[vcf-midatlantic] Next set of tools being upgraded
W2HX
w2hx at w2hx.com
Wed Jul 14 21:33:56 UTC 2021
I agree. It isn’t the best quality, but for the work I do, it is plenty good enough (I do not use my tools professionally).
Eugene
-----Original Message-----
From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces at lists.vcfed.org> On Behalf Of Bruce via vcf-midatlantic
Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2021 10:35 AM
To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org>
Cc: Bruce <freemab222 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Next set of tools being upgraded
You'd better check the country of manufacture of those name brand tools you prefer. Many are now from China, despite being long-time American brands.
My experience is different from yours. HF wrenches, including Allen keys, perform just fine, even the ratchet ones. I have screwdrivers, driver bits, a bench vise, and many other non-powered tools I've never had a problem with.
Drill bits are a bit less reliable. HF bits are fine for wood and soft metals, even mild steel, but will not necessarily stand up to (normalized - not hardened) medium-carbon steel (in my limited experience). That is no surprise and no particular disappointment.
I had one saber saw on which the blade-mounting lever broke. I returned it
(90 day return window) and bought the next higher priced one. I had a double blade (opposite spin) circular saw fail in some manner that I forget, and they replaced it without argument. The funniest problem item was an anvil: I cut off a corner of the mounting slot in the base to make a quick-release anvil mount -- and out spilled a bunch of steel beads! The casting had a hollow I could fit my pinkie into! BTW, those anvils have very soft faces. They're useful, but not up to snuff for serious work.
But grinders, welders, auto-darkening welding helmets, miscellaneous cabinets and racks, etc., etc., just end up costing half what I'd pay elsewhere and perform just fine. The cheapest HF bench grinder works, but takes a while to come up to speed as it's underpowered.
The big caveat: Those battery-powered hand tools, typically 18V rechargeable drills and so forth. Either the HD batteries or the HD chargers are crap. They never last. I won't buy those anymore.
Overall, however, HF is my first stop for tools.
OTOH, I *never* recommend a professional buy his critical tools there. If your income depends upon the reliability of your tools, you don't want one crapping out on you in the middle of a job. Pros should buy professional-quality tools (and not just name brands because some of those are crap too).
Bruce
NJ
On Wed, Jul 14, 2021 at 9:56 AM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
> I have gone to Harbor freight to buy many things and aside from the
> free flashlights and batteries most of their tools are pretty poor
> quality, or at least the items that I have purchased.
> I ended up returning most of the items that were poor quality.
>
> I have to admit the scan tool I bought from them, to scan codes on my
> car, was reasonably priced and worked well.
>
> There is no doubt that their prices are reasonable, but I really hate
> buying stuff from China.
>
> That may be my opinion but I think a lot of us feel that way.
>
> Mike R.
>
>
>
>
> Sent from:
> My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.
>
> > On Jul 14, 2021, at 8:59 AM, Martin Flynn via vcf-midatlantic <
> vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
> >
> > Bruce,
> > I’m a harbor freight regular, however when working (or conserving)
> historic kit, I don’t want to screw it up worse than it is with a hand
> tool that tears up the fasteners.
> >
> > Right tool at the right time was my dad’s signature line…
> >
> > Martin
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> >> Of course, this is none of my business (as a lurker on this list)
> >> but I must point out that the hand tools at Harbor Freight are
> >> mostly of quite good quality. I use these in my shop and have
> >> little complaint. Their main claim to fame is price -- quite low,
> >> generally. It is no longer a situation like in the '60's when
> >> you'd buy a set of Allen wrenches from
> the
> >> $1 bin at the auto parts store and the damned thing would twist
> >> into a hexagonal screw the first time you applied any torque to it.
> >
>
>
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