THSCC Forums

I don't generally buy very much there, but I had to relay this...

So I heard that Harbor Freight would honor their website prices in the
store if you printed the web page and carried it in. I wanted to buy
a mini milling machine and mini metalworking lathe, and I knew the store
prices were likely to be about $50 more per machine. Turns out they were
more like $50 on one and $70 on the other.

The annoying thing is I live about 50 minutes drive from Harbor Freight.
So I called to make sure they had both items in stock (#44991 for the mill
and #33684 for the lathe) and was told they definitely had one of each
available. I headed over there that day. When I asked for the items, I
was told to hang tight and they'd pull them from the back. I wait about
ten minutes and the lady at the front apologizes and heads back. She
returns and says they found the lathe but were having trouble locating the
mill. She apologized again and asked me to wait a little bit longer.
About 25 minutes later she comes back and says she's sorry, but the one
they thought they had was simply nowhere to be found.

They had already told me on the phone that the lathe they had in stock
had a minor dent in the drip tray and they'd give me $30 off on it. I
was fine with that, especially since the assembly instructions at:

http://www.mini-lathe.com

say that almost all of them have dented drip trays due to poor packaging.
So she said instead of the $30 off they were going to give me $50 off
the lathe and they would order the mill in for me. When it came in they'd
give me $100 off the mill for my trouble. I asked if that was off the
store or web price. She said web price. Well, can't complain about that.

So I call back the next week and they had the mill in. I head over and
the manager comes out with it. He apologized again and said he had been
*sure* they had one the week before, but he had no idea what could have
happened to it. He was pretty seriously annoyed at the situation, and
quickly rang me up with the discount over the web price (which was a sale
price at the time!) and helped me load it up.

I believe the in-store price with tax on both items would have been
something like $1100. My price with tax due to the web prices and
extra discounts ended up being more like $850. So I've got nothing to
complain about. While they did screw up, they more than made up for it
and were nice in doing so.

As for the machines, well, they're chinese made, small, and cheap. But
if you check that link above, you'll see there's a pretty serious web
community that is doing some very neat stuff with them. I've got CNC
conversion kits on order for both of them and will be learning to machine
by hand and via CNC with them. For what I paid, I actually think they're
an excellent deal. No, you can't turn a brake rotor on that lathe (unless
it's for a gokart), but you can make some pretty decent sized stuff.

Another great resource for accessories and parts is:

http://www.littlemachineshop.com

Their cart system shows whether items are in-stock or not, and seems to
be accurate. I ordered about 25 different line items at one time, and
everything shipped within two days. No problems whatsoever. Great
service.


--Donnie

Another Harbor FRIGHT experience...to be continued.

Thanks for info on those, Donnie (drooling over the CNC conversion kit). I will have to pass that info onto my friend who has a mini-mill. Looks like that site has some good info on the metal band saw I have...

I have spent a few hours at the helm of a friend's mini-mill and it works pretty well considering how cheap it is. Turning the dials by hand to cut a circle, however, truly takes some talent.

We were over there (Harbor Freight) yesterday eyeballing the mini-lathe...it's only a matter of time before one of us gets it.

As long as you know what you are getting into ahead of time, I've found that Harbor Freight tools are okay, but there some thing that just have to have the Craftsman insignia (or better) on them...

Regards,
--Ashraf

Everything purchased from Harbor Freight becomes a hammer in less than three years.

_________________
Has no responsibility whatsoever.

Yeah you really have to scrutinize your needs. Ask yourself, how good a tool do you need? What are the real savings?

The last tool I bought from Harbor FRIGHT was an impact srewdriver that started acting wonky on the second rotor. Crappage. I ended up wasting time and getting frustrated. Not sure the $10-15 was worth skimping.

Now on the bigger cost scale of pricer tools, there may be some real consideration.

I kind of side with Ashraf. YOu have to look at your needs (and budget) I have drills, mitre saw and a bunch of hand (non power) tools from HF. I have never figured out why people pay $$$ for Snap-on hand tools and the like unless they are using them day in and day out (mechanics) Craftsman are fine. The HF tools are fine for most of the stuff I do. I agree, the drills, saws, etc are not the same quality as Sears or better. My experience with them and the way I treat tools a Ryobi, Skill or whatever don't last any longer. Now, the deWalt did but the price to play is too much....for me JMHO

Exactly...

Here's how I look at it. If I am going to use a tool less than 5 times in a year then its Harbor Freight to the rescue. If I am giong to use it 5 times a month, then its off to Norhtern Tool. And if iI am going to use it 5 times a week then its Craftsman, SK,MAC, or something along those lines.

_________________
91 Jetta GLI STS/DSP 111
85 Porsche 944 ASP 11
http://www.blackforestindustries.com

$15 4.5" angle grinder and $50 abrasive cut-off saw from H-F are still going strong for recreational exhaust fabrication. Would have cost $180 for a brand-name cut-off saw and probably $45 minimum for an angle grinder.

OTOH, I did splurge big $$$ on my welder, the money saved by buying H-F stuff went into that toy, which has been invaluable, even though I'm still learning how to use it.

My Tractor Supply Company drill press has also been a good purchase...a comparable unit from Sears would have at least twice if not three times as much.

If you insist on doing everything yourself, you can justify buying tools and even "losing" a little money on a poor expenditure at H-F (yeah, I will admit it does happen, you just have to realize that's part of the game).

Hell hath no fury like a Fortner scorned by H-F. The flipside is that my Dad has had "good" tools fail or dissapoint (he's really into woodworking...oh all the woodworking he's taught me that I've forgotten).

In line with Wes "hammer" theory - H-F tools are cheap, so if they don't suit your purpose, you can modify them without any worry. Yeah. My wrench posse is into modifying tools...would you dare modify that $10 Sears wrench/socket/etc. to fit in a nook/cranny to save you a half hour of cursing?

--Ashraf

Hijack ---

So I am in need of a set of really good screwdrivers. Something along the lines of the "5 times a week" that is better than Craftsman but doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

_________________
Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

Oxymoron.

Proto makes a nice screwdriver.

_________________
Rich
http://www.v8mongrel.com/

Deleted. Misread post . . .

_________________
Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

Just bought another "hammer" from HF ... like the thoughts in this thread, shopping at HF is a mixed bag. As Donnie said, their pricing is also all over the map.

Example: Item 92798 - 19.2V Cordless Impact Wrench is in the current catalog for $119.99 (with a $5 off coupon on the back). The website lists the same item for $69.99 (regularly $159.99). In case you're interested, here's the link:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?J1CE25C2C

Don't ask me why it's under Miscellaneous Handtools ....

Frank

Linky no worky!!

_________________
Todd Breakey
STS 42 - 1992 Sunburst Miata
Dammit!
"You souldn't play leap frog with a porcupine. You might get hurt." - Eliza

I used it this am to get the impact wrench and I just tried it again and it works... somethings wrong at your end Todd!
Bernie

_________________
2004 C5(415whp,390ft/lbs),
1997C5,1997Trans Am, 1986 C4,
1990 Miata, 1976 MGB,1997 Protege, 1989 MR2