Shop Tools...

Maybe they carry the bulk tape erasers?????

:-)

You mean great.... Big ......Magnets?

check this out for enterprising folks:

Personally I am about fed up to here with cheap crap 'tools' from China, etc. If I could hurl my Chinese drill press or Ryobi table saw (the worst, period) at the idiots that built them I would! I've used my share and have learned the hard way, that if a tool is worth anything to me, it's worth having one that works NOW without excuses.... even if it costs a few dollars more. There IS a reason to pay more. My time is valuable, and time wasted fiddling with inferior junk just to make it work, adds expense to that 'cheap' item every time I use it!!!!! The added bonus is that a quality tool will still be working great many years hence, not having been replaced time and again with yet another cheap Chinese knockoff. And I just did it again.... bought HFs' 'Touch-up Spray Gun' (Jamb Gun). This is a tool I've always wanted to add to my collection of airbrushes and spray guns so I was in da big city recently and grabbed one at HF. I get home and use it and yes, it works, fair, (brand new), but NOT with the precision of the old used US made ones I'd been using at an enameling workshop that weekend. I'm not even surprised....I kick my own ass yet again and promise myself to spend $60 on a GOOD one, and return the $20 one to where it belongs, and stop enriching China (etc) while choking my fellow Americans out of a job.

Plus.... I really enjoy the 'feel' of a quality tool in my hands, which makes using it a pleasure.... like Snap-On, Milwaukee, Matco, Black & Decker, Paragon, ALC Sandy Jet & Pressure Blasters, Glastar beveling machines, Dayton motors, US made Gibson guitars, vintage Chevy musclecars, Vita-Mix blender, Shure mics, Mackie pro audio mixer, Petzl LED headlamp, and much more .... AND I DO DESERVE QUALITY TOOLS...DON'T I ?.... not cheesy compromises!

I'm not saying that if it's foreign it's poor....I'm saying if it's cheap, there's a reason why! I also seek out and enjoy numerous foreign products worth having .... Bosch grinder, Yamaha digital 16 track recorder, numerous AKG mics, Atomic skis-boots-bindings, Makita driver/drills & diamond circular-saw, vintage Pioneer silver-face receivers, several Olympus cameras, numerous German lenses for US made 4x5 cameras, Zildjian cymbals, etc ... the list is extensive....and yet by shopping around smart, I still find discount prices on most of these items as well.

This is really important for me to remember >> I HAVE NEVER_ NEVER _ REGRETTED SPENDING MORE TO BUY A QUALITY PRODUCT OF ANY KIND.....EVER.(esp. tools) ..... And.... I have consistently regretted buying cheapo alternatives from distant shores. I own so many bargain 'tools' that regularly remind me of these truths, I don't know how I could ever forget, but show me a 'sale' sign and sometimes I'm just struck dumb I guess.

Go ahead and shop Harbor Freight .... just don't expect quality remotely equivelent to the products they are copying.

Newest quality USA purchase.... replacing 20 year old Jacuzzi brand spa with another Jacuzzi tomorrow. It worked flawlessly this whole time, but the plastic flex-hose plumbing finally got cancer.... it happens... patched pipe for a while, but I'm mostly enamoured with the 'new' upgrades now available.....more jets, more power, digital controls.... mmmmmmmmmm .... c'mon over for a soak sometime....;-)

Cheers, Jacques Bordeleau

yeah, but a lot of what you listed is made in china. it's hard, if not impossible, to determine where some things are made, let alone if some assemblies are made in different places.

KIND.....EVER.(esp.

Bullfrog Spas in Salt Lake claims to have quite a fine product.

========================== I am sadly aware of that, Charlie. My 94 GMC S-15 Jimmy has metric and SAE parts scattered all over it, but it's STILL twice the truck any uni-body Honda or Beemer SUV will ever be .... I use it to plow snow (not commercially) ... got big driveways & deep snow at 6,000' ya know. It replaced the 85 S-10 I had, because I became very clear they are a solid design with long experience behind in truck components! I live and play in central Idaho, and MY rig actually leaves the pavement (on purpose) a lot!

My original point was not foreign 'bad', US 'good' (read it again?)..... it was "quality is definitely worth paying for, especially with tools". If a company outsources (all do now) it does not mean it's crap, if proper quality controls and oversight monitoring are in place and the overseas manufacturer is meeting or exceeding those specs. When you leave the Chinese, et al, to "write those specs for themselves" in a cheap-ass mass-market knock-off, you are asking for disappointment..... i.e., Harbor Freight, where PRICE is the ONLY object!

