Harbor Freights

[unclejam]

Harbor Freights?

Anybody use tools from these guys?

Looking for a tablesaw(blade included) and router(with bits)

I have 200 Flat

[scottice]

Don't count on using them professionally... but for a hobby table saw and router you should be just fine.

Their tools are basically low quality chinese manufactured products that will do all right occasionally... but if you need close tolerances you should look elsewhere. That said, you never know what you'll find there. Some things are an incredible deal.

[NJL]

i just bought a low profile motorcycle dolly from there... the this is top quality... it really surprised me!

other stuff there is hit and miss.. they do have an interesting selection of "stuff"

supposedly their air tools are decent...

[Mike N]

HF's stuff has come a long way in the past 10 years or so, however it's not what I would consider industrial quality.

[jady]

Originally Posted by Mike N

HF's stuff has come a long way in the past 10 years or so, however it's not what I would consider industrial quality.

+1

When I worked on the shop floor, I used to get just about everything from HF. Decent quality but cheap enough that if they got broke or stolen it was no big deal.

[MJ5150]

Harbor Freight tools are GREAT for loaner tools. I keep "my" tools in one cabinet, and a separate drawer of HF tools I let people borrow when they ask. I can't remember anyone ever walking off with a set of HF snips, but I can't recall how many loaned out sets of Wiss snips never were returned.

I've also seen HF selling professional quality tools like DeWalt. Those prices were the same as anywhere else.

-Mike

[Tim Cole]

Most of their stuff is pure shitznit, but it is priced accordingly.

I use an electronic dial caliper, and one of their electronic gram scales for work. I use the dial caliper to check milling tolerances on hardwood floor strips ranging from 2-5 inches, and it is dead accurate down to 100th of an inch with no +/- from my experience. Both have surprisingly been pretty good.

I bought a paint gun that drips more than a vietnamese prostitute though.

[DigMe]

When I was doing social work and making $21k a year and my wife was in med. school I was actually buying tools from Big Lots. BIG LOTS!! They got done what I needed to get done at the time though. Needless to say my wife is out of med school and I'm making a lot more as a teacher so I don't buy tools at Big Lots anymore. I will NEVER stop looking for a good deal though.

I think I once bought a complete socket set for something like $4.

bc

[Mike N]

Originally Posted by DigMe

When I was doing social work and making $21k a year and my wife was in med. school I was actually buying tools from Big Lots. BIG LOTS!! They got done what I needed to get done at the time though. Needless to say my wife is out of med school and I'm making a lot more as a teacher so I don't buy tools at Big Lots anymore. I will NEVER stop looking for a good deal though.

I think I once bought a complete socket set for something like $4.

bc

I found some Stanley 1/2" drive impact sockests at Big Lots for 99 cents each. They were larger sizes, like 1 1/16", 1 1/8", 1 1/4" etc. Good USA made sockets for pretty much nothing.

Any of those sockets off the Snap-On truck would have been $40 or more, each.

[scottice]

Originally Posted by Tim Cole

I bought a paint gun that drips more than a vietnamese prostitute though.

LMAO!!!

[FL Knifemaker]

Some of their machine tools are good. I have a 3/4 hp buffer that's worked great for years. I also have a 12" disk sander with a cast iron frame and work rest. It's solid as hell and the motor has run well for years. I recently bought one of their small drill presses for a light application in my shop. The thing was a POS when it arrived but I took it apart, cleaned up the sharp edges, replaced the soft crappy screws with high grade ones, cleaned out all the chinese grease and re-lubed everything with quality American grease. Now the thing works great. I wouldn't buy hand tools or power tools from them. I've actually seen their angle grinders go up in flames

[scottice]

FL... what's Chinese grease?

[FL Knifemaker]

Originally Posted by scottice

FL... what's Chinese grease?

It's that red crap that they put in their machinery that has no lubrication qualties whatsoever God only knows what it's made from Could be Soylent Red

[scottice]

Soylent Green = American Money
LOL

[Pilgrim]

I buy "occasional use" tools from them, but when it comes to basic tools like end wrenches and standard size socket sets that will be used constantly, I go for higher quality brands.

[Mike N]

Originally Posted by jady

When I worked on the shop floor, I used to get just about everything from HF. Decent quality but cheap enough that if they got broke or stolen it was no big deal.

I have some HF wrenches and impact sockets I let the lube and tire guys use. I'd rather have them beating up and/or losing cheap stuff, and keeping their hands off my Snap-On stuff.

[Mike N]

Originally Posted by MJ5150

Harbor Freight tools are GREAT for loaner tools.

+1

Originally Posted by MJ5150

I've also seen HF selling professional quality tools like DeWalt. Those prices were the same as anywhere else.

-Mike

What you gotta watch out for is the occasional dirt cheap name brand tool from HF. Read the fine print, and you will see that these places will sometimes sell 'factory reconditioned' tools at blowout prices.

The Cummings Industrial Tool sale that rolls through town twice a year is famous for this.