Harbor Freight vs. Beverly for a throatless shear

Sometimes Harbor Freight is OK, and sometimes it sucks. It depends on what tool you're talking about.

Who here has, or has used, the Harbor Freight throatless shear? Why is it $89 versus $480 for the Beverly?

Does anyone here sell the Beverly B-1 shear? I noticed that they're all drop shipped out of Chicago.

Thanks,

Matt

 

It's kind of like why is their tranny jack $109 and a pro one $600. Well the one I got over the weekend wouldn't even bolt together. I had to drill a couple of holes and basically fix the damn thing. And it still looks a little spindly. So I'm thinking it's a quality thing. If you get one let us know how it is...

 

Matt, I have seen the Harbor Freight shear and I was not impressed. Its just plain cheap and you get what you pay for, with that said I have used the Beverly shear for years and its a quality tool that will last a couple of lifetimes. Plus it will hold its value if you take care of it.

 

Beverly "invented" the tool.
If you can't spring for the real thing just keep using Aviation shears till you can afford it, like I do...

 

At first, I thought you were talking about this sheer. I have seen these in action and they are not that bad. I saw it go through license plates like it was a razor blade cutting notebook paper.

I think it is worth 29 bucks!
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46681

 

i have a beverly model B-2 shear and would never give it up...there is a big difference between it and the harbor frieght crap

 

Keep looking for a Beverly, it's worth it. I have a B2 and a B3 as well as their hand shear and wouldn't give them up for anything.They are well made and will last forever if maintained properly and not abused. They are not cheap, but well worth the $$$. You can find used one's on e-bay occasionally. I obtained my shear from ebay, and the B2 and B3 from a local metal man who retired.Williams Low Buck Tools and Pro Tools has some other less expensive tools that are good as well.You only need to buy quality tools once.

 

I have the HF beverly knock off and it works great, I have abused it for three years now and it still cuts steel like paper and $89 i have definitely got my money worth. I have used it to cut a lot of sheet metal working on my projects and friends stuff.

 

I got a harbor freight shear and beat the piss out of it...no problems....woould be hard pressed to know what makes a beverly shear that much better....same goes for the bead roller that they sell...i figure i got more than what i paid for...

 

Superbell and DrJ nailed it. I haven't seen a COPY of anything that BEATS the real thing. When it comes to manufacturing a quality tool there are NO shortcuts that can be taken and still maintain that quality. Anyone who tries to tell you differently is only blowing smoke up your shorts.
I've got a REAL Beverly shear and have had it for years and it still cuts EXACTLY the way it did the first day.

Frank

 

Harbor freight has everything from cheap crap, to damned good value and everything in between.
When you consider that nearly every manufacturer is using chinese bearings ( They are actually quieter than the japanese and Korean most of the time ) and the majority are using chinese motors, there's not a lot left apart from switches, cases and labels.
Having said that my Seco die grinders are the most expensive I've ever encountered, but I can work with them all day with out stiff knuckles, and I'm getting more just because of it.
Generaly speaking if it's cheap it's either crap or a compromise. Some compromises work out others don't.
Reports on the harbor freight shear tell me get one until you can afford the real McCoy then sell it or use it as a spare. That's the way I'd go.
If you can afford it now, get the good'un.
It'll be worth it in the long run.

 

Thanks for the feedback, guys.

It seems that everyone who sells the Beverly shear has them drop shipped. Can someone here sell me one?

 

I have a B2 I ordered from these guys. Its awesome. I have been meaning to buy the stand or build one but right now I just have it on the edge of my bench. I don't know exactly what drop ship means but they shipped it to my house.

http://www.lowbucktools.com/beverly.html

 

Thanks. That's the cheapest I've seen.

"Drop Ship" means that the person (or company) that warehouses and ships the product is different than whoever you bought it from. Meaning that it seems that regardless of who you buy the Beverly shear from, it ships out of the same warehouse in Chicgo. If someone on the HAMB has an account with the factory, I'd prefer to buy it from him.

