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Posted by Keith Stelter on August 11, 2007, 10:29 am
> On Aug 11, 5:49 am, trad...@optonline.net wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> > > With so much stuff being made in China and India these days, The
>> > > Harbor Freight situation is kind of like the Family Dollar situation.
>> > > You can buy name brand athletic shoes for $100.00 at a sporting goods
>> > > store, or you can buy a nearly identical shoe made in the same
>> > > factory
>> > > by the same people at Family Dollar for $10.00. You just aren't
>> > > paying
>> > > for the name. Most of the tool companies who used to make quality
>> > > tools are having their stuff made in China now, so the impact wrench
>> > > that you get with a "Pittsburgh Tools" sticker on it at HF is the
>> > > same
>> > > as the Rockwell or Ingersoll one that costs 3 times more. I own a
>> > > machine shop so I HATE that everything is going overseas, but at
>> > > least
>> > > Harbor Freight is selling the imported stuff at a reasonable price
>> > > without trying to portray it as high quality by selling it under a
>> > > well known brand name.
>>
>> > A large part of the price difference is due to far less parts and
>> > service
>> > support on the cheap stuff.Then,better tools have better
>> > materials,tolerances,finer machining,better assembly and quality
>> > control.
>>
>> > --
>> > Jim Yanik
>> > jyanik
>> > at
>> > kua.net
>>
>> And just when I put in a good word for Harbor Freight, they turn on
>> me! I've bought maybe a dozen things from them in the last several
>> years and was always satisfied. For the price, what you got was
>> usable and a good deal. I especially agreed with the person who said
>> they were good for the type of tool you might need once in a blue
>> moon, so you didn't have to have top quality, just something that
>> functions for very light use, once every few years.
>>
>> So, my Honda Harmony mower transmission craps out. To take it apart,
>> I needed slip ring pliers of two different sizes. It looks like you
>> could spend over $100 for a set of Snap-On, or $30-45 for even a mid-
>> range set. HF has a store near me, so I looked online and they had a
>> set listed.
>>
>> Went down yesterday and for $7 I got a set of 5 small ones. Now, for
>> the very low price, I'm not expecting anything great. By that, I mean
>> they don't have to have nice comfy handles. The tips don't have to be
>> machined to the finest tolerance. I don't need a chrome finish. And
>> they don't have to last a long time. But, I would expect them to be
>> USABLE for the intended purpose. If they worked for this one job,
>> for the price, I'd be very happy, as it will likely be a long time
>> before I need to use a pair again.
>>
>> When I tried to use them, the little tips, .047", instead of being
>> hardened steel, just start to bend when you use them to open the slip
>> rings. On the second slip ring, they started slipping out of the
>> ring because one tip was clearly bent. I used a pair of pliers to
>> straighten it and finally got that ring off. OF course you know where
>> we going. After straightening it twice, on the third ring the little
>> tip broke off. Fortunately the set included a 45deg version of the
>> same size, so I managed to get them all off. Not sure if they'll last
>> to get them back on.
>>
>> So, this is the first example of something I would say really is
>> garbage. There is some minimal level of functionality one expects in
>> a product. And if they can't make something that is suitable for even
>> very minimal use, then they shouldn't sell it regardless of the price.-
>> Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> Not too much information on this ............... but in some
> countries they have what might best be called "Fitness for use"
> legislation. In other words a product should not just work it should
> also perform for a reasonable length of time.
> So if your fridge conks out after less than a couple of years, say, or
> your sewing machine jams, or the bristles fall out of a toothbrush, or
> auto tyres fly apart in less than a few months, they do not meet the
> "The fitness for use" requirement and the manufacturer/supplier must
> replace or reimburse.
> This is not to say that a fridge should be expected to last 35 years,
> a sewing machine to not show some wear an tear after say ten years,
> etc. etc. Although our fidge is at least 20 years old, our dryer is
> 45, and we probably all know of 100 year old treadle sewing machines
> eh?
> maybe we need that kind of legislation in relation to other than food
> in North America?
>
I disagree.
I own a machine shop, and we make industrial valves that are shipped all
over the world. Because of some crazy "Fit for use" claims by customers in
our industry (not against us thank God), we have to mark our prices WAY up
when we ship to countries that have Fit for Use laws because of additional
mandatory insurance coverage and higher interest rates on loans if the
materials are going to one of those countries. It's like any lawsuit
situation. It doesn't matter if the customer SHOULD KNOW that MacDonald's
coffee is hot. If he pours it on his balls and sues them, they still have to
spend money to defend themselves!
Even if the tool doesn't have a guarantee, take it back to the store next
time you are in the area. Ask for the store manager and politely explain how
bad it is and how it failed. If they hear it from enough people the word
will get back to the boys upstairs. OR he might just say "what do ya want
for $7.00?".
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