I'd still rather have my 30 year old long lost Delta radial-arm (or a new model) than ANY brand new product Ryobi makes, for example! This opinion is formed from experience.... and is just an opinion. My Ryobi table saw began falling apart just after the warranty did..... duh! It's barely usable at all at this point. What went wrong?.... almost every important part of it!!!!! But.... My even older Delta jointer still works just like new! I own numerous examples of each scenario ... but need I go on?

Regards, Jacques Bordeleau

====================

Ribbet.....;-)

that's one on the top of my list for my new house.( a new Jacuzzi) please share what you found to be the best deal/quality. I also have had a rough time with a cheap item (actually 20 items) from HF. i bought their 8 " pneumatic wheels for my display for shows and not one of the *^%$#* tire inner tubes will hold air! what a PITA!. anyone know where i can find some RELIABLE wheels? thanks, m

Hey Michelle.... I have no idea what your tires are, but try a local tire shop. I had them put an inner tube into a wheelbarrow tire that wouldn't hold air, so I guess they stock some oddball sizes. Do a web search..... there are zillions of wheels available, or maybe Grainger would be most reliable for ya'!!! As for tubs.... I've heard some quality stories about Home Depot tubs, so beware ... and in general there are numerous cheapos out there, and again, there are quality reasons they sell for much less than the top ones. Jacuzzi of course, and their subsidary Sundance, offer some really satisfying units. I'm sure there are others quite comparable, but I can't advise beyond these because I found the Jacuzzi deal I want before research was complete. My tub is actually 5 years old, and in mint condition for $1,000... I have complete faith in it (and a 4 full month warranty) because my old Jacuzzi was picked up about 10 years old ($100) and worked perfectly for almost 10 more years! I had to frame that one in and plumb it all myself though ...but the new one is totally self contained. I'll keep a towel ready for you, until ya get yer own....;-)

Cheers, JB

Have you checked McMaster-Carr or MSC? I don't have the catalogs in front of me, but seem to recall seeing a section with tires and such.

Bert

Hummm....those wheels ARE reliable. You can count on them to be flat. ;>)

Northern Tool (Formerly Northern Handyman) has a lot of tires/wheels.

I thought most of the small pneumatic wheels/tires were tubeless?

Have you tried tightening the Schrader valve in the valve stem? That little plunger-like assembly that lets the air from the hose into the tire is made so it will screw in and out of the rubber core. I've had them be loose and seep air.

The few things I've bought at HF that didn't work or died too early were exchanged/returned without a bit of problem. I had a small compressor that worked for a few months and then died. They did an on-the-spot exchange, even out of warranty. Take them back....

For myself I use and love good quality everything. What you're missing here is the new students to our SG world. I can't blame them for not wanting to spend $25 on a grozing pliers, when they can buy a cheap one for $4. In my shop they can buy a complete set of starter tools for anywhere between $50 and hundreds. It's hard to justify spending more if you're an occasional worker. Eventually the more interested folks will upgrade when replacments are needed. Think of all the people that wouldn't be involved in our craft if they had to spend top dollar at the entry level.

well, i tried the local guy. He ended up charging me over 30$ for a single tube replacement. The box i am having the most trouble with weighs about 800 lbs full (which it stays). The weight may just be too much for these wheels. But, i can't go bigger and fit it into my trailer and if i go solid i won't be able to get over the terrain i deal with at some shows! i have already checked the valve stems and that helped a lot on the smaller boxes. thanks for all the input, i'll keep looking around. I'll see you at the tub, do two thongs make a right? thanks, m

If you are "stuck" with the wheels, one thing might be worth considering:

There's a product called "Slime" that is put into tires that continually leak or get punctured. Golf course superintendants use it on mowers and the like. It is lime green in color and puts a seal on the inside of the tires and the steel rim. It's supposed to seal "anything"....and you can get it at, guess where? HF

If the tires are dry-rotted or just plain BAD...one of my best buddies sells (wholesale) all sorts of small tires for trailers, mowers, wheelbarrows, and the like.. If you want to replace them, let me know, and I'll have him call you.

these tires are close to new, no rot, wear,etc. 'Slime' i think is similar to 'fix a flat' which is only intended for tubeless tires (i found THAT out the hard way, what a mess). Maybe your guy could e-mail me if he has a solution i can afford. i spent about 20$ each for these wheels! thanks, m