HF tools that suck

[Workstead]

Welding related.

I've been doing a little stick welding lately and my slag hammer with point and chisel tips do an OK job getting the slag off of the weld. I tried the needle scaler air tool from HF last night and it works great. Since I am a new welder my joints aren't real pretty yet. I leave some holes and my hammer doesn't get down into the holes to get the slag out. This needle scaler works great. I picked it up at a yard sale a few years ago for $5 and remembered it last night so I gave it a try. Well worth the money

Clem

HF Needle Scaler
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

 

[Travelover]

No fair posting GOOD reviews of HF stuff here. They belong in this parallel thread.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/114176-harbor-freight-tools-dont-suck.html

 

[Iplayfarmer]

...Sometimes I buy something cheap from Hf and am pleasantly suprised at how well it works...

That's my theory. It all fun and exciting, like buying a lottery ticket. Sometimes after the metalic looking plastic gets scraped off the surface I find that it isn't worth the stuff it's made out of. Sometimes I hit the jackpot and get a great tool for a rediculously low price.

To date I've gotten a lot more out of purchases at HF Tools than I've ever gotten out of the lottery.

 

[schmism]

No fair posting GOOD reviews of HF stuff here. They belong in this parallel thread.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/114176-harbor-freight-tools-dont-suck.html

ya... wanted this one to be a who's who of tools to stay away from.... we have all had stuff we were happy with... as i said.. 90% of the stuff ive bought from them im happy with...

i want to know what everyone elses 10% is!

 

[Workstead]

No fair posting GOOD reviews of HF stuff here. They belong in this parallel thread.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/114176-harbor-freight-tools-dont-suck.html

Hey Travelover,

I stand corrected. I should have paid better attention to the title

Thanks for the diplomatic post.

Clem

 

[patrick_g]

They should change their name to Disposable Tools (DT).

My Dewalt miter saw says "Made in USA." I've been using it for over ten years. Some of the el cheapo saws didn't last out the week long build on the playground. The cheap drills used to drive screws didn't last long, either.

Over ten years. That is the key. My, much newer) DeWart 12 inch compound sliding miter saw (under the plastic cover) says MADE IN CHINA. My less fully featured Milwaukee miter saw is USA and built much more robustly than the DeWart.

Note: DeWart is a reference to the Chinese connection (the R-L reversal thing) not because I can't spell DeWalt.

Pat

 

[patrick_g]

If a premium brand (ridgid, makita, dewalt etc)e

Sorry buddy but... Is DeWart deserving of being in the list of premium tools. (Maybe on price because you pay a premium but not on function or quality)

Within a period of 2 weeks I had the following DeWart tools fail:
1. 4 1/2 angle grinder
2. 4 1/2 angle grinder
3. 14 inch chop saw

Saw was repaired for nearly the cost of a new one. Angle grinder minimum repair cost at factory warranty station was in excess of sale price making them throw away.

Now for the HF tool that sucks. Plastic woodworking clamps that you tighten by repetitive hand squeezing. I broke one and got it replaced under the warranty. Yesterday it broke. Sure they will give me another but... In the mean time I don't have a tool and cost of travel requires me mto wait till I'm going near an HF to do the swap.

Pat

 

[EddieWalker]

...Within a period of 2 weeks I had the following DeWart tools fail:
1. 4 1/2 angle grinder
2. 4 1/2 angle grinder
3. 14 inch chop saw

Pat,

I had a Dewalt 4 1/2 inch grinder that was about two years old, but only had a few hours on it. I bought it before moving to Texas, and most of the time, I just didn't have a need for it. Then the first real welding project that I needed it, it failed on me after just a few hours of use. It just got so hot that it melted down on me is the best way to describe it. I think something wore out inside, like a bearing, and the friction built up with use, but that's just a guess. With less then ten hours of use, there's no excuse.

I replaced it with a knockoff by a company called Nakita. Yes, it's spelled with an N. It worked fine and lasted for years, but at less then $40, it was never ment to last long term and when it dies, I looked for another as I felt I got my moneys worth out of it. No luck, the discount tool store closed up and nobody else that I know of sells that brand.

That's when I bought my first Makita tool. The diffrence is like night and day. It has an amazing amount of power, but what's most striking aobut it is the way it feels when using it. Call it balance or precision, I don't know, but it just feels very smooth. I've had it for about three years now and have beat it up pretty good. It's just awesome at how well it works and there's no sign of wear on it, or parts falling off of it.

I always look for Makita tools first when I need something, but I still sometimes buy other brands if the price is significant on something that is only used rarely.

Eddie

 

[klm]

They sell a great looking hatchet, fiberglass handle and all, works good unless you attempt to use it, especially on something like wood. The steel is dead soft and will look like you were trying to cut rocks with it.

 

[Dargo]

Sorry buddy but... Is DeWart deserving of being in the list of premium tools. (Maybe on price because you pay a premium but not on function or quality)

Within a period of 2 weeks I had the following DeWart tools fail:
1. 4 1/2 angle grinder
2. 4 1/2 angle grinder
3. 14 inch chop saw

Saw was repaired for nearly the cost of a new one. Angle grinder minimum repair cost at factory warranty station was in excess of sale price making them throw away.

Now for the HF tool that sucks. Plastic woodworking clamps that you tighten by repetitive hand squeezing. I broke one and got it replaced under the warranty. Yesterday it broke. Sure they will give me another but... In the mean time I don't have a tool and cost of travel requires me mto wait till I'm going near an HF to do the swap.

Pat

I've had one complete dud from DeWalt, but in my metal shop I have a DeWalt chop saw that has worked for years with zero problems. We've finished the box of 100 abrasive wheels with the chop saw and have started on the next box. That's quite a few hours. I have 2 Makita 4 1/2" angle grinders, 2 DeWalt 4 1/2" angle grinders, 1 7" DeWalt grinder and 1 9" Milwaukee grinder. None have failed. The DeWalt grinders get used the most and literally have hundreds of hours on each. They are no longer yellow because of all the crud on them. Not one single failure, zip, none, nada. The 36v DeWalt angle grinder is quickly becoming a favorite. Their 18v angle grinder is okay for using a slapper wheel to take off spatter, but the battery won't last more than a couple of minutes of real use.

These tools are expensive and that is why I've tried using some Horrible Fright cheapo grinders and chop saws. Out of about 8 or 10 total from Horrible Fright not one single grinder or chop saw has made it past 2 uses. As I've mentioned before, my time is far more valuable than spending it running back and forth to HF to exchange their trash while not being able to finish a project. I don't have any of their cordless tools, but my larger drills are all either Bosch or Hitachi. My large digital sliding compound miter saw is a Hitachi and it is extremely smooth to operate. Still, it's hard for me to say that DeWalt is anything but quality being that I've only had one failure and that was right out of the box. Maybe DeWalt sells some price leader junk now and that's what you bought. Their equipment I own is used frequently and used hard. As I said earlier, I don't have the time nor patience to deal with junk tools or equipment. That is likely why I have an extreme dislike of Horrible Fright's powered tools.