Harbor freight best value best tools

[Anonymous No.869573]

Hey Anybody else think that harbor freight is god's gift the world

[Anonymous No.869576]

I too think Harbor Freight is the best as well also

[Anonymous No.869579]

>>869576
they always have great coupons its amazing

[Anonymous No.869580]

Some of their stuff is good, some is garbage. I think their sockets are great, dirt cheap and seem higher quality than craftsman.

Everything else is kind of a mixed bag.

[Anonymous No.869581]

harbor freight is such an creative name

[Anonymous No.869583]

>>869580
Very true The electric drills they have seem to be very poor but mostly everything else seems at least okay they also give out free boxes in case you ever need cardboard boxes.

[Anonymous No.869600]

good and bad, its nice to have options and choices though. They got some decent cheap inverters and air compressors. Read reviews. Avoid the solar kits, you can get 5x as much panels for the same price now. I buy them uo second hand. They sell under 10 bucks a panel on craigslist in my area.

[Anonymous No.869603]

>>869600
Nice mind me asking general state? or even reigon

[Tile Contractor No.869607]

I'm a tile contractor.
I use a LOT of different drills.
One day I needed another hammer drill, popped into LOWES and bought a Bosch hammer drill.
2 days later it was DEAD.
Fuckthisnoise
I went to Harbor Freight
There on the shelf was THE EXACT SAME DRILL as the BOSCH, but the color of the plastic case was different.
For $45 I bought the HF drill
Took the HF drill and used it every day for about 6 weeks before it too died.
I took the HF drill and the Bosch drill and opened them up.
They really were the exact SAME drill, the motors even had the same Chinese characters.
Only 2 points of difference: The HF drill had larger/better bearings and a simpler switch.

I've since upgraded to a AEG hammer drill that I've had for about 4 years.

I've had good results with "dumb" no motor tools from Harbor Freight.
Anything with a motor is a risk on quality.

[Anonymous No.869611]

>>869607
Hmm i am a roofer and my grandpa 77 years old still in the business saves money at every corner i have over 30grand worth of harbor freight otherwise its craftsman or somethin else my dad is the real roofer i am kinda just learning as i go but i find electric drills at hf suck

[Anonymous No.869613]

It's a tie between harbor frieght and pawn shops for the best value

[Anonymous No.869614]

I have rarely bought a tool at HF that didn't break a week later. I do work trades though so I use my tools hard and often

[Anonymous No.869616]

>>869613
usually yes but i find craftsman is always overpriced. also i live close to the gulf so rust is bad here.

[Anonymous No.869620]

>>869616
I just buy my stuff in bulk from pawn shops
>200 lbs boc of misc hand tools
>offer 150
>sold

[Anonymous No.869622]

>>869620
very nice!

[Anonymous No.869625]

>>869622
btw dubs 3 posts in a row omg

[Anonymous No.869626]

>>869613
I visit HF more, but there's no denying the value of a pawn shop. I got a Milwaukee 12A grinder from a pawn shop for $50. Three years later, the only thing I've had to replace are the motor brushes.

Somebody said HF drills suck. Maybe the smaller ones do, I dunno. But I got a D-handle drill from them about 4 or 5 years ago, and it still runs great. It's a little on the heavy side, as you can imagine, but it's got plenty of torque and hasn't failed me yet.

[Anonymous No.869627]

Everything in harbor freight is trash wrapped in shit.

You may think its a gift. I think its a stain.

I for one will pay for quality tools that can be handed down.

[Anonymous No.869633]

Their sockets and ratchets are pretty great. Why pay more for Taiwanese sockets and ratchets when you can get then at HF?

Big fan of their step drill bits.

[Anonymous No.869635]

Almost every tool I buy at harbor freight I consider disposable. It is a great place to pick up tools cheap if that's what you are looking for, but if you make a living using your tools like me it's better to invest in quality.

[Anonymous No.869638]

>>869635
I kinda feel that im third gen roofer and wish i had more qualility instead of buying a new tool every roof

[Anonymous No.869641]

>>869638
They do actually make quality coil nailers. Pony up son.

[Anonymous No.869645]

>>869641
not calling you a liar but last 2 coil nailers i went through busted the hose at the joint that goes into that nailer .btw using harbor frieght duel tank compressor for my nail gun 6 years strong.

[Anonymous No.869649]

>>869635
This. HF is a great source of project or job tools- they last just about as long as you need to finish the project. Afterward, you have no qualms about selling it or giving it away.

[Anonymous No.869650]

The predator 212 still blows my mind. How are they so generous with such a great engine? I abused the shit out of it on a go kart and it's absolutely amazing. Starts on the first pull every single time. I have a tecumseh oh550 with brand new carb and air filter; it takes at least 8 good pulls to start and always dies. God bless the 212 godsend.

[Anonymous No.869651]

>>869626
idw but normal and drillls striaght up outta dumyard drill wittta finger on tha junka

[Anonymous No.869655]

>>869651

[Anonymous No.869657]

>>869655
drunk op here honest.

[Anonymous No.869661]

>>869657
Cheers!

[Anonymous No.869673]

Some HF stuff that I have found is great, that no place else seems to sell:
The drain bladders are great, if you have the access to a drain pipe to use them.
The router speed controller is nice to have around... It works on brushed motors, heating elements and some lighting. $23

Sometimes I will buy a cheapo version of a tool if I don't know that I'll use it much. HF is useful for that reason.

