Harbor Freight tools that DO suck

[California]

The HF quick hitch was fully capable of showing me that I have no use for such a contraption ...

I am glad I only spent $70 to learn

Exactly. Try cheap HF first and see if it works for you instead of the shiny 'pride of ownership' Deere version for 5 x more.

 

[CADplans]

The best thing about select Harbor Freight tools??
You can "use" the tool, not "store" the tool.

I am in the habit now of,,,
purchase the HF tool, use it, then toss it,, I will never use the tool a second time.

We did that with a little miter saw when we installed some hardwood "click/clack" assemble pre-finished flooring.

That was 5 years ago, I would never have used the saw between then and now,,
My neighbor thinks I gave him a fortune when I gave him the saw,,
between then and now, he has never had a use for it either,,,:confused2:

 

[dragoneggs]

The best thing about select Harbor Freight tools??
You can "use" the tool, not "store" the tool.

I am in the habit now of,,,
purchase the HF tool, use it, then toss it,, I will never use the tool a second time.

We did that with a little miter saw when we installed some hardwood "click/clack" assemble pre-finished flooring.

That was 5 years ago, I would never have used the saw between then and now,,
My neighbor thinks I gave him a fortune when I gave him the saw,,
between then and now, he has never had a use for it either,,,:confused2:

It does depend on just how much of a DIY person you really are. I loath at having to hire people to do jobs I am fully capable of doing.

 

[crazyal]

I had a policy of buy nothing electric from HF. When building my house I looked into renting a tile saw, it was $45 a day. I had to do the kitchen, two entry ways, and 3 bathrooms. I figured I could do it in 2 or 3 days but kind of didn't want to do it all in one shot. So it was going to be more like 4 days. I decided to try the HF 10" tile saw because the motor was just a standard motor that could easily be replaced. With the 20% off coupon it was cheaper and I could do paver stones for the walkway. The only other part that could go bad was the water pump but it's just a pump you would put in a fish tank so it's also easy to replace. Sure I could of bought a well used MK for 3 to 4 times as much. That saw did everything in my house, my walkway, and has been lent to countless friends and coworkers (that's the other great thing about HF tools, I don't mind lending them out). I would never buy it if I owned a business and had to count on it performing every day but for a tool that gets used once or twice a year it's paid for itself several times now.

 

[4570Man]

Then there are people like me who don't really depend on tools to make a living or do heavy work and who don't really take care of them. If I leave a $10 tool out in the rain and it gets ruined, I'm not out anywhere near what I would be if I left a $100 tool outside.

.

I keep a $75 dollar well used backpack blower on my truck and my $500 blower at home. When I’m only blowing grass of driveways why take the risk of loosing a lot more when it gets stolen? If a buddy needed to borrow a saw he’d get my $200 saw not my $800 chainsaw. I have a high end Bosch miter saw in my shop, but the $130 delta with a stand that’s actually pretty good works fine to take to a jobsite. I usually tend to buy quality tools, but I actually think the HF sockets and wrenches are pretty good. I’ve never used a HF ratchet but they feel pretty decent. I paid $11 for a set of HF torx bits. I put one on my 1/2 impact and to the surprise of no one promptly busted it. I’d have been a lot more pissed off if it was a $300 snapon set.

 

[4570Man]

I feel sorry for people who want to start in a new hobby and go to HF for power tools. Typically they will end up disappointed in the hobby not realizing the tools are the problem not the hobby or their skills.

For example: I turn captive ring goblets for fun. I have a high end lathe and all the tools that go with it. I was a member of a wood turning club for awhile and we'd put on demonstrations for the public at HF stores using HF lathes. I would never try a captive ring goblet with their tools, the bearings are to sloppy to get good results. We kept to the simpler forms and worked around the challenges, someone new to the craft would have lots of problems making anything with them, we could because of our skills learned on better tools. Someone new to a craft should get good tools and if possible a mentor to help with the learning curve.

I have a Powermatic 3520 and a Jet 1632 that I scored at a good deal. I actually think the HF lathe isn’t that bad for a beginner. They’ll get a lot farther with the HF lathe and a few tools with a way to sharpen them than a nice lathe and nothing else.

 

[dragoneggs]

I had a policy of buy nothing electric from HF. When building my house I looked into renting a tile saw, it was $45 a day. I had to do the kitchen, two entry ways, and 3 bathrooms. I figured I could do it in 2 or 3 days but kind of didn't want to do it all in one shot. So it was going to be more like 4 days. I decided to try the HF 10" tile saw because the motor was just a standard motor that could easily be replaced. With the 20% off coupon it was cheaper and I could do paver stones for the walkway. The only other part that could go bad was the water pump but it's just a pump you would put in a fish tank so it's also easy to replace. Sure I could of bought a well used MK for 3 to 4 times as much. That saw did everything in my house, my walkway, and has been lent to countless friends and coworkers (that's the other great thing about HF tools, I don't mind lending them out). I would never buy it if I owned a business and had to count on it performing every day but for a tool that gets used once or twice a year it's paid for itself several times now.

I know this is the 'DO' suck thread, but I have a HF Tile saw that I bought for one job never thinking I would use it again. But it now has plowed through several tile and paver jobs at my abode and it is still kicking. Only thing I recommend here is to get a quality masonry blade.

 

[Travelover]

......Only thing I recommend here is to get a quality masonry blade.

Yea, the HF abrasive blades do suck. The metal chop saw blade will glow red before it will cut through a chunk of steel. Stick in a Norton blade and it goes right through.

 

[Diggin It]

Can't say as I'm all too keen on their sump pumps either. At least not the older ones. Haven't tried the new green ones yet.

 

[crazyal]

I have a Powermatic 3520 and a Jet 1632 that I scored at a good deal. I actually think the HF lathe isn’t that bad for a beginner. They’ll get a lot farther with the HF lathe and a few tools with a way to sharpen them than a nice lathe and nothing else.

The next step up is most likely a Grizzly or Baileigh then maybe a Nova (pricewise) at a cost several times the price of the HF. That alone puts it out of reach of most people who don't have experience or a strong desire to learn how to turn wood. Sure you will be buying a better lathe and getting parts will most likely be a lot easier but if you only have $500 to spend then what good is a $1000 lathe?