Harbor Freight Chineese Junk!!!!

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=132129
Damn, I'm mad! Don't buy a HF SHEAR, PRESS BRAKE & SLIP ROLL, they are total crap! See above thread, post #16. Mine broke right below where the one in post #5 broke.

 

Im guilty of being a Harbor Freighter...... and I hate that in myself.

However, pricing is cheap-- so it hooks me like crack. I only get stuff that im ok breaking quicker than normal, and i NEVER get stuff that needs to be safe. That said, so far i've been lucky.

Yep, supporting Chinese communist crap.... sigh.

-scott noteboom

 

I get small stuff from HF like bearing spreaders and low buck hammers. I did pick up a 2 ton engine hoist that has been great for me but presses and such I will pay the extra and buy it somewhere else.

 

What gauge was the metal (steel or aluminum?) you were using when it broke? Weld it back up, and then weld on a thick backing plate on the outside.

 

bought the sandblast cabinet and after i changed everything but the cabinet and the gloves it works pretty good.

bought the bead roller and it didn't work for shit... returned it... there was some other piece of equipment I bought and returned , but I don't remember what it was.

good prices on jack stands. the best price around on VICE GRIP locking pliers. not the taiwan ones,, VICE GRIP.

 

i have one of the 3 in 1 breaks at my shop that my friend bought a few years ago yaa it sucks and cant do anything close to the capicity it says but it works flawless when im cutting and bending cardboard for templates!! i just recently bought a big old school finger brake mannn what a difference!

 

ok.....so the palm sander lasted literally 8 minutes...so i brought it back and fought with some somalian lady for 21 minutes......i'm at a nearly 3 to 1 loss now....got another and it outlasted the first by 12 minutes.....at least the grinder wheels are a decent buy.....nothing else is though......fuck that place....i'll buy tools from big lots first!

 

most of my tools and electric grinders/cutters, air tools and such are from there with little to no problems. I have broken (2) air tools, Once for my fault dropping it and the other, it stripped the internal gear...took it back and got another with no fussing...

Maybe im lucky...but so far so good.

I go through an electric grinder (4") every year. But for $10 at a time...its worth it.

I like the place They do offer warranties for a few bucks more. For machines and heavy tooling...get it...its a direct swap for a new one like at sears.

 

That is an easy fix.

Disassemble that arm and trace it out on some cardboard. Add more material around that end hole for beefing it up. Now go through your scrap pile or someone elses and find a corrispondingly sized piece of mild steel. Enough for two. You need to be proactive and fix the other side now.
If you dont have scrap this size or close. Hit up Steel Supplys pile on Telephone road south of Hobby. They have a lot of stuff like that out front in the yard. And they are on YOUR side of town.

Now go home, torch out the shape. Then drill the holes and reassemble.

It is actually a quality piece, but those arms are the weak link. If you can bend 1/2 plate steel with that 52" shear you are Superman, and shouldn't use a shear you should just use your bicep.

Good luck man.

 

Their bead roller is also pretty good. But you have to shore it up a bit before using. You need to make a "C" out of some heavy channel or rectangle tubing that has a throat that will fit around their entire assembly. Then stitch weld your beef to their assemble to strengthen it. There ya go.

I've found that their junk is in the materials used not in the design.

As for angle grinders I swear by them. $16-20 and you can have one for each. 4" grinder wheel, wire cup, flap disk, cutoff wheel, stripper disk.
I figured for $20 each if they dont last long I'm not out much but I've never killed one.

As for their hand tool, they are JUNK. Save your knuckes, Craftsman, Snapon, Matco.

 

stick with the grinders, i've had mine forever and it just broke the other day, went down and bought two more for 14.99 each what a deal. Stay away from the carts they're not so good. Engine stand good, hoist good, clamps good, extra set of wrenches for the travel bag good.

Walking into harber freight is like walking into a candy store for a kid, it all looks good and u don't have to spend to much money.

My endoresment check should be in the mail. LOL

 

Only if you upgrade the casters. Their casters SUCK. Dont's spin or rotate with load on them. Shitty bearings.

Also thanks for the price update on the grinders $14.99, sweet. Tells how long I've had mine then huh?

 

if you want to crush some exhaust pipe get the bender. grinding disk and cheap tools, that place is like a crack house

 

im totally guilty of using... my hook is gloves and cutting wheels...

 

Thanks for the tip, but that pic is somebody else's that broke. Mine broke the main frame casting, right under the arm in the picture, between the feet it sits on. If they won't take it back I'll have to try to repair it, or dump it in the parking lot as a warning to others...I agree some of their stuff is a bargain, I have bought many other items there that were satisfactory, and will gradually be replaced with U.S. made products whenever possible.

 

Harbor freight is a good source for cheap tools if you buy the right stuff.
I've had fantastic success with some of their gear, and I've brought a couple of bits of crap too.
Basically the rule of thumb is...
Electric motors of any reasonable size (over 1/2 horse ) and bearings, the chinese have it.
Their motors and bearings are in almost everything these days and are as good as or better than japanese / german competitors.
Abrasives are very inconsistant, small tools tend to be made out of cheap metals, plastic castings are crap but often plenty good enough.
You have to be choosy and decide if it's worth the risk.
Ask your buddies or on here to see if anybody else has purchased the item with good or bad results.
But basically as long as our businesses get tax breaks for moving our technology over there, they will.
We should make it harder for businesses to import products and offer our own products at better and more reasonable prices.

 

To be honest, I disagree with the above arguement. Every time I bargain shop for tools and buy solely on the basis of price I wind up regretting it in the future. All tools are NOT built equally and the price difference is often negligible between a big difference in quality.

