Harbor freight’s hydraulic press

L

Lupien

Joined
May 28, 2022
Messages
6
Just getting into blade making and wondering if anyone has any thoughts on a Harbor Freight hydraulic press? I would like to attempt a canister Damascus but unsure if their machine will be adequate.
 
Nothing from Harbor Freight will be adequate if you are doing real work. They sell disposable “tools” and assorted garbage.
Folks show up at one of my job sites with something from there I send them home and hire someone else.
 
I own an auto repair shop and a makerspace so I am familiar. The bigger HF presses are actually pretty good. The fluid in them is not good and should be changed out.
 
I appreciate the responses, just looking for something that will do the job and not break the bank.
 
You can check out local auctions like gov deals and other sites. Been able to score some older babied tools that way
 
Kettleman said:
Nothing from Harbor Freight will be adequate if you are doing real work. They sell disposable “tools” and assorted garbage.
Folks show up at one of my job sites with something from there I send them home and hire someone else.
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That's a bit harsh, if true maybe you should include that in your hiring process instead of hiring people just to fire them because you don't like their tools. I'm not advocating for the super high quality of Harbor Freight but they have come a long way. Many people (myself included) buy certain obscure tools that aren't frequently used at Harbor Freight, and if I use it enough for it to break or become an annoyance I replace it with something higher quality. If not, I saved a bunch and got the job done just the same.
 
HF is very hit-or-miss. They sell some real garbage, and also some actual deals. I wouldn't want to run a business on their stuff, but for beginners or home users, some of it is totally fine. I recently bought a small arbor press from them - it was about $90 and was rough, I put a couple hours into cleaning it up. Nice ones at McMaster-Carr start at about $800 more than that, and if I were using it to make money, it would be worth considering. But for me noodling around in my shop on weekends, dropping upwards of $1k on a press I'll use maybe 10 times a year after this project is over would be ridiculous.

Youtube is useful for figuring out which of their tools are OK - plug the product into the search field, and there's almost certainly a few shop nerds who've ranted about it.
 
Ilikesharpstuff said:
That's a bit harsh, if true maybe you should include that in your hiring process instead of hiring people just to fire them because you don't like their tools. I'm not advocating for the super high quality of Harbor Freight but they have come a long way. Many people (myself included) buy certain obscure tools that aren't frequently used at Harbor Freight, and if I use it enough for it to break or become an annoyance I replace it with something higher quality. If not, I saved a bunch and got the job done just the same.
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With harbor freight the real deals come when they get access to certain manufacturer's factories. It happens, but usually it is somewhat of a rarity. For example, you can get a jack that is essentially identical to one sold by snap on. You will need to do your research on the model you want, and you will have to also compare the in store model to the one you actually do want. Sometimes they advertise items, and once they are found to be a good deal, they are bought quickly.

Example:
 
Ilikesharpstuff said:
That's a bit harsh, if true maybe you should include that in your hiring process instead of hiring people just to fire them because you don't like their tools. I'm not advocating for the super high quality of Harbor Freight but they have come a long way. Many people (myself included) buy certain obscure tools that aren't frequently used at Harbor Freight, and if I use it enough for it to break or become an annoyance I replace it with something higher quality. If not, I saved a bunch and got the job done just the same.
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Yep. I have been in many a shop that has Snap-on and Harbor Freight... and for impact sockets that you wreck? Buy HF every time. Just sounds business.

And have you seen the Hercules or Icon line? Very nice gear.
 
Ilikesharpstuff said:
That's a bit harsh, if true maybe you should include that in your hiring process instead of hiring people just to fire them because you don't like their tools. -I don’t find it harsh at all and as for my “ hiring process” you are obviously not in the trades….When I hire a contractor I hire the best I can find, not the cheapest. One of his employees or a sub shows up with garbage I know I’ll get garbage. I don’t except garbage. I expect professional work with professional results and that will not be had with a belt or van full of cheap garbage.
Click to expand...
 
Kettleman said:
Nothing from Harbor Freight will be adequate if you are doing real work. They sell disposable “tools” and assorted garbage.
Folks show up at one of my job sites with something from there I send them home and hire someone else.
Click to expand...
Thats total BS.
I have a lot of hand tools from HF, some for years now, and so far they are just as good or better than the overly expensive truck brands. I've seen plenty of Snap-On tools break.... HF, not so much.
Many of the better HF tool boxes are the same as Snap-On boxes, made in the same place. Floor jacks? Yup, same exactly except for the labeling. Air tools? Same thing....just as good......Torque wrenches? Yup.....HF wrenches have been tested many times and are just as good or better than the $$$$$$$ truck brand tools. So if you want to spend hundreds on a single set of open end wrenches or thousands on one tool box because you think you are impressing somebody, you go right ahead. Those of us who know better are laughing at you, not smiling because you have a garage full of expensive shiny toys.....and if you hire people based on the fact that they have shiny expensive tools, thats just ridiculous. Many of the best mechanics I know won't use the expensive truck brands just for the fact that they are grossly overpriced and way over rated. Most of the worst mechanics have boxes full of those shiny expensive tools that they are always pointing to (look at how much money I spent) , but never seem to know how to actually use properly.....
 
