it through the concrete mixing, but I
used it to drill about a gazillion holes in the block wall to fasten the
wire mesh for parging.

I also have a 10€� benchtop disc sander, something that doesn't get a lot of
work, but does what I need it to do when I use it.

And of course, there's the ever faithful multifunction tool.

On Sat, 15 Dec 2012 12:10:37 -0800, Jon Danniken
wrote:

On 12/15/2012 06:29 AM, SMS wrote:

I bought some of those HF bar clamps with the orange pads. My experience
is: [snip]

Yeah, those are utter crap. I got one free with a purchase, and it
failed before it left the store. It's replacement has fared better, but
it's no replacement for a Pony or Bessey.

Clamps are one place not to scrimp. It's a RPITA when you have glue
all over everything and the clamp breaks, sending glue all over
everything. Yes, I've had many HF clamps break. No more. They've
been replaced by Besseys and Irwins.

DerbyDad03 wrote:

And of course, there's the ever faithful multifunction tool.

Yep. And at $16.99 it makes a dandy Christmas gift.

For yourself, if necessary.

The US has a record-high trade deficit with China. We are in serious
trouble. You can blame the Republicans or Democrats if you like but the
real blame goes to the consumer.

Anyone that continues to contribute to the China trade deficit when they
have other purchasing options, should be convicted of treason and then
executed.

And no, I'm not trolling! I'm serious as a heart attack!

In article ,
Benedict Arnold wrote:

The US has a record-high trade deficit with China. We are in serious
trouble. You can blame the Republicans or Democrats if you like but the
real blame goes to the consumer.

Anyone that continues to contribute to the China trade deficit when they
have other purchasing options, should be convicted of treason and then
executed.

And no, I'm not trolling! I'm serious as a heart attack!

There's light at the end of the tunnel. Manufacturing is beginning to
move back to U.S. soil.

On Mon, 17 Dec 2012 06:57:04 -0600, "HeyBub"
wrote:

DerbyDad03 wrote:

And of course, there's the ever faithful multifunction tool.

Yep. And at $16.99 it makes a dandy Christmas gift.

For yourself, if necessary.

Damn- I paid $20 for the two I bought for gifts.g They will come
with the caveat that there are more expensive, better balanced ones
out there-- but if you want to see how handy they are, this is the
best *I'm* going to do. And if you're doing a disgustingly gritty
and dusty job-- leave your Fein in the box and let your HF Twitchin'
tool take the abuse.

Jim

On Monday, December 17, 2012 9:08:51 AM UTC-5, Benedict Arnold wrote:
The US has a record-high trade deficit with China. We are in serious
trouble. You can blame the Republicans or Democrats if you like but the
real blame goes to the consumer.

Yup, and there ain't a damn thing we can do about it. Ever tried to herd cats? American consumers are looking for ONE thing: Cheapest price.

Even if the Made in USA product is only $1 more, they will buy the China product because it is cheaper. Gotta save money. Bad economy, you know...

What we're doing over there is turning the Chinese people into a bunch of fat, lazy, greedy capitalists just like us. They're getting a little walkin' around money, and they're going to want more. They're gonna get wind that they're being paid jack for slave labor, and they're going to want more.

We've already seen indications in the iPhone factory riot. We're already seeing manufacturing moving back here due to incessant quality issues.

Right-wing wacko nutjobs think the only way to stop Communism is to march in there with guns blazing. We beat the USSR by simply out-spending them. We will beat China by buying them with their own money.

On 12/17/2012 11:53 AM, wrote:
On Monday, December 17, 2012 9:08:51 AM UTC-5, Benedict Arnold wrote:
The US has a record-high trade deficit with China. We are in serious
trouble. You can blame the Republicans or Democrats if you like but the
real blame goes to the consumer.

Yup, and there ain't a damn thing we can do about it. Ever tried to herd cats? American consumers are looking for ONE thing: Cheapest price.

Even if the Made in USA product is only $1 more, they will buy the China product because it is cheaper. Gotta save money. Bad economy, you know...

What we're doing over there is turning the Chinese people into a bunch of fat, lazy, greedy capitalists just like us. They're getting a little walkin' around money, and they're going to want more. They're gonna get wind that they're being paid jack for slave labor, and they're going to want more.

