Central Machinery Tools

[Marc Prudhomme]

Hi,
Anyone have any good or bad comments about central Machinery Tools from Harbor Freight.
Do you get what you pay for?
Marc

[Jim Becker]

In general, you do get what you pay for. The "exceptions" I've seen with HFT power tools have been the 34706 lathe which is appreciated by many as a good starter lathe (I do have experience with that one), some of their bigger drill presses and the so-called "2hp" dust collector which is a good buy for a blower that works as long as you replace the bags with better filtration.

[skip coyne]

my experience (limited) has been you get more than you pay for

when they first opened the store locally , my son picked me up a angle grinder for about 10 not a tool I use often , Ive used it maybe a dozen or so times works just fine

I recently bought air compressor and brad nailer . so far working great .

I have some handtools that seem to be working as well as their high dollar counterparts.

If its a tool for heavy daily use then I think probably not , for occasional use I think there just fine .

[Burt Alcantara]

I've had the $99 SCMS for 2 years. While it often wont cut on line, it always works and serves me well to get long length boards to size. Still using the original blade.

I also have the $30 1/2" corded drill. This is, for me, very heavy duty. There is so much torque it will strain my wrists. So far, it has cut and drilled everything I've thrown at it. This is about 8 months old.

I have their punch set, hex wrench set, socket wrench which is horrible - doesn't fit anything, a few others I don't recall but no other power tools. I'll probably pick up an right angle drill just because it's cheap.

As they say, YMMV.
Burt

[glenn bradley]

Drill and such are obviously seconds. Their packaging resembles products offered as 'special deals' by others but seem like they missed the QA required to meet more reputable suppliers. On the other hand a price of $6 for 20-odd brad point bits that you don't have to worry about may not be a bad thing; just don't expect 11/64" to bo 11/64" and others will have unacceptable run-out. The machines are as stated by others here. I got their $20 "Sawzall" to do a demo job on some old garage fixtures left by the previous owners. I figured if it got through that I got my money's worth and I did.

[skip coyne]

go to the harbor freight website and and sign up for there email list , they will send you emails every week or so , often with 10-20 % of coupons their sale prices and discount coupons make the prices even more attractive .

if you also get on the mailing list you will get regular mailings again often with 10-20% discount coupons

I do notice the coupons are usually only for a short time , often I print them out and put them in the truck but by the time I get around to stopping by they have expired

[Jeremy Gibson]

I bought several power tools, hand tools, bits, etc from HF when I was getting started. The saying "the most expensive tool you will buy is the cheap one" is usually true since you may end up replacing it later. Many times I now wait and get a quality tool first.

That being said, I have been pleased with my $10 angle grinder and $20 recipricating saw. Both have performed admirably. When or if they do break I'm not out much at all. I bought a set of both twist and brad point drill bits and regret it. They are not very good in my opinion and result in more work trying to make them perform. I also got a set of six wooden handle bench chisels for about $6, but I wanted them to practise sharpening more than anything else.

I've had a bench drill press and a cordless drill that I was not happy with. I've replaced the drill press with a Delta 16" floor model and use a corded DeWalt drill more than the HF model.

[John Shuk]

I have a Central Machinery drill press that I like. It was passed down to me from a grandfather and it works well. I bought a 1 inch belt sander that went back after I turned it on and listened to the horrible noise it made after running for a minute or two.
I think it is fair to say that most tools you buy from them are going to need alot more tweaking than the more mainstream tools.

[Ronald Coates]

I've got (Currently for sale in California) a Central Machinery 14" bandsaw. I've had it for about 3 years. It did a good job for me and got me to the point that I could justify buying a new PowerMatic. For the price, I have no complaints. I also have a Central machinery drill press and have no plans to upgrage. It does a fine job.

For smaller power tools that I use just evey now and then, I have a few. Belt sander, heat gun, angle grinder, etc. For more than occasional use I buy higher quality.

As to edged tools, it's a gamble I suppose. I have a collection of CM forstner bits, brad point bits, regular drill bits, number/letter punch sets, etc. These have all performed well, but for things I do repeatedly and require a high level of precision I buy a quality tool I don't have to wonder about.

Hope this helps.

