Let’s Discuss Harbor Freight

[bags]

 

At my age I am not buying Dewalt. 

JB

[Tom'sRedwood38GK]

I picked up the earthquake 20 volt high tourque 1/2 inch rap gun what a beast that thing will knock off the lug nuts on my truck with out batting an eye. Many other tools I have gone to since I am not using them to make a living it only makes sense to look for what you can get by with.......  need to get that wrench into a tight spot grind it down and make it a specialty tool for a 1/4 of the cost.

[Vegas Teacher]

I love my HF catalog I get every 3 months! I am the same sucker for the free coupons the rest of you are. I like the hand tools a lot. I get very tempted to buy the 1 inch impact wrench. I am also glad to read about Baur vs Hercules. 

I also buy Ridgid and have had my rechargeable along with the 12 inch sliding miter and a 12 inch contractors table saw not to mention corded hammer drills and many other Ridgid products. I do love Ridigid but only because I have had good luck with them. I, however, do not like Ryobi at all.

What do you guys think of Kobalt over at Lowes? Quality?

[jenandjon]

19 hours ago, bags said:

 

At my age I am not buying Dewalt. 

JB

The new De Walt stuff is junk. Our farm shop has cabinet full of De Walt and Milwaukee cordless tools. From the vacuum to the circular saw and everything in between.  We are slowly changing over to Milwaukee. The OLD De Walt drill will run circles around a new Milwaukee but the new De Walt is no comparison. They just suck. We are not replacing any De Walt tools.

I have Ryobi for my personal use. I don't ever plan on using them much. They live in the truck just in case I need them on the road. I went with a totally different brand just so I don't get accused of snagging tools from the shop. I have been known to do that from time to time.

[Sehc]

Ryobi are pretty good battery powered tools. But they are climbing in price. Where is the price point where they are not such a good deal?

[SuiteSuccess]

Interesting comments so far. Thanks for the discussion. Craftsman used to make good tools but have fallen off in quality. I have a cast iron table saw that’s almost 30 years old and still going strong. Are the high end like SnapOn, Matco, Proto still same quality?

[AHappyHobo]

Not sure why it is considered "Off Topic" since it was opened up here to discuss HF tools...(maybe because this is a Heavy Truck) section?..... but I must, chime in here.

As an old fellow that was in trucks and busses most of my life and had many tools back in the day that I depended on,

(some of which busted many a finger and hand or came loose within inches of precious body parts ie; eyeballs, ears, noses etc)....

This seems to me to be a legitimate and MOST important discussion that I hope will continue to get input so that we might all receive some very useful comments in regards to the tools that we must all use and be able to depend on when we are working on our heavy trucks, busses, and other equipment as we use them daily for our rolling homes as they are.....

Thank you for starting this discussion and for all the fine comments both good and otherwise in regards to the specifics of HF tools and comparative choices in tools we need.

I have learned much here, and continue to, even in my late years. Yay!

Carry on......

[jenandjon]

10 hours ago, Sehc said:

Ryobi are pretty good battery powered tools. But they are climbing in price. Where is the price point where they are not such a good deal?

I got mine at the outlet store in Pigeon Forge. They are Reman but don't really matter to me. Got a saws all, drill, and vacuum with a charger and 3 batteries. 2 small ones and 1 big one for $200.

My brother works at Home Depot in the Tampa Fl area. He said that they sell more Ryobi then anything else. Must be the new fad.

[RandyA]

17 hours ago, Vegas Teacher said:

What do you guys think of Kobalt over at Lowes? Quality?

 

You can expect Kobalt to disappear as stocks are sold out.  Lowe's will become the defacto source for Craftsman.  This is repeated info told to me from a Lowe's "higher up".

