I’m a general believer in the old addage, “you get what you pay for”. I’ve always steered away from my local Harbor Freight store. That being said, their dust collection units recently caught my attention in an advertisement. Just wanted to get some other opinions on their products, are they a waste of time and money?
Jeff
Replies
Pick carefully and you can find some good deals at HF.
Personally, I just don't have the confidence in any of their tools that cut wood and has a motor attached to it to consider buying it. After that, there are some things to consider that are good deals.
Santa Barbara,CA
Edited 4/13/2006 12:26 am ET by SantaBarbaraSawDust
I have the H-F 2 HP dust collector and it makes a huge difference in how much dust I breath, sweep, etc. I had one problem with it (switch went bad and I thing it was basically my fault) but they took care of it for me. I bought it about 2 years ago and use it every time I cut more than one board.
A lot of their stuff is just cheap, but some actually represents a pretty good value. Not all is made for all day- every day use but everything I bought there has worked well and if I had a problem, they were there to take care of it for me.
I'm a big believer in HF, never a problem in returns and usually a very long warrentee.
Their DC is intriguing to me. Right now I have an overhead air cleaner, and I'm using a ShopVac for other dust collection, which kinda works I guess. I just can't fathom spending upwards of $1000 on a dust collector considering I'm usually only in my shop a couple nights a week and weekends. The price is certainly right. Have you tried putting aftermarket bags on your unit? The HF 30 micron filtration leaves a little to be desired. I'm wondering if the Lee Valley aftermarket bags would fit it. Their bags come in diameters of 14", 15" and 20".
"I just can't fathom spending upwards of $1000 on a dust collector considering I'm usually only in my shop a couple nights a week and weekends." Hmmmmm, those pretty lungs of yours go cheap, eh? You use your shop plenty enough to suck in enough fine, fine dust (virtually invisible) to shorten your lifespan if you don't use efficient dust collection (and a mask when appropriate). Think oxygen bottle.
You don't have to spend $1,000 to get decent DC, even if you buy "above" the Harbor Freight. Sticking to the HF collector though, seems like a few folks have reported retrofitting it with a canister filter (rather than a bag). Don't know who-all carries them, but Penn State has 'em for $169, 20" D.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Hey FG, don't get me wrong on that, I am always careful aound the dustmakers, especially my 'Rat. I have the overhead air filter, and I think I'll hang another soon. I also wear the little masks with the purge valves (exhale vents - without them my eye protection fogs up). I'm looking for a good DC unit at a reasonable price. I just don't have two thousand dollars lying on my coffee table to burn for the Oneida that deerchasellc talks about above.I looked at a 1hp Delta today, rated at 650 CFM, $200. The HF 2hp says it does 1600 CFM, $170. I don't believe their claim on the 1600 CFM part. I guess what I'm after here is the best DC option for a hobbyist on a limited budget.Suggestions?
There was a DC review in Popular Woodworking either this month or last. I was surprised that the cheapie Delta was the best buy. I have used the Powermatic version of that DC and I wasn't very impressed. I do have the HF 2HP model and I'm very happy with it. I'm planning to add a furnace fan with a high mounted collector for the floaty fine stuff but it doesn't even seem that there's a tremendous amount of that. Until then, I'll continue wearing a mask while I cut. I cut some redwood a while back and while it normally produces really fine dust, there was very little getting out. I had so much dust flying around pre-DC it was ridiculous and now, it's great. I don't wear as much dust, so I don't breathe as much, either. I think some of the metal may be a little softer (maybe thinner) but it has most of the same parts as the other brands.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Well, I lucked out and got a new-in-box Jet 1.5HP with canister for $350 (from "migraine" above, aka Brian). He delivered it to last summer's Seattle Knots Fest for me. A new one runs a little over $500. Bagged version about $450. That's why I mentioned retrofitting the HF unit as an option.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
If it comes from HF and has more than 5 moving parts, I avoid it. OTH, I use many of their products.Cadiddlehopper
So somebody tell me I'm making a mistake if I purchase the HF 2 hp dust collector, and why.
Hey! Stop knocking HF. Their nitrile gloves on sale are a great bargain. Too bad such a big store for such a small item. :-)
A bad day woodworking is better than a good day working -- yes, I'm retired!