 

If you want a REAL Beverly Shear, you can get one from Beverly SHear Mfg. Corp. located @ 3004 West 111th Street Chicago, IL 60655
Phone 312-238-0003
Phone 312-233-2063
Fax 773-238-0028

My father owns Beverly Shear Mfg. and if you want a shear that will outlive you and your kids buy his. This is a family owned business since 1925 and you cannot beat the value. The knockoffs have inferior blades and insufficient frames. The frame will spring on you if you try to cut anything of significant guage.

 

Thanks for chiming in!!!!!

Maybe, just maybe, get in touch with that Moderator fella',(Ryan), for this board, and see about becoming an Alliance Member...........

Lots of fabricators on this board, and they like quality tools!!!!

 

They invested the time and money to develop the tool, don't support the bloodsuckers who stole their design. Get the real thing.

 

What an amazing place the HAMB is....you mention a name...and up through the garage floor comes the owner...or his scion.

I second the suggestion that Beverly take on an Alliance Membership. Anyone can see from the responses to this thread that there is a lot of support for their product.

dj

 

I have a HF shear, it's ok and needs to be modified to get a deeper cut...but, once you use a Beverly Shear once, you'll know the difference...period...I use my HF shear a lot, and it sorta gets the job done most of the time, but every time I've used my buddy Dan's Beverly Shear it cut cleaner, better and faster and just plain works better...I am also partial to rotary shears too, and I plan on buying one eventually...does Baleigh sell a Beverly knockoff? Their stuff looks to be top notch too...

 

. . . 5 1/2 years later . . .

Beverly brand shears are fantastic tools. It would be great to see them join the ranks of Alliance vendors.

 

yeah, that's what I was thinking.

 

...well I am a tight ass and I have the HF version. So far it has worked well for me and I have used it a LOT. I also have the electric ones that ELrod pictured and they aren't worth a shit for cutting 18 guage steel.

I have found that if you use HF tools and quality consumables you will get along fine. I have a shitload of their 10 dollar die grinders so I don't have to change attachments all the time.

 

I encourage Beverly Shear to consider becoming an Alliance vendor as I wil be buying a Shear soon and would certainly support Beverly if they were a Alliance Vendor

 

Check out Woodward Tools for a rotary shear that was recommended here. Looks like a decent tool. I wish I could afford a Beverly or even a used one.

 

Will look into becoming an Alliance member. Dad is 78 years old and would rather build shears than mess with computers. At one time every NASCAR shop owned a Beverly and on occassion you see them on shows like Orange County Choppers. The B-2 Rick and Jr use is the only tool that has followed them from one shop to the next. Rick uses it often for tank fabrication. As far as being 5 years late to the discussion, we were just looking for knockoffs that market themselves as Beverly Shears. We get many calls from people who thought they bought the original and got something VERY different.

 

i have a B-2 that my father bought used in 1955 . i use it a lot and would never part with it

goes to show if you buy quality tools they will last a lifetime , or maybe even 2-3

 

If I had a Beverly (or the money to buy one) I would never give it up either.

So... I have to do what works best for me. I have a set of the HF throatless shears and they work just fine. I've had them six years already without an issue. I've used the Beverly Shear in the past and honestly can't justify paying than much when the HF version was so much cheaper.

I don't use them commercially, so maybe that's where the difference lies. If I relied on them to feed my family every day, then I would buy the Beverly Shear.

Otherwise... Buy the HF. I've been super happy with the shears for six years now.

 

And no offense to you sir! You make a GREAT product. Just not all of us hobbyists can afford the best stuff sometimes

 

That is very commom. The shears generally only need to have the blades replaced or resharpened. The product was built soo well that it lasts too damn long. Grandpa knew what he was doing and dad keeps it going. They have been seeing shears from the 30's and 40's come in for "tune-ups" because the new owner got it from his dad or grandad and wants to give it to his kids.

 

Definitely NOT knocking what people have. Some of the knockoffs work reasonable well and last a few years. For the average guy who does not use thier shear alot, that is probably the best way to go. The repair shops and fabricators need a shear that will take a beating and still be there for the next project. I know they are expensive but they do last a long, long time. Sometimes you build something TOO dependable. If they broke every 15 years or do, I guess we would have more business LOL.