I got this socket set and its not often used, but it's very nice when you need it.
http://toolmonger.com/2011/08/12/hf-knocks-off-the-gearwrench-xl-pass-thru/

[Anonymous No.869826]

eurofag here, so no really any experience with harbor freight,

I giggled heartedly to these pics once so why not post them?

[Anonymous No.869827]

>>869826

[Anonymous No.869830]

>>869827

[Anonymous No.869831]

>>869830

[Anonymous No.869861]

>>869613
Where do you people live? Pawn shops around me always have used power tools for about the same price as a big box store. Often you can get the brand new one cheaper if they have a sale. Their whole gimmick is they give you more store credit than cash if you sell something to them.

[Anonymous No.869865]

>>869826
As a fellow European I just assume Harbor Freight is kind of like buying your stuff at the £1/€1 store. Decidedly "One use only"

[Anonymous No.869869]

>>869627
Stay poor pleb.

The trick to HF is to read the reviews. Does it have 4.8 stars with 500 reviews? Then it's a good deal. Does it have .7 stars with 6000 reviews? Avoid like the plague.

Things I've bought that have held up well:
Random orbital sander, I use this daily, for 1-8 hours. I bought it on sale because it was cheaper than buying a new backer for my Dewalt, and my buddy sometimes helps me out. Works just as well as my dewalt.

Flex shaft grinder, the handpiece is pretty meh tier, but the motor and shaft are great. Got it on sale for $40 and bought a foredom handpiece for $40. $80 total and feels very similar to a foredom, but for $200 cheaper.

Vibrating multi-tool, admittedly I don't use this very much, use it almost exclusively for plunge cuts. Use a little threadlocker on the screw to keep the blades from wobbling loose. Very good deal for $10.

Postage scale, my previous one took a dive off a table. Costs $40. More than accurate enough for a postal scale.

Water pumps, I use their second smallest one to drive a vacuum aspirator.

Their predator motors are all honda clones, I'm sure the tolerances aren't as tight, but they run great.

Their wooden handscrew clamps.

There is more.

[Anonymous No.869870]

I get hobby tools meant for light use (for shit like warhammer) from HF but that's pretty much it.

[Anonymous No.869873]

It's great for simple stuff but I wouldn't buy a power tool from them that is going to be used a lot. Basically, avoid the power tools and everything else is pretty awesome quality for the cheap price.

[Anonymous No.869875]

Those fake Harbor Freight advertisement pics are legendary; I dunno where they originated but they are great stuff.

>>869865
>As a fellow European I just assume Harbor Freight is kind of like buying your stuff at the £1/€1 store. Decidedly "One use only"
Harbor Freight sells only cheap tools and equipment. There is some lawn and garden things there too.
Some things work pretty well, some work okay considering the price. Some work pretty poorly.

There is places online you can order stuff direct from China now but when Harbor Freight was created, that was not so.

And to be fair, a lot of the people who talk poorly are the ones who think they need a €300 wrench to change the spark plug on their lawnmower.

[Anonymous No.869878]

Harbor freight how I love thee. Let me count the ways:

Compound sliding miter saw
Big hammer drill
Hydraulic lift cart
Roofing nailer
Needle scaler

I've got a bunch more but that's all I can think of now.

Only thing that's really shit the bed was the needle scaler, which they just replaced for me. I think I wasn't oiling it properly. Also, a buddy bought a super sale 1500lb winch for a trailer bed and it got fucked hard. Too weak, incorrectly mounted, didn't straighten the wire or align it properly.... Entirely his fault, but still....

Basically I love the place.

Only ever did craftsman professional air compressor, and has been excellent to me for 10 years heavy use.

[Anonymous No.869879]

>>869869
Justify your Walmart purchase all you want :)

I will continue to buy quality made not in China

[Anonymous No.869883]

http://m.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-hydraulic-table-cart-60730-10041.html?utm_referrer=direct%2Fnot%20provided

This thing is fuggin sweet. Can lift stuff into and out of my truck bed super easy now on my own (wood stove, air compressor, etc). Also use it as a motorcycle lift to do work on the bike.

[Anonymous No.869891]

>>869879
>"Everything from China is automatically bad."
>Walmart is a shit company that sells shit products despite being the second largest company in the world by Revenue.

Continue spouting your maymays and wasting your money.

[Anonymous No.869896]

>>869891
None of it are maymays broski.

China has low quality control, the company is expected to send their own QC.

Walmart sells shit for cheap and ameritards shop for price rather than quality. Its a completely known fact of life.

So get fucked poor fag.

[Anonymous No.869923]

>>869573
Harbor freight has alot of great stuff at very good prices. Of course some stuff should be avoided and you get what you pay for. It's certainly not a first choice for those who wrench professionally but the diy and weekend warrior types its awesome. I've stayed away from their power tools though as I've heard more negative than positive about them.

I work as a diesel mechanic for a living and even I have plenty of harbor freight in my garage at home.

It's my go to store when I'm in a pinch. If I don't have the right sized bearing puller or something when doing a job at home for someone, its off to harbor freight I go.

While I don't own one, their toolboxes look pretty nice as well for the price. They feel much sturdier than craftsman stuff.

[Anonymous No.869927]

>>869879
You sound like a pretentious idiot.

[Anonymous No.869931]

>>869927
You sound like a poor fag who buys 50% off trash

[Anonymous No.869932]

>>869573
Maybe not best tools but great prices and the air compressor I purchased last year still operating like a champ.

