Trip to harbor freight (grinding)

In a number of cases I've found the item in the crate to be notably better than the item on display.

That sure is poor marketing. I thought about asking them to grab a box and let me inspect it but I was a bit tired and p*ssed seeing the display model having driven 100 miles. I work mid nights and get a bit cranky by 10 am.

Wes

"Wes" wrote: (clip) I thought about asking them to grab a box and let me inspect it but I was a bit tired and p*ssed (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ If you ever decide to go back to HF, stop a few blocks short and take a little nap. By being tired and p*ssed, you scr*wed yourself. You drove 200 miles, used $16 worth of gas, and spent about 3 hours, and came away with NOTHING. Quality control on the Chinese product at Harbor Freight is known to be poor. Don't assume that what you see is what you get, unless it's the exact same unit you're going to take home. If you don't want to take up their time, go back to your car and open the box. HF is really good about exchanging merchandise or giving refunds.

Just keep your receipt--DAMHIKT.

Well, I take the long view on this. If I had ordered it, paid UPS on 102# and didn't like it, I'd have been really p*ss*d and out the shipping. 16 bucks on gas was worth it.

Three blocks away was a tire store with 7 cop cars obviously interested in something that morning. No way I was going to sleep in my car after that one on the way in.

You are right that I should have asked for a box though and inspected it on site. I have a 3/4 hp grinder out in the garage that I can stop with a finger and not lose skin so I'm a bit leery of chinese grinders.

Wes

In my edits on this post I trimmed out some things.

I bought two of these

Also I bought some rolling head pry bars. Damn handy things. It was not a totally wasted trip.

Wes

You didn't make clear your intended application. Are you sure you want a silicon carbide wheel?

Harold

Carbide scraper is primary use, brazed carbide lathe bits secondary.

Thanks,

Wes

Yep, silicon carbide it is, and a green one. I'm not versed in scraping, but I've read that the edge should be exceedingly keen----so you might entertain a very fine wheel, 150 grit or even finer. Best yet would be a diamond, which won't chip the carbide. You'd be pretty happy with a 220 diamond, which will move carbide fast and leave a decent surface that is easily lapped to perfection. A diamond wheel should be run wet, so keep that in mind.

Harold

I bought one of those a couple of years ago. I've been really happy with mine. I've ground better lathe tools than I was ever able to do before this machine. (That may just mean I don't have much ability, but this machine really improved my efforts).

I did hook up a water supply and drain, but that is all I've done.

FWIW I recommend this grinder. From your experience, get one in a box!

John

Fuck a Duck - you Yanks are totally up yourselves. Your complaining the 149.50 tool grinder is not up to scratch.....JHC, what the f*ck do you want for that? - do you expect a high precision industrial quality instrument? - yeh, sure, if its a sale from the rust belt of US manufacturing, else its totally worn out....wow, $16 for 200 miles in gas cost - wish the rest of the world had it so cheap....

Mate, you well off, just too dumb to realise it.....

Andrew VK3BFA.

As a bemused by-stander, I must agree. We have had it far too good for far too long here. The decimation of the US industrial manufacturing base due to both poor response to global competition and the "WalMart" consumer mentality in this country is staggering. In the area of Chinese tools, there is a lot to choose from, but it has now actually become quite difficult to distinguish in some cases what the actual country of origin may be, since so many US suppliers now outsource the "dirty work" to China or other countries, then rebrand the item as their own. I am of course guilty of buying from HF those items that don't have a high level of criticality as I see it. I would never trust a Chinese 6" caliper to work as my only measuring tool, in constant use, but for occasional use, my Chinese 12" dial caliper (at $39 or whatever the hell it was) is a good example of the "value" equation. One buys Chinese with the full knowledge that quality is widely variable, repair may be needed before first use, and safety is never paramount in the product. If you can live with that, you have the opportunity to get some real deals, and further the cause of US economic decline at the same time.

Got your knickers in a twist today?

The taxes on fuel in your country are helping to pay for your social support systems. If you don't like it, change it via the political process.

In no way did I expect the HF item to be equal to a baldor tool grinder but when the display version is just plain horrible, I don't expect better out of the sealed box.

And yes, I do know I am lucky to live in the United States. I have had the opportunity to live in parts of Europe and Asia along with visiting Canada and Mexico and I'll take this country every time.

Wes

For $150, you can buy a used Baldor 500 diamond grinder from a small shop that likely did not use it that much.

I'll take it if it can be shiped ups.

Wes

You would have to go and pick it up from an auction, for this price.

They are, however, shippable by UPS (without stands) and sell for about $250 on eBay.

Hard to go wrong with a Baldor 500.

I do not have one currently.

Darn. I thought you had one. Oh well.

I'll build my own lashed up grinder for now and keep my eyes open.

Wes

Yep. Sorry, I put that badly - due to our small market, such a tool grinder would be hundreds of dollars more - and I dont think such a thing is even on the market here due to lack of demand. So, I freehand grind my toolbits - would be so much easier if I had one of those grinders....(envy, pure and simple, at the cheapness of tools in the US)

Nope. We like it - subsidized medicine, decent health care -, the ability to support "our friends the Americans" in their foreign military adventures - you were the one complaining about the fuel cost

- maybe if your taxes were reduced, it would be at a level you thought reasonable.

Wow - did you expect the minimum wage shop assistant to be able to tell if it was out of true? - probably didnt even know what it was apart from reading the label on the box....and for the price, maybe it did need some work. Whole groups are devoted to fixing the faults in Chinese machine tools - American ingenuity will find a way, surely.

No worries - glad your happy with your country (as you should be), I must have misread your post as a complaint about how things were not working too well in this instance...

Use the finest bonded diamond wheel you can find. You don't need to remove much material at all to refresh a scraper bit and you need to end up with a mirror finish. Stay away from the silicon carbide!

regards Mark Rand RTFM

That's why we celebrate "thanksgiving". Gerry :-)} London, Canada