Any experience with Harbor Freight Tools
Buzzsaw
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
I always get emails from a company called Harbor Freight Tools and have never bought anything from them. I see a wet saw in one of their ads that I’m thinking of getting. Does anyone out there have any experience with buying from this company?
Regards,
Buzzsaw
Replies
There is a new store right down the street from me. I have not bought and power tools from the. they do offer a warranty. but they still look cheap. The one thing I have bought is some clamps. 20" deep throat. Very happy. Nice clamps very cheap.
Yes. I've bought a pnuematic choo-choo sander, a small sand balster, a pair or shop carts ... basically cheap tools that I don't use very much, didn't expect much and was satisfied. I look at their tools as throw aways after the one job I buy it for like the in-line sander was $27 vs. $250 for a name brand, except I still have and us it once in a while. If you think a $25 cordless drill is worth having you may be disappointed. One thing I get there regularly are blue Nitrile disposable gloves. They're 10x better than latex and $12 a box.John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking
The more things change ...
We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.
Petronious Arbiter, 210 BC
Im with you, Ya cant beat the nitrile gloves they sell.
Harbor Freight is cheap imported tools, for the occasional use, or a quick one time need they serve a purpose on electric tools. They do sell some ok stuff. Like auto jacks, dollys, hand trucks, carts and other basic stuff that ive used more then once.
If you buy them thinking they are good quality, youll be dissapointed FAST. If you buy them knowing they really wont handle much use and have cheap parts that will break, youll be satisfied.
Bought a 1/2" hammer drill which lasted 1 time. Their return policy was terrible, they wanted me to send it back to get fixed rather than refund my money. Habor Freight makes tools to look at, not tools to use.
- Stearns
I have bought a drill press (bench type) which had run out within about 20 hours of use, 2 drills which had bearings go,etc. DON"T EVER buy anything from HF that you will use regularly or that requires accuracy. Clamps , hammers etc. that you consider disposable are okay because they will be.
Buzzsaw,
Bought an ?? volt cordless drill from them made under their brand name several years for cheap, really cheap. You get what you pay for. It never worked properly. Sitting on the bottom shelf unused. Want it?
I have also bought non - battery non- electric things form them, clamps, rulers, drill bits etc. which were OK but not top quality.
ASK
Hit or miss IMHO....there are deals to be had, and heals to be dealt with. Read on for some more reading on the matter:
http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=1075780&page=2&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=
I agree with the other posters -- HF is good source for cheap, one-time use, dispsable tools.
Over the years, I have bought stuff from them that I knew I would only use once or twoice in my lifetime -- e.g. a set of snap ring pliers.
Years ago, I bought a set of 24" pipe wrenches for a one- time project, and one of them broke the first time I torqued on a pipe. These things were really dirt cheap, and I never expected a warranty. But I called anyway, and I'll be darned, they sent me a new wrench!! Didn't even ask that I return the broken wrench.
I've bought some stuff from them. Like others have said some of their offerings are just plain cheap. If you look at the stuff closely, it's not difficult to determine what to buy and what to leave alone.
I have a couple of their $20 trim routers. Sounded awful cheap when they sold them for $40, but $20 made it worth trying. Actually not a bad item at all. I have a PC trim router that cost me about $100 and it works great. I can get 5 of the HF units for the same price, so you decide.
Another item I've gotten there are a cutout tool for $20; looks like the same motor as the trim router but with different accessories. I've cut 3/4" ply with no problem. Also got a 10" buffer for $15; works great. I've bought one 12VDC drill for $14 including battery and charger plus the spare battery for $6; have had no problem with it and use alongside my PC that has the usual battery issues.
Their clamps are what they are - inexpensive versions of the real thing. I've found them to be fine for use at home.
Bill Arnold
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
Consumables or brandname products ok . . .
Central Machinery, Chicago Electric or Pittsburgh Steel bad.
I have a Hobart welder I bought at HF . . . it's a Hobart (Miller)
I've also picked up DeWalt and Makita tools there at very good prices.
I have, however, been very disappointed with their "inhouse" brands--broken balljoint seperators, stripped sockets and less than hardened taps and dies.
Yes --- it's like a lot of their stuff is made in somebody's back yard in China.........
Thank you to all for your info. I took a chance and purchased the wet saw that I saw there based on a review by someone who bought the same type. I feel pretty good that they will reimburse if there is an issue with it. I appreciate the help.Regards,
Buzzsaw
Buzzsaw,
I bought a floor standing drill press for $150. Got it home and set it up. Run out was terrible. Packed it up and took it back. They exchanged it without a question and the next one was great. I think the run out on it was about .003. I've been using it for 6 years without a problem.
The quality is ok. Paint has runs in it and the castings aren't the cleanist but I feel it was a good buy.
How's the weedwacking going?
Len
Len,
Please send me the brand and model number, etc of your drill press. I really need one of these but I was going to go the bench-top route. I still may buy benchtop moreso because I have a small shop. I find the new Echo weedwacker I bought to be much heavier than the original. Never thought much about weight until I went out and weedwacked for a good 1/2 hour or so due to the fact I couldn't do it since the other one broke. OH well, I think I'll keep it anyway. Thanks for asking and for your post.Regards,
Buzzsaw
Buzzsaw,
Sorry for the late reply. Just got in from babysitting the neighbor's kids. Great bunch of kids. We spent the evening making a bird house in the shop. And we used the drill press to make the hole in the front. ;-)
So here are the details.