[Anonymous No.869937]

>>869573
Bought a 20$ harbor freight 4-1/2 angle grinder
Bought it to rip off rust on steel to weld it with my cheap mig welder.

It wore out 1 flap wheel and maybe 3 cutting wheels before it started spitting out sparks, it died shortly after

I ended up buying a 50$ chinese Milwaukee grinder. I know people say Milwaukee is trash since they got bought out, but its been chugging along for about 3 years now.

admittedly its starting to sound raspy and rattly, but it feels as strong as the day I got it.
The harbor freight one lasted less than 2 weeks.

[Anonymous No.869940]

My 2gal compressor has gone onlonger than it has any right. I have no patience to put off a project to save up for proper tools, so I love it. If I have time to save, yeah. Id rather have good shit.

[Anonymous No.869944]

>>869896
Let me guess, you only use pre-1960 American made tools.

Modern American made tools are some of the most horrible pieces of shit on the market.

People like to throw back to when China was only producing non-technical products.

Protip: China surpassed America in quality about ten years ago. That is why most of our precision machinery is made there now. Someone will do it better for less money.

[Anonymous No.869947]

>>869944
Not that guy, but could you give some examples of modern USA-made tools being shit?

I'm not saying I haven't seen any quality issues with USA-made tools, but certainly not enough to prompt me to make a blanket statement about modern USA tools being horrible pieces of shit.

[Anonymous No.869949]

>>869937
Pretty much all of their electric tools are junk.

Air tools are ok, they don't work great, but they get the job done and they usually last a few years before blowing up.

[Anonymous No.869951]

>>869947
Its funny, Taiwan makes a better hand tool than China does.

[Anonymous No.869952]

>>869947
Craftsman is a great example. Pretty much anything craftsman is garbage quality anymore, and at an insanely high price. I was there the other day and saw a set of 3 pliars, for like $40. I got that same set for a gift once, they're terrible. They rust real easy and you need two hands to try to open them, oiling them doesn't help.

I'd honestly rather have harbor freight stuff over craftsman anymore, as harbor freight sucks, but at least they're cheap. Craftsman sucks and is expensive as hell.

That said, i have a lot of great craftsman tools made pre-00 or so. After about the mid-00s, they just became trash.

[Anonymous No.869954]

>>869952
>After about the mid-00s,

You mean in 2007 when they started being made in china?

[Anonymous No.869955]

>>869947
Could you give some examples of modern USA-made tools. Pretty much all of the big brands are made in China.

Some hand tools are still made in the US, but are mostly specialty tools. I'm not sure if a single power tool is made in the US.

[Anonymous No.869958]

>>869954
Craftsman still makes a few in the usa, and uses that to claim they're made in the usa all the time.

At the very least, they're riding off the name brand that it was 20 years ago, rather than the shit quality it is now, hoping nobody notices the difference.

[Anonymous No.869960]

Also American made handtools are basically, Channellock, Estwing, some Klein, some Snap-on, some Stanley-Proto. Plus a few small outfits that make like 1 tool.

[Anonymous No.869961]

>>869952
Craftsman is just a brand and not a manufacturer so they're not really a good example unless you know the actual manufacturer of the items in question. I can't remember off-hand who makes the pliers, but there are still some companies making good, affordable pliars in the USA like Channellock and Klein.

I have a 1/4" drive socket set of some of the last USA Craftsmans (made by Danaher/Armstrong) that have some disappointingly off-center broaching. I've seen a lot of Danaher/Armstrong USA stuff with off-center broaching...

>>869955
Most Snap-on, some Williams, some Mac, some Matco, most (maybe all) Armstrong, all SK, most Channellock, most Klein hardline stuff, some Wright, some Proto, Bondhus, Elkind, Zephyr, Apex, Estwing, Trusty Cook, probably plenty of others I can't think of off-hand.

[Anonymous No.869964]

>>869961
Found this on google>
www.stillmadeinusa.com/tools.html

[Anonymous No.869966]

>>869961
Most of my craftsman sockets were made in the 90s. If i compare them to the new ones, there's just no question how much better quality the old ones is.

My problem with craftsman is they advertise like they quality tools, but they're really shit, and way overpriced considering.

Kobalt tools is about the same quality, which is shit. But at least they're cheap.

[Anonymous No.869967]

A lot of tool companies will keep a few tools made in the US so they can advertise it because a lot of Americans are stupid enough to buy into the the Made in the US gag.

[Anonymous No.869969]

>>869958
>At the very least, they're riding off the name brand that it was 20 years ago

Ill agree with you there
They used to be a Sears deal, now you see them in a ton of stores using their big name to sell junk.

Most USA made tools are hand tools, and the majority of them carry a premium price tag. They are of very high quality.

>>869967
The only real offender of that I tend to see is Stanley with their Made in USA with Global Materials labels.

The people who care enough will pay the premium for them

[Anonymous No.869972]

I've never had a problem with anything from Harbor Freight. I have a drill press, a wood lathe, and and plunge router that work perfectly and have never given me any problems. Countless hand tools, but it's hard to fuck those up.

Also, if you're not buying clamps from HF, you're doing it wrong.

[Anonymous No.869976]

>>869972
Had a 10" HF drill press
The runout was so awful I returned it

I bought a Skil 10" drill press and it runs true to the naked eye (more than enough accuracy for a 10" home use press)

I was actually highly disappointed with it. At least they didnt hassle me about returning it.