[Dan Drager]

My only Central Machinery peice is my 2 hp dust collector. I bought a smaller micron bag and added a cyclone chip collector over a 33 gallon garbage can. It does all I need and then some. I have a new Performax 22-44 plus (tool gloat comming soon) and I was worried that my collector wasn't powerful enough. It is PLENTY. No dust at all escapes, even when doing a 20" glue up.

[Curt Harms]

I have some harbor freight stuff. Their F clamps are well worth the price on sale, $1.99 for 6". I have 2 Jet aluminum bar clamps that work well. I looked at the HF bar clamps, too much slop for my taste. I do have a set of their wood chisels, They ain't Lie-Nielsens; on the other hand I don't feel guilty about using them for things chisels aren't supposed to used for but are, like opening paint cans:eek: . If I bugger up the edge, a couple seconds on a grinder and they're back to functional. Everybody needs some beater-loaner tools that wouldn't be missed if they disappeared. HF/Central Machinery answer this need fine.

Curt

[Leon Jester]

I've got an 8 inch grinder from HF that does pretty well. Granted it's not a $500 grinder, but when I changed the wheels to white AO it produced pretty good work.

The wheels HF furnishes aren't good for much beyond edging garden tools.

[Roger Bell]

I like Harbor Freight. Really. I have been a customer of theirs since about 92. I have a number of expensive tools (the very best I can afford including some top-end stuff). But I also have a number of cheap tools from HF. Even though I am fairly well off, I justify buying these cheap tools for three reasons.

First, it allows me to own a tool that is occasionally or rarely used, and, given my general tightwadedness, is good enough for the amount of use it gets. Paying top dollar for something that is seldom used is just not the way I was brought up. Examples....4" hand grinder for the lawnmower blade, grinder buffer unit outfitted with a wire wheel and a metal buff for rust removal, "rotozip" drywall cutout tool, their sawzall, their 1/2" mondo drill, some odd air tools, like metal shears, various metal working stuff (I don't do metal to speak of), a huge variety of oddball sized and trick-design wrenches which are almost never used but if you don't have them you'll pay ten times as much at the corner True Value if they even got it which they probably don't especially since you need it right now.

Second, when I was building my powertool shop, I couldn't (or would'nt) pony up the thousands of dolores for first class stuff, and I don't have the time to squander my Saturdays and Sundays on garage sales and want ads and ebay and so forth. My spare time in this arena of life is spent in the shop creating things. Some of the HF offerings were good enough to get me mostly started in the directions my various projects took me. And I sold these off at 50% retail or gave them away as I upgraded. They were good enough to allow me to have something rather than nothing. Examples...a couple of grinders, a couple of cheap belt sanders, their tiny drill press (drills straight holes...pretty much), their lathe (how would I know I would have upgraded lathes twice more since then...but a starter lathe is all I wanted at the time).

Third, there is always a use for utility grade tools in the shop and elsewhere for scut work (in this arena HF really shines)...saving your good stuff for good purposes. Examples are...their drill bits, screwdrivers, wrenches, hammers, crowbars, nitrile gloves, cheap brushes, various clamps, etc. In addition, it is always nice to have some cheap, "disposable" tools in each vehicle (so they get ripped off?-so what!), or a set of tools my wife can use/abuse/leave in the garden. That way I don't have to get furious with her for abusing my tools. How much might THAT worth to you? My HF tools are also good as loaners to those pesky neighbors.....makes me look like the nice guy I am not, right?

I recommend not going with HF offerings where accuracy is demanded (such as square cuts on a CMS, or levels used for something other than fence posts.....or just about any measuring or layout tool for that matter), or where the cutting edge cannot be replaced with something better (such as their chisels, hand saws or various sawblades, router bits, etc.), or in those cases where you intend to put to tool to really hard use.

I have had one or two HF powertools not work out from the get-go. HF was great.........immediate replacement, no backtalk.

[Rob Music]

Here is my experience...from yesterday:

My dad is a HUGE Harbor Freight fan. I have been there once and purchased a hole saw…was a little apprehensive of both the tool and the store. Well any ways, for Christmas I received a mortising machine as a gift from my dad. I opened the box and noticed that the top of the machine looked odd. I took it out of the box and two screws dropped to the floor. The top of the machine was crushed (though the box had not a blemish....hmmmm). My dad immediately jumped to their defense, he also pointed out that he got the two-year extended warranty. No problem we'll just take it back and exchange it. Yesterday we did just that. We walked up to the counter and the clerk asked what was wrong. I explained and he said, "Oh I'm not surprised, just go back and get another one, they're in the back". We got another and then got in line. When it was our turn the same clerk said, "You're all set". I asked if he needed to see the receipt and he said no. I was really worried then.

