Harbor Freight Tools that DO SUCK II

[buck12]

Milwaukee stuff is insanely expensive and interestingly, made across the pond anyway.

At least some Milwaukee stuff is made in Mississippi. I have no ideas what they make but there is a large factory in the delta and a distribution center in the north Mississippi.

 

[the old grind]

My Milwaukee hammer drill is a red/rebadged Bosch.

My best 1/2" drill is another red favorite.

That said, I don't break even the most basic HFT stuff.

That said, nobody's cordless anything works for me. :stirthepot:

 

[Frankenkubota]

It's easy to love HFT and easy to hate China but it takes a patriot to do both well.

As for HFT tools that do suck, you get what you pay for.

That's funny!

 

[Frankenkubota]

Milwaukee stuff is insanely expensive and interestingly, made across the pond anyway.

I guess things change in 40 years? I worked at Milwaukee Electric Tool. Piece work, heat treating and deburring. It was just outside of Milwaukee.

Think of standing at a huge industrial buffing/sanding wheel, 8-10 hours a day, taking the burrs and aluminum casting leftovers from the nose cone of the Milwaukee saw zall. And you better not slow down! Now it's all plastic.

That's a nice way to make a living.

 

[Oaktree]

With the number of professional users who bash HF tools I imagine people like us make up the bulk of their business. The Pittsburgh line of wrenches has almost always been all my occasional use could justify.
.....
If JC Penny upscaled themselves out of business, that explains a great deal. I once mentioned to a clerk there that I was looking for something less expensive. She recommended KMart or Walmart. I hope she found a great job when the Penny store shut down.

I recall back in the 80s tool snobs looked down their noses at Craftsman tools, calling them "crapsman", now those old tools are looked at with great nostalgia.
I agree that it's mostly homeowners/casual users who shop at HF, for a long time their whole image was cheap tools, some of which were OK quality, others not so much. Nothing I'd go for if I needed them to make my living either. Time will tell if their "upscaling" will pay off.

My reference to JC Penney was less upscaling than it was to doing away with their long time policy of constant sales, coupons and markdowns. When they got away from that, sales tanked...customers didn't think they were getting a bargain anymore. Of course they weren't doing well even before they adopted that policy, HF seems to be doing well business-wise.

 

[5030]

Most of the later tools from Sears were crapsman made across the pond tools. I see the 'Craftsman' name is no synonymous with imported stuff at various box stores now that Sears and Grab buck is gone....

 

[5030]

That is gone. Now some 'Coolie' is making it for peanuts, literally.

I find the Milwaukee stuff to be way overpriced. Even more so than DeWalt (which is, in reality, Black and Decker).

 

[/pine]

This was posted last spring...not sure by whom...FWIW...
Power Tool Manufacturers and Who Really Owns Them | PTR

 

[stuckmotor]

I recall back in the 80s tool snobs looked down their noses at Craftsman tools, calling them "crapsman", now those old tools are looked at with great nostalgia.
I agree that it's mostly homeowners/casual users who shop at HF, for a long time their whole image was cheap tools, some of which were OK quality, others not so much. Nothing I'd go for if I needed them to make my living either. Time will tell if their "upscaling" will pay off.

My reference to JC Penney was less upscaling than it was to doing away with their long time policy of constant sales, coupons and markdowns. When they got away from that, sales tanked...customers didn't think they were getting a bargain anymore. Of course they weren't doing well even before they adopted that policy, HF seems to be doing well business-wise.

Thanks for explaining the JC Penney reference. I hadn't traded with them much since Wal-Mart came to town and hadn't noticed about the coupons, sales, and markdowns.
I often wonder why tool snobs even read a thread with Harbor Freight in the title.

 

[5030]

In reality, not much 'made in USA' today except babies and even those are delivered with offshore made surgical instruments... cannot win.