Tool purchase ethics
 

I needed a couple pairs of special vice grips for welding. I happened to be @ Home Depot, I saw they had them and bought 4 pairs, two large and two small - $24 and $14, respectively. Later I was at Harbor Freight, and saw they had the Chinese knockoff of the same tool for $6 and $3 respectively.

I'm conflicted. While I'm a fan of quality tools and all, and I don't have many HF tools in my inventory, at 1/4 the price, I'm tempted to take the Name Brand (tm) tools back for a refund. Either the Name Brand tool's price is hugely inflated, or the HF price is artificially deflated.

No ethics issue there, just don't buy the HF tools and return them to Home Depot for the refund, as though they were the expensive spread.

HF tools may not last as well but you can buy two sets for the price differential and still have $$ for a couple shooter on the way home.

HA HA:p

Got to look out for No 1!!!!

If you haven't used them, no harm in returning them.

Personally I don't trust HF stuff at all. I won't buy it.

Thom......concerned about ethics............................................ .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ..........................................
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snicker
chortle
BA HA HA HA HA HA HA

You a funny man................................

As all of the spatter builds up on the HF clamps, they will be indistinguishable from the HD clamps.
:)

I like the HF stuff for limited use items. The gear puller I used to press on my sway bar bushings for example, or my impact driver. Got the cheap driver with pot metal bits, threw away the bits and bought some Craftsman ones and have been very happy.

Got some HF needle nose pliers and side cutters, utterly useless. Also, the steel their stuff is made out of seems to crumble like feta cheese. I haven't been in a HF in like 4-5 years. Northern Tool is not much better.

HF is good for cheap "I need it right now" type stuff. I got a 2 ton bottle jack for an engine hoist there for $50 with a lifetime warranty. Can't beat that. Wrenches, sockets, etc.. I go to Sears. I have returned Craftsman stuff that was 40 years old with no hassle.

Do not buy cheap vise grips. I have used most every brand of locking pliers, and the only ones worth a damn are the Vise Grip brand ones. I don't know if it's the metal used or the design, but the cheap ones don't grip as well, bend and flex when clamping hard and break easier.

Feta cheese....LOL

I needed a 1 7/8" box wrench and they had one on a shelf at HF...the bastards wouldn't sell it to me! It had apparently been part of a set, and they couldn't find the box it had been in. Never set foot in one of those places since.

like a fool, i bought their impact sockets...i broke two. each one on the first hit with my gun. i put on a face shield for the second one, it gave up on the first blast of air. i dumped the entire set, right there, right then. they rattled into the garbage can with a strange metallic ring. i will go with the husky ones next. something like $50 for the set. crap tools seem to break, after hours on the weekend. no thanks.

Im conflicted with buying cheap no-name power tools because of cost. I bought a blue no-name electric impact-wrench for like $30 off ebay and its been awesome. Im seeing some blue no-name MIG welders popping up for sub-$100 prices (with a mask, extra wire, etc) and Im terribly tempted to give one a shot.

I prefer the real vise-grips even with the high price.

But I did buy a 12 ton press at Northern Tool and then stopped by a small tool store on the way home. They had a better built 20 ton press for only $20 more. I returned the 12 ton with no issues.

I've been through a Dremel a year the past two years. I have (I had) the 7.2v cordless model. I bought a second battery because it only lasted for 20 minutes of continuous use. My first one blew a motor.
Now, just past the warranty, the charger has quit working.

In, frustration, I went to Menard's and bought a corded Tool Shop brand one for $30. It has been much better than my Dremel ever pretended to be. And to buy a comparable Dremel model would have cost $70 - $90.

If these are the panel clamp types, I wouldn't worry about the HF ones-if you're using them to try to remove stripped nuts etc, you need good ones, but to simply hold two piece of metal together while you weld, the cheapies are fine.

I've had no problems with HF tools at all other than the Chicago brand impact driver I got. The $100 aluminum floor jack has taken YEARS of relentless abuse. If it breaks tomorrow, I'll still have been very satisfied. I have HF impact sockets, a tap & die kit, some misc. wrenches, crowsfoot set, etc. All have been great to me. They are not "I need it now" tool to me, since they usually take a week or so to get after I order them. I have a Home Depot 2 miles from the house for the real "I need it now" stuff.

When preparing to lay my wood floor in my home in NC I went to HF and found a wood flooring stapler for $140. Real ones cost $400. I purchased it and used it for 900sf of wood flooring and could not care if it worked or not after that.

If its a tool I will use a lot I will buy good brand name stuff.

Completely agree. I do bodywork and panel replacement all the time and nothing works like a vice grip.

Not to Hijack

Yes it is all cut, first floor painted and nailed second floor...... I need another beer.... I need to paint it and nail it. Lazy day today and sightseeing tomarrow.


Yes, Give me a call I am up for a beer.