Let's talk Harbor Freight...

[SwampDonkey]

The worst thing I bought is their 12 1/2" planer. It will barely knock the dust off of a 6" board, much less trying to Plane with it. :(

Probably low amps, so it's under powered. I made sure I had enough amps on my planer to get over 2 HP out of the motor. Many folks told me to watch the amps. ;D Father has a Black and Decker bench grinder that I could stall in 3 seconds with a pocket knife, low amps. ;D

[getoverit]

I havent checked the amps, but it says it is a 2hp motor on the planer. I have been considering putting a 1hp 3000rpm motor on it to see what kind of difference that makes. It would be difficult to do because of the funky belt drie and metric pulley on the motor, but not impossible to jerry rig.

the surrising thing is that this planer looks just like the one in the picture of the geetech planer... mine is green though, not blue.

[wiam]

I have two different types of 3/4" pipe clamps from HF.  One has a cam type lock.  They SUCK.  The ones that have plates that go around the pipe hold better than the Craftsman ones that I paid $12 more for.  Vermonter bought a $100 compound miter saw and built his barn with it.

Will

[RichlandSawyer]

Hi Patty its nice to be back!!

The HF store in DesMoines is on armypost right across from southridge mall. Back when you and Norm lived down here there was probably a BestBuy store there.Let us know if you are going to be in town, Dee and i would love to go out to lunch and visit.

[SwampDonkey]

I havent checked the amps, but it says it is a 2hp motor on the planer. I have been considering putting a 1hp 3000rpm motor on it to see what kind of difference that makes. It would be difficult to do because of the funky belt drie and metric pulley on the motor, but not impossible to jerry rig.

Well, when ya find the amps on the motor plate you'll soon be able to tell weather it's actually 2 HP.

volts x amps / 746 = HP , should be handy to 20 amps on a 110 v line.

[highpockets]

The thing is, Harbor Freight has made the small shop owner be able to have tools that he or she would not normally be able to afford.  I buy their adjustable (Cresent type) wrenches and just strow them about my lathes, mills, etc.  They ain't a cresent but they are cheap and do the job twice per month.  I am not proud buying Chinese but the labor unions and
A.C.L.U., E.P.A., and attorneys have priced us out of the business.  I am hoping the chinese will turn democratic so the attorneys will leave here.     

[limbrat]

Pleasant Hill La. im gona pass through there later today on my way from Zowollie to Coushatta,stay off the road about noon.
harbor freight = hammers and pry bars and wire ties. Stuff thats straight mecanical that dont require a tempered cutting edge.
I would rather Buy it once.

[sawguy21]

We have a similar chain callled Princess Auto. They have a lot of junk, especially in hand tools,  but it is the best place to find oddball pulleys, pillow blocks, gearboxes and such. A mill builder's dream.  ;) They get some military surplus too. Like HF, it's a great place but buyer beware.

[SwampDonkey]

I don't know if we even have access to HF here, unless it's mail order. I've never seen one. We have enough stuff coming in and being sold at 'Crappy Tire', that we probably have no need for one. Actually, I shouldn't shoot CT down (Canadian Tire by-the-way) because I've had pretty good luck with the products they sell. Bottom line is always, 'you get what you pay for'. ;)

[Mooseherder]

Got the new HF Fall Catalog today. ;D
Have bought a few things there. They have great prices on Dutch Ovens for FirePit Cooking.
There they are to the left of this post. ;)
Also bought the 2000 watt inverter to run off 12 volt battery for TV and Stereo at the camp.
Was disappointed in the silver tarps that I bought. Thought they were gonna be rubberized.(Sounded like it)
A 3 year old could rip out the grommets :D
Looks like they may evolve into some quality products as we have been following their catalogs for years. I would purchase about 33% of the items they sell if ' n it was in need.
We have a couple of their stores around here. Some prices make you scratch your head and wonder how they can do it so cheap. Then there are items you ask yourself, Now why would they want to sell the piece of junk. :D

[getoverit]

Well, when ya find the amps on the motor plate you'll soon be able to tell weather it's actually 2 HP.

volts x amps / 746 = HP , should be handy to 20 amps on a 110 v line.

I had a look today at the amps, voltage and what is says is the HP

110v, 7.1 amps, and it says 2.2HP

if you use your formula for HP , it comes to 1.046HP..... half of what it says. Maybe that is why it doesnt work good.

[tcsmpsi]

One of Harbor Freight's 'heavy duty' (farm quality) 30'X40' tarps.





It's held up so far.  Grommets have actually stayed better than others I've had. I've only got about 4 of them with constant tension on this tarp, at the present.  It's been pulled, stretched, blown and rained quite a bit.
Got it on sale for fortysomething.  Has been well worth that already.

