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Re: [Shop-talk] (no subject)

To: shop-talk@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] (no subject)
From: Mark Andy <mark@sccaprepared.com>
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2008 11:13:14 -0400 (EDT)
Howdy,

On Wed, 2 Jul 2008, old dirtbeard wrote:
> Once a year or so, I have the need to jump in on a thread with the 
> plaintive plea of "please don't buy cheap tools." Order your stuff from 
> McMaster-Carr, buy Milwaukee electric, Starrett gauges, Simpsom meters, 
> Wilton vices, etc. You will never regret it.
>
> I have a set of Rigid pipe dies that are a joy to use. I am a professor 
> of business -- I am not making my living with these tools, but I truly 
> enjoy using them in may garage.
>
> I know the non-shop talk folks will buy HF detritus, but if the shop 
> talk folks buy the same detritus, who will buy the quality tools and 
> assure that quality tool providers exist?
>
> Buy tools that you enjoy using. Tonight I needed to pull out my 30 
> year-old Simpson 260 meter for some measurements -- what a joy to use 
> this precision instrument.
>
> Life is way too short to use crap tools. You deserve better, boys. HF 
> and the purveyors of junk tools are a blight on the shop talk community. 
> I wish they did not exist. If they are successful, they will be you only 
> choice for tools.

Ok, I let this kinda thing go by the first few times...

I won't disagree at all that HF tools are cheap.

However, sometimes they are also good quality.

As an example, my favorite ratchets (and I've pretty much used them all), 
actually are HF ratchets...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94586

I've also got a breaker hammer from them:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=46935

That was (on sale) not all that much more than renting one, and it tore 
through my garage floor pretty well (around 10 hours of use).

I've also got one of the pipe threading sets that this thread was about, 
and its worked just great for me when I needed to run new gas line, and 
also for a buddy when he ran air lines in his shop.

I've used both a CP 3/8" butterfly impact as well as the cheapo HF 
version... Unless you're looking at the label, you couldn't tell which was 
which.

I've used a Milwaukee sheet rock drill gun back to back with a HF version 
that cost $25 on sale... Both worked just fine.

I used to only buy "name brand" tools, mostly craftsman stuff (usually I'm 
working on cars/bikes/etc.).  Over time I've morphed into my current plan 
of buying the tool first from HF if it doesn't feel like the worst hunk of 
junk ever.  If I use it enough that it breaks or I find shortcomings, I 
buy a name brand tool.  If I don't, I just saved some money.

That's not to say that there can't be some benefits to name brand stuff... 
I _love_ my Milwaukee 18v cordless drill with the keyless ratcheting 
chuck.  Way nicer to use than the "hold the collar" style keyless chuck. 
And I just recently got a Milwaukee cordless sawzall that has a "no tools" 
blade changing mechanism that rocks my world.

If I made my living with my tools and one breaking would cause me serious 
issues or if I was rich, I'd almost certainly have only name brand stuff.

But, like with any blanket statement, saying that "all HF tools are junk" 
or whatever just flat out isn't true.  There's a lot of tools at HF that 
are equivelents to name brand stuff and there's also a lot that aren't 
quite as good, but I'll never appreciate the difference enough to justify 
the extra cost.

Anyway, do what you want to do, and I will also.  :-)

Mark
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