Worst buys from HF

[rockjaw]

I've got 3.

1. Their version of the Dremel tool. Broke two of them on the same project before I gave up and just got my money back. Plastic gear inside stripped out both times.

2. Their cheap recip saw. The heavy duty one is good though and was bought when the cheap one died (no return as it was purchased in another state).

3. The airless sprayer mentioned above. Pure crap!

[stewchi]

Framing nailer: Striker broke after about 100 nails
10 piece screwdriver set $1.99 the handles turn before the screws do.
Handheld 3-1/4 Power planer: works good for roughly removing material but not at all accurate, cuts at an angle depth is always a guess and seems to move around.

I also bought the drill stops but I like um.

I here what Whalers saying but I have probably bought over a 100 things at HF so im shooting 97%, not bad. It used to be price reflected quality, now you have to be more careful many of the brand names are the same quality as the HF stuff, however some of the HF stuff really is cheap quality and this post is here to tell us what.

[Tundra_Man]

I don't have a HF near me, but the Cummins tool show makes it's rounds occasionally. Bought a $2.99 pair of vernier calipers that made me wish I'd spent the money on a Happy Meal instead.

[silverfox]

Ditto the magnetic lights....been through 7 of them (I never learn). I love them but they are junk....if the switch doesn't break the plastic arm will. Ditto also the hole saw set. The 46725 work stand is nice...IF you can get it together. Took 3 guys to try to put that thing together! I respectfully disagree with Whaler, however. I have saved thousands of dollars by using HF tools and I use them hard. As others here have found, there ARE bargains at HF. You just have to look on this forum to find which tools are good buys. I have to say, too, that ALL manufacturers have their bummer tools. I have returned several brand name tools as well as some of the HF stuff. I may be a little odd though...I find it fun and challenging to find a tool that really works at half the price of the big boys with their advertising tab tacked on.
Mike

[BrazosJake]

The Quick-Grip knock-off clamps (the black ones with the orange pads)

Roller support stands. OK for $12 I guess. The rollers are good but the stand won't unfold completely, doesn't stand straight and falls over very easily. They need some "reengineering".

[bolson]

The heavy duty workstation



Got it for $10 and it works, but assembly was beyond a PITA. Anything that requires reverse engineering to assemble is not well thought out. Once assembled it is a decent planer stand

[buddyrough]

I haven't seen the HF 6" jointer/planer mentioned here - or on the tool bargain threads. I think this regularly costs just less than $200, occasionally on sale for about $150. For a bench model this has always seemed about right altho I don't know how good the quality is. Has anyone had experience with it?

thnks, buddyrough

[messmaker]

I have bought a lot from HF. I am pretty happy with most of it.If it looks well made. It is probably O.K. If it looks like junk then leave it. I have heard a lot of bad things about HF handheld power tools. The pawn shops are full of thes tools that have look to have served a long useful life and they are still working. They must make some that are OK. You have 90 days to give it a chance. They often sell for 20% of what a name brand tool might cost.

[Carlos]

The 6" jointer is great. Do some searching and you'll find lots of threads about that one.

[Denco]

Well, in order to save stress on my bt3, I bought this bulldog for the really BIG jobs:





4 INCH "MIGHTY-MITE" TABLE SAW

INCLUDES TWO BLADES
For quick and easy cutting operations. Perfect for picture frames, molding, and plastics. Includes blade guard, 4'' 24 tooth C2 carbide tipped blade, 4'' diamond blade, and adjustable angle plate.
Maximum depth of cut at 90°: 3/4''
Blade capacity: 4''
Motor: 9 amps @ 110 volts, 4500 RPM
Table: 7-5/8'' x 5-5/8'' x 6-1/2''; includes two miter slots
Shipping weight: 6 lbs.

AFTER ALL-- IT COMES WITH 2 BLADES!!!

We'll, the 3rd time I turned it on....it didn't. The switch died on the spot. I ended up mounting it to a piece of particle board and installing an external switch.

I also bought the all-famous dust collector, but I cancelled the order before it was shipped. Didn't have room. [:I]

[Brian G]

My next trip to HF will include a return of The 4" drill press vise that was warped.

I don't like the 22-piece countersink set because the screws strip easily.

Those are the only things I've been unhappy with.

[dlminehart]

Small machinists squares: the 6" one had a blade that was shaped like the California coastline. Bosch jigsaw clone: blade wouldn't install tightly, and was not perfectly in line with body of the saw.

[silverfox]

wow....that jigsaw is one of my favorites....
Mike

[LCHIEN]

From the responses so far, I see an interesting situation.
I see a lot of the case where one person has bad experience with some item and the next guy says, wow, I have one and I like it.

So either the next guy is not very discriminating (is that you Mike?[8D]),

OR more likely,

Its a sign that the quality control is very wishy washy, in that one assembler may have done a good job and the guy on the next line over was a rank begineer with no experience. With the low prices I think its very likely this happens. I recall on electronic items and toys, the way some of the CHinese factories run is that the assemblers take home a pile of parts and tools and bring back finished goods (although this in not likely with a 200 lb jointer). One real question is when you get a bad item, should you take it back and get another or will it be bad also and you should just forget it.

Pro: There are several assemblers making this in parallel or the parts are just randomly good or bad so there may be good ones and bad ones mixed into a single shipment.

Con: They're all made and inspected by the same guy on the same day for any given lot shipped to the HF near you. If one's bad they're all bad.

[LarryG]

quote:Originally posted by LCHIEN

Its a sign that the quality control is very wishy washy, in that one assembler may have done a good job and the guy on the next line over was a rank begineer with no experience.

I think that's it exactly, in part because you see the same thing even with the more expensive name-brand tools. People build this stuff, people inspect it. It only stands to reason that the luck of the draw is going to work against you at times ... you'll buy the tool built by the guy who was just hired this morning, and inspected by the guy whose only concern is how much longer it is until quitting time.

quote:One real question is when you get a bad item, should you take it back and get another or will it be bad also and you should just forget it.

With rare exceptions, I'm willing to allow for the possibility that I got a lemon and the next one will be better (in part because of what I say above). Most of the "let's try another one" replacements I've received over the years have calmed my initial reservations and gone on to give long and dependable service. That is, some of the purchases that originally looked liked lemons turned out to be the most satisfying. But I can think of one or two exceptions, when the replacement was no better than the first, and I just gave up and asked for a refund.

I appreciate a good bargain as much as the next guy, but the Hassle Quotient is pretty important to me. I'm 65 miles from the nearest HF store, and don't make that drive all that often, so that makes me less likely to gamble than someone who lives near a store. For me it's just too much wasted gas and time to bring home something that doesn't work ... especially if it's something I really need to use, on a job I really need to get done.