[Anonymous No.869978]

The best deal in the entire store right here.
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-quarter-inch-forged-ball-joint-separator-99849.html

It removes tie rod ends and small ball joints with no effort at all, and you dont damage the boots.

This is the only tool I have bought that exceeded my expectations.

[Anonymous No.870003]

http://www.harborfreight.com/15-HP-58-PSI-Oilless-Airbrush-Compressor-Kit-69434.html

I bought this airbrush kit still in the box from someone at a swap meet for $30. I don't really have any experience with proper airbrushes, but this gets the job done for me, and I've had it for about 3 years now.

[Anonymous No.870026]

I started many sections of my tool collection at Harbor Freight, upgrading to higher quality as they broke.

This allowed me to be in business for about 6 years before even starting to replace tools. Now I am using mostly low-end shop-grade tools like Grizzly.

Harbor Freight got me out the gate building for the price of my current bandsaw. I think that is pretty good.

For the record, I build custom guitars.

[Anonymous No.870030]

>>869622
I know, it great but only like 1/4 of it is the good stuff, but it more than makes up for it

[Anonymous No.870032]

>>869861
Midwest, I've never pawned nor sold a thing in my life so I'm not getting any store credit, just be a loyal customer and you can get stuff half off or even free

[Anonymous No.870041]

Gonna go with everyone else here. Some of there stuff is dollar-store tier garbage, but some is just fantastic.

I bought one of their $10 angle grinders one time to remove some paint from my truck. I had hearing protection, respirator, and heavy gloves on while working. After going at it for a while, my cousin came over to me and asked what the fuck I was doing because the angle grinder was literally burning hot and smoking and I hadn't realized it. Sounds a little funny now, but it finished that job and many since.

[Anonymous No.870044]

>>870032
I live in the midwest, though.

[Anonymous No.870072]

>>870044
What state? I am a pawn shop crawler so I can tell you the best ones

[Anonymous No.870085]

>>869961
I've got over 50k in Matco and snapon mostly. I'd say 3/4 of my Matco shit is stamped made in USA.

What isnt made in USA is stamped with Germany and some Taiwan.

[Anonymous No.870093]

>>870085
I try to buy things made in USA whenever reasonably possible and I'm glad that there's still a fair amount of USA-made tools being made. I'm not a professional mechanic and don't need a whole ton of tools, but when I do need tools I try to buy the good stuff.

I really feel disgusted when I have to choose between buying a product made in China or not buying one at all. I don't mind Taiwan stuff quite as much, but next to USA I tend to like Germany and Japan stuff best.

[Anonymous No.870104]

>>870093
Im going to try out some Koken tools from Japan.
The surface drive look pretty decent

[Anonymous No.870105]

>>870104
Yeah, I have yet to own any Japan-made tools, and any that I've seen in the wild have been old stuff that was sold as a budget imported alternative to USA-made tools back in the day. Some of the modern Japan stuff looks absolutely incredible and I'd love to get my hands on some.

[Anonymous No.870118]

>>869944
I'm the anon above.

I don't use pre 1960 because they tend to be very warn down, and you can only find them in pawn shops in poor condition or antique shops in poor condition but a ludicrous price tag.

For most of the work i do i can find better alternatives to the chinese trash. I am NOT "100% made in america is best". I have no problem buying something from sweden, or germany, or any other nation if the quality is there. You can rule out practically everything from china because of this, electronics aren't nearly as bad, but places like korea are leagues better.


http://www.graceusatools.com/

One of my favorite brands, but not everything is up to par quality wise, other companies just make better options.

http://goodsjapan.com/

Another site i use. they have EXCELLENT leatherworking tools. Knives aren't half bad either, but you can find better elsewhere.


>posted from my Lenovo computer

[Anonymous No.870120]

>>869603
west virginia, most are listed in the bulletin board a local trade paper. Keep an eye out, people are moving on to "serious" solar systems and want to get rid of them, the output i slow but the type of film they use makes them consistent in the power output. Works great even on a cloudy day.

[Anonymous No.870123]

>>870072
Minnesota. I've been to a few good ones over the years. You have to find the shadiest place it seem to get good deals.

>>870118
I hate people who are just anti-china. There is great quality products that come from China. Yeah, there are a lot of horseshit products too. You have to read some reviews and do a little research.

Plenty of people refuse to use Chinese tools/products or if they do they say they are terrible largely due to the bias they already have. Same was true of anything made in Mexico if you're older, and anything made in Japan if you're really older.

When I was a kid, Japan was the emerging country and my dad and his dad always talked about how that jap shit was terrible and worthless. When I was older it was, this shit was made by those Mexicans and must be total shit. Now it's I'd never touch touch a Chinese tool, Mexico makes a decent tool, god I wish I could afford those high end Japanese tools.

[Anonymous No.870124]

>>869896
Anon, tell me, in what country was the device you're currently posting on manufactured?

[Anonymous No.870125]

>>870123
Never been to Minnesota so I can't help ya there, some cops work at my favorite one

[Anonymous No.870127]

>>870124
Phone made in korea by samsung.

Laptop made in china by lenovo.
>Anti china
Now i ain't saying they conform to the sterotype, but this laptop is barely a year old and all three usb ports lose connection from wiggling it, and the plastic plate that hides the hinges has long since broke off from just opening the lid.