I got it home and opened the box....looked good. Started to put it together...ah a little rough here and there, but so far so good. Turned the machine on....Ok sounds good. Started to play around with it...never had a mortising machine so I had to learn how to use it. I cut my first hole...OK.

Now the second hole was a different story...about half way through suddenly the pressure against the handle vanished...but the head of the machine didn't move. I couldn't get the machine head back up...it was stuck. Well, to make a long story not quite as long...about six teeth on the main gear broke off. I am not a big guy and I’m not that strong…and besides, shouldn’t I be able to bend the handle into a pretzel before the main gear would break?????? I haven't decided what I am going to do. I really want dad to have his money back....but he is such a fan of HF I'm afraid he will take it personally.

Take the story as you will but I think I have had enough of HF.

[Robert Livingston]

My experience is focused on low-tech items that HFT sells far more cheaply than anyone else (dead blow mallets, c-clamps, Goodyear air hoses, etc). I don't mind saving money! Their 10" SCMS that usually goes for $99 (or less if you have a 15% off coupon) seems to stand up over time as a good cutoff saw for prepping rough lumber.

Robert

[Robert E Lee]

Rob, I have had thier mortising machine for a couple of years and it has been a good one, unless they changed them you have got a dud. Try another one.
Bob

[Larry James]

I signed up for Harbor Freight sale emails and then read terms. Just what I need more junk in the (snail) mail!

Harbor Freight - INTERNET TERMS AND CONDITIONS

EMAIL ADDRESSES We do not disclose or share Email adresses with anyone.

MAILING LISTS We occasionally make our customer list available to carefully screened companies and organizations whose products and activities might be of interest to you. If you'd rather not get these mailings, please copy the entire preprinted address portion of your order form, including your customer number, located above your name. Send to: Mailing List Manager, 3491 Mission Oaks Blvd., Camarillo, CA 93011-6010.

Larry

[Jesse Cloud]

The few tools I bought at HF all either came apart or performed poorly. Happy to get a few bucks back at a yard sale. Being cheap, I still couldn't resist, so I bought some real simple stuff: sanding pads, chip brushes, and vinyl gloves. The nails came out of the sanding pad, the bristles fell out of the brush, and the gloves come apart when I try to put one on.

As far as I'm concerned, HF stuff is just a waste of shop space.


Thanks for letting me vent:rolleyes: .:rolleyes:

[Eric Stiles]

Purchased the HF Contractor saw. It went back after 6 months of not making a single straight cut. 6 months and not a single question asked when I returned it. I wish I had those months and that wood back though.

Purchased a stationary disk/belt sander. It cost half the price of the other brands and I have never had a problem with it.

Purchased a handheld grinder and it grinds perfectly everytime without fail.

Purchased the large drill bit set. I bust the small diameter bits constantly. I hate that they break, but love that they cost me next to nothing.

Purchased the little purple brad nailer. It rarely jams, sets nails nicely and cost me 10 bucks.

Purchased numerous clamps, straps, tarps, etc. All work exactly as I would expect. Tarp keeps the rain off and everything.

Harbor Freight has a lot of usable tools - just stay away from tools you would expect to cut in straight lines.

[Mark Densmore]

I buy alot of items from Harbor Freight, I have had very good luck with most everything I have purchased. I did have trouble with a 1/2" impact wrench took it back got a new one no charge. Would I buy a jointer, planer, table saw, drill press or other tools I use regularly? Answer is No. That's where I buy Grizzly tools. Use a little common sense and look at the quality. Most people buy major tools from HF because they just can't wait to buy a tool. Save your money and buy a better quality tool for those major purchases. For the disposables and small items HF Rocks.

[scott spencer]

There's almost always better examples of the same tool with other brands, and you will often get what you pay for. But I have found that at least some of the HF tools are worth their sale prices depending on what you need to do with the tool.

