I will just leave this here


 
I know they're inexpensive but frankly HF stuff is surprisingly well made these days. Since there is basically nowhere you can buy actual Made in USA tools I feel why pay for names like Stanley, Crapsmen, and so on. They likely come from the same factories and the tooling on the stuff is truly amazing now especially at the price points. Besides I don't make a living with them anymore. Hell I barely even touch my own cars anymore.
 
CWalker said:
Speaking of Snap On...


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Yep, that is similar to the one that I still have the Snap On logo from - and not much else. A piece of junk grill that rusts out like all the rest. Invisible support. I am glad I at least only dropped a hundred on mine before tossing it into our maintenance scrap pile:rolleyes:. A pretty expensive logo!

Summit Junk 3.jpg

I still hold out hope of making a WEBER "Snap On" grill. Possibly use a circa 2010 Spirit 3 -burner that has the classic side controls and crossover burner but also solid side shelves. Put on a red hood and then customize the doors in red with trim pieces attached to resemble a tool box. Another of my ideas that will probably stay just an idea... The logo has a spot in my new shed anyway!
 
LMichaels said:
I know they're inexpensive but frankly HF stuff is surprisingly well made these days. Since there is basically nowhere you can buy actual Made in USA tools I feel why pay for names like Stanley, Crapsmen, and so on. They likely come from the same factories and the tooling on the stuff is truly amazing now especially at the price points. Besides I don't make a living with them anymore. Hell I barely even touch my own cars anymore.
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Not so sure about that Larry...

I am a big fan of Project Farm's videos on youtube and he pits like tool as well as auto/home items against each other. Harbor Freight tools/products consistently score at the bottom of the pack across his tests as well as several other youtube testers test. Occasional you'll get something from HF that works better than expected but for how long?

I recently had to remove a rear wiper arm from my SUV. The arm had welded itself to the wiper motor splined shaft and would not budge. I grabbed one of the China-made wiper removal tools off the shelf from my work and gave it a go. Two turns of the handle and the tool snapped in half... W T F
I ordered in a Lisle 54150 Battery Terminal and Wiper Arm Puller from my warehouse and when it came in I gave it a go. The arm came off first try as easy as pie. One guess where it was made? Hint...not China.

I worked with a guy years ago that woke up in the Emergency Room missing most of the teeth in his mouth when the POS Breaker Bar he was using snapped and struck him in face. He used to Love taking his fake teeth out to tell the story, grossed us all out.

My Brothers Friend was almost killed when the Auto Jack he was using let go and crushed his legs. Luckily the Mailman was dropping off mail and saw him pinned under the car or he would not be here with us today. It was his fault for not using Jack Stands but had it been Harbor Freights Stands it probably would not have made a difference.

See here-

www.motortrend.com

Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall and Safe Jacking Techniques

The frightening Harbor Freight jack stand recall has us thinking about safer ways to use jacks and jack stands to work under your car.
www.motortrend.com www.motortrend.com

www.baynews9.com

Recall: Harbor Freight Recalls Steel Jack Stands a Second Time

Second recall on jack stands in 2020
www.baynews9.com www.baynews9.com


To me, any tool worth having should be a tool you can count on each time you reach for it. I have two Son's who will be getting all of my hand and power tools when I leave this World. Heck, their children might even get them as I am still using several of my Grandfathers Craftsman tools I inherited from him.

Jeff
 
I buy name brand and I buy plenty of HF tools. I buy a tool according to my needs. If I just want a tool that I use very sparingly and not hard, then HF is fine for most of those situations. If I am going to use the tool daily and need to put it through it's paces, then I will fork out the money for one of the top brands. I don't need a set of Snap on Sockets that will last me 50 years. I will be in a nursing home in 20 and I will have lost half the set by then any way.
 
Thing is the average person who is not a pro wrench cannot even get their hands on pro stuff. And I also used to have the same luck with the stuff from HF and the like. But truly some of the stuff is eye opening really good. They've had a few stinkers lately but honestly even one of the hardest of reviewers can't find too much bad to say about them aVe on You Tube. Even most of the SnapOn branded stuff available to the consumer is basically gussied up Stanley Made in Taiwan/China.
 
As a wannabe, non-professional tool user, I personally like Harbor Freight, but I do agree that some of their stuff is better left on their shelves. I bought a set of cheap Pittsburgh pliers, and, yes, they were REALLY CHEAP 🤨 . On the other hand, I recently bought a set of their new Doyle "Water Pump" pliers. I am very impressed, even though I recognize they are a Knipex knock-off. But for someone like me who is just an occasional user, I would say they are a great value on a very solidly built tool. Works like a charm for me.

www.harborfreight.com

12 in. Fast Adjust Water Pump Pliers

Amazing deals on this 12In Fast Adjust Water Pump Pliers at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com

I have also purchased over time (20% off mostly) some other Doyle pliers, and all of them are excellent and heavy duty - at least in my book. (I gave the Pittsburg junk to my son who is essentially a non-tool user!) These Doyle and now Icon tools are HF's higher quality stuff. Not at giveaway prices, but also not junk in my opinion. I have watched a number of good reviews that seem to confirm they are, at the least, very decent.

Finally, in small power tools, I think the Hercules tools are mostly very good. You can get them at a great deal now and then, but their stock price might send you on for a Dewalt or Milwaukee for just a little more $.

I also would think twice about getting under a car held up by a HF jack!
 
