Harbor Freight sale

[David Peterson]

Not sure how appropriate this is here, but since a lot of us use Harbor Freight tools I thought some could benefit from it. They are having a parking lot sale March 3-5th. Maybe some good deals on tools for knifemaking. You can never have too many tools, right?

http://ww2.harborfreightusa.com/show...eid=214&email=

[B.Finnigan]

I know alot of people who either use HF tools or plan on buying them. Today I tried to return an allready previousely replaced 7x10 metal lathe after it had broke down for the SECOND time. They would not refund my money even though I had a receipt. The first lathe was only purchased last June so It wasn't like I was trying to return something that I had used for a couple years. All they offered was In store credit and I have no inclination to ever purchase another tool there ever again.

So keep this in mind when you think about buying an HF piece of equipment. They are all smiles and customer service when thay are taking your money but when it comes time to stand behind a defective products thier attitude goes south real quick. Now I am left with no choice but to be stuck with a broken worthless lathe or take them to small claims court.

I was not real bright and did not listen to my gut when I decided to buy a product from them. Hopefully my very bad experience will prevent someone else from repeating it. I have heard of some happy HF users but if your equipment breaks you will be screwed.

Don't be a Harbor Freight rape victim like me!

It appears I am not the only one! Check out this person's adventure.
http://www.writebyte.net/writebyte.d...=HarborFreight

[alchemy forge]

While I've never bought anything as large as a lathe from HF I will attest to the longevity of their smaller power tools: angle grinder, drill press, 4x6 bandsaw. Their handtools are as good as anybody else's (files, wrenches and such) but for stuff that gets abused, like my sockets, I buy Craftsman; Sears is 5 minutes away and they'll replace hand tools immediately. Sears' response to replacing/warrantying power tools is about the same as what BF is talking about above- they were happy to have my money but now that the thing doesn't work anymore "sorry, only the craftsman hand tools are guaranteed for life- that has a 90 day warranty on it". Caveat Emptor.


Edited to displace some ambiguity about which store I was referring to

[RJSmith]

I bought a 12" disc sander from my nearest HF store and after driving an hour each way I got it home and discovered it had a broken base. I then called them on the phone and explained my situation. I was kind of stunned by the "don't care" attitude I got from everyone there, right on up to the store manager. Feeling slightly pissed, I contacted the main customer service number and they were very understanding. The rep said she would ship me out a new base and they did. Their shipping is not the most speedy around but they have always delivered, so far (I'm still waiting on a drill press vise I ordered last week). So, I'd say that while their retail store needs A LOT of improvement, the mail order division seems ok.

[Txcwboy]

I have bought many tools there. I am very happy with all my purchases. Angle grinder,welder,band saw,heat gun, etc etc. I have had good experiences with the Mgmt at my local store also. The store is always packed when I am there, so they cant be selling junk to everyone. Luck of the draw I guess.

Dave

[B.Finnigan]

After working with the liason for HF, the BBB and the Washington State Office of The Attorney General HF has agreed to give me a full refund. The manager of the Tacoma store was terminated. The liason would not say if it was because of my confrontation with him and how he handled it or not. It may have been he had a bad track record with taking care of customers problems without it blossoming into a big mess, like mine.



Politeness, persistence and holding firm has always been my MO in dealing with stores. It also pays to know your consumer laws of the state you live in as well as the federal laws.

[hammerdownnow]

I am sure that little Chinese kid that made your defective tool was severly beaten for bringing so much dishonor to his family. It should be like that here before long, I mean, why should us western peasants be any different from the rest of the world?

Anyone see that documetary on Discovery about the Mardi Gra beads made in China?

[B.Finnigan]

I thought Kathy Lee Gifford went over there and single handedly rescued all of the child laborers from the mini-lathe factory? Do you mean that all the donations received and appearences on Oprah that she was just scamming us?

[hammerdownnow]

Notice that she has not been heard from since. She must have started her a new company with the money. ha! I would like to see one of those documentaries on a knife factory over there. Keep your eye out for the show on the bead factory. The maker was asking the workers if they knew what they did with the beads. They had no clue. They made a hundred strings an hour for ten cents an hour and were mad when they heard they went for a dollar a string retail. Very good show. A peek into a seldom seen origin of the things we consume and discard.

[Osprey Guy]

Great documentary...Really does get you thinking...

I think that the workers were perhaps just as bothered, confused, or even embarrased when they were shown pix of Mardi Gras, and they learned for the first time that the beads they make, their "life's work", are freely given away at Mardi Gras as a reward for public displays of nudity...and how at the end of the "party" the beads, which they toil over for 6 days a week, wind up on the ground or in the trash.


Dennis Greenbaum

[Stormcrow]

Harbor Freight is a decent place to buy cheap tools - as long as you realize that is what they carry and buy accordingly. Some stuff I would not buy from them, others, I would. I've bought a pneumatic die grinder and a pneumatic cutoff wheel for $10 a piece that I've used a little and have been very pleased with so far. I would be pretty leery of buying any kind of expensive power tool from them, or files (I stick with Nicholson as I've found they're worth paying more for), but some of their stuff is great.

Sometimes it is worth it to pay more for quality, sometimes it is worth it tp buy cheap and replace as needed.

[hammerdownnow]

I must admit. My desire to "buy American" is sometimes over ridden by my "kid in a candy store" feelings while shopping at Harbor Freight.