Central Machinery (Harbor Freight Brand)
Model No. T-583
16 speed - 1 hp
Hope you have as good luck as I did.
Enjoy,
Len
Thanks Len for the info...I'll check it out...Regards,
Buzzsaw
They've got some crap, for sure. But if you look over a tool, you can tell if it's decent or not. On the advice of the late ToolDoc, I went to check out their 36" 3/4 HP lathe. Sure enough, just like he said, it was and exact clone of the JET for less than $200, except the locking mechanisms were a bit cheesy, the switch was only so-so, and the paint job wasn't as nice. Needless to say, I bought it. Out the door for $209, with a 1 year extended warranty. The tool rest was a bit crooked--makes it hard to turn a straight cylinder--no questions asked, they sent another. I had communicated poorly, though, and they sent the wqrong part, so I went to the store. They gave the rest from their display lathe, which was perfect.
Sometimes, HF rocks. Just look over the product carefully. They're also good for wheels for carts in the shop.
Charlie
I stop by their store in Eastern Washington once or twice a year and pick up clamps (sort the few good from the bad) and other non-power stuff. Their $20 6" digital calipers have been a great addition. They carry quite a few measuring and set-up do-dahs made in India which I've been happy with. They carry refurbished major-name power tools sporadically.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Buzzsaw
They are great for small disposables, but occasionally they are a good value for machinery. I bought they're Jet clone 36" lathe and it has been a joy. As best I can tell it's the same as the Jet, probably comes out of the same factory. I got it for $176 on sale and have had no problems at all. On the other hand I bought a OSS and went through 3 before giving up and getting a name brand tools. So you have to ask yourself, do you fell lucky. Well, do ya?
Steve
HF are ok if you expect the item to break. Item that you do not need daily. Its a trucksale in a permnant building. It really depends how hard you plan on working the tool.
Buzzsaw,
Back about seven years ago, when I was first getting involved in woodworking, I bought a drill from Harbor Freight. In the same order I got some wrenches and screwdrivers.
The drill suffered from spontaneous combustion upon use.
Then I bought one of their "Radial Arm Saw Kits" (RASK). I put the thing together and was appalled. I find it hard to believe that they haven't been sued for selling these things. It had soft aluminum supports that ate away with just a few uses and the saw came dangerously close to collapsing while running.
I don't remember what I did with the wrenches and screwdrivers. I think I left them behind when I moved as a "gift" for the next owner, a retired lady who probably did not need to do anything more than tighten a doorknob screw every now and then.
My strong suggestion is that you keep away from Harbor Freight. But it's been several years since I bought something from them, so maybe they have improved?
Are you taking about the 2+ hp of $200??? a friend of mine in SoCal says that he is happy with it
They have a 2 1/2 hp for $389 in Wash that looks interesting
Last week I bought a 1 ton chainfall from HF.
Used it to drag a 1600 lb. jointer out of a basement and it worked great.
This was all horizontal load. Good semi-safe way to test it out.
Later on I used the same chainfall to lift that jointer out of the trailer onto
a loading dock ( I was standing as far back as I could! ).
Worked great again.
So, seems this chainfall is somewhat trustworthy.
If I picked up the chainfall in the box right next to this one??
Who knows? Might have snapped with the first big load.
Quality control is something the Chinese are still quite iffy on.
Point being. Don't bet your work or your life on it without testing it first!
Given that there are great values to be had.
And, we buy more from the Chinese than almost any one else.
Tom
I've been wanting to weigh in this for a while. I'm a hobbyist. I use my cordless power drill almost every time I'm in the shop, but not continuously. For my purposes, I have been amazed that the 12v blue drill with keyless chuck I bought for about $15 is more than adequate. I figured I had nothing to lose at that price, and I use it just enough to have bought a second battery for about $10. It's a heck of a lot better than the 9v Ryobi I gave away, which was too weak and more importantly, could not hold a bit. I recommended it to a cabinetmaker who doesn't like to spend too much on drills because his employees keep taking them. Todd
Thanks Tood,
That is good to know. I think I've gotten some excellent input from all of the Harbor Freight customers. It sounds like you just have to know what you are buying from them and what your intent is. It sounds like there is a value to buying from them if you are selective...Regards,
Buzzsaw
Hi,
I got a "2hp" dust collector from them as a second collector. I paid $159.00 for it. It works good. I did change out the bags for 1 micron, as the bags on it are junk. It gets the job done.
Bob
Howdy,
I have bought a few things from them. Got some HSS turning tools for about $35 that were a great buy. Bought a 12 inch lathe used from a friend that works fine. It is just like the ones sold by Jet and Delta.
I did buy a dovetail jig that was a piece of junk. Called they and told them what I tought about it and they took it back, no questions asked.
Some cheap stuff I idin't like wasn't worth the phone call.
I would buy from them again.
John
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