[SwampDonkey]

I had a look today at the amps, voltage and what is says is the HP

110v, 7.1 amps, and it says 2.2HP

if you use your formula for HP , it comes to 1.046HP..... half of what it says. Maybe that is why it doesnt work good.

Then it's not putting out 2.2 HP. Looks like it was ment for a 220 V line, can ya access the wiring and see if it can be converted to 220? Often has the wiring diagram on the inside of the plate. My table saw motor can be converted just by switching a wire or two.

[pineywoods]

I've bought a fair amount of stuff from Harbor Freight. Results are somewhat mixed. Got a vertical milling machine which is fine, hand-held grinders ok, most air tools are ok. One area to watch closely is switches on most electrical products. got a drill, bad switch, recip-saw, bad switch, shaper, bad switch. Have several 1-hp motors which work fine until you stall them and trip the built-in overload breaker. They will not reset once tripped. I just bought a chain saw sharpener for 29.95 cheap plastic, but it works surprisingly well.
On the plus side, they do stock parts, and my experience has been they honor their warranties. I have two retail stores in driving distance, and I stop by every time I go that way. As previously stated in this string, some of the stuff is junk, some is quite good, especially if you consider the price. You can't tell what's good or bad from a catalog.

[Jason_WI]

I shop there too often. I have a HF Visa card that gives me 1% back towards HF stuff in the form of gift cards.

The blue Drill Master power tools should be avoided at all cost. Shipping ballast as far as I'm concerned. Weak motors/brushes that end up in lots of smoke coming out.

There orange $19.99 4 inch grinders seem to last forever. My dad has one on the farm for the last 6 years and it is still going strong. I recommend  adding lithium grease to the gearbox when you buy them new as they ship pretty dry.

I have the HF 7x10 mini lathe. It works pretty well after I have hand lapped all moving parts. It is basicaly a lathe kit which can be made into a decent machine with some hand work.

Jason

[WH_Conley]

Cheap hand tools will bail you out everytime. I will not carry my Crafstman, Proto or Mack tools on the back of the truck. Guess what I have when I break down, or someone else does when I am around? HF or the equivelent, they are so cheap it doesn't make sense to not have them around. Several years ago I was traveling and had a breakdown. $40.00 repair for a $2.00 dollar part, auto parts store on the corner, $6.99 socket set plus $2.00 part, on my way. (Don't really want them around the shop.)

Don't let the $6.99 socket set give any idea about my age. :D :D :D

[den]

Here is a discussion group reply  http://www.vintagewindmills.com/

Steel here is like everything else. You get what you pay for. All of the large steel mills here are run using American or German technical management now and steel is readily available being produced to US and German standards. The problem for consumers in the US is not the factories in China producing low end products, but distributors shaving the price down. Something has to go. There are a number of companies here making hand tools equivalent in quality to Snapon and I think better than Craftsman. While they are cheaper here than Snapon or Craftsman in the US, they are not so cheap that they can be purchased and sold in the US for much less. Side by side, would you purchase a Sato socket set over a Snapon when the savings would only be about 10% - 20% or so? I doubt there would be many buyers for an unknown name with unknown quality. Top US brands will always dominate the high end of the market. A number of top US tool makers are now selling in the China market. I can by Snapon, and Starret in the markets here and Brown and Sharp is available from a tool distributor here. I think all of the US Carbide tool manufacturers have large markets here now and Stanley stores are now common. I have never seen Craftsman though. Regarding those horrible cheap socket sets dumped on the US market, it is strange that I have never seen them being sold here. I am not sure why, but they seem to be made mostly for export. There are certainly low end tool sets being sold here, but nothing as &%$#@ as those horrible disposable cheap tool sets dumped on the US market. The demand for quality has increased here and is increasing consistently. If I were to take you through one of the many large industrial markets, I think you would be very surprised at the large amount of high end industrial products that are dominating these markets. A number of years ago, this was not the case. They were full of junk. Now a lot of the junk is being sold abroad as the market for it here is dying.

I can go to a good bolt co and order bolts to my spec – made of the steel I want and meeting the specs I want. I just have to pay the price for it. Now if I spec bolts made of cheap hot rolled steel, that is what I will get. If I want top quality forged alloy steel bolts, the situation is the same. I have to pay the price, or I won't be able to get them. There are a number of good bolt factories within walking distance from me. We have a huge high tension tower factory here that has 1500 people doing nothing but producing galvanized towers all day every day. One of the local bolt factories does nothing but produce galvanized tower bolts for this tower factory. They are produced to national standards, are certified and are completely acceptable in every way. They can be found on towers all over this part of the country and are found to be in very good condition.