I'm not saying everything china makes is trash. I'm sure theres some company somewhere in china that takes prid ein their work and makes something best in class. But history has shown thats not even the case. Export Norinco SKSs suck ass. Military surplus Arsenal SKSs are on par with russian ones.


>>870123
I can understand that viewpoint entirely. I don't have a problem with buying from china if its something worth buying. Harbor Freight makes their entire store in china and the quality is shoddy and not worth the money unless you're buying a garbage can.

One of the anons above said it perfectly. Harbor freight is disposable tools, something i find to be appalling.

[Anonymous No.870138]

>>869875

Looks like an ad from LiartownUSA, but I don't know.

[Anonymous No.870141]

>>869573
Harbor freight is rad as hell. I got their 7x14 mini lathe and their mini mill, both on sale, like 5 years ago. I use them constantly to repair other people's shit for money and for my own engineering projects.

I've never used any other mills/lathes so I don't know what to compare them to, but I've made parts accurate to .001" in steel, and I've worked on some fairly huge shit on both tools. At one point I used the mill to flatten the top of a section of railroad track to turn it into an anvil. I used a flycutter and a few cheap chinese carbide bits. It was scary as hell, but it worked and now I have an anvil.

The only thing that went wrong ever is the mill's gearbox exploded (plastic gears) so I replaced them with a set of steel gears. Overall though, so long as you take light cuts with sharp tools, you can make pretty much anything.

I also have a drill and an angle grinder from there. Both work great although the drill has smoked a few times from stalling and now runs a little hot.

[Anonymous No.870146]

>>870127
>lenovo
>good

What do you expect from the chinks who ruined the thinkpads?

[Anonymous No.870148]

>>870146
I didn't know any better at the time :C

[Anonymous No.870180]

>>870127
>lelnovo
>tfw ThinkPad W530
>abusing warranty
>get replacement power brick
>replacement line cable
>replacement top and bottom bezel
>three replacement keyboards
>replacement motherboard & daughterboard
>replacement top and bottom bezel AGAIN
>replacement screw set
I bought this laptop back in 2012 with a 5 year warranty. All my warranty claims go through the IBM ESC (Electronic Service Call) service. Every single time, they repair my laptop no questions asked. I've probably cost Lenovo more money in warranty repairs than they were able to make from me. (~+$2000)

[Anonymous No.870190]

>>870180
That kind of no-fuss replacement is why corporations buy them. Replacing the occasional abused laptop is worth it to them.

As long as it's got a trackpoint and physical buttons they're a-ok in my book. But if they ever get caught installing crapware in their business models, they're dead to me (and the rest of the world).

[Anonymous No.870229]

>>869896
> China has low quality control

I like how you lumped off the entire country's QA, b/c the whole effing billion people that live there must all do the same thing.

China produces a lot of cheap garbage. They also produce a lot of high quality stuff for US/EU based companies that have offshored. OEMs have entire engine and transmissions assembled there. All iPhones. Etc.

BTT: I've always used Senco air nailers. Brother in law bought a couple HF trim nailers, re-did interior trim on a to-the-studs house remodel with them. I asked how they'd held up; they lasted the job with no issues / returns.

[Anonymous No.870233]

>>870229
two billion

[Anonymous No.870249]

>>870229
You skipped the key point.

Apple has QC there to ensure they are made to standard.

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-10/08/foxconn-strike

[Anonymous No.870281]

>>870180
>having to abuse the warranty on their flagship workstation to keep it up and running

Yep, sounds like a chinkpad. And you didn't even get one with a decent keyboard, sad.

[Anonymous No.870286]

>>869650
Tecumseh sucks. I got a lawn mower like 15 years ago when Craftsman used them for their mowers. Damn thing never worked right, always hard to start. Even had to prime the thing when it was warm. Eventually seized for no reason. Bought another Craftsman mower after they switched backed to Briggs and Straton, starts first time every time.

[Anonymous No.870297]

>>870229
>Implying it's not
http://www.forbes.com/2007/07/26/china-manufacturing-quality-ent-manage-cx_kw_0726whartonchina.html

To maintain QC in China you have to have a branch office in the manufacturer's city, and pay their management off all the time with bribes that are illegal because you're also a US company.

It is fucking hard to do good business in China. And you'll be able to sleep soundly at night knowing all the effluent from your factory is being dumped directly into the Yangzte

[Anonymous No.870368]

>>869896
Low QC is not Low Q. You get a higher percentage of shitty builds from china, but companies that do their own QC on stuff ordered from there get out decent product pretty cheap. HF has a decent return policy, so basically they let you do your own QC until you get one that's not a lemon.

[Anonymous No.870369]

>>870286
I got a craftsman snowblower that had a tecumseh 5hp on it

They had the WORST carbs on the planet

[Anonymous No.870402]

>>870249
>>870286
Key point is implied: If you want quality from China, you need to have an active hand in the QA/QC process, as an US/EU buyer. Otherwise, you end up with HF-tier stuff... some OK, some awful, and too late to change that you have 100K units of it.

The hands-on approach to QA/QC is the cost of using China's infrastructure and talent... it's a tradeoff, and one of the reason you're seeing re-shoring (back to US/EU) of certain products, once the novelty of foreign operations has worn off.

[Anonymous No.870409]

>>869883
we take wall ovens out of cabinets with that and put them right into a truck. it's the best

>>869951
Taiwan IS china
whether they like it or not :^)

[Anonymous No.870478]

>>870409
They very well may be, but they also have much better labor laws and a lot of state of the art factories.
Sure there are great chinese factories, but there is a LOT more industry in mainland china where there are older shittier factories with sweatshop workers and a shittier morale.