I've been slowly replacing some of my crappy cheap tools with better quality ones. Whia has been having some really good sales this year.

www.wihatools.com

Wiha Tools USA

Selling Wiha made screwdrivers, bits, pliers, and hex keys in the USA since 1985. Wiha tools are built to last and loved by professionals around the world. Tools That work for you.
www.wihatools.com www.wihatools.com

Their push button "water pump" pliers are a joy to use. Never knew what I was missing until I bought a pair. I was able to get the 3-piece set for $40. It came with 7", 10" and 12".

I work in the automotive engineering department at my company and occasionally we get samples from vendors and I've gotten a few new tools this way.

Kind of like a few of you, with a tool I'll use once a year, I usually don't spring for top of the line. I'll buy some mid-grade range unless it's super expensive then I'll go for Harbor Freight. I've never used cheapo jack stands or car jacks.....that's not something I want to mess with.
 
I think it's funny how people still call them water pump pliers. No one has rebuilt a water pump in house for probably 50 years :D I remember doing them. But then I also remember all drum brakes on 6000lb cars LOL (can you say fade? sure I knew you could), I also was brought up in the times when there was valve train noise we had to turn our own rocker shafts on the shop lathe down to next rocker arm size, machined out own drums, rebuilt carbs (not replaced), rebuilt starters, generators, alternators, water pumps, differentials basically we did not "replace" anything, We rebuilt everything. It was a different time
 
My dad loved to get tools as gifts but there was one rule that was never to be broken: they had to be US-made. He also gave tools as gifts, and one year he gave me a set of Craftsman metric combination wrenches without even thinking to check where they were made...and they turned out to be from Japan (the first imported Craftsman hand tools any of us had ever seen). He was really disappointed.

He inherited a circa-1920 Craftsman bench vise from his grandfather and one day in the '80s the screw finally broke. He took it to the local Sears and the hardware department manager honored the lifetime warranty with a brand-new vise of the same size. The manager did have to confirm the replacement with a call to the corporate office, and the story goes that they were going to think about putting it on display as one of the oldest tools ever replaced under warranty (never heard if they did or not).

Years ago around here there were 2 sisters whose father who would always buy Snap-On tools whenever he had a little extra cash. After he passed away they inherited them (most of which were new/unused and often in the original packaging), and once a year they would have a sale where they'd sell them for 50% of the then-current catalog price. I went to a few of them and every time I saw a few mechanics from work shopping there as well.
 
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Jon Tofte said:
Yep, that is similar to the one that I still have the Snap On logo from - and not much else. A piece of junk grill that rusts out like all the rest. Invisible support. I am glad I at least only dropped a hundred on mine before tossing it into our maintenance scrap pile:rolleyes:. A pretty expensive logo!

View attachment 16063

I still hold out hope of making a WEBER "Snap On" grill. Possibly use a circa 2010 Spirit 3 -burner that has the classic side controls and crossover burner but also solid side shelves. Put on a red hood and then customize the doors in red with trim pieces attached to resemble a tool box. Another of my ideas that will probably stay just an idea... The logo has a spot in my new shed anyway!
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Went to my mechanic last night to help with a friend's prius computer issue. Among all the sporty cars was this, right after seeing one here. Good shape too. Showed them the dials under the top "drawer". Everyone was surprised I knew about it. Just dumb luck. Long live TVWBB
 

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That one looks really nice. That grill is all style and no substance, but maybe if kept inside and cleaned often it would be OK. Kind of looks like maybe it is just a display item anyway!
 
A quick question for all the flippers on this forum. It seems like this must be a labor of love for the flippers here. I seems like it would maybe give you a little extra pocket change, but not enough to actually make it a viable income stream. I want to restore my Genesis 2 redhead because I really like the old redheads look, and am trying to fix up my side yard to make a great place to hang out and relax. I am doing all the work myself because I want it to be mine. So my question. Is it truly a labor of love? Wanting to save these old Webers and you just enjoy the process? Honestly if I had a good work space I would enjoy it much more, but I don't so it is a bit of a struggle for me.

Here is a short video of our work the last month on our house. We painted the house, installed the brick patio, set up the firepit area, put down landscape cloth, and spread 3 yards of gravel. The ladder won't live there, but we are still working on high trim when weather permits.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=3320524334709803
 
I am mostly a collector who flips to fuel my habit :coolkettle: . I think most of us would agree that when you factor in ALL the time you spend getting grills, disassembling, etc., organizing and obtaining parts, doing all the cleaning, painting and putting it all back together - only then to have to babysit online sale sites - that your return per hour is generally not very stellar. I think Dave in KC has the business end of this down the best of any I have seen on our board. He has a very good read of the pulse of his market and has learned how to spy out winners. He does great work but also avoids the sentimental, time consuming minor stuff that bogs me down and makes it hard to get a decent return. He wisely saves that for his personal collection grills.

I am sure we all would agree that having a decent sized shop with good lighting, temperature control, and ventilation would be a big help. Up until now I have never really been able to have my parts in an organized, dry place where each job can be done efficiently. My new house has two sheds, the larger of which is not totally adequate but the closest I am like to have toward this goal. I hope to have some stuff to post about that soon.

Finally, having decent tools is a must. That is another cost if you don't already have that. If you can go more exotic, it would be dream come true to be able to sand blast your own stuff. From what I can see that would be prohibitively expensive, though.

All in all, this is a fun hobby if you like working with your hands and seeing something old and ugly become beautiful and useful again. That's the real reward in my mind. Enjoying grilling and a little bit about the history of Weber (and other companies) also helps. I wouldn't advocate quitting a day job to restore grills - even Dave doesn't do that. However, you CAN make some money and have fun at the same time.
 
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