You got that right. I bought some gloves from NAPA and they were tearing while I tried to put them on. They were OK if it wasn't too cold, but I wasted a lot of them. They also had the odd tendency to become really weak when exposed to mineral spirits, which I though made them pretty useless for working on cars. I've been rebuilding a Mercruiser outdrive and they stand up to the chemicals well, although the sharp edges are tough on them. Better the gloves than my hands.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Check this thread at WWA. I didn't read it through, but you could check and see if folks are still happy or not (e.g., register and bump the topic up).forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Again, I won't tell you that it's a mistake because I have one. It has the same bags the others have and if you want it to stop smaller particles, the options are the same, too. When I'm out there, I prefer to get some work done and don't look at cleaning up a bunch of dust as "relaxing". If I have to clean it up, that means I have been breathing some of it and am still wearing a lot of it.Also, it's no louder than the others, either. I'm pretty sure some have said that it is, but anything moving that much air is going to make some noise and it's not a screaming, piercing sound. More of a lower-midrange humming. Still, it's best to wear hearing protection in the shop. The effect of the noise is cumulative with respect to frequency, duration and volume. Once they start ringing, it's permanent although sensitivity can improve slightly with cessation of high intensity sound exposure."I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Edited 4/14/2006 12:24 pm by highfigh
Their quality can be hit or miss, but their return policy is typically liberal. Many of their machines are functional with some extra tweaking, some of their hand power tools look like junk, but admittedly, I've never been able to bring myself to try one. I love their Pittsburg clamps, I like the HF mortiser, love their digital calipers, not impressed with the drill bits, and I find lots of the trinkets like LED flashlight and hair clippers to be total junk. I recently picked up a small compressor and brad nailer that seem to be working fine. Don't expect General or Powermatic caliber stuff, and you'll likely do ok.
A HF store opened near me recently. I find it is much better to shop there, because I can examine the stuff. Some is crap, some is "diamonds in the rough," but you do need to look closely.
Generally, I find their stee to be very soft and not durable. A chisel I onmce tried had to be resharpened after only a few blows. Actually, "sharpening" is a misnomer - the thing never did take a good edge. Good fro scraping gum off concrete, though.
Plastic housings on motorized tools is generally flimsy.
Bottom line is to go to the store if you can, and look closely.
Vince
The words Harbor Freight and Quality go together like oil and water.
On occassion, you'll get lucky because their prices are rock bottom and you just might get a tool that lasts. But these are by and large, all Chinese imports.
So they'll work in the short term, but if you view tools as an investment, this is not a place I do business with. Where I work we often buy sheet goods from them and have to cull undesirable pieces from the stacks of mdo, mdx, etc.
"But these are by and large, all Chinese imports"What small tools aren't, these days? There's a lot that are packaged here, assembled from parts made there, etc. I know there are a lot made here but they tend to be the higher line tools. I agree that tools are an investment but I'll only spend a lot on the ones I use all the time. If it's going to see occasional use, I'll go cheaper. I just don't see how I'll get a good return on the money since I don't bill someone else for everything I do/make. It would be nice if I did, though.Harbor Freight sells sheeet goods? I did not know that.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Try looking at Oneida. I just installed a 3hp system and am very happy with it. Granted I spent $2500 on it but it works well. There website has a lot of good info especially about particle sizes, health effects etc. Many DC bags just don't capture the small stuff which is most damaging. Got tired of waking up coughing like a smoker in the morning.
I just went to a HF store when I was visiting my MIL in FL and It was really, really bad. most of their product is just junk, but there are a couple of decent things, especially for the price. I didn't look at the DCs but I would imagine that would be one of the better things to try.
I bought a 7' sander-polisher to wax the car with. It was $30, and works well for what I use it for. I thought about buying a corded impact wrench -it was on sale for $40-but I didn't have any room in the suitcases. I don't want it enough to order it online.
You should go visit the store if you haven't-at the very least it's quite an experience. Big difference from visiting a plance like Woodcraft or something.
I like their Pittsburgh brand bar clamps. They are on sale now for at least half off their normally low prices.
I think that some of their stuf is worth it and some of it isn't. I have a pipe bender that worked for the job i needed it for. Paid for it's self, now, it collects dust. They do(or did at one time) get in some gooood deals on reconditioned Wagner airless sprayers for around $275. Great for lacquer
I have a 10" tile saw that i paid $200 and put a good porcelain blade on and I have set over 1000 sqft plus loaned it out a few times. It cuts a smidgeon out of square, but not a concern if you compensate for it. A comparable size MK saw is in the $700 range
It's more in the way, but when I need it, it's there.
My brother in law is a real "hammer mechanic" Know what I Mean !! And he buys Harbor Freight all the time. I wouldn't borrow is tools if my life depended on it. He got me some clamps one Christmas and they wouldn't even make good boat anchors. Now I ask for Gift Certificates to Eagle America. That Works!!!!!
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S. Counter Sales, Tech Rep. http://WWW.EAGLEAMERICA.COM
g, you must work for eagleamerica!
I agree with those who judge HF on an item by item basis.
I've had a drill press and cross table vise from HF for 15 yrs, and they've been fine. Their heat gun for $10 also can't be beat. I think you have to look at the item and make a decision.
It's all inexpensive stuff, and made in China. I like to buy US made tools, but that's becoming a harder goal to acheive.
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