SQMonte Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 I have had good and bad experiences with brand name and off brand tools just the same. Besides Car Audio, another hobby of mine is Car Detailing. I have a PC7424 and wanted a rotary for the jobs the PC can't handle. Most rotaries are $150 or better....I found one at HF made by Chicago Electric for $29 so I snatched it up to see if I could luck out and have success with it. You be the judge........ My buddies Mercedes Benz S430 before Same car, after I detailed it using the Chicago Electric $30 rotary I've now had this rotary for 4yrs and it works just as good today as it did the day I bought it Alpine CDA-117...Memphis 16-X03 CDT Audio SQA-4100...SEAS Prestige H1396...Crescendo MP-6 Soundstream Rubicon 1.2500d...Digital Designs 3512f Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joakwin Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 i use hf tools at home, i have broken a few of the 1/2 impact sockets, but over a 4 yr period with them, i got my 9bucks out of the set, i went and got another set and its all good now about 90% of my tools at home are hf and at work we only use snap on, i work in vehicle maints in the air force, any of those other brands of tools just can't handle the heavy use over everyday work mac tools last longer then craftman tools but the mac tools get loose pretty fast the only thing that last is snap on, its a pain in the butt to brake a craftman tool, you still have to send someone down to sears to get it but it takes them time ive built a f/s x-cab gmc truck, layed it out on 24's useing my hf tools, now im building a rhd classic mini 84 austin mini building a system for it currently Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alvitae Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 I use their stuff all the time. But only certain things. Like cable ties, Wrenches etc. My experience with the power tools hasn't been so good. Oh and the extension cords are ftl. Very little wire, Lots of insulation. Plus they short out a lot causing dangerous and exciting situations But for crimpers, Cable cutters etc. They are worth the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentb Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 i have my own share of HF tools, from my heat gun to my clamps, etc. i once bought an 18v cordless drill at HF and doesn't do shit, can't even drive a screw and battery life sucks. New System 2 10" Fi SSD, Sundown 1500d Build I build and design enclosures(cheap price), PM ME Kicker L7 Navigator(plexiglass, fiberglass, aeroport) Build BTL 18" Escalade(plexiglass, battery tray) Build http://www.kentbaudio.com Old System Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sierra mist Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 I have had good and bad experiences with brand name and off brand tools just the same. Besides Car Audio, another hobby of mine is Car Detailing. I have a PC7424 and wanted a rotary for the jobs the PC can't handle. Most rotaries are $150 or better....I found one at HF made by Chicago Electric for $29 so I snatched it up to see if I could luck out and have success with it. You be the judge........ My buddies Mercedes Benz S430 before Same car, after I detailed it using the Chicago Electric $30 rotary I've now had this rotary for 4yrs and it works just as good today as it did the day I bought it Looks great! Obviously, you know what you are doing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainzPlanetz Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Harbor Freight here sells funky pups, but with a rainbow surround......... Lol J/K. ¿ǝɯɐƃ ǝɥʇ Trolls never learn............ All BS aside, If I see one more comment in here that is NOT about the pre-sale, I will start the vacations. And that includes the trolls feeding the trolls. YOU THE ONE THAT SOUND LIKE A OGER AND HUMPBACK/TROLLS? Add "SMDLIFER" on Xbox LIVE to play with other SMD members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlubin Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Harbors tools are all cool but sometimes its a good idea to get that warranty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackedout Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 I work at HFT.... All I can say is that the last two stores I worked at, our revenues were up at least 25% + from last year. The company itself is 328 stores nation wide and word of mouth advertisements only for the most part. Hand tools have a lifetime warranty, no matter what. If you bring in the tool that broken, and the rest of the set you got it with, you can get a whole new tool set on the spot, not just the one broken tool. I'm not gonna lie, some product I see coming back constantly, $69 pressure washer, pencil torches, trenchers, and a few other miscellaneous things... But the business ethics of HFT is outstanding from a customer standpoint. The signs posted around the stores always say 100% satisfaction guarantee, so one loophole you will always run into is that no matter what, whether you buy the replacement plan or not we will usually stand behind the product to ensure that we are standing behind that policy. You walk in with a product that we still stock on the shelves and have no replacement plan, no receipt, no nothing and I can't tell you how many times the managers of our store have sent customers out the door with a brand new product for the price of the 2 year replacement plan itself, rather than the cost of the tool. I don't mean to sound crazy, but Craftsman is cheap Chinese tools just like Pittsburgh, yet craftsman has the audacity to put fine print on their warranties now, meaning they question the hell out of you before you're allowed to exchange your tools, or they question the hell out of you, waste your time, and make you buy a brand new tool anyways. It's not like it used to be with craftsman, and our exchange policy is so much better... We sell a multifunction tool that is based off of a $400 German tool, I've sold hundreds of replacement plans and hundreds of MFTs, and I've only seen one come back. I just bought a jigsaw and a 12 pack of blades the other day for less than $30 with my (20%) employee discount, and it cuts way better and faster than the craftsman one that locked up on me. I'm not trying to persuade anyone to buy Harbor freight, because whether you come in or not, I'm still only making $9/ hour + commission on the ESPs (Extended service protection) I sell. But in the meantime, I can't even hate on what they're doing because they have policies that take care of their customers... something that a lot of businesses aren't doing now because they can't afford to do so because of the economy, or so they think. We're far from snap on or matco quality, but we're also far from the price. We're not too far from craftsman quality, we're far from the price though and the guarantee is now better. The key to shopping at HF is to inspect the tools before you buy them, quality control is the issue, but that's the reason for the prices. If you take a look at one or two thoroughly and check tolerances/ look closely for problems, you'll probably notice a difference between the two... so pick the best one LOL Trunk Build Log Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zfrerichs Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 at work we had the 1/4 router trimmer and it didnt last one cabinet door. the shank would rock like crazy and the nut would come lose constantly. also the base would also move no matter how tight you scewed it on. we usedduct tape to hold it in place. POS in my opinion, it was used for a day then thrown in the trash. Roseville, CA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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