I am going to diverge for a moment. We frequently hear of how Chinese imports are hurting the US economy. Are you aware of the fact that US agricultural products are severely damaging certain sectors of the Chinese economy? My hat is off to American corn farmers! Shiploads of low priced American produced corn has flooded the Chinese market and sent corn prices through the floor. In the corn growing provinces, this has been a real disaster as there are no alternative crops for farmers to grow and they are now growing corn for less than cost. This is requiring increasing levels of government support (read this subsidies) for corn farmers just to survive. It is not unusual to hear of a farmer selling his whole crop for less than the real cost of diesel and fertilizer! The government has to balance this situation with subsidies, or there would be a serious decline in stability in some areas in the countryside. American farmers should be very proud of their ability to flood the market of a country like china with low priced corn. There is no outcry here to limit imports of American agricultural products, just demands to find new uses and applications for Chinese corn and other agricultural products. There is a fortune to be made here by American business working to convert corn to bio-fuel and other products. This could eventually lead to an increase in the price of Chinese corn as well as the price of US corn imports. I have not seen or heard of any US business entering into this market in China, even though the opportunity is immense and they certainly would be most welcome and supported by the government. Is anyone reading this in the bio-fuel business?

[rebocardo]

Harbor Fright ... Freight is to tools as JCW is to car parts. You get what you paid for. Sometimes you can get a really good deal, other times it is too good to be true.

Like the West Coast Jr mirrors I bought from JCW that I have never installed. They looked nicer in the catalog. The tire plug gun was worthless to me, $40 mistake.

My HF 3/4 socket set has been well worth the $50+ I paid for it though I would never use it for "real" 3/4" duty where I needed some 1200 pound torque work to break something free.

Personally, I like northern toolhttps://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=position"> Note:Please read the Forestry Forum's postion on this company much better, especially on quality and service. Though I still buy stuff from HF too.

[jrokusek]

I bought an electric impact wrench before I had an air compressor.  It's heavy, poorly ballanced and about double the size of the US brands.  That being said it's a workhorse!  I've used and abused it for the last 7 or so years and it just keeps going!  $40 well spent.

Just bought a pin-type moisture meter for lumber.  Seems to work OK so far.

Also bought a "pickle fork" to do some front-end work on an old truck.  That lasted about 2 minutes into the job before it broke!  That's OK though.....I cut the handle off and welded it to some all-thread and it's now the tensioner for my homemade sawmill!

Jim

[jimbo]

well  i have bouth brand mane stuff their also  millwalkie  sawsaw  and some cheap stuff    it all boils down to   (you get what you pay for)


                                                              jimbo

[PineNut]

jimbo

True you pay for what you get but you don't always get what you pay for. If you are not careful, you sometimes don't get all you payed for.

Still I use HF and take my chances on some things. A cheap and not quite so good tool where I am when I need it does me more good than a good tool that is in the shop. As a result I have several sets of some cheaper tools.

[jimbo]

  i want takw good tools out of the shop  thats why i use  HF  tools if thay are lost or stolen  their isent as much gone and most time thay do just as good for me


                                                           jimbo

[sawguy21]

I have puchased the cheap tool when I need it for a one time job I am unlikely to do again or need to grind/cut/weld it for a special application. I also have good tools that I forget what I bought them for or how to use. :D

[jjmk98k]

I use HF tool a good bit at my camp in the mountians. I choose not to leave my good tools there nor do i want to drag them  to my camp every time i go there.

I have found that some hand tools are junk, while other seem to perform to my Craftsman standards. My 4" angle grinder has impressed me time and time again, the cheap set of vise grips, garbage! the high polished wrench set bailed me out many times, while the comfy handled ratched broke after a little torque was applied to move a stuck bolt.

Ill say one thing, the .99 cent stainless scissors are a great buy, use them to cut anything and when they get dull, toss them.... i used them to cut carpet once and they did well..... and a big set of screwdrivers for $3.99, cant be beat for light, occasional use.....

[hackberry jake]

I know this an old thread, but I didn't want to start a new one saying the same thing. I needed to go to war on rocks in my driveway. These were like tip-of-the-iceburge type rocks. I went to Harbor Freight and bought a hammer drill/jackhammer. The drill, two jackhammer bits, and five masonry bits were about $100. The piece right behind the chuck got too hot to touch and it leaked a little grease out, but it got the job done. I found that if I drilled a 3/4" hole in the rock, and then stuck a long 3/4" round rod into the hole, I could usually break pretty big chunks off.