HF tools that suck

[thatguy]

I was trying to find a 33mm socket to fit a 3pt pin I was trying to lower - I tried about 3 or 4 different sets before I found a 33 mm that fit snugly

Brian

 

[Builder]

I said this in another post, but it might be worth saying again: Is saving some money worth the risk of personal injury or property damage like Drago had?

I can't believe this company is still in business. How they haven't been sued hunddreds of times is beyond me.

 

[woodstick]

I bought an air wrench there that works fine if I loosen the lug nuts first. When there is no resistance, it is great. I would hate to drive a car where the wheels were only tightened with this piece of junk.

It was cheap, and now I know better. I no longer shop there for anything.

 

[Tom_H]

Most of the things I've gotten there have been relatively satisfactory for the price: standard and ratchet wrenches, chisels, close quarter drill, elec. impact wrench, drill press, pole saw, chain hoist, elec. hoist, reciprocating saw, sanders.

The thing that was totally worthless was one of those odometer wheel-on-a-stick things. Ten feet on the tape measure came out as just over eight feet on this thing. Completely useless and I had no inclination to do a careful calibration and multiply every measurement by 1.237 or some such constant. It was only a couple of bucks on clearance (wonder why?) and not worth the gas to take it back. I just tossed it.

 

[eazyduzzit]

I have bought lots of Harbor Freight tools that are amazing considering the price.
Tool

poor* fair ** good *** excellent ****

37406 lathe ****
Floor standing drill press ****
6" jointer **
stationary belt sander ***
1 hp dust collector ***
2 hp dust collector ****

All of these tools were bought because of the low price with the understanding that they may not last long. I'm amazed that all are still working years later. I did sell the 6" jointer for 2/3 of what I paid and I upgraded to an 8" Shop Fox.

Before I buy anything there I look it over real good. Some of the stuff they sell isn't worth taking home, but some of it is.

 

[California]

Brass air line quick connects- already discussed by someone else, they leak.

The shiny ones leak too. I had forgotten those, it's been years, but I would still never buy another set there.

And the Vivitar pretend 'binoculars' they sold briefly were a joke. Vivitar's trademark must have expired.

Likewise the brass surveyor compass. It has the fittings of a Bruning(?) except these are hand made by some guy with only a file and a hunk of brass, sitting on the floor in a shop in India. He clearly has no jigs or measuring instruments to make these to precise dimensions, just another inaccurate one in front of him which he was told to copy freehand.

The brass beam balance 'jeweler's scale' could be reworked to fair repeatability, after you threw away its weights and replaced them with a student set of weights.

But overall, with some winners and losers, I've been happy. The 3.3' x 4' trailer went together in an evening and I used it to carry guests camping luggage behind my 4x4 that weekend. No problems over 10 years use.

Likewise the $180 electric 50 ft drain cleaner works fine. I've used it about 10 times and each use took the place of a $120 - $180 (weekend rate) RotoRooter callout. That's a huge saving.

You just have to approach HF with a sense of humor.

 

[Builder]

You just have to approach HF with a sense of humor.

And a measure of concern for your safety. I don't think I'd ever buy a tool from them that could break free or release and injure/kill someone. Like Drago's coil spring compression tool, a chain hoist, a jack, etc.

 

[California]

And a measure of concern for your safety. I don't think I'd ever buy a tool from them that could break free or release and injure/kill someone. Like Drago's coil spring compression tool, a chain hoist, a jack, etc.

No argument with that. Also jackstands.

I think Dargo was also the one who had tiedown straps chafe through in a few miles.

 

[Page2]

Well they have their place, and sometimes it's just what you need to get by but, Bottom line --buy their tools with the thought in mind you'll only use it once, and keep your fingers crossed that it will actually work that one time! If it still works after that it's icing on the cake. As they say-you get what you pay for, if you really need your tools to hold up, go somewhere else.

 

[California]

Another classic. I went to their Parking Lot Sale on Friday shortly after it opened. I found the 8 inch bench grinder, marked $25. It looked new (no box) so I started checking it over. I found one end of the main shaft so bent that the right grinding wheel wobbled more than 1/8", maybe 1/4", as I turned it. With my fingertip I verified it was the end of the shaft out of true, not a badly mounted stone. That is a disaster waiting to blow up in someone's face.

And the only way that shaft could get bent without damaging the shield around it is during manufacture at the factory. Somebody went ahead and assembled an obviously-flawed machine after it fell off a table or something. No QC at all. That tool was dangerous, it was no bargain at any price.


They have changed their strategy a little. Nearly all the stuff outdoors was regular stock offered at sale-brochure prices such as the wood machinist's toolbox for $10 off, now $59. (Only 2 of them).

There were a few customer returns that might be a good buy if you could repair them, such as the huge top toolbox for $50 with a simple dent across the lid. A bodyman could bump that out to look good in 5 minutes, or some farmer as cheap as me might bang it out and put it in service in the barn as-is.

I was looking for a compressor cheap but the only ones below normal advertised price were a couple of returns that were drenched in leaked oil, and may have been missing parts. Again, a possible bargain for someone, but not me.

