Hi, my name is Patrick and I'm a HarborFreightaholic!
I have oodles of HF stuff and it is exactly like everyone says, good, bad, and indifferent depending on the tool and luck of the draw in variability within one tool type.
I have their wood lathe (Item 98676), not one of the ones stocked in the retail stores that are a tad flimsy but the special order one that is plenty of cast iron; legs and bed. It swings up to 14 inch diameter work up to 43 inches long, has a continuously variable speed tranny, and digital tachometer. It is underpowered enough that I am considering installing a higher HP motor. I have been thinking this well over a year. It is definitely usable as is but would be more to my liking if it had (ARRH ARRH ARRH...) MORE POWER. It cost literally well over a thousand dollars less than what is available in recognized brands as sold at Woodcrafters.
Cutting tools for wood lathe use are not cheap at the woodworking boutique, often costing over $100 for one. I have only a few of those, mostly bought on sale. I have 3 complete sets of the HF "equivalent" cutting tools. One had a damaged wood case so was less than 1/2 price and the others were "sale" items. I have bent one of the 1/4inch gouges and cracked the wooden handle of one of the 1 inch gouges but both are still usable and well du-uh I have a lathe and could easily make a new wooden handle as I did for a HF wood chisel.
8 Piece High Speed Steel Wood Lathe Chisel Set
I have a sharpening jig with a dedicated 8 inch bench grinder. I find that the HF tools are consistent in quality as regards taking and holding a sharp edge equal to most of my "real" tools and almost as good as the best (with the exception of carbide edged tools.)
I have an 8 inch HF grinder mounted on my welding trailer, an 8 inch HF grinder in the wood shop, and a 10inch HF (Special order) Grinder in the metalworking shop. All of these grinders work fine.
I have several 4 1/2 inch angle grinders, a couple different models of HF and a couple American named Chinese built ones (probably at least 6 that work plus my Milwaukee 7 inch MR GRINDER. These HF units are not consistent in their resistance to letting their smoke out but for the cost (on sale) compared to the cost of buying slightly better quality Chinese made grinders with names on them like Dewalt etc. they are cost effective for me. I can have a cutoff wheel on one, grinding wheel on another, wire brush on another, etc. If one dies I'm not out of business.
I have HF corded hand drills. They all work, none have failed, all are underpowered. My cordless drills and impact drivers (two of each) are Dewalt and have lasted for years with only an occasional new battery. I have Craftsman corded 3/8 no better than HF. I have a Milwaukee Magnum Hole Shooter 3/8 reversible corded drill that is over 30 years old and works perfectly except it has so much stalled torque that it is dangerous. (It is a REAL tool.) Ditto SAZALL by Milwaukee, same age.
I bought the cheap HF skill saw with LASER. The LASER died within a few days but as HF is nover 100mile RT I don't run back daily.
The tach on the wood lathe died within warranty. I asked over the phone for a replacement. It came 6 months later. I had already done the troubleshooting and discovered the power supply section died so I cobbled in a wall wart and it worked for over a year and a half before the digital display went dark. I haven't opened it up to see what is wrong. I have the entire new tach on the shelf so I could start fresh.
So do I like HF? Yes I do but I have no illusions regarding across the board quality. Everything is its own situation. I have HF air brad guns and a pinner. Some guns have failed in warranty and were replaced, others lasted till out of warranty and still others are going strong. It is a luck-of-the-draw situation. I have their T-nailer that shoots (dare I say it) T-nails into concrete. Works so so with their nails. I bought an assortment of T-nails from a big box store (internet sale) and none of them penetrate concrete at all but the HF do.
Fiberglass handled ball peen hammers in all their sizes, no problems but their dinky little carpenter hammers are a bad joke, obvious at a glance. Their looooong drill bits (well over 2 ft long) sure are handy sometimes. I don't make a living with their big Silver and Deming bits but for careful occasional use I have a set at less cost than only one bit of higher quality. If I have serious need for a bunch of holes and plasma cutting isn't applicable then I can buy that one real bit I need.
I have had no trouble with their air operated pop riveter or manual ones or the rivets.
Welders, a frequent topic here... Well...guilty until proved innocent, I wouldn't want any HF welder that I know about if it were on half price sale. Just not worth the aggravation. Try driving a spike with a rubber handled tack hammer. It may be possible but it is a frustrating effort prone to failure. I have a Lincoln AC/DC tombstone stick welder, a Lincoln 120VAC powered MIG, A Hobart MIG "Handler 180" 240VAC which works with flux core or gas and does stainless and aluminum too, and a HyperTherm plasma cutter. You can't fake it with welding and expect good results where safety may be involved. My apologies to any HF welder owner operators who get consistent professional results. Miracles may occur.
I got lots more HF stuff like wood working vices and machinist vices and combination vices, anvil, hi-lift jack, winches, caster wheels under nearly everything in the shop. The heart of a wood shop is a good cabinet saw. Mine is not HF (3HP, 52 inch table SawStop) I have a 20 year old floor standing drill press- - HF 16 speed works fine. OK, OK I'l quit for a while...
Pat
