Date: Fri, 1 Jun 2012 10:47:53 -0500
Reply-To: Tom Hargrave <thargrav@HIWAAY.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tom Hargrave <thargrav@HIWAAY.NET>
Subject: Re: HF Specials
In-Reply-To: <CAHTkEu+1bAmjpRGgqPUof1Psc4DTs2poTiBHJFFG4f6DRTafDA@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I buy a lot of stuff from Harbor Freight but nothing precision. For example,
I buy ratchets but not sockets or torque wrenches. I also don't buy wrenches
from them.
I have bought two air compressors, a band saw, a drill press, a 1" wide belt
sander and some hand power tools from Harbor Freight. I've discovered that I
can't afford any of their power tools.
Both compressors - both failed within 6 months
Band saw - bearing failure in 10 months
Drill press - 1.5 years old and has enough side to side play in the head
that I can no longer drill a accurate hole
Belt sander - top bearing failed in 8 months
Hand power tools - we'll see at this point
In fairness to Harbor Freight, I use these in my shop and probably put 10X
"home use" hours on these tools.
From now on I will buy name brand. Sure, the name brand equipment will still
be made in China but at least they will be bade to the name brand company's
standards.
Thanks, Tom Hargrave
www.stir-plate.com
www.towercooler.com
www.kegkits.com
www.grow-sun.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of
Don Hanson
Sent: Friday, June 01, 2012 9:34 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: HF Specials
I wouldn't even think of using a Harbor Freight torque wrench on any of my
bikes. At the very fine (and critical) settings that are required and the
fragile nature of bike frames and components, a low-cost, possibly
wrongly calibrated, torque wrench can cost you big!. It doesn't take much
of an error to ruin a bike frame that might be worth $5000. Can you
imagine the laugh you'd get if you went back to HF and said..."Hey, you sold
me a faulty torque wrench for $12 and I used it on my carbon bike frame. It
didn't 'click' and it broke the bottom bracket (or the brake
bridge) -the frame is now garbage.......You owe me a new frame.....That'll
be $4800 you owe me for my down-scale carbon frame"
I could buy two of my very adequate inline VW 5sp vans for what I paid
for my race bike, not counting the carbon wheels. And mine is not expensive,
compared to some... There are bicycle torque requirements in the
5 nm range and 8 nm will cause catastrophic failure. Descending a
mountain pass at 50mph on a bicycle with carbon handlebars that have been
torqued with a HF wrench? When they may be over-torqued and ready to snap
off, causing a high speed face-plant(at the very least)?
Not worth saving a few bucks on the wrench...
I do have one that I use on my Vanagon for wheel lugs and non-critical
precision torque jobs. The locking function, the extra knurled knob on
the handle that is supposed to keep the setting locked in...that broke the
first week I got the thing, and the little retainer ball fell out of the
socket square drive so the sockets just drop off...pretty much junk, in my
experience....Good price though..
Don Hanson
On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 5:30 AM, Edward Maglott <emaglott3@gmail.com> wrote:
> Update: I just got an email coupon for your choice 1/4, 1/2, 3/8
> wrench for $12.99.
>
>
>
> Seems like if you wait long enough the torque wrenches are sometimes
> $9.99. I got the in/lb 1/4" drive one for the odd time I might need
> that for bicycle work.
>
> I did the upper and lower ball joints on my '86 using the press type
> thing I borrowed from my flaps for free. no problems.
>
> Edward
>
>
>
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