Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[300UGUY]

I should know this, but how does the Bauer,Hercules,Chief thing work? Which is the order of quality? And will Chicago Electric still be around?

 

[dragoneggs]

I should know this, but how does the Bauer,Hercules,Chief thing work? Which is the order of quality? And will Chicago Electric still be around?

Which color do you like?

 

[Rock Crawler]

Which color do you like?

Not exactly. AVE, an engineer in Canada has taken apart a dizzying number of tools and equipment and he explains the designed weaknesses and strength.

Lowest to highest
Chicago, Bauer, Hercules.

Chicago Electric is being phased out and will be entirely replaced by Bauer. This will happen a few part numbers at a time over the next year or so.

Chicago pneumatics is also going to be phased out and will be replaced by Chief.

Pittsburgh (and Pro) Tool will be phased out, I personally disagree with this choice, but I'm nobody and don't have meaning in this world.i find the Pittsburgh (Pro) line of tools to generally be a great value of low cost and acceptable quality. Quinn and Maddox will be seen replacing the Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Pro tools.

My belief is that these changes are sweeping across the stores in hopes to up the quality of the tools with new and better designs. I truly feel that HF wants to transition into being known as a supplier of good and reliable hand, air and power tools that every man, every house and every garage will have and use. Like Craftsman.

 

[Diggin It]

^^ Maybe the Craftsman of old, but I don't care for the new Lowes Craftsman stuff and won't be buying it. I'm also concerned that HF may be pricing themselves into trouble. Inexpensive doesn't always mean 'cheap' and higher prices don't always mean better. Changing names on stuff to raise the prices doesn't always go well. I'd prefer they stay more or less as they have been and not go chasing pots of gold at the end of rainbows.

 

[sixdogs]

Harbor Freight is already the elephant in the room when it comes to hand tools and I believe they are the place where younger people go for quality hand tools at fair prices. HF already is the "Craftsman" tools of today. There may have some nasty tools made the past but take a look at their good stuff today and it's impressive. Yes I like the old Craftsman but yes I like the top line HF. Price weighted, HF wins in hand tools.

 

[rgr33]

I am well satisfied with most of their hand tools. The price is the deal with HF, if they want to raise their prices to be competitive with a mediocre line like the new craftsman, I will find them less attractive.

I haven’t tried many, but pretty much every HF electric power tool I have tried has been awful, if their new lines are competitive with Milwaukee and Dewalt, I will stick with the known brands.

I like the price point that HF is at now, it lures me in now and then looking for a tool I may or may not even need.

 

[dragoneggs]

Not exactly. AVE, an engineer in Canada has taken apart a dizzying number of tools and equipment and he explains the designed weaknesses and strength.

Lowest to highest
Chicago, Bauer, Hercules.

Chicago Electric is being phased out and will be entirely replaced by Bauer. This will happen a few part numbers at a time over the next year or so.

Yeah figured Bauer (weird name) would be better than Chicago but is Hercules actually better than Bauer?

 

[California]

Yeah figured Bauer (weird name) would be better than Chicago but is Hercules actually better than Bauer?

I think they made up 'Bauer' to suggest comparability to Klein and Bosch, which are respected German brands. HF likely paid a brand consultant good money to come up with that. (Anybody remember Packard-Bell PC's?)

I see there is a Germany-based Bauer corporation that makes heavy equipment for foundation drilling etc.

Bauer Equipment

Maybe Bauer Equipment never registered their trademark in the US. Oops.

 

[Rock Crawler]

Hercules is for sure the high line. AVE did tear down on both, the Hercules is absolutely better, yet no match to Milwaukee.

 

[Travelover]

...... AVE, an engineer in Canada ..........

A minor quibble, I really doubt that he is a degreed engineer. He is rather humorous , though.