You may have noticed that I have purchased a number of the tools that I use to work on my motorcycle at a retail store called Harbor Freight Tools. They have an online store as well.
Well, I have to say that my experience with them has been hit or miss. The motorcycle jack I purchased has served me well, along with the tire/wheel bead breakers, balancing stand, and lots of small stuff like rags, nylon ties, alan wrenches, etc.
I have to say that when it comes to power hand tools, it is “Buyer Beware.”
Harbor Freight Tools – Drill Master 3/8″ Electric Drill – Item 3670
I purchased their Drill Master 3/8″ electric drill on June 20, 2012 and still have the receipt to prove it. In December 2012, my son needed to use a drill for a craft project, and told me that the drill did not work. I went down to my shop and tried it myself and couldn’t believe it… it was completely dead. No smoke, no sound… nothing.
At this point in the life of this drill, if it were a car, it would have the equivalent of 100 miles on it since it was purchased it. It had almost never been used and certainly not abused or misused. It still looks brand new.
I took the drill back to the Lombard, Illinois store and explained what had happened. They looked at the drill and looked at the receipt and said, “Sorry, the 90 day warranty has expired.”
I said, “So you would rather that I have a really negative customer experience with one of your products, so that I tell everyone in my social network about it, than to replace a $20 tool?”
“Sorry, that’s our policy!”
So there you have it folks. The “policy” has spoken. My poor customer experience is worth less than $20 to Harbor Freight Tools. You draw your own conclusion from that!
Based upon this experience, I can not recommend Harbor Freight power hand tools. They are low-priced, poor-quality tools that will fail at the worst possible time. I recommend going to Sears and buying a Craftsman tool, so that if it EVER fails, they will replace it on the spot, no questions asked, with or without a receipt. Now that is customer service!
I’ve never heard of Harbor Freight Tools so I’ll just start to avoid them, thanks for the heads up Triumphbonneville!
I’ve had great luck with Harbor Freight Tools, many of my air tools are sold by them as well as impact socket sets. Many of the tools I bought were used in repairing heavy equipment on a daily basis for a living. Yes I even use them on my 2007 Bonnie. I’ve taken a couple of items back that broke in use, and they gladly replaced them (lifetime warranty). Yes, I also have Snap On and Craftsman tools as well and have returned them as well. You get what you pay for and even Snap On doesn’t warranty everything they sell forever.
Tom,
Thanks for weighing in. It’s great that you’ve had good experience with Harbor Freight Tools. Perhaps the items you purchased had a different warranty than this drill… I don’t know. All I know is what the store manager told me… their tools have a 90-day warranty (unless you purchased the extended warranty), and they won’t accept anything in return without the receipt (I had mine). I do have other Harbor Freight Tools that have lasted and seem to be a good quality. My purpose is to warn others that IF a tool does fail past the 90 days, or if you lose your receipt, you are out of luck.
This seems like a pretty poor warranty policy in this day and age where you can return most anything anywhere, (broken or not) no questions asked.
Randy
Which jack stand did you purchase from harbor freight? I was thinking about picking up the aluminum lift but would like a second opinion.
Abe,
I purchased this one: http://triumphbonneville.org/british-customs-19-tooth-front-sprocket-conversion/
It works fine for me. I’ve seen the aluminum one and it looks sweet. It appears to be better made.
Go for it!
Randy
Thanks so much for getting back to me so quickly! Ps- your page is really helpful.