I've got the $99 HF mortiser and it works pretty well....I don't think it's worth any more than that price. If I did alot of mortises I'd want something better, but this one has suited my needs well.

I hear good reports on the jointers and their DC. The electric hair clippers were a total waste of money.

[Todd Hyman]

The electric bug zapper/squash paddle works great and its a lot of fun seeing the bugs get zapped!

[George Sanders]

I've bought a lot from HF. The 4 speed bandsaw works well for me. I just used it and the mortising machine on a rocking horse for my grandson. I could have built it without them but it would have been a long drawn out process. I don't use them everyday but when I do need them it's really nice to have them. I rehandled a couple of miter saws and the single speed scroll saw I picked up at an auction for $20 did a good job for me. I haven't had any trouble with my 10' compound miter saw either. I had to make new trim for replacement windows and the job went well. The planer was toast when it arrived but that was the fault of UPS and HF immediately gave me a return authorization and replaced it. I am trying to selectively upgrade the quality of my machinery to industrial. I will phase out things as need dictates and money allows.

[Marcus Carr]

I bought a bunch of those zapper paddles too. The whole famliy spent an hours chasing insects...it was cheap entertainment =]

I have had mixed results with HF. I am on my third pressure washer and this one is going back. Fortunately the exchanges are free due to the $12 replacement plan. I also purchased a orbital sander for the air compressor that never worked well.

On the positive side, I have their 100 amp wire feed welder, lathe, lathe duplicator and a variety of smaller tools, which all work fine. Their welding gloves are dirt cheap at 3 pair for 9 bucks.

I signed up for their internet mailing list and find that the 50% off coupons make things ridiculously cheap. They are a great option for limited use items, but I wouldn't buy anything from them for precision work.

Marcus

[Sam Shank]

They're good for specialty trade tools that you occasionally use - like a 24" pipe wrench or basin wrench. The basin wrench was $1.99 or so, and nearly the exact same wrench at home depot was about $20.

They have inexpensive vises that work well for me, some of their clamps are ok. I have their cheapo purple gravity hvlp and it works fine - used it about 10 times.

They have cheap impact sockets that are returnable.

Avoid their cordless tools, though unless you'll be using them on a roof or something like that where it's likely they'll break anyway.

DON'T buy their halogen bulbs. I bought 5 or 6 at $0.49 on sale, and they all burnt out in a day or so.

DO buy their rechargable batteries and charger when on sale.

It seems like if you wait long enough everything goes on sale for at least 50% off.

A good friend bought their clipped head angled framing nailer and had good luck on small projects and a medium sized shed.

I liked the 7" diamond saw blade I used to cut by basement floor (to install a check valve in the sewer line). I paid about $10 on sale. Just cut slow (through 3" concrete 25 years old).

[David Kauffman]

My experience is similar to most... they make a lot of junk, but also a few diamonds in the ruff. Example of the latter is their $900 mill/drill (HF #33686). Or if you prefer the Grizzly version, G3358 for $1150. When I went searching for an upgrade to my standard 1/2 HP floor drill press several years ago, I looked at most of the higher end machines. I wanted beefier machine that was precise and had the power to drive a 3 1/2 inch forstner bit in rock maple. This mill drill fit the bill so well for so much less that it was almost too good to be true. Sure it's sold as a metalworking machine, but it's basicaly a glorified powerful presice drill press. 5" quill travel... 12 speeds, 2HP 220v motor takes care of any woodworking need I have. The motor is reversable, which I use at it's low speed (110) to tap threads in my wooden nut/bolt items. The large indexable table is just icing on the cake. I sat a huge vise on the table, and find myself making dozens of jigs for it. It has turned into one of the most used machines in my shop, and my 1/2hp drill press pretty much gets neglected now. You will need to make or buy a stand for the thing unless you have a serious bench to bolt it to. Been using it hard for several years and thus have gotten my $1k out of it several times over already. I've contemplated buying a second and dedicating it to certain tasks so I don't have to break down jigs.

[Dell Littlefield]

I use daily a drill press I purchased in 1986 and have never had a second thought about it. For 15 years, I used it in repairing clock movements so the precision was quite adequate. My only regret is that now that I am using it for woodworking, I sometimes wish I had bought a floor model instead of a bench mode.