And today Stryker is hugely successful medical supply & device company. My buddy works for them in the spine surgery division and my mother-in-law has a Stryker hip... Amazing what a cast cutter will turn into..
You Get What You Pay For - Harbor Freight Tools
- Thread starter Maine Sail
- Start date
Re: Sometimes You Get What You Pay For...
Thought... Are there enough tool (and/or product) reviews for a separate forum- like the Dumpster? -Paul
Thought... Are there enough tool (and/or product) reviews for a separate forum- like the Dumpster? -Paul
I guess I've been lucky........
.......so far, I've been pleased with the stuff I've bought from HFT. It's mostly been non-powered tools but there have been some powered tools that seem fine to me. I have a 4.5" grinder that works great, I think I paid $12 (?) for it. Now, I do walk into HFT with my eyes open and my expectations low. I bought a small dremel-like tool and was a bit disappointed when I realized that you plugged a converter into the outlet. It is very weak but it turns out that I have an occasional job in my shop that doesn't require a lot of torque and that weakness is actually an asset. It works great for that and we have dedicated to that job only. I paid $6.99 for it.
One thing I'll point out, Main Sail lists the price of the multi-tool at $49. I currentlly have an email flyer that lists that tool at $24.99 including the cutting blades and other attachments. They also list a pnuematic version (Central Pnuematics) on the same flyer for $19.99 but the blade kit is $9.99 extra. I wonder how that tool works.
Tom
s/v Orion's Child
Middle River, MD
.......so far, I've been pleased with the stuff I've bought from HFT. It's mostly been non-powered tools but there have been some powered tools that seem fine to me. I have a 4.5" grinder that works great, I think I paid $12 (?) for it. Now, I do walk into HFT with my eyes open and my expectations low. I bought a small dremel-like tool and was a bit disappointed when I realized that you plugged a converter into the outlet. It is very weak but it turns out that I have an occasional job in my shop that doesn't require a lot of torque and that weakness is actually an asset. It works great for that and we have dedicated to that job only. I paid $6.99 for it.
One thing I'll point out, Main Sail lists the price of the multi-tool at $49. I currentlly have an email flyer that lists that tool at $24.99 including the cutting blades and other attachments. They also list a pnuematic version (Central Pnuematics) on the same flyer for $19.99 but the blade kit is $9.99 extra. I wonder how that tool works.
Tom
s/v Orion's Child
Middle River, MD
something that helps on the HF buffer,
cut that big pad down to 6" diameter, and use the smaller pads,
you get at least 4 times the life out of it, and when you lean into the work following mainsails wonderful instructions, it wont snap the pad hub or bog down the motor.
on the HF Stainless water pumps, install a brass filter inline.
On the cheap electrical tinned terminals, get a block of parafin and melt parafin over the crimp before you put on the heat shrink, (Absolute best wiring improvement I have done to date)
Never ever ever use the HF bungee style trucker straps marked EPDM, They arent EPDM and they wont last a half a season.
The HF Neoprene O ring seal kit is neoprene and a lifesaver on the boat.
the only thing you can use HF lines and cord for is shading your deck......Sun is going to rot it too fast for anything else.
Paint or dip your HF hand tools if you are going to leave them onboard
If you put your dinghy under a HF silver tarp, you will get about 6 months use out of the tarp before the little plastic pieces of polyethylene crud start to show up everwhere.
Carry spare 3 dollar harbor freight multimeters in a couple of lockers, sealed in ziplock baggies.
cut that big pad down to 6" diameter, and use the smaller pads,
you get at least 4 times the life out of it, and when you lean into the work following mainsails wonderful instructions, it wont snap the pad hub or bog down the motor.
on the HF Stainless water pumps, install a brass filter inline.
On the cheap electrical tinned terminals, get a block of parafin and melt parafin over the crimp before you put on the heat shrink, (Absolute best wiring improvement I have done to date)
Never ever ever use the HF bungee style trucker straps marked EPDM, They arent EPDM and they wont last a half a season.
The HF Neoprene O ring seal kit is neoprene and a lifesaver on the boat.
the only thing you can use HF lines and cord for is shading your deck......Sun is going to rot it too fast for anything else.
Paint or dip your HF hand tools if you are going to leave them onboard
If you put your dinghy under a HF silver tarp, you will get about 6 months use out of the tarp before the little plastic pieces of polyethylene crud start to show up everwhere.
Carry spare 3 dollar harbor freight multimeters in a couple of lockers, sealed in ziplock baggies.
I've found that, too. Do you get your tarps somewhere else now? Any recommendations?
creative shelters.com , get the heavy duty white tarps, they will out last the silver by 2x.here in az where sun is a major destroyer of all things not made of iron i always thought the reflective silver would be the best, recent testing has revealed this is not true.the white tarps i tried last year are starting their second year with no hint of any break down yet.
some HFT items that ive had great luck with so far. 6.5 horsepower gas engine, a honda clone,honda parts even interchange perfectly according to some on the hot rod forums, is 99$ when on sale,great for compressors genorators and mini-bikes.2.4mm HVLP spray gun at 39$ is great for spraying gelcoat,just keep it clean. ive had great luck with my 39$ 7 inch polisher, at 3yrs old it is still going strong, also 1500W portable gas generator with honda clone engine is starting its forth year of use with out so much as a hicup.
I have some wonderful Harbor Freight Tools and I've had the displeasure of some not-so-wonderful tools as well. You have to be careful what you buy.
Some of the goodies:
Paint spray guns, always up to the job, always excellent results with one exception noted below
IR thermometer
Non-contact optical tach
1" SDS rotary hammer (been a great tool for years and I've worked it hard)
Electrical tester
Heat gun
Electric hoists
Hydraulic bender
Hydraulic punch set
And some of the stinkers:
Sawzall (what a POS!)
Jig saw (another a POS!)
Driver drill (when will I learn?)
2 quart pressure pot spray gun (OMG , POS is an understatement! Used it once and eBayed it the Hell outta here).
If I thought about it for a while I'm sure I could add to both lists. After bad experiences early on with their power tools I stopped even trying them. Their SDS rotary hammer is a notable exception in my experience.
I'll continue to buy from them but carefully, gotta be choosy.
Some of the goodies:
Paint spray guns, always up to the job, always excellent results with one exception noted below
IR thermometer
Non-contact optical tach
1" SDS rotary hammer (been a great tool for years and I've worked it hard)
Electrical tester
Heat gun
Electric hoists
Hydraulic bender
Hydraulic punch set
And some of the stinkers:
Sawzall (what a POS!)
Jig saw (another a POS!)
Driver drill (when will I learn?)
2 quart pressure pot spray gun (OMG , POS is an understatement! Used it once and eBayed it the Hell outta here).
If I thought about it for a while I'm sure I could add to both lists. After bad experiences early on with their power tools I stopped even trying them. Their SDS rotary hammer is a notable exception in my experience.
I'll continue to buy from them but carefully, gotta be choosy.