[Anonymous No.870513]

Boss hands me brand new HF handheld threading machine to thread 1-1/2 gas pipe. Says careful it's strong, nine nth joint the handle snaps off wires rip out.very dangerous, piece of shit.

[Anonymous No.870514]

>>870513
Bring it back and get a new one. I don't see the issue.

[Anonymous No.870527]

>>870514
Except it exposed him to hazardous voltage because of the way it failed? And every fucking one of them will do the same thing.

They're not 'lemons' they are all fucking like that.

My brother went through 6 die grinders and eventually got tired of taking them back to the store.

This was in one day.

He bought a real one and didn't have any prolbems after that.

[Anonymous No.870532]

>>870409
>Taiwan IS china
>whether they like it or not :^)

Do you enjoy repeating shit you hear or do you ever get the urge to contribute to the human race?

Americans can visit Taiwan without a visa.
Americans cannot visit China without a visa.

Yes China has a lot of influence over Taiwan, especially in a few key areas like the telecom industry (big fucking whoop), but they're different fucking places run by different fucking people with different fucking rules. So repeat all shit you want and spread all the FUD you want. You won't make it true except inside your own cheesy little head.

[Anonymous No.870533]

>>870527
I'm with this guy. My cousin and I are both contractors. He buys HF tools and uses them for a few weeks and buys another. If they break he'll return them numerous times or just purchase them again. I prefer not to dick around at a job site and not have to worry about whether or not my tools are going on quit on me at work.

[Anonymous No.870543]

>>870532
You realize that without us support China would have taken back Taiwan, right? China does feel that Taiwan is part of China.

[Anonymous No.870554]

>>870514
Time and travel = money and if I get hurt gonna cost him a lot more especially if I hit him over the head with that chinese pice of shit

[Anonymous No.870557]

>>870533
I have seen cheap contractors use HF tools that break. It always makes me laugh cause now you have a worker getting paid and nothing is getting done. The poor worker has too feel guilty gets a sob story from the boss and winds up getting shafted one way or the other. Don't step over dollars to save pennies

[Anonymous No.870561]

>>870513
God I love quality. That feel when you open the box and get that whiff of freedom.

[Anonymous No.870572]

>>869826
I could use that rotary nose picker right about now

[Anonymous No.870579]

Bought hf's 20 ton shop press today. Pressed on some Ford 9" axle bearings no problem. It seems plenty good for home use.

[Anonymous No.870591]

>>870561
Ridgids warranty has become shit, I wont buy their tools

[Anonymous No.870685]

>>870591
Implying you will need it

[Anonymous No.870694]

>>870286
I noticed that the carbs suck on Tecumseh when I pulled off the air filter and found out there's no choke whatsoever. I guess their idea of a choke replacement is the little press-button to have a more fuel rich startup. Friggin a

[Anonymous No.870823]

>>870591
Worked at a Home Depot, we got more Rigid returns than anything else for power tools.

[Anonymous No.870826]

>>870579
Their presses work just fine.

I bought their hanging flex shaft grinder ~6 years ago for making jewelry. It gets used 2-6 hour daily 5 days a week. I've replaced the brushes twice now, and I got a different, nicer, hand piece a couple years ago. Still have the old one, but it used a chuck instead of collets.

Some of their stuff is a great bargain. I also have several of their rock tumblers that I use with steel shot.

[Anonymous No.870840]

The way I look at all HF items is:
1) Don't trust them with your life - as in I wouldn't trust items like jack stands.
2) if it works right away and continues past the 1st week it will probably last but expect to have to make returns or exchanges.

[Anonymous No.870880]

I buy my clamps from hf

[Anonymous No.870890]

Ball bearing tool boxes

[Anonymous No.871033]

>>870141
So they're worth the money?

I've wanted to get a mill and a lathe for a long time now but I can't afford to spend the money on some real machinery. Always thought the Harbor Freight stuff would be garbage and never even considered it.

[Anonymous No.871046]

>>870579
>he didnt do the microwave trick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVODJm05plw

[Anonymous No.871054]

>>871033
I don't have one, but i've seen a lot of people on youtube who use them, they tend to say they work ok. They usually add a bunch of digital readouts and accessories on them though.

[Anonymous No.871057]

>>871046
No. No I didn't. I don't think I ever will.

[Anonymous No.871060]

>>871057
I think its kind of a cool idea
I would be willing to try it probably

[Anonymous No.871062]

>>871046
People used to say to do the freezer trick, like for installing ring gears. Did it once.

Put carrier in freezer. Take out, zip ring gear on no problem. The second the carrier warms up, instantly covered in surface rust.

[Anonymous No.871084]

>>870880
This. Cheaper than anywhere else and some of them are literally the same product as home depot and lowes

[Anonymous No.871103]

>>870141
Kek
>First mill project
>Make metal gears for mill.

[Anonymous No.871134]

I'm surprised nobody has pointed out to look for the 'brand' on stuff at harbor freight... avoid drill master. chicago brand is much more likely to be good to you. and as noted... Quality is not the same as quality control. China manufactured items simply have poor tolerance on important parts... so you can still randomly (even usually?) get a working item...but too small and too large on gears/bearings etc will usually produce lockup and smoke, and nobody is testing shit before it leaves the factory...
Sander has done me right. sockets too. my chicago angle grinder was awesome. drillmaster 4 1/2 died in 3 hrs.

