Harbor Freight truth?

LOL. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that kind of story.

My favourite is the guy who shopped around for molds by broadcasting his drawings around a bit and found 'his' design in buyer's hands before he had even selected a supplier.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

"Spehro Pefhany" wrote

My wife has been in the a business involving importers for thirty years now. We deal with agents all the time that go to China several times a year. "Knockoffs" are so common that whatever you take to China to be made within ten days if it's anything that looks good, and it may be stolen by a different company than you took it to. Workers there are paid a bounty for bringing in plans, items, or info, no questions asked. From time of getting started, bootlegged finished product starts rolling off the line in less than ten days.

There is no loyalty in China. AND, if you're supplying something to a business or company in the US, they can take it to China themselves, and if they order sufficient quantities, can get it knocked off with minor changes and at a substantial savings. There is very little loyalty any more in the US, either. We have brought a lot of winning products to our customers, resort hotels. If they are a good item, their rep takes it to China, gets it knocked off, and we lose the future sales. If it's just a soso item, we keep supplying it because they can't buy the smaller quantities at the price we sell for.

But, it's discouraging. It's a dying changing business, and we're about to get out of it. It's just business, but the knifeplay gets tiring.

Steve

On Thu, 10 May 2007 01:46:43 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "Lyndell Thompson" quickly quoth:

Cute. But try their Pittsburgh line. It has a lifetime guarantee and most of the items are well enough built that they just don't break. Y'know, kinda like Crapsman before the cheapout by Searz 30 years ago.

I've always had good luck returning broken or problem (crossthreaded from the factory) items. And though I've been buying from HF for 30 years now, I've only returned half a dozen items, and half of those were bought off their Internet site, sight unseen. I even received in a chuck key (which _I_ had lost and told them so) free of charge once.

Speaking of trouble, anyone have a schematic for their fluorescent emergency lamp, 38077? Mine died on me after 2 years and they no longer stock them. It was great for the occasional 4-hour blackouts we get up here when wind knocks out a line. I could still read!

On 10 May 2007 16:47:19 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, Maxwell Lol quickly quoth:

For all we know, Maxwell Lol has never seen or used any Harbor Freight tools. ;)

- Metaphors Be With You -

A few months ago I went to an auction at a machine shop in Wexford, PA, USA. It was a working shop, only some unused tools being sold, so the work in progress was all around. Among the items being made were some very nicely machined subassemblies for 1/2" air impact wrenches. The brand? Central Pneumatics.

JH

On 11 May 2007 19:51:16 -0700, with neither quill nor qualm, snipped-for-privacy@aol.com quickly quoth:

Velly Intelesting! They surely couldn't have been for the $25 95310.

So, has anyone here bought and used one of the new composite impacts? so, how do they look/feel/hold up?

- Metaphors Be With You -