Thread: The Harbor Freight Debate.

I have said this about many products

I don't mind buying Chinese, but I won't pay "Quality Name" prices for Chinese products

I look to see where it and the components are made

The buffers for instance, I am only aware of one American made, that is using their own motors, and I don't need a $300+ heavy duty buffer designed with a motor strong enough to tear my hand off to polish razors..
Do I wish they were speed adjustable ??? you Betcha !!! but I simply found an old Washing machine motor for FREE and I have an 1100 RPM buffer too..

Boots and shoes are another type of product that falls into this too

I used to be a Sorell guy but when I went to buy a pair of new Wetland boots I learned that hardly any of the major brands were made in the US or Canada any longer,, all Chinese made.

Now I don't mind Chinese Muck boots but I bought some for $9, I refuse to pay $200 for a pair of Chinese made Sorells, so I found Kamik's are still made in the USA and bought those for Wetland hunting..
Same with the wife's fav UGGs,,, they are made in China now, not paying $200 for Chinese made "AU" boots, so she wears EMU now

Tools are the same, most everything is made in China now so I won't pay the extra for the name, I buy them at HF.. or I hunt down the ones that are made where they claim..

One time or seldom used tools are a great deal at HF..

I used coupons to buy a Paint Sprayer for staining the deck, $14.99 after everything, I didn't even try and clean it after I used it, and tossed it after I was done.. You can't buy 2 good Stain brushes for $14

Pipe wrenches: $15.99 at Home Depot made in China, same wrench at HF $7.99 I might use it twice in the next 20 Years


Anyway it is your money

Anything I depend on I buy American if at all possible, then start looking at reputable imports like Jet, Rikon ect.

They are good for cheap gear, $5 set of strap wrenches, or a cheap blast cabinet that will get used twice a month, low tech stuff like buffers where precision is not an issue or oddball hand tools that you need to complete a job here and there but will only use a handful of times. They have their place, cheap and convenient.

I have seen a couple shops with rows of their buffers lined up, or drill presses set up for a specific step for speed. All huge money/time savers, and ultimate precision is not a factor so they work fine. but you definitely get what you pay for, check all the hardware to see if its there and properly tightened , not top quality thats for sure.

I have a mini mill, buffers, and some other hand tools from them, all have been fine for what they are. I know what Im in for when I get their gear. 20% coupons are always around too, so cheap cheap

In Canada we have Princess Auto. They have a ton of stuff. The tools are inexpensive made in China tools. I have bought quite a few there over the years. Occasionally they are something well made. Those are the good made in China items, the problem with made in China is you never know when you pick it up if it is going to last for one use, ten, or a lifetime. I would really like all of my tools to be top quality, hand made, creme de la creme tools. The problem is my pockets are not that deep. So things that I use often, are often good to very good quality. I would really like to have a made in USA or Canada bench buffers, but they really don't get that much use. My $70 PA bench buffer gets really hot after about 40 minutes of running and is not likely to last for the rest of my life, but it often runs for ten to twenty minutes every couple of months. Hopefully it runs the next time I go to use it.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I have said this about many products

I don't mind buying Chinese, but I won't pay "Quality Name" prices for Chinese products

I look to see where it and the components are made

This never occurred to me for some reason. A great point. I stopped buying some brands of knives for the same reason. Old Timer and Schrade used to all be made in the USA. Now, most are made in China and the quality reflects this. The last Old Timer I bought had a plastic handle that looked like stag (made in China). The one I bought years ago had real stag with an unconditional life time warranty. (Made in USA.) I guess I'll have to start researching my tools also.

I use the buffer and a small peening hammer from HF. Both cheap but have lasted (not much to go wrong on a peening hammer. Lol)

I love Harbor Freight ! I get a free item every time I go there & there's a new Pop Eye's Chicken on the corner,,, Paradise Row !

For Mechanically Challenged individuals like myself, Harbor Freight is O.K. for many of my purchases. If the tool is needed for an important job or a job that repeats weekly, then I get the best the market has to offer. 90 % of my wrenches are passed down Sears tools. If the tool plays a roll in a project that could save lives, then I buy the best on the market.

Originally Posted by Steel

This never occurred to me for some reason. A great point. I stopped buying some brands of knives for the same reason. Old Timer and Schrade used to all be made in the USA. Now, most are made in China and the quality reflects this. The last Old Timer I bought had a plastic handle that looked like stag (made in China). The one I bought years ago had real stag with an unconditional life time warranty. (Made in USA.) I guess I'll have to start researching my tools also.

I use the buffer and a small peening hammer from HF. Both cheap but have lasted (not much to go wrong on a peening hammer. Lol)

The made in China has made me think in the past and we lament that the products made there are sub-par or low quality. Apple produces their products there and I don't consider them low quality. I believe it is the companies.

I think what we see is that companies see a way to produce low quality at a cheap price. Old Timer didn't say to the Chinese manufacture - here are the specs but feel free to produce whatever you like. They say to the Chinese manufacture - how can I make it for this price point? The result is a lower quality product. There are also low cost Chinese companies that directly make products aimed at competing with better quality tools. Some of the best chisels I have are Robert Sorby's that are made in Sheffield, England, they hold an edge and will last me a lifetime and I use these to build furniture. I also have some cheap chisels that are Chinese made that I use when working around the house and are carried in my tool belt. If they get chipped or break - I toss it and get another and I won't be heart broken.

Originally Posted by Cincinnatus

The made in China has made me think in the past and we lament that the products made there are sub-par or low quality. Apple produces their products there and I don't consider them low quality. I believe it is the companies.,,,,,,,,,,,,,

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I think for the most part Chinese products lack seriously in the area of quality control. I believe they will produce a product to compete on the market by any means or lack of means possible. I'm not sure that using Apple as an example is quite fair. Many of us, me included, like Apple products. We have no choice in where they are manufactured, but I would pay an extra $100.00 on an iPhone made entirely here.

I've got a micrometer and calipers from HF and they both work great, I bought a socket set from HF and it was garbage. For the most part I've been happy with my purchases

About ten years ago I replaced the door bushings on a Chevy Blazer. To put the door back on you need a spring compressor that GM charged over $100(if I remember correctly). I got a "GM" spring compressor at HF for under $10. This thing was not a quality tool, but it only had to work four time. If I ran a body shop it wouldn't make sense to buy the cheap one. For my single use though, it would have been stupid to buy the GM. I'd love to buy the best of everything, but it's not always needed. I also agree with Cincinnatus that Chinese manufacturers have the capacity to make great quality products. The American market however, loves cheap crap.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

I think for the most part Chinese products lack seriously in the area of quality control. I believe they will produce a product to compete on the market by any means or lack of means possible. I'm not sure that using Apple as an example is quite fair. Many of us, me included, like Apple products. We have no choice in where they are manufactured, but I would pay an extra $100.00 on an iPhone made entirely here.

My point is that Apple products are high quality because Apple demands that quality from the supplier. Other vendors let price dictate the quality to undercut the competition. If I were to buy a SR blade that had a chipped blade and was rusted. I send it off to a person to get restored, new scales, and shave ready and they quote $80 for example. I say I can only spend $50 and will be happy with whatever I get back. The razor comes back with cheap scales, the rust is gone but the blade is far from shave ready you would think - wow terrible quality but that is all I wanted to spend. That is what a lot of companies do - they will take the poor quality because they only want to pay so much. They lack quality control because they choose not to have any quality control other then the basics.

BTW - I saw a story that said the $600 Iphone - if made solely in the US would run $2000.