I was thinking about picking up an arbor press and belt/disc sander from HF...
 
-I don’t find it harsh at all and as for my “ hiring process” you are obviously not in the trades….When I hire a contractor I hire the best I can find, not the cheapest. One of his employees or a sub shows up with garbage I know I’ll get garbage. I don’t except garbage. I expect professional work with professional results and that will not be had with a belt or van full of cheap garbage.
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I do work in the trades, and while it sounds like a different trade than you, that has taught me not to judge someone by the cost of their toolbox. If you hire the best you can find and you still have people showing up with "garbage" then I'd again point to your hiring process. The results of someone's work often has little to do with the cost of their tools. I'd wager a true professional could get better results with a van full of Harbor Freight tools than some Billy-Badass who thinks his expensive tools make him a skilled craftsman. Do you fire someone if they show up in a beater truck because it might not be reliable so you can hire someone with a brand new lifted 3/4 ton plastered with their company logo?
 
Arathol said:
Thats total BS.
I have a lot of hand tools from HF, some for years now, and so far they are just as good or better than the overly expensive truck brands.
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Arathol said:
HF wrenches have been tested many times and are just as good or better than the $$$$$$$ truck brand tools.
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What exactly are you referring to?
If you’re saying Pittsburgh is equivalent to Proto, you need a reality check.

That said, the nicer Taiwanese stuff they’re now selling (branded Icon, or something) seems to be of decent quality without the violation inherent in the truck brands. If I were starting a tool box, there’d almost certainly be a fair amount of that in it.
 
BD_01 said:
What exactly are you referring to?
If you’re saying Pittsburgh is equivalent to Proto, you need a reality check.

That said, the nicer Taiwanese stuff they’re now selling (branded Icon, or something) seems to be of decent quality without the violation inherent in the truck brands. If I were starting a tool box, there’d almost certainly be a fair amount of that in it.
Click to expand...

What do you mean on the violation from truck brands? I don't think HF has been hit with and lost a single infringement case... and that is hard in this world, honestly.

Honestly on the good gear it depends. The impact sockets are great. The Icon series is good. Some Bauer. Most Hercules. US General is solid. I mean the list goes on.
 
By “violation” I meant like getting bent over a barrel paying tool truck premiums, which are insane.

Copyright infringement & whatnot didn’t occur to me.

But yeah, now that you mention it, slogans like “Compare to Snap-on” are written all over the place.
 
Ilikesharpstuff said:
I do work in the trades, and while it sounds like a different trade than you, that has taught me not to judge someone by the cost of their toolbox. If you hire the best you can find and you still have people showing up with "garbage" then I'd again point to your hiring process. The results of someone's work often has little to do with the cost of their tools. I'd wager a true professional could get better results with a van full of Harbor Freight tools than some Billy-Badass who thinks his expensive tools make him a skilled craftsman. Do you fire someone if they show up in a beater truck because it might not be reliable so you can hire someone with a brand new lifted 3/4 ton plastered with their company logo?
Click to expand...
There are no beater trucks arriving on my jobs. I hire professional mechanical and electrical contractors driving company trucks outfitted with top quality tools and materials, driven and operated by professional union tradesmen. I try real hard to not hire mom and pops because they do not have the resources to provide the service I need and demand. In the past when I was the contractor i was often forced to hire a sub out for a part of a project and it is at these time I was referring. And like it or not but every shitbird Ive ever tossed off a site had a beat up piece of crap truck ( or better yet a F ing station wagon with a ladder strapped to the top) filled with harbor freight junk.
I also don’t need to be taught that the tools don’t make the man as a 30 year journeymen myself I know all to well what a craftsman can do with what’s available. However after a lifetime Ive learned that crap tools in the hands of anyone will result in lower quality work than good and proper tools will. I am paid to keep a 100+ million dollar facility up and running and that means quality every time no exceptions
Listening to every one here you would think using a Klein screwdriver is a bad thing and I should by a bag of cheap crap and save my money….pass thanks. I also own fluke meters, wear Redwing boots and carry CRK knives see a pattern?

Im out.
 
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