Thread: The Harbor Freight Debate.

Aw Geez! Golly dangit. Tools, hand, power, little tools, even tiny tools. Sadness fills my old heart. Aw Man-n-n-n. Yep! I've been to the Harbor. Not much for buying big tools, power tools. I think they are all made in China. Now my sadness is I moved three years ago and had to sell two bandsaws, cast iron winged ten inch (I think, can't even remember now so don't make a fool outa me.) table saw, jointer-planer, lath, drill press, boring press, table sander, well, the list goes on. I could have moved it all, but with the debilitating condition that settled into my declining telomeres; (little shoe lace thingies on the ends of your DNA. They start to unravel over time, a biological thing.) I just can't do the work no more. Pain, ravaging pain; selling all those lovely tools I spent so many hours laboring with and over.
Now everyone who reads this I beg you. Please, really, really absorb what your are doing. Do it with gusto, with love and passion, remember every little detail, do it with patients and care and fussiness and remember every little or big agony the project inflcted on you. You will get laugh later, and enjoy what your hands once built, or repaired, the joy on the kids face, and the smile your wife gives you when you fix something. These are your memories and your personal history--don't loose them into time past, because as time creeps upon you and your fingers don't want to bend anymore, and your feet ach and your legs hurt and your back is in agony, you will have something to show the time when you enjoyed this but no longer can--document what you are doing, take pictures and write about it in a journal. Why would you do all this foolishness? So you can go back and revisit all those projects and read about them and relive the frustrations and the joys of completing the project. The side benefit to this is you can pass it on to your kids or grandkids and they can see and read about what you have done. It is far too late for me, but maybe not for you. Right now I can hardly remember much about the projects I worked on. I remember a toy chest I made for my grandson, but I don't recall all the details. I have a fuzzy picture of it in my mind, but I cannot remember its dimension's. It was pretty good sized, I can remember that, and it was made of birch, and that's it. I don't even recall his face when he got it for Christmas. He had been begging for one to put his toys in rather than a cardboard box.
Each of you are living and creating a history everyday and it is going to the way side. Don't let it get any further, save your history with pictures and words and pass it on so your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will know who you are... because you are their history.
That's it folks. Think about it. You'll see I am making sense here.

I recently bought & returned something from HF, then remembered this thread! So here is an update.

I needed a grinding stone bit or four to use in my drill for re-profiling a razor with a wicked crack near the heel. The 1/4" (shank) grinding stone set was less than $3.50 after a 20% coupon + taxes.

Here is a pic.


Because I wanted them for a precision job, these were returned. They are not mounted squarely, or entirely centered onto the shaft. They all had wobble, and would have done so even in a drill press. They might work for something less precise like deburring a pipe. But not for me.

I am currently looking at Dremel brand bits, or the various individually sold grinding stones/bits at Do It Best hardware stores for the task. Hopefully those will have much tighter tolerances!

Hi Crawler,
Harbor Freight. Don't believe they are known for percision tools, specially anything coming from China. I have bought a few things there but never, ever with the intent of percision work, not that I could do percision work anyway. My first trip in the store told me right off the stuff was cheap and basically ment for a one time job if that. I think most all their products are limited use products. Now some here have bought and continue to use certain tools from HF but I think it was for the purpose of a narrow spectrum use, a use that does not require percision.
Thanks for your post and pictures. It simply fortifies the fact about HF but I don't believe you can completely discredit everything they have.

This was very interesting Crawler. Kept my attention all the way through. Liked the pictures you provided also.

Yes, I wasn't expecting a precision tool. But I was there, and that item was the one I had an immediate use for. "For $4, I'll roll the dice!" At least they are real easy to return stuff.

I felt this thread would be useful, allowing a more deep & thorough discussion of HF wares. Especially in the scope of our shared hobby .

JMO
As a machinist type all my career, I found no grinding wheels or points to be balanced or perfectly round.
That said, A user must true/ "dress" a wheel or point before use.

To true /"dress" a stone, use a cheap low grit sharpening stone. Just spin the point or wheel against it till the grinder stops vibrating.. Then, you could but I do not recommend use a diamond hone to fine tune the stone wheel or point. I have used a cheap HF diamond plate to tune a smaller point like for a dremel.
YMMV
~Richard
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Originally Posted by Glock27

Each of you are living and creating a history everyday and it is going to the way side. Don't let it get any further, save your history with pictures and words and pass it on so your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will know who you are... because you are their history.
That's it folks. Think about it. You'll see I am making sense here.

Listen to what this man says, A year later, I have had to downsize and sell off most of my tools. Selling my collection is harder to do and harder on me! Doing some jobs I used to is now much harder. Think NOW! What if a medication that saves your life leaves you with poor eyesight or muscular control? A stroke leaves you partially blind? These things happen to the best and wort of us.
Listen to the man!
~Richard

Thank you Geezer. I also experianced the sad necessity of selling off every tool I owned except for a hand full. It is a painful experiance to have to do that but better me selling it than someone else as I knew what I paid and what I should get. I attempted to stay fair for me and the buyer. I may have been a bit more fair to the buyer because I sold everything within a weeks time. I am, however, contemplating the purchase of the more miniature sized tools. Haven't decided yet

Just for general information, don't howl till you try it......
HF is now providing top of the line power tools for shop and garage. They are, according to my source, ready, with professional tools, to go head to head with the Big Boys with the white trucks.
Full warranty, walk in walk out with new tool or refund. Have you tried to catch a truck when your tool went blam? or they don't get to your area but once a month?
According to the catalog, less cost and better service for the money spent.
YMMV
~Richard

O.K. Geezer. That is interesting. Now how do I validate what you are saying? I guess maybe walk in and ask them, but how do you know they are producing a top of the line tool? I ask because I am interested. I have run into enough incidents wherein I could have used one or more of the tools I sold. I am looking at something more in the miniature size as I do not forcast my need for anything big like I use to have, say bandsaw, drill press and a lath. I have noted bandsaws and drill presses in the downsized versions, but not laths. Recently I came upon a moment wherein I could have used a bandsaw to trim down several pieces of wood. I attempted a hand saw but the wood was tough enough that the saw teeth could not make a smooth entry so I abandoned the project. Would appreciate your response.