[Anonymous No.871459]

>>871134
I agree, drill master sucks ass, I only buy the 7 dollar angle grinders for throwaways.
Also,
>Pittsburgh pro is amazing

[Anonymous No.871463]

>>869573
I honestly thought the same till I used some of their low end tools.

Fucking garbage. Remember, you get what you pay for. Not a quality more.

Screw drivers that break after stressing them a bit, hair cutter that breaks on thick hair, scizzors that can't cut card board, kek.

The list of cheap shit not doing their thing goes on. But some other stuff does work. So its not always bad, but its a gamble.

[Anonymous No.871465]

>>871463
>I bought hair clippers at a tool store

[Anonymous No.871473]

>>871463
Anyone who buys an item from HF before reading the online reviews deserves to get screwed.

Many of their tools are made by the same company that makes major name brand tools, a lot of their tools are direct clones of expensive tools.

Many of their tools are rated a much better value than competitors. Some are utter shit.

A lot of their tools can be hacked from meh or good tools to great tools.

[Anonymous No.871487]

>>869573
The smell is so bad that I no longer go there. Every time I took out a tool I bought there, that smell would come out and give me a headache. I even tried airing that shit out for a few weeks, but it didn't work so it got tossed. Fuck that shit.

[Anonymous No.871488]

Harbor freights Taiwanese hand tools are pretty decent, but they are not cheap. They are close to the same price and similar in quality to house brands from hardware stores.

[Anonymous No.871489]

>>871487
It has an interesting smell, ill give you that.
But its not THAT bad

[Anonymous No.871506]

>>871489
It's so bad I threw out a toolbox that I put one harbor freight tool into. It was a small box and there wasn't anything particularly expensive in there but I couldn't get the smell out. I know I'm a bit sensitive but that shit gives me a headache. The last time I went in, I was only there for five minutes and that shit permeated my clothes. I had to change as soon as I went home. Headaches aren't worth it to me.

[Anonymous No.871512]

>>871487
It just smells like plastic at mine. I did go to one in a different state that smelled like raw sewage once, but I think that was the whole area, not the store.

>>871488
20% off coupons bro. The store nearest me has this FLAMING black guy who works as a cashier. Not sure if he's just nice or wants me to pound his ass, but he lets me stack them with sales and lets me use more than per transaction if it has multiple items. He's also given me their extended warranty for free before. I think that was company policy just to get my info though.

[Anonymous No.871536]

>>869650
>go to buy a predator 79 to put on a bicycle
>walk into harbor freight
>nearly do a triple take I couldn't fucking believe it
>predator 212's are on sale right now for $120
>remove governor
>now working with over 3x the horsepower I would have been dealing with if I bought the 79cc
>finally get to live out my Malcolm Campbell fantasies and do a top speed world record run on Daytona Beach

[Anonymous No.871552]

>>871536
Please tell me you have pictures of this project

[Anonymous No.871560]

>>871552
Yes I do
I'm currently in a two person dorm at uni but my assigned roommate didn't show so his desk just became my workbench.

[Anonymous No.871568]

>>871560
Actually a slightly more recent pic, the engine is back together just missing the intake which will be replaced with a leaf blower based forced induction system. All in all I should be at around 12-13 horsepower.

[Anonymous No.871591]

>>871560
>my assigned roommate didn't show

This happened to me freshman year. I waited a few days, turns out the kid dropped out. Got to use whole dorm room. Then like 2 months in some kid changed dorms because he didn't get along with his roommate. He was a worthless fucking neckbeard who skipped all his classes and played WoW all day. Failed all his classes, stayed around for second semester, switched to all online classes and moved back home. He was still a student and had already paid for the dorm room so they couldn't move anyone else in. He slept on my couch for two nights at the end of the semester to take finals. It was pretty sweet having the place to myself.

[Anonymous No.871595]

>>871591
nice, yeah i'm enjoying it as is, but airing on the side of caution cause the other set of dorms across embry are overloaded/they might just move someone in due to overcrowding.

[Anonymous No.871631]

>>871560

shit, dude, not even a newspaper underneath that engine to protect the desk? are they now letting neanderthals into US colleges?

[Anonymous No.871646]

>>871631
They're currently phasing out those desks for brand new ones next semester. The RA doesn't really care what we do to them now so it's living out its final months as an engine holder
Should something go sort of wrong I can always jam a 2x4 underneath.

[Anonymous No.871660]

>>871536
I feel this. You didn't get it for $99 though? That coupon is available so often. I can't figure out why the 212 is so inexpensive, but hot damn, it's good! Why do they sell the 3hp for more money??

[Anonymous No.871664]

>>871568
You'd better get a billet fly wheel. I've seen these blow up before, and if a chunk hit you it'd be bad news.

[Anonymous No.871668]

>>869607
There is no way you would open up the Bosch drill rather than take it back to Lowe's for your money back.

[Anonymous No.871670]

>>869966
Kobalt/Craftsman/Stanley/Husky all have tools in their lines that are made by some of the same manufacturers.

[Anonymous No.871675]

>>871660
the 79cc was 99 bux, and the predator 212 was $120 down from 290 so i figured 20 dollars for three more hp was a deal
>>871664
as is, I have the materials lab from my university at my disposal so while the flywheel is 100% getting an upgrade i'm still welding a plate between the seat and the engine for heat/explosion protection

[Anonymous No.871732]

>>871675
Awesome, good luck on the project. I always wanted to slap a motor on my bike with a broken shifter.

