Harbor Freight dissatisfaction

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I have a lot of Harbor Freight tools also. They are cheap, and when I buy them, I think of them as disposable tools. If they are to expensive to be disposable, I save up for a "good" one. Some of them have lasted forever, some break the first time. You can tell when you use them that they are low quality, so I don't feel bad when I beat the snot out of them.
 
4flats said:
I have a lot of Harbor Freight tools also. They are cheap, and when I buy them, I think of them as disposable tools. If they are to expensive to be disposable, I save up for a "good" one. Some of them have lasted forever, some break the first time. You can tell when you use them that they are low quality, so I don't feel bad when I beat the snot out of them.
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EXACTLY... My last Dewalt grinder didn't last as long as my last $10-drill master... LUCK OF THE DRAW....
 
Dewalt is just a repackaged black and decker.

Get a porter cable or Milwaukee

Ryobi's are kinda cheep also.

pawn shops are usually overpriced, but they will bargain sometimes.
If you don't have one in your town you should open one.
 
IS there an overload protection switch? I've had good luck with Makita, Milwaukee, Porter Cable and my Ryobi drill and radial Saw work pretty good too.
 
If they won't do anything about it, buy another one with the protection package.
Wait a week or 2, and take back the original unit with the "protection" package receipt.

It is the same premise as road hazard on tires. They collect a few bucks at sell time, and hope they don't have to do anything for it. Worst case, they take it back, give you a new one, and send the bad one back for credit from the manufacturer. In many cases the manufacturer gives them an extra discount % to handle the warranties, so they have it built into the price.
 
For what it's worth, I have a lot of these tools, and they have held up fine, but I made a point (especially on electric) to take my time, no beat on them, and not let them get too hot. (reduce duty cycle). Air tools get oiled frequently, and no problems so far.

I just stripped my 70 Challenger to bare metal using one of their sanders29.99 on sale, 15.00 in sandpaper, over the course of a day.
 
just picked up a soda blaster form HF over lunch.. can't wait to try it out!
 
Harbor Freight rule for me is: Air Tools OK, Specialty one time use OK, Electric motor based NOT OK, Hydraulic type tools NOT OK, Safety equipment i.e., welding helmets NOT OK. Brass air fittings OK, wrenches, hammers, pliers, sockets and screwdrivers NOT OK. I am old and a ***** but tools should last a really long time "longer then ME" especially if you are a weekend warrior. That being said, Dewalt, Milwaukee, and Craftsman should perform well. Nothing worse then an P.O.C. tool to ruin your fun. I have never bought, sold or traded a tool for the value less then 70%. A quality tool is a good investment.
 
Harbor freight=chinkese disposable CRAP. it shouldda lasted a little longer....but for 20 bucks? come on dude. LOL
 
i have a bosch grinder i use it every day at work sometimes i give it a really good workout so far i've only had to replace the brushes 3 times now out of the 2 1/2 yrs i've had it i love it
 
I'm not saying you have a choice but you really do get what you pay for. Harbor Freight is chinese crap. Lot's of the tools work just fine though, especially if it's something you only need once or twice. On the other hand, cheap tools often damage whatever you are working on or don't last (your case). It's a catch 22.
 
harbor freight sucks for most stuff. Hand tools are junk electric tools are junk. I found out the hard way 10yrs ago when i was 17 and couldnt afford good tools. Vise grips broke under the pressure of a 130lb kid trying to secure them, and the first time i used a electric angle grinder it actually shorted out and started on fire while in use. Only thing i buy there now is paint brushes/wire brushes/sanding disc ect.
 
I use mostly Craftsman hand tools, and I would DEFINATELY go better if I were a pro. I think anything short of Craftsman quality for hand tools is unacceptable. And Vice Grips without the Vice Grip name are a guaranteed disappointment. HF is no different. But there are a lot of specialty tools I have from HF that I would not be able to justify buying otherwise. Not saying they are great, but for me, a hobbyist, they were worth the money. And for what I do, they are mostly sufficient. When they are not, I return them, no questions asked.

Oh, and my grinder is DeWalt. Best $90.00 I spent on a tool, I think. I use my grinder quite a bit.
 
I've gotten a lot of good deals from pawn shops the last year or so. I hit them when I see one. There are alot of trades out of work right now and what are the first thing to go when you are trying to feed your family? The tools that you can't use. It's a shame one persons misfortune is another persons gain. I have found pawn shops has alot more tools than they did in the past. The sign of the times. The pawn shop here has of over load of grinders, drills, and tools
 
Checked the local pawnshops and left....There was nothing there but Skils and some really really old craftsmans. None of which I could see nor would they let me see til i bought them. Zip-tied closed.

Local Lowes has a Porter Cable grinder for..guess what? $35. $6 more than the Ryobi. Think imma get it cuz you could prolly drop that PorterCable grinder 10 feet and it still work just fine. It also come with a 3 year warranty. :cheers:
 
I purchase stuff at harbor freight if it's some thing i won't use regularly makes no sence to spend big dollars on somthing i'll use once a year. I won't buy high dollar items there or high use items due to not being able to replace parts i have taken stuff back and exchanged it without issues.
 
Harbor Feight usually lives up to and sometimes exceeds my expectations, but I keep those expectations low. For a 4" angle grinder, that I absolutely depend on, I have a 20 year old Makita, but for air tools, buffers and items that i use less frequently, HF meets my needs and their customer service has been great.
 
I have purchased several things from them with mixed results. You get what you pay for. The cheap grinder I purchased from them lasted about 3 years with limited use. The switch finally went bad on it.
 
Tincup said:
Go to Home Depot and buy a Ryobi for $29.99 I have had it for years with no issues.
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+1... I celebrate the entire Ryobi Collection :D the cheapest stuff at Home Depot is still tons better than Harbor Freight... I have some Harbor Freight hand tools, but you really get what you pay for...
 
we call harbor freight Dissposibale cameras uses the toys till they break then toss them
 
I have Craftsman, snapon, proto.....and a sprinkling of HF stuff.I am choosie about it like alot of the peeps that have posted here, single use stuff, or throw away. I do flooring for a living, and we have BIG $ tied up in the wood floor stuff....I got tired of borrowing a pin nailer from work for trim and stuff at home so I bought a $19.99 pin nailer on opening day at HF. I left it in the rain when doing some window trim once for a month....that was 3 years agao, and it still works for my little projects here.LOL, I got lucky!!
Andrew/Kidd
 
and the end of the day if you need a tool to work on your car and it comes down to spending 10 at hf or 80 somewhere else and funds are tight..spend then 10 and use the rest for your car.....whats alot of really nice expensives tools gonna do if you dont have somethign to show for it
 
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