Harbor Freight tools that DO suck

[Diggin It]

This thread seems like a good place to warn others - Not HF but Ebay:

80mm Mini Plastic Student Sliding Vernier Caliper Gauge


Oh the 'vernier calipers'? I didn't expect much but these are just kids toys.

Maybe you got what was listed after all?

 

[Diggin It]

In the 'it's worth what you paid for it' department, we've talked about the digital meters, but what about the 25' tape measures? They're OK when new, but they don't last very long. They flop around beyond 5' extended, the hold/lock tab breaks off internally and the rewind springs give up.

 

[California]

California, if it's worth it to you, I'd bump this up to Ebay customer service. As I recall, you can do it with a couple of clicks. I bet you'll get a reply within an hour that they've issued you a refund. More importantly, they can take further action if it's a known issue with this seller. If folks don't escalate to them, they won't know.

My guess is that this is a real outlier. I've ordered small items from various sellers that only shipped "Economy Shipping", and the estimated time has always been met or beaten.

I would if it had cost me very much. Total cost was $3.44 for four miniature calipers so not worth the trouble. I don't need a refund.

The real lesson here is never order from someone with less than 99% positive feedback.

Two more gripes: The Ebay listing shows a '1' at the first inch on the scale. What I received lacks that mark so all the equal-size marks at every quarter inch look the same. Frustrating junk.

I found my tracking number in some of several tracking services, not in others. USPS shows only 'label prepared' and a couple of trackers repeat that. Other tracking services show an identical chain of events ending at 'arrived US' a month before I got the package. Looking at reviews of those third-party trackers, several customers said the chain of events listed there isn't real, the 'tracking service' is a scam, and their purchases were likely never sent.

Its still a mystery why I was immediately issued a tracking # that seems to show Philippines Post as the transport method. Then my parcel arrived with an initial 'Philippines Post' mailing label with my address, then another nonspecific label was stuck over that label. I think the merchant does this only to create a bogus 'ready to ship' message, intended to appear in USPS and other tracking services.

Conclusion: If the vendor is in China (or anywhere overseas) I won't use 'economy shipping' for anything over $5. And I'll pay a couple percent more to buy from a vendor with over 99% positive feedback. Caveat Emptor!

I might contact Ebay when I have time to maneuver through their maze. This post was intended mostly as a 'heads up' to everyone.

Rant over.

 

[Threepoint]

[snip]

I might contact Ebay when I have time to maneuver through their their maze.
[snip]

No maze. Just report it to their Resolution Center. Probably take 5 minutes.

FWIW, I just ordered a set of five 5/32" diamond rotary burrs from China to sharpen chainsaw chains. $3.28, free shipping. Estimated delivery July 11 - Aug 22. We'll see. I'm in no hurry. :laughing: I'll use them on the HF Lynxx chainsaw chains. (The 14" Oregon chains are only $24 in a two-pack, though. I ordered a pair of those as well, through Amazon Prime yesterday with one-day delivery!).

Surprising, though, how well the originals that come with the saws hold up.

BTW, if the Ebay seller for the burrs surprises me by beating the time frame, I may remember to report back.

 

[mike69440]

Picture = 1000 Words

Explanation
I had a similar size Import pipe wrench on the wrench handle and I was twisting to straighten a clamp, not using wrench as intended. Still, good steel should have survived.

$17.50 was what i remember paying.

 

[caver]

Picture = 1000 Words

Yeah but it's Drop Forged !!!!

 

[Diggin It]

Not real fond of the Warrior hex shank Phillips bits. I've shattered most of whatever is in the plastic pack, maybe 10? But then again, I'm using them in a 1/4" impact driver, so maybe they're not intended to handle that.

 

[Diggin It]

Not real fond of the Warrior hex shank Phillips bits. I've shattered most of whatever is in the plastic pack, maybe 10? But then again, I'm using them in a 1/4" impact driver, so maybe they're not intended to handle that.

Found these at a bigbox store. They claim to be impact ready and 'flex' somehow:

At $12 for a 30 pack, I'll try them out.

 

[aczlan]

Found these at a bigbox store. They claim to be impact ready and 'flex' somehow:

At $12 for a 30 pack, I'll try them out.

Tried those, I like the Phillips bits that go to the full size of the shank better, they seem to spin out and chew up the head of the screw less. I usually get the single ended version of these:


Aaron Z

 

[Diggin It]

Seems to me like the thin section would be a weak point and break under stress, but hey, I'll try (almost) anything once.


The HF Warrior ones I have are a round shank like this: