I agree. I'm a fan of HF too, but I didn't see the 20 ton shop press in your shop, it's a choice piece for any shop (the new one that bolts together not the old welded one) a must have...another gem from HF.
thank you very much for making this video. I will be building a work shop soon and I need some stuff to put in it. I will definitely get the rollers, and the impact, and air hose real.
I think we can all agree that Harbor Freight has excellent prices for just about all of the tools and equipment they offer, and that the quality of those tools can run anywhere from pathetically disappointing to surprisingly sturdy and reliable. My personal experience with Harbor Freight has taught me some lessons over the years, and I'm sure most of you already know them, but I will list three of them anyway because - as my Dear Old Dad used to say, "Son, sometimes you just have to restate the obvious even if it's only to remind yourself not to do something stupid." 1. Buyer beware. If the price is that good, proceed with caution. Don't buy a cheap, discount tool and expect to use it on really tough jobs. If you can't afford to have a tool fail then spend the extra money and get the good quality item that you know can handle a workload so heavy that it borders on abuse. 2. If you do buy a tool that is cheap or you have seen bad reviews on, or even if it is just obvious that it is not top quality but the price is too good to pass up and it looks adequate for light duty, don't try and use it for the heavy jobs or it will be money wasted. Treat it gently. (That way you will still have it when a neighbor needs to borrow a power tool, in which case DO NOT lend them your good Snap-On etc.. Let 'em borrow the Chicago Electric 'cause you know that no matter which one you lend them, if it comes back at all it will probably be broken). 3. Sometimes the cheap, use-once-and-throw-it-away tool is exactly you need. It's been about 30 years but I remember when a high school buddy of mine by the name of Dan was changing the spark plugs in a used car he had recently bought and one of the plugs was frozen so bad that the shoulders started to round off when the socket slipped. Yes, it was the right socket, but that plug was stuck BAD. Anyway, as best I can remember, his dad came out to see what was wrong and told us there was a very special and expensive tool Dan could buy to fix the problem and he would take us out and lend him the money for it. He took us to K-Mart and picked up a REALLY cheap set of metric deep well sockets. Back at the house he took the one that was just a hair too small for the spark plug and used a 3 lb sledge hammer and a piece of either a heavy dowel or it may have even been re-bar to drive the socket down onto the plug, then got a breaker bar and removed and threw away the socket (which had actually split to fit down on the plug) along with the spark plug.
I got some of the plastic quick clamps and after a year the handles just snap off. Plastic gets brittle over time. 2 failed on the same day. They are ok while they work.
Those clamps suck. Anyway, the best thing you can do when buying HF tools is to make sure you use it before the 90-day return policy ends. Then you can take it back if it doesn't work out for you. Always remember that these tools are mostly light-duty with some medium duty thrown in there. If it has a motor, don't push it and let the tool do the work. That's the case with all power tools, but that's a very important rule with HF power tools. People want to get crazy cheap prices and be able to abuse the tools. It ain't gonna happen. It's a pipe dream. HF has saved me a lot of money not just in cost of tools but also in labor cost by doing stuff DIY. Had their tools not been so cheap, I would not have spent money on expensive tools for DIY, especially when I know I will never or rarely ever use the tool again. I would have called a "professional" and been out thousands. I believe this is where HF shines so long as you treat the tools right. Of course, there are some that are jsut junk. This is why it's a good idea to not buy the tool the day you need it. Buy it beforehand and test it out before the day of the job, that way you can return it if it's junk and decide whether spending the extra money on a national brand is worth it or if you need to hire someone to do the job for you. HF can be very frustrating but you you keep your expectations in line and shop at HF the right way, HF can save you a lot of money.
I have to disagree with you regarding the clamp. Great the first day you buy it but you'll be sorry down the road! I bought 4 of them and successfully used them for a project. A year later I needed them again and the plastic part disintegrated in my hand as I tightened it. "No problem" I thought, "I still have 3 more!" Nope. Same thing happened to the 2nd one...and the 3rd...and 4th. Almost as if they had a "self destruct" timer on them. This is definately a "you get what you pay for" item!
+dman2020 I bought a pile of them for a project I was working on...I think 10 or 12. While I was clamping the very first time, the first one self destructed. At this point, about 6 weeks later, I think 8 are still functional. Next time, I'll spend slightly more money and try their pipe clamps and then buy some pipe. Those 'should' give me a more stable clamp. But I 110% agree with you...at $3.99, these clamps are a total rip off.
I've had mine for 2 years, and have yet to have a problem with them. I'm sorry for your experience, and won't try to change your mind, but even if I have to replace them 3 times a year, it's still a lot cheaper then the box store brands.
Thank you for the video Sr. i have to say that this store has safe me a ton of money and got the job done for me,i do not agree with all of their items like you but for working folks like us is perfect once more thank you God bless....
+423alonso Thanks for the comments. I have heard HF referred to a man's dollar store. That's probably a good analogy as any one. You can get good and bad at the dollar stores too.
Roller stand looks like a handy item! Added that item to my list..
I agree. I'm a fan of HF too, but I didn't see the 20 ton shop press in your shop, it's a choice piece for any shop (the new one that bolts together not the old welded one) a must have...another gem from HF.
In another video a fellow with that trim router put some duck tape on the body, and he said that helped the base clamp to it.
thank you very much for making this video. I will be building a work shop soon and I need some stuff to put in it. I will definitely get the rollers, and the impact, and air hose real.
Thanks for the comment John. I'm glad my videos are helping other enthusists out when picking and choosing HF tools.
I think we can all agree that Harbor Freight has excellent prices for just about all of the tools and equipment they offer, and that the quality of those tools can run anywhere from pathetically disappointing to surprisingly sturdy and reliable. My personal experience with Harbor Freight has taught me some lessons over the years, and I'm sure most of you already know them, but I will list three of them anyway because - as my Dear Old Dad used to say, "Son, sometimes you just have to restate the obvious even if it's only to remind yourself not to do something stupid."
1. Buyer beware. If the price is that good, proceed with caution. Don't buy a cheap, discount tool and expect to use it on really tough jobs. If you can't afford to have a tool fail then spend the extra money and get the good quality item that you know can handle a workload so heavy that it borders on abuse.
2. If you do buy a tool that is cheap or you have seen bad reviews on, or even if it is just obvious that it is not top quality but the price is too good to pass up and it looks adequate for light duty, don't try and use it for the heavy jobs or it will be money wasted. Treat it gently. (That way you will still have it when a neighbor needs to borrow a power tool, in which case DO NOT lend them your good Snap-On etc.. Let 'em borrow the Chicago Electric 'cause you know that no matter which one you lend them, if it comes back at all it will probably be broken).
3. Sometimes the cheap, use-once-and-throw-it-away tool is exactly you need. It's been about 30 years but I remember when a high school buddy of mine by the name of Dan was changing the spark plugs in a used car he had recently bought and one of the plugs was frozen so bad that the shoulders started to round off when the socket slipped. Yes, it was the right socket, but that plug was stuck BAD. Anyway, as best I can remember, his dad came out to see what was wrong and told us there was a very special and expensive tool Dan could buy to fix the problem and he would take us out and lend him the money for it. He took us to K-Mart and picked up a REALLY cheap set of metric deep well sockets. Back at the house he took the one that was just a hair too small for the spark plug and used a 3 lb sledge hammer and a piece of either a heavy dowel or it may have even been re-bar to drive the socket down onto the plug, then got a breaker bar and removed and threw away the socket (which had actually split to fit down on the plug) along with the spark plug.
I got some of the plastic quick clamps and after a year the handles just snap off. Plastic gets brittle over time. 2 failed on the same day. They are ok while they work.
Dope vid man! Thanks for the reviews:D
Great video but them clamps are no good
Those clamps suck. Anyway, the best thing you can do when buying HF tools is to make sure you use it before the 90-day return policy ends. Then you can take it back if it doesn't work out for you. Always remember that these tools are mostly light-duty with some medium duty thrown in there. If it has a motor, don't push it and let the tool do the work. That's the case with all power tools, but that's a very important rule with HF power tools. People want to get crazy cheap prices and be able to abuse the tools. It ain't gonna happen. It's a pipe dream.
HF has saved me a lot of money not just in cost of tools but also in labor cost by doing stuff DIY. Had their tools not been so cheap, I would not have spent money on expensive tools for DIY, especially when I know I will never or rarely ever use the tool again. I would have called a "professional" and been out thousands. I believe this is where HF shines so long as you treat the tools right. Of course, there are some that are jsut junk. This is why it's a good idea to not buy the tool the day you need it. Buy it beforehand and test it out before the day of the job, that way you can return it if it's junk and decide whether spending the extra money on a national brand is worth it or if you need to hire someone to do the job for you.
HF can be very frustrating but you you keep your expectations in line and shop at HF the right way, HF can save you a lot of money.
I have to disagree with you regarding the clamp. Great the first day you buy it but you'll be sorry down the road! I bought 4 of them and successfully used them for a project. A year later I needed them again and the plastic part disintegrated in my hand as I tightened it. "No problem" I thought, "I still have 3 more!" Nope. Same thing happened to the 2nd one...and the 3rd...and 4th. Almost as if they had a "self destruct" timer on them. This is definately a "you get what you pay for" item!
+dman2020 I bought a pile of them for a project I was working on...I think 10 or 12. While I was clamping the very first time, the first one self destructed. At this point, about 6 weeks later, I think 8 are still functional.
Next time, I'll spend slightly more money and try their pipe clamps and then buy some pipe. Those 'should' give me a more stable clamp.
But I 110% agree with you...at $3.99, these clamps are a total rip off.
I've had mine for 2 years, and have yet to have a problem with them. I'm sorry for your experience, and won't try to change your mind, but even if I have to replace them 3 times a year, it's still a lot cheaper then the box store brands.
Thank you for the video Sr. i have to say that this store has safe me a ton of money and got the job done for me,i do not agree with all of their items like you but for working folks like us is perfect once more thank you God bless....
+423alonso
Thanks for the comments. I have heard HF referred to a man's dollar store. That's probably a good analogy as any one. You can get good and bad at the dollar stores too.