Harbor Freight Horror Stories

>motor burns out
>horror story

wut? Harbor Freight has a generous return policy, just get another one.

Harbor Freight is like playing the lottery.

>Buy mini drill press
>Has tight tolerances
>Use it 2-4 hours a day 4-5 days a week
>Still working flawlessly 3 years later

>Buy flex shaft rotary tool
>Shaft snaps after little use
>Don't sell in stores
>Can't exchange for a new one for free
>They can't even get replacement parts

>>1201230
On a good day, their tools are decent for the price. You will never get a great tool there. On a bad day, they come out of the box broken, missing parts, or are so over rated they are useless for what you want them to do.

They are great for three things and three things only: Tools you only plan to use once, tools that will only be subjected to light duty use, and buying name brand stuff using the coupon. The latter is generally stuff like cleaning products, lubricants, etc., not real tools. It also depends on what your local store carries.

>>1201255
The black ratchets are top quality.

>>1201255
There's a fourth thing: tools which will be subject to abusive conditions guaranteed to fuck up any tool, so it may as well be a cheap one.

I spent a few weeks working in a forge with a master blacksmith who only bought clamps and vise grips from harbor freight. That way he didn't care when the heat from a piece of 2000 degree steel fucked up the temper on the springs/jaws. Or when his dumbass assistant accidentally welds one to a work piece and has to smash it off with a hammer.

>>1201258
Seconding this. I have some fairly nice clamps for holding stuff down, but anything that will be close to liquid metal, slag, spatter, or temper-disrupting heat is cheap enough to be disposable. Just be sure that the cheapo tools work soothly without sticking or slop. Some don't, but some are surprisingly good for the price.

I've never bought a bad tool from harbor freight, because I'm smart enough to read the reviews beforehand.

>>1201230
how is their mini lathe and mini mill?

>>1201238
This. I have a router from there that has never failed me, except for frying out the speed control which I just jumped with a piece of wire because it was useless anyway. I really get a lot of use out of my $20 cordless impact. I also bought an orbital sander from there that orbited itself apart while I was using it. It's just a dice roll on the quality control when you buy their shit.

>>1201255
>You will never get a great tool there.

They have some great wrenches, sockets, and automotive tools. Just look at them before you buy. If you don't know the look and feel of a solid well made wrench then buy the most expensive tools. They will still be about 5x cheaper than the equivalent quality at Lowe's or an auto store.

Also, I bought the huge metal cutting bandsaw and the mini-lathe and have had no trouble. The lathe is small so it cannot cut large steel stock, but it's great for aluminum and smaller steel stock.

In my opinion their power tools are not that great, but if you only use them once a year they might be worth the gamble.

>>1201230
I've had the red 4 1/2 with the slide switch for 6 years. I have even taken it to my job. Cut 100 1inch studs flush to concrete from some old stationary cranes.

>>1201230
>Blah blah, I'm a retard who bought the cheapest model in a bargain basement store, then expected it to hold up

I bought the heavy duty 6 amp one with the locking paddle switch. Fucker weighs 7 pounds and is as solid as the Bosch that it replaced. You buy the cheapest shit, you get the cheapest shit.

>>1201298
Heh, yes. If it's less than 3 stars, pass. 3 to 4, good luck to you, coin toss range. 4 and up, good. Nice bonus, HF doesn't prune it's ratings, so you'll legit find 1.5 star items with dozens of reviews

>>1201335
>Also, I bought the huge metal cutting bandsaw

I'll do you one better. I bought the huge metal cutting bandsaw second hand from a garage sale for $100 and it works great.

>>1201230
i have no horror stories
most of their shit is worth what you paid for
>unibits and saw zaws are the shit

>>1201230
>Decide to get a cheap air wrench just for fun
>Go to Harbor Freight
>Get one of the more expensive ones
>Valve cover leak a few weeks later
>Break all the bolts on the valve cover
>Pull out air wrench
>Thing locks up two bolts in
>Tear it down and rebuilding it except with grease this time since they didn't use any when assembling it
>Spend more time doing this than it would have taken to just do the valve cover job.

The problem seems to be quality control. Either tool breaks immediately, or lasts as long as any other brand.
>>1202185
Check out the top review for "pet stake" and "animal trap"

>>1202690

air tools are supposed to be oiled each day.

>>1202189
make sure you oil that gearbox.

I picked up a barely used one at an auction for $20 and filled the gearbox with skil worm drive lube

>>1201258
>Or when his dumbass assistant accidentally welds one to a work piece and has to smash it off with a hammer.

Vice grips can also be welded to something intentionally. To be used like helping hands when soldering. You can keep tricky parts in tricky positions without hands, weld the vice grips on your welding table!

File: absolutely_halal.jpg (3KB, 125x105px) Image search: [Google]

3KB, 125x105px

>>1201318
>that orbited itself apart

this made me laugh a lot harder than it should have.