HF tools that suck

Travelover · Mar 15, 2010

Dargo said:
.............Any questions?

Just one. After the spring compressor experience, why did ya buy it?

Dargo · Mar 15, 2010

Travelover said:
Just one. After the spring compressor experience, why did ya buy it?

Crash test dummy...professional.

I didn't buy another spring compressor there. Just a bunch of junk recycled steel painted orange with a cheap bottle jack. I should have known I was in trouble when the last line in the assembly instructions said "Have someone else hold your beer and get someone you don't like try using device first time. Be sure to run before they give it a try".

Travelover · Mar 15, 2010

Dargo said:
Crash test dummy...professional.

I didn't buy another spring compressor there. Just a bunch of junk recycled steel painted orange with a cheap bottle jack. I should have known I was in trouble when the last line in the assembly instructions said "Have someone else hold your beer and get someone you don't like try using device first time. Be sure to run before they give it a try".

:laughing::laughing::laughing:

some zilch · Mar 17, 2010

gee, my HF 20ton press has been holding up great, and gets pretty good reviews on other sites. it really seems to be one of their better products.

Dargo · Mar 17, 2010

some zilch said:
gee, my HF 20ton press has been holding up great, and gets pretty good reviews on other sites. it really seems to be one of their better products.

And why couldn't you have told me this before I bought the completely worthless, and dangerous, 12 ton piece of garbage?

I'm honestly glad to hear your 20 ton works for you. Like we all know, it's hit and miss there. I am aware that there are some bargains there. Unfortunately, the 12 ton shop press is most certainly a loser and one destined to get them sued. Heck, I have almost as much in proper sized and strength hardware to assemble the piece of garbage as what it cost! I think I have some scrap 2"X3" angle in my scrap pile that I can use to make a new base out of for the 12 ton killer. The freaking "angle" they use is made of stamped steel (recycled a few times no doubt).

Or, would it be better to just take my hardware off the 12 ton piece of garbage and return it in favor of the 20 ton unit? I say that because the 12 ton press will be extremely marginal for a 12 unit at best with major modifications.

Farwell · Mar 17, 2010

Almost every forum I visit have love hate relationships with HF. I purchase some expendables from them on occasion and if I had one locally I would probably visit them once in a while. I have found from reading a lot of threads about HF there are some items that should be avoided at all cost.
Most of the type of work I do requires heavy duty equipment so I have to buy brand name tools built to commercial specifications.

Brad_Blazer · Mar 19, 2010

I have a very similar 12 ton press I got from Homier several years ago. It's nothing special but nothing on it has broken and it has served me well. Here is a project where I used it to bend some 1" square stock. I think I was pretty much using the full 12 tons, especially when the valve on the jack stuck and I substituted a 20 ton jack. I was still having to pump pretty hard.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/82371-bent-teeth-tooth-bar.html

PeterK · Mar 19, 2010

I have the HF 12 ton press and it has also served me well for several years now. I mostly press bearings and do some repair work with it. The stand seems a little shakey but it works fine. I wish I had bought the 20 ton version but only because it's larger. 50 ton stuff I sent out.

Dargo · Mar 20, 2010

PeterK said:
I have the HF 12 ton press and it has also served me well for several years now. I mostly press bearings and do some repair work with it. The stand seems a little shakey but it works fine. I wish I had bought the 20 ton version but only because it's larger. 50 ton stuff I sent out.

Even on sale and using my 20% discount (dang, I must shop there too often!

), I still would never spend the $90 something bucks for the shop press again. It cost me another $20 in appropriate nuts and bolts etc., and it's still a piece of junk. The ONLY thing that may be good about it is to take the design and build my own using scrap I have. Otherwise, I give the Horrible Freight 12 ton shop press a resounding PASS!