We've already seen indications in the iPhone factory riot. We're already seeing manufacturing moving back here due to incessant quality issues.

Right-wing wacko nutjobs think the only way to stop Communism is to march in there with guns blazing. We beat the USSR by simply out-spending them. We will beat China by buying them with their own money.


After the Apocalypses on Saturday it won't matter anyway.

On Dec 17, 7:57*am, "HeyBub" wrote:
DerbyDad03 wrote:

And of course, there's the ever faithful multifunction tool.

Yep. And at $16.99 it makes a dandy Christmas gift.

For yourself, if necessary.

SWMBO is buying me an upgrade for Christmas. The variable speed model
is on sale for $33.99. With the 20% off coupon, that's $27.19.

My son is getting a used single speed model for Christmas. I win twice
- A free upgrade for me and I don't have to spend anything on a gift
for my son. ;-)

On Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:08:51 -0500, Benedict Arnold
wrote:


The US has a record-high trade deficit with China. We are in serious
trouble. You can blame the Republicans or Democrats if you like but the
real blame goes to the consumer.

Anyone that continues to contribute to the China trade deficit when they
have other purchasing options, should be convicted of treason and then
executed.

And no, I'm not trolling! I'm serious as a heart attack!

You are sort of right about the consumer.
Unfortunately, there are few options at times. Have you tried to buy
a toaster not made in China? You can't. I'm not sure if even the
$250 Dualit is still made in England. I spent nearly $300 for a coffee
maker made in Norway, everything else is China.

Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
Benedict Arnold wrote:

The US has a record-high trade deficit with China. We are in serious
trouble. You can blame the Republicans or Democrats if you like but the
real blame goes to the consumer.

Anyone that continues to contribute to the China trade deficit when they
have other purchasing options, should be convicted of treason and then
executed.

And no, I'm not trolling! I'm serious as a heart attack!

There's light at the end of the tunnel. Manufacturing is beginning to
move back to U.S. soil.

It all started when us companies didn't want to deal with exporting, and
making stuff to others specs.

Couple years ago I bought a harbor freight axe. German blade, American
handle, and I don't think it was assembled in china.

Greg

Benedict Arnold wrote:
The US has a record-high trade deficit with China. We are in serious
trouble. You can blame the Republicans or Democrats if you like but
the real blame goes to the consumer.

Anyone that continues to contribute to the China trade deficit when
they have other purchasing options, should be convicted of treason
and then executed.

And no, I'm not trolling! I'm serious as a heart attack!

1. And China has a trade deficit with India and India has a trade deficit
with the U.S. It averages out.

2. Now you tell me, which of these products would you rather have:

A. 33-Piece Security Bit Set, $5.99, from Harbor Freight
http://www.harborfreight.com/33-piec...set-93388.html

or

B. 33-Piece Security Bit Set, $9.79, from Parts Express
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=360-206

or, maybe

C. Titan/33 Piece Security Bit Set, $7.99, from Autozone
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...ntifier=262606

On Sat, 15 Dec 2012 06:29:33 -0800, SMS
wrote:
I bought some of those HF bar clamps with the orange pads. My experience is:

1. Abut half of them won't ratchet tight at all.
2. The ratchet handle often falls off as the plastic tabs holding it in
break (I have drilled a hole and put in a small bolt to fix this).
3. The ends break off if you tighten it too much.
4. The pads are so loose that the constantly fall off (though you could
glue them on).
5. The bolts holding the ends on constantly loosen and fall off (need
some thread-lock on them).

I saw the same ones at Costco in nicer packaging, in a differnt color,
but I already knew the problems.

A lot of the HF tools are just fine for the non-pro, but I'm surprised
you like the $1.99 bar clamps.

I find the HF clamps are more than capable of enough pressure to
secure a wood joint without squeezing all the glue out of the joint
while it dries. The rubber pads and light weight bars should be your
first clue they are not meant to squeeze the crap out of something.
That's what cast iron pipe clamps and C-clamps are for. Learn to
choose the right tool for the job.

Everyone appreciates a quality tool. If you have unlimited cash to buy
the tool that gives you bragging rights then by all means buy the very
best, expense be damned.

I find HF tools more than adequate for the jobs I do around my house.
The cost difference between the bragging rights brand and the HF brand
is enough to make the difference between having the right tool for the
job or not and knowing the difference.