I had a Harbor freight 4" right angle grinder for over 5 years, worked well under heavy usage, so for the $10 I paid for it it was worth it. But even though it worked, the motor was weak and jobs that should have been fast took forever. Finally it died, and this year I spend $90 on a 10 amp DeWalt 4.5". WOW, what a differrence! Fast, clean, precise cutting, better feel, easy to change discs...how did I wait that long?

I bought a shitty Ryobi sawzall when for $25 more I could have bought a Milwaukee. Dumb move. I bought a O/A torch kit on eBay cheap...broke the first time I used it.

All my DeWalt tools have performed flawlessly, as have my Craftsman power tools. Craftsman hand tools are admittedly not as good as Snap-On, but they've been very good to me none-the-less, as have my Proto hand tools. My Lincoln MIG has been my trusty companion for years.

You get what you pay for

 

Don't try to pick up a real engine with it... i.e. a big block or a Nailhead...
Cheap engine hoists suck as do cheap engine stands...

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=194915

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php/topic/1/21484.html

 

What would y'all suggest for tracking down a press brake and shear?

I've been needing one for a long time but cught between a rock and a hard place... don't want to get suckered into cheap junk and can't afford the pro-shop gear.

 

Our Harbor Freight is next door to Big Lots. Its like crappy tool Nirvana...

I buy some stuff there. You just have to be careful about what you buy. Sometimes a cheap tool that gets the job done is better than no tool at all.

Get on their mailing list, and they'll send you coupons for cheap stuff like this 15% off coupon.

BTW, I bought a 10 amp Dewalt 4 1/2" grinder from Lowes last week for $59. It used to be a little under $100, and the 7 amp was $60. I don't know why it was cheaper than the 7 amp.

Slonaker

 

Look for good old used ones. You should be able to find them around.... The new ones that are decent are expensive.

 

Seems like lots of people in that thread told you it was a piece of crap..

The tool store I work at sells the crap from china and the good stuff.

We always try to sell good quality to the customer but a lot of the time they don't listen or don't have the money to spend on good tools.

You're probably going to think I'm a dick but.. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!

We used to sell nothing but good tools, then people started asking for the cheap stuff so we brought it in. We sell a lot of it but we have some pissed off customers too because their $50 dollar tool broke when they should have bought a $250.00 one from a reputable manufacturer.

BTW that bender is a PIPE bender not a tubing bender. Exhaust tubing is way different than water pipe and so are the dies, that's why it crushed your tubing.

Bottom line is always buy the best. If you can't afford the best, buy the best you can afford.

I've never had a customer get angry because I sold him a tool that was over-built.


Shawn

 

Theres a new HF store here in NJ. I haven't been there, yet. But, I heard you can't leave without buying something. I imagine that would happen to me also.

 

Quality has always cost money (relative to the times). Junk has always been cheap (relative to the times). Quality lasts, junk doesn't and trying to kid yourself into believing otherwise just makes a fool out of you and makes you prone to blaming others for your ignorance/stupidity. Harsh but true.

Frank

 

I bought a sheet metal bender and am impressed with it so far, Buy all my clamps ,ect from them. Just like anything else you got to pick and choose through their stuff. I am sure if it is new they will give you 100% refund. I know my sheetmetal brake has a 90 day replacement

 

OK, I'm looking at the red engine hoist that is bent, and laughing my ass off!

I'm not laughing at the owner mind you, just the fact that it is bent. We used to do this in high school, when I was a member of the break shit just for the hell of it club.

You can take any tool, at any price, and break it. I know, because I was a member of the club. Of course breaking stuff that you actually paid for is sure to be discouraged. Just because some guy who doesn't even speak English spray painted on the words 1 Ton or 2 Ton doesn't mean you can rest your brain now, and let him do all the thinking.

Same with a casting. If the casting looks dinky, then by all means try to avoid sticking 10 gauge steel in the jaws, and pulling for life, as even the wife starts running away with the kids.

It's going to blow!

 

it's another one of thoes stores Hugh has to drag me out of!!!!

 

How did ya do that? I just picked up a 396 chevy and auto trans last night and I couldn't bend my hoist like that!
Don

 

I have a bunch of their stuff. Air tools to welding cart. If you really shop around with their stuff and look it over you can do damn good.
The air tools I cant believe sell so cheap. I have had zero problems with them.
Die grinders, air files and a flanger punch. One of those tools bought in america cost mor ethan my whole setup.
I would be shut down if I had to start paying $85 to $100 a pop for the same tools.
Its hard not to pay $10-$30 for the same product.
I also use there 4" 1/2 cutting wheels and sanding discs along with those cheap wood 1" chip brushes 36 for $5.99 hell yes!

I am a Harbor freight junkie!

 

ANY thing can be broken why do you think snap o crap offers a life time warranty . my dad told me you have to be atleast 10% smarter than the tool.or when i broke one of his good tools he would say there was a short somewhere between the tool and my shoes.i have good tools and i have all the hf stuff. and yes its shitty but i take care of it and greeze it every time i use it just like the good stuff and it out lasted my first one. as for the beed roller i got it just for the dies i knew it was crap (two bars on a peice of 1/4'' steel with no gussets) come on! were dumb enough to think that was gonna work proficiently .that mindset is where guys think a namebrand tool will do all the work for them.true good tools do good work but when u can do the same quality of work with cheap tools and not break them you can say you did something.know the limits of your tools and work within those guidelines.sorry if i pissed any one off.