[Anonymous No.871738]

>>871732
Thanks, I have a clutch coming in on the 9th, which means the project should be in streetable condition by Thursday at the latest. Considering ungoverned the 212 revs up to 6000RPM, a 1:1 gear setup would give it a theoretical top speed of 62mph (100kmh) with my wheel at its size. Obviously with wind resistance it'll balance to ~50-55 but that's plenty enough to drive on Florida main roads.
I can keep this thread updated considering this board seems to move fairly slow.

[Anonymous No.871742]

I'm convinced this thread is either full of HF shills, or poor people trying to justify a low quality product.

[Anonymous No.871768]

>>869878
Mrs browning not bad.

[Anonymous No.871783]

>>871738
Just curious, what size chain are you using?

[Anonymous No.871907]

>>871742
Or maybe HF just does have some halfway decent items.

[Anonymous No.871928]

>>871742
>poor people trying to justify a low quality product.

Its pretty much this
I dont buy much HF, because every time I do its awful.

[Anonymous No.871958]

>>871928
>>871907
>>871742
you gotta read the reviews before buying.
if you don't it's going to be a 90% chance you get garbage.

[Anonymous No.871969]

>>871742
/diy/ is full of poors. That being said, I'm not poor, but I'm not rich either.

I use harbor freight for consumables and a lot of infrequent tools.

The thing is, people like to act like if they buy a Rigid tile saw versus a Chicago Electric tile saw, they're going to get $700 more use out of it. Their line of though being that the cheap one will have a shorter life. Well if the cheap one is $65 and the name brand is $200, and I burn through 3 cheap ones in the time it takes to kill the expensive one, I still came out ahead.

The truth of it is, consumer grade tools have very little different between brands, even chinese cheapos (mainly because the name brand tool is a chinese cheapo).

The other issue is that people like to compare HF tools to contractor grade and industrial grade tools. This is the same as saying a Geo Metro is a terrible car because it can't pull as much as a semi truck.

I have industrial grade equipment in my shop that is old. The difference is that it was overbuilt, made to have parts replaced, has much more power, and weighs a ton more. I own a cheapy table saw too, because I can't exactly take my 700 pound cabinet saw with me to work on a buddy's house.

Now I primarily do wood working, I own a HF tile saw for the odd tile inlay. It would be pointless for me to waste 2k on an industrial tile saw because I don't cut much tile.

[Anonymous No.871985]

>>871969
>It would be pointless for me to waste 2k on an industrial tile saw because I don't cut much tile.
This.

I work mainly with PVC. I literally have no need for better tools because even when the HF tools tear themselves apart inevitably, I've still gotten a good year or two out of it because my materials are piss-easy to work and I used it maybe eight times over those two years.

[Anonymous No.872018]

>>871958

>thinking reviews mean anything at all

some moron that never used a tool before in his life "OMG DIS BE DA BEST TOOL EVAR!!" not to mention shills.

same reason multi-tools are made, absolutely fucking useless, but some douche bag that doesn't maintain his vehicle "heys guyz, this 1000 in 1 tool worked great, got spark plugs out no problems, I had to glue the new ones in, but hey..."

if reviews and comments from people experienced in trades that used said tools meant anything, you could find 6 point flank drive sockets without going to a top-tier manufacturer.

[Anonymous No.873350]

Anyone here who uses a HF multimeter and makes more than $10k per year ought to be slapped with a fish. They are the worst electrical tools I've ever come across.
>be electrical engineer
>issue new guy a Fluke 1587
>"I prefer my personal meter"
>if it gets cal'd who cares
>found out he made the company pay $80 to have his $18 meter fail the calibration test
>dufaq
>wall outlet reading 101V 68Hz
>100ohm 1% resistor reading 131ohm
>
>DAFUCK?

[Anonymous No.873745]

>>873350
Eh, I use one. pretty just much to check if appliance fuse is bad, or if switch is working, and to see if batteries are dead. don't really care if it's not dead accurate, so HF one will work for me.

>>872018
Also, don't just look at the star review score, actually READ the reviews. mostly your issue is going to be "oh, worth the money. I finished the job and only three of the sockets rounded off on me. 4/5 stars" people who expected worse and were pleasantly surprised.
So actually read some of what people say, some of them put in really good breakdowns of how they used it, how it behaved, and pros and cons of the tool.

[Anonymous No.874021]

fuck no ive been in there once and i think its shit i buy high end stuff like my tool belt i use for work with everything that normally goes in it cost me about $900

[Anonymous No.874028]

>>874021
. , ! ? ;
Sprinkle some of those into your post, Boomhauer.

[Anonymous No.874036]

>>874021
If you pay $900 for a tool belt, you deserve to be shot for stupidity.

If you're saying you have $900 worth of tools in your belt, you deserve to be shot, or you carry far too many tools.

I'm a master electrician and I don't carry $900 worth of tools with me on my belt, including when I have my fluke on me. My van has thousands of dollars worth of tools in it but I don't carry them around with me.

[Anonymous No.874037]

>>874036
Could be a candian linema. Or he's got one of the ones with a sest/backsupport.

[Anonymous No.874160]

>All these Americans

Clearly they've never crossed the boarder and basked in the glory that is Mastercraft.