[MsChrissi]

Many years ago in the online bulletin board systems on the net I participated in some Silicon Valley chat rooms on electronics. As with most interests you'll eventually see some old codger who was no doubt a union guy and would swear he was there when they put the first two electrons together, you know the guy, we may have a few here =)... anyway they may have the chops, they may be a self appointed expert but they always seem to have what they feel is the final opinion. So one day someone asks about an entry level Asian oscilloscope and people weigh in and the rag chewer rears his head and pronounces "If you don't have Fluke and Tektronics on your bench you don't have sh..!". Good god I hate bullies. What that person is doing is bragging and brow beating. I posted that I was a slave R&D engineer trying to break out of my lab prison and start my own moonlight prototyping business. If I had to buy a Fluke bench VOM or multimeter (about$1k back then?) or a Tek oscilloscope (many $$$$) I'd not have been able to even get started but if I ran down to Radio Shack and bought a piece of crap mulitmeter  for $20 or their best one for $99 I'd be able to buy the Asian oscilloscope, and the Chinese lathe and mill and many other tools to get a foothold keeping my startup costs to a minimum. Codger's response was "Yeah but the Fluke has a lifetime guarantee!" to which I responded that I could blow up a cheap Chinese meter a week and still be ahead of the game (and maybe learn why I was blowing them up in the first place?) So my rambling point here is that yeah, I have used and loved Fluke, Tektronics, Snap-on, Bridgeport, Clausing, Haas etc but on a budget for something that is occasional use (not earning it's way 8 hrs a day) spend wisely and then you will have the money for a great diversity of tools AND capabilities.

The local HF knows Randi on sight, they're on a first name basis. I believe she may have one of everything in their catalog or at least the store thinks so. She grabs people in the aisles and says "hey have you seen this?(some cool tool)". If we break or burn out something she gets an immediate replacement. Doing the interior of the MH we kept snapping their 1/4" straight carbide router bit (known problem) so she'd take the whole set down and come back with a whole new multi piece set. Did that 4x in one day. It used to be if electrons flowed through it don't buy it. That has changed; their new $100 cordless drill is brilliant, could not live without it. We have relentlessly flogged their Baur thickness planer, our whole interior is solid oak milled down from lumber. They have replaced the machine once.

The criteria we use is "will using this tool in any way degrade our workmanship or do a poorer job than a different tool at a better price?"

I think we have a HF freebee mulitmeter in ever room of the house as well as several flashlights.

[Vegas Teacher]

1 hour ago, RandyA said:

You can expect Kobalt to disappear as stocks are sold out.  Lowe's will become the defacto source for Craftsman.  This is repeated info told to me from a Lowe's "higher up".

Thanks!

[Sehc]

What does Stanley-Black and Decker have to say about the Craftsman Brand they purchased?

[Vegas Teacher]

1 hour ago, Sehc said:

What does Stanley-Black and Decker have to say about the Craftsman Brand they purchased?

I heard DeWalt purchased Black + Decker, is there any truth in that. I saw it as a rumor on facebook one time. Once again it was on facebook that is why I am asking if anybody knows for sure.

[Pappy Yokum]

MsChrissi -  *VERY*  well said !!

Old dude here - still have the 1/2 inch SK socket set I received as a gift about 1957 to work on the flatmotor in my '50 Ford.  Couldn't afford a TQ wrench back then, so did it all with the 1/2 inch ratchet (it was my breaker bar also)....it's still alive & well..

But.......Most HF stuff "works"  (no pun) for me! 

(Always carry a 20% off coupon in the glove box - just in case .  Maybe it will come in handy to offset the most recent Chinese Tariff increases  LOL)

BTW - I did eventually get a beam TQ wrench when I graduated to OHV engines, then a click type......however at last upgrade,  HF hasn't caught on to selling a  TQ wrench with a serious handle length.

Hope for any Craftsman fans, Loews will back Craftsman as Sears did...at one time (NO pun)

.

 

 

[Pat & Pete]

Anyone remember Indestro tools ? 

My folks bought me a set ( 1/2" ratchet , sockets , extensions and a breaker bar ) for my 16th birthday back in 1966 . 

I still have and use them . I even have the original metal flip top box they came in .

Engines , transmissions , suspensions ... nothing has broken any of it . And , I have never been easy on them , either .

My dad bought tools from HF way back when they were mail order . He was a master wood worker . I still have some of his HF tools . 

So , they must have at least some stuff worth while .

