Harbor Freight tools that DO suck

[Diggin It]

Looked at the electric chainsaw sharpener in store one time. Decided it wasn't even worth taking it home to try.

The $250 electric 'log splitter' is a table top novelty. Probably OK for making toothpicks, but not for firewood.

 

[shooterdon]

Looked at the electric chainsaw sharpener in store one time. Decided it wasn't even worth taking it home to try.

The $250 electric 'log splitter' is a table top novelty. Probably OK for making toothpicks, but not for firewood.

My neighbor loves his cheap chainsaw sharpener.

 

[crazyal]

Looked at the electric chainsaw sharpener in store one time. Decided it wasn't even worth taking it home to try.

The $250 electric 'log splitter' is a table top novelty. Probably OK for making toothpicks, but not for firewood.

My sister has the "table top" log splitter and it's great. It's not intended to split rounds, at least ones of any size. They use it for splitting up firewood into smaller sized pieces, stuff to start the fire. Being electric they have it in the basement next to where they stage the firewood before bringing up to their fireplace. While he can swing an ax to split stuff she can't and their kids were too small. She's had it for something like 20 years now. Before that they had one of those novelty splitters where you step on it your foot but she would struggle with it.

 

[bcp]

Depends on your wood. My "table-top electric" has no problem with 16-18 inch Douglas Fir rounds.

Bruce

 

[dragoneggs]

My sister has the "table top" log splitter and it's great. It's not intended to split rounds, at least ones of any size. They use it for splitting up firewood into smaller sized pieces, stuff to start the fire. Being electric they have it in the basement next to where they stage the firewood before bringing up to their fireplace. While he can swing an ax to split stuff she can't and their kids were too small. She's had it for something like 20 years now. Before that they had one of those novelty splitters where you step on it your foot but she would struggle with it.

That's a cool 'luxury'!

 

[crazyal]

They don't burn a lot of wood, maybe a cord a year so their choices for people who sell wood are a little limited. The stuff they had been getting was really large. They use fatwood to start the fire but the chunks were too large. Her husband is a mid level exec so he often out of town or at the office meaning she has to get the fire going if she wanted one. There's not many options to split inside your house. The foot thing that they tried, a splitter with a jack you have to pump up, or this electric one. But that's firewood. Each person needs to find what works the best for them, from where to store the greed wood to how much to keep inside.

 

[Wagtail]

Depends on your wood. My "table-top electric" has no problem with 16-18 inch Douglas Fir rounds.

Bruce

Exactly so. I bought a "table top" electric splitter from my local hardware shop and then built a table for it that fits my FEL bale spikes (it's the typical implement on my FEL) so that it's at the right height.

I get my wood from the local 'wood barn', which is already split, but the odd time that a piece is too big it goes onto the little splitter. I just move the splitter with the tractor to the woodpile, plug it in to the shed via an extension cord, and off I go.

Now if I required a serious splitter, I'd borrow my neighbours! His is diesel powered!

 

[Travelover]

Looked at the electric chainsaw sharpener in store one time. Decided it wasn't even worth taking it home to try............

I bought the chain saw sharpener kit. I say "kit" because I had to go through and shim all the pivot points so it doesn't slop around, but it works great (now).

 

[California]

'Some assembly required'.

 

[PILOON]

Depends on your wood. My "table-top electric" has no problem with 16-18 inch Douglas Fir rounds.

Bruce

Some woods like birch will split with a 'pop' within 20% penetration while other woods wont separate even with 90% penetration and then still have to be manually pulled apart after the splitter blade has travelled full length of the log.

 

[Fuddy1952]

I've gone through several of their a.c. electric pole saws, they don't last.
I still by stuff realizing I get what I pay for and assuming it will break. Then I'm not disappointed.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I'm not subscribing but when I asked if they were Chinese, he said yes, so I passed.

There is a Hankook tire manufacturing facility right on hwy 59 south in northern Texas. I don't know if all tires sold in the USA come from that facility though.