After a half hour I left without buying anything.

 

[Builder]

If one seeks great bargains on low priced tools, I often wondered why not just buy used brand name tools at yard sales or from the local "penny pincher, "trade talk" etc. type papers we have in my area.

Tons of brand name tools at like 25% of their new price that will far outlast the cheap chinese junk that Horrible Fright sells.

 

[OKnewguy]

I never by used tools from the paper, craigslist, or ebay and especially pawn shops. I could be wrong, but I believe the majority of these tools are hot as all get out. I have bought some things like mowers and 4 wheelers. These items have always had the original owners manuals, so they probably were clean. I would rather get a hf tool then run the chance of supporting theft.
Thanks, Dave
P.S. I am not trying to start any kind of fight and hope that it is not taken that way.

 

[CurlyDave]

Also jackstands.

I have both a pair of their 4000 lb jackstands, and a pair of their 8000 lb jackstands. (The ratings are per pair)

I have used the smaller pair for years with no problem, and while the larger pair is fairly new, they are of the same design and seem OK.

They work on a kind of a rachet mechanism -- pull up the inner part & it locks, lift a lever and it drops. Much more convenient that the usual tubular metal ones from the auto parts store. They are beefy as all get out. The steel could be, and probably is 1/4 the strength of a different brand. But, the sheer mass of it means they are strong.

 

[California]

If one seeks great bargains on low priced tools, I often wondered why not just buy used brand name tools at yard sales or from the local "penny pincher, "trade talk" etc. type papers we have in my area.

Tons of brand name tools at like 25% of their new price that will far outlast the cheap chinese junk that Horrible Fright sells.

You will chuckle at this. I'm going the opposite way!

I inherited maybe a half ton of yard-sale tools Dad got really cheap over the years. All of it is worn out professional tools, averaging 30-50 years old. I've used his stuff all my life but as soon as I started working construction I started bring my own tools over to work on his ranch. None of his yard sale stuff worked right, every piece needed repair before using it for something. Hammers with loose heads, belt sanders (about 8 of them) that all gouge because the bottom plate is bent, wrecking bars that dump you on the ground when you apply force because they are subtly bent to one side. Paint brushes that never stop shedding.

In the 8 years since I inherited this place I've tried to do good work with these tools but it's simply impossible. Even dangerous considering the frayed, taped cords and non-insulated bare metal construction. One by one I've run out of patience and taken armloads of this stuff to the used tool store. A couple of time I've bought a quality used tool if he had it. More often I've taken what I got for it, and headed straight for HF to buy the equivalent new tool that actually works. The stuff I bought myself as a journeyman Carpenter back in the 1970's is still the only stuff I really trust, though.

 

[Builder]

The stuff I bought myself as a journeyman Carpenter back in the 1970's is still the only stuff I really trust, though.

That's what I mean. I'm not suggesting to buy 30-50 yr old tools. I see lots of practically new tools purchased by amateurs to do a project that get sold because they no longer need them for less than 1/2 the price they paid.

 

[patrick_g]

If you want AMERICAN stuff
then look here ==> made in usa, american made, made in america

Pat

 

[MicroPilot]

Too be fair, Harbor Freight usually has different price levels for the same type of tool. If you buy the really cheap one, your getting the "really cheap" one. Most of my bad experiences with HF are when I bought the "really cheap" tool. The more expensive stuff does seem to be "better" quality.

I've also had Craftsman and Snap-On tools fail on me, and those aren't cheap.

 

[California]

My local HF recently moved from a scary neighborhood to a larger, cleaner store in a better location. Come to think of it, the other store I stop by when on the road just did the same thing.

And they now seem to stock better brands of tools, as well as have better control over the quality level their Chinese suppliers provide.

Finally, their prices are moving up.

I think these guys are moving up, however slightly. They want to be 'America's tool store' and with Craftsman/Kmart stocking a lot of the same Chinese-made gear, HF has a better chance at it compared to back when all-American lines of tools were clearly superior to imports.

Just a hunch, but I think they just might pull it off.

 

[kenmac]

I was thinking of 1 of these semiautomatic tire changers for the garage. Not to sure about the quality though Harbor Freight Tools

 

[patrick_g]

My local HF recently moved from a scary neighborhood to a larger, cleaner store in a better location. Come to think of it, the other store I stop by when on the road just did the same thing.

On a similar note... Now that many of the HF stores are in better locations with new clean stores with clean restrooms and wide brightly lit isles, I notice a sharp up tick in female shopper numbers. This is not just women accompanying their men but those shopping on their own. They wander the isles in search of a bargain, having heard there are bargains to be had but frequently unable to tell what they are looking at.

It gives me a laugh to see ladies pushing shopping carts through HF with a cell phone to one ear just wandering through the store trying to find something they can recognize. There is plenty of novelty and decorative items so they often find something to buy. This increase in distaff shopping got a tremendous boost when HF stores began to move to nicer areas, new buildings with good lighting and clean restrooms.

What next a coffee bar? wifi? Still not a singles spot but changing in personality, ehh HF?

Pat