[rickeieio]

Yes, I have some Indestro tools.  The auto parts shop we used to use seemed to switch brands yearly.  They'd always proclaim whatever was displayed as "The Best" and " Lifetime Warranty."  But if you brought in a broken "best" from a couple years prior, you were S.O.L

In 1972, I bought a 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drive socket sets from S-K.  Also that day, I bought sets of combination, open end, and box wrenches, assorted pliers, chisels, screw drivers, etc.  The wrenches have been great.  All else was mediocre, at best.  I still have most of it, and used some this morning, working on the harvester.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

1 hour ago, Vegas Teacher said:

I heard DeWalt purchased Black + Decker, is there any truth in that. I saw it as a rumor on facebook one time. Once again it was on facebook that is why I am asking if anybody knows for sure.

 

2 hours ago, Sehc said:

What does Stanley-Black and Decker have to say about the Craftsman Brand they purchased?

Well since its all owned by Bosch.... Black and Decker is or was the bottom line, then Dewalt then Bosch.  They made all 3 in the New Bern NC plant.  Along with Bosch washer/dryers and Whirlpool.

[WeBeFulltimers]

On 9/19/2018 at 10:44 AM, RandyA said:

You can expect Kobalt to disappear as stocks are sold out.  Lowe's will become the defacto source for Craftsman.  This is repeated info told to me from a Lowe's "higher up".

Ace Hardware has been selling Craftsman products for several months.

[noteven]

Sometimes the somewhat peculiar sentence structure of the most happy instructions is fun for you to have. 

[Pappy Yokum]

3 hours ago, noteven said:

Sometimes the somewhat peculiar sentence structure of the most happy instructions is fun for you to have. 

 

Pidgin Chinglish

.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

Have you ever wondered if the Chinese use the same crappy tools they manufacture for us?

 

[rickeieio]

A friend (John Doak), used to be the "D" in K-D Tools.  One evening at a motorcycle rally, he related that the Chinese are thrilled when someone asks them to produce a quality product.  And he should have known......

Unfortunately, most Americans seem to have fallen into the Wal-Mart mentality.

[Steve from SoCal]

One of the big problems with Chinese manufactures are they like to cheat.     I have a good friend that was in Shanghai for nearly 10 years running a factory.    He is a Gringo that learned to speak and read Chinese.     Lance said every major European and Japanese machine maker was there making machines.      The cost to make a quality part is cheaper BUT, it is not cheap.

Regarding oversight, I think Harbor Freight has a cadre of folks on the ground where they make stuff.    The quality and rejection rates are FAR lower than they were 15-20 years ago.    Just being there and checking stuff before it gets packed at least insures you get what you ordered.     

Between the better manufacturing methods of the last 10 years or so and, the better quality control of raw materials, the Chinese have come a long way towards American/European standards of quality.      That said, it is still the importer or dealer who specs what level of quality they want to sell.    One last thing, you do all know that Milwaukee tools are Chinese made and owned for some time.    The same factories produce many of the small power tools for most of the major brands INCLUDING Harbor Freight.     It all comes down to how the tool was speced and, who monitored the assembly as to quality.

Steve

[MsChrissi]

I think Grizzly has the right idea, they probably have people over there but they also go through the machines themselves. The few that we have are really good.

 

[Pappy Yokum]

20 hours ago, Steve from SoCal said:

 Between the better manufacturing methods of the last 10 years or so and, the better quality control of raw materials, the Chinese have come a long way towards American/European standards of quality.      That said, it is still the importer or dealer who specs what level of quality they want to sell.   

 

"Bingo"!

You see LOTS of  Chinese tire  discussions - about the supposed "China Bombs". The Chinese are VERY capable of doing exactly what Steve posted - producing a product to the specs required.  Even Michelin has tire mfg facilities in China. (as they do in many countries)

Applies to - tools, tires, televisions, computers, (all types of electronics),  etc.

The buyer has to decide what he/she is comfortable with.  In some/many instances, few choices - it's going to be hecho en China.  it is what it is. 

BTW - many clips -long and short- on Youtube of various HF products. If it's a big dollar item, sometimes worth taking a look,

.