 

[bcp]

Hankook Tire - Wikipedia

"The Hankook Tire group is a South Korean tire company. Based in Seoul, South Korea, the Hankook Tire group is the 7th largest tire company in the world."

Bruce

 

[Gary Fowler]

I recommend disassembling the drive casing on the grinder and replace the crappy little blob of grease and pack it with real stuff. I've done this with several that I own and have had good luck with them.

Same here. You cant load them up to the stall point or they will overheat just like any other electric motor. I have had some HF 4.5" grinder for over 8 years with lots of use cutting steel, brushing rusty steel etc and the only issue with them is the cord protector at the grinder base has broken on one of them(I have 4 plus one Dewalt). I put some electrical tape on it to stiffen it up and it still works. I keep a different type of wheel on each one so I don't have to change one till it wears out.
The amp rating for the HF is not as high as Metabo or Dewalt therefore you cant pressure it but they work plenty well if you don't stall them. Also take off the head and put some real grease in it, but not too much or the head will overheat from too much grease.

 

[widefat]

Any of this line of cutoff wheels.
4-1/2 in. 4 Grit Metal Cut-off Wheel 1 Pc

I bought them expecting that they would wear out fast; however, I did not expect them to frag and fly apart. And not just a single wheel - most of them came apart.

I was cutting PVC. PVC!!!

 

[Ford850]

I've bought quite a few of the cutting and grinding disks over the years, drawn in by the low price. I have had some frag but overall they hold up fine for me. But... My son was grinding on some steel recently and was using one of my HF wheels. He got frustrated and swapped it out for one of his own Norton grinding wheels. Man what a difference that made! I tried them both back to back on the same grinder and realized how much time I'd been wasting by using the cheapo cutting disks and grinding wheels. No more HF abrasives for me.

 

[California]

..was using one of my HF wheels. ... swapped it out for one of his own Norton grinding wheels. ...Man what a difference that made!

How do DeWalt abrasives compare to Norton? Anybody?

 

[Diggin It]

Depends on your wood. My "table-top electric" has no problem with 16-18 inch Douglas Fir rounds.

Some woods like birch will split with a 'pop' within 20% penetration while other woods wont separate even with 90% penetration and then still have to be manually pulled apart after the splitter blade has travelled full length of the log.

My stuff is generally Oak or Locust with some Cedar, Sumac and Sassafrass thrown in.

 

[stuckmotor]

Looked at the electric chainsaw sharpener in store one time. Decided it wasn't even worth taking it home to try.

The $250 electric 'log splitter' is a table top novelty. Probably OK for making toothpicks, but not for firewood.

I'm pretty well satisfied with my electric chainsaw sharpener. The price was right and I'd buy another one. On the other hand, I've never used a high priced sharpener with a diamond blade.

 

[3Ts]

I致e worked with tools all my life and over the years, have accumulated a fair inventory of all sorts of commercial grade carpentry tools and building equipment. Recently a friend of mine retired his law practice and in his retirement wants to learn carpentry and hobby wood working.
Since we致e been good buddies for years, I composed a list of basic stuff he might want to get started on his new adventure and although he could afford to buy the best, he spent a ton of money at Harbor Freight and dragged home a pick up load of Chinese crap. I was invited to look over his collection of new toys, and the best I could only say was 努ell, best of luck?
Suck or don稚 suck HF is never on my destination list.

I feel sorry for people who want to start in a new hobby and go to HF for power tools. Typically they will end up disappointed in the hobby not realizing the tools are the problem not the hobby or their skills.

For example: I turn captive ring goblets for fun. I have a high end lathe and all the tools that go with it. I was a member of a wood turning club for awhile and we'd put on demonstrations for the public at HF stores using HF lathes. I would never try a captive ring goblet with their tools, the bearings are to sloppy to get good results. We kept to the simpler forms and worked around the challenges, someone new to the craft would have lots of problems making anything with them, we could because of our skills learned on better tools. Someone new to a craft should get good tools and if possible a mentor to help with the learning curve.