Harbor Feight?

[jrock357mag]

I want to start a shop in my basement and start building again so naturally im looking for tools. I saw a thread on hear about hand tools from Harbor Freight but I couldnt find anything about their bigger power tools like table saws, bandsaws, plainers, ect. Looks like most of their stuff is made by Central Machinery. Just wondering if any of this stuff is worth a darn, maybe someone out there has some experience with it. If its crap then does anyone have any suggestions for a certain brand that is good and comes with a decent price. Thanks!

[hartke20g]

i've only broken 1 tool i've ever gotten from harbor freight, but that was out of stupidity (socket wrench; i broke it the same way i broke a more expensive socket wrench, only it took longer). their stuff isn't bad, but this goes with all tools- don't abuse them or you'll end up worse than a broken tool.

[scarekrow]

This is probably a better and safer choice -
http://grizzly.com/
Quality at a lower price than many of the high end brands (according to Taunton Press's latest tool guide.)

[Cap'n Video]

I bought an 18 volt set with a drill that has adjustable torque, flashlight with swivel head, charger, battery and case for 19.99 from Harbor Freight. I've actually used it to drill bulkheads in an aquarium with a diamond hole saw. Best 20 bucks I ever spent.

[jrock357mag]

Originally Posted by scarekrow

This is probably a better and safer choice -
http://grizzly.com/
Quality at a lower price than many of the high end brands (according to Taunton Press's latest tool guide.)

Thanks for the link! I have a harbor freight close to me so I think I will have to look at the stuff in person, cant believe I forgot about Grizzly! Looks as though their president is quite and accomplished luthier too.

[MNbassist]

My opinion: Stay away from sharp moving parts. Some of the drill bits are good. Router Bits suck. Spindle sander is very handy. Clamps do their job, both bar and pipe clamps. I buy all my clamps at harbor freight, except for quick grips which I get Irwin Quick Grips from Home Depot. For a table saw, planer and bandsaw I'd say go for something a little more well known. I have an awesome craftsman table saw that only cost me 150 during the holiday season (which we all know is right around the corner.)

Hope this helped

[Foamy]

Do a search - there is an extensive thread on HF here.
In general, they can be a good dource for things like clamps and some disposable things, as well as some airtools.
Some things are suspect though, but please search for the other thread where we've talked and shared a lot.

[Foamy]

Originally Posted by scarekrow

This is probably a better and safer choice -
http://grizzly.com/
Quality at a lower price than many of the high end brands (according to Taunton Press's latest tool guide.)

These guys are great as well, especially for the bigger power tools. At the same quality level as Jet, shipped to your house, but you need to do a biiit more setup than you may with a Jet. But good stuff for good prices.

[BobKos]

Generally speaking the Central Machinery stuff is marginal at best. You get what you pay for and with Central you're not paying for much. I personally wouldn't waste my money. The problem with stuff like Central is that you buy it; you use it for a while with moderate success; it breaks; you throw it away and buy something else. Why not avoid the first 3 steps which waste your time & money and simply buy up one quality level to equipment that will actually hold up?

There used to be a used tool resale store near me. He was getting tons of the Central Machinery stuff in. It was ALL broken or just about to be broken. The guy would sell this used equipment unbelievably cheap. It still wasn't worth it. I never bought a single piece of it.

I found a Central 12" planer dirt cheap from a private seller. It was sold broken AS-IS. I fixed it - the drive chain for the feeder was snapped. Someone paid a significant amount of money for this P.O.S. I got it for almost free - that's about what it's worth. Parts are just about impossible to get for it. I ended up rigging the chain back together. It's a crappy design and not built to hold up for any amount of normal use.

I would shop elsewhere unless only the most inexpensive, inaccurate, unreliable equipment will neet your needs

[jrock357mag]

Originally Posted by BobKos

Generally speaking the Central Machinery stuff is marginal at best. You get what you pay for and with Central you're not paying for much. I personally wouldn't waste my money. The problem with stuff like Central is that you buy it; you use it for a while with moderate success; it breaks; you throw it away and buy something else. Why not avoid the first 3 steps which waste your time & money and simply buy up one quality level to equipment that will actually hold up?

There used to be a used tool resale store near me. He was getting tons of the Central Machinery stuff in. It was ALL broken or just about to be broken. The guy would sell this used equipment unbelievably cheap. It still wasn't worth it. I never bought a single piece of it.

I found a Central 12" planer dirt cheap from a private seller. It was sold broken AS-IS. I fixed it - the drive chain for the feeder was snapped. Someone paid a significant amount of money for this P.O.S. I got it for almost free - that's about what it's worth. Parts are just about impossible to get for it. I ended up rigging the chain back together. It's a crappy design and not built to hold up for any amount of normal use.

I would shop elsewhere unless only the most inexpensive, inaccurate, unreliable equipment will neet your needs

Thanks for the honest answer! I figured some of the prices were to good to be true, though like you said you get what you pay for. I did a search on a local classified site and found plenty of really good used equipment for decent prices, so it looks like i might go that route if I can find some stuff that someone hardly used and just wants to move it. Thanks for all the help guys!