This must surely have been mentioned here before but, since it's always good for a laugh and some folks won't have seen it, here it is again.
Harbor Freight, for those who don't know, is a US company that's a cross between Screwfix and a pound shop.
This was Mad magazine's take on HF's Innovations-style flyers.
Not even a pdf that I can read. Brian
Sadly, you missed out there. I thought it was pretty good. It included things like a 5 horse power noise and fume generator (one of those small chinese portable generators). Also an 18 volt cordless hammer.
All terrific stuff. Pity none of it is available in the UK.
Brilliant!
Bono is; you can keep him, if you like.
LMAO!
It's so nearly true too...
HF isn't that bad a place. I've bought a few bits of Unobtainium from them over the years. IIRC there is an annual staff competition to create the most amusing web advert. This comp ends in March and is published on the first day of April. Good folk to deal with AND they have a sense of humour. Nick.
You don't go to the shops very often, do you? :-)
I see endless examples of this sort of shit in emporia ranging from Pound Shops, Aldi. Lidl and Netto all the way up to B&Q, Wickes and other large retail sheds.
The one that really demonstrates the futility of it all (overpriced junk that _might_just_ come in useful one fine day if only it were able to last that long (one day)), is the cheap LED torch designed to burn up expensive AAA cells rather than run off a single D or C cell at a fraction of the running cost.
I saw a Duracell LED torch priced at just one pound in the Home Bargain shop the other day[1] whilst assisting the XYL with the shopping. The fact that it only used a single cell (ergo, using a proper electronic ballast) almost tempted me into purchasing it (notwithstanding that the finish of the plastic moulded case wasn't particularly inspiring) until I noted that the single cell (good idea) was entirely marred by the choice of AAA cell size (extremely BAD idea).
It's an obvious ploy to create more demand in this market segment in order to shift AAA cells (it seems the demand for 6v lantern batteries which contain some 30 or so (36?) of this size of cell isn't quite large enough to consume their AAA cell production line output. I'd like to think that Ever Ready are showing such concern for their AAA cell production facilities workforces's future prospects but I rather suspect they're merely maintaing a supply of 'problems' needed to make the AAA cell a 'solution'.
In any case, I got myself 3 single AA cell aluminium bodied LED torches in our local flea market a few years back for just a quid each.
[1] I went through a similar process whilst looking over the latest Aldi hand lantern they had priced at £9.99. Similar defficiency. I was rather disappointed to see that it required 3 (or maybe 4) AA cells when there was patently more than enough room for a single D cell, if not a pair of D's. Quite clearly, yet another 'problem' for the AA cell size of battery to 'solve'.If the lamp had been designed to use D cells (just one or two) instead of AA cells, I'd have seriously considered its purchase. It's the choosing of AA power over D power that turns a nicely thought out piece of kit into an unmitigated lump of shit. Sadly, this is all too typical of most such gadgetry.
The most egregious example of 'penny pinching' is those disposable lighter packs sold in pound shops where the ignitor mechanism has been so seriously 'under-engineered' as to render them useless long before they run out of gas or flint (the one shot consumables you'd _expect_ to be the limiting feature of their useful life). Harbour Freight don't have a monopoly on selling "Shite Products". We have our very own purveyors of Shit here in the UK.
Yes, I bought a 24" scissor jack from them quite recently, like hens teeth in the UK and the Li celled torch was very good value. I recently looked at their 12" Mitre saws, but they seem to be direct drive and don't have the depth of cut that belt drive gives. Always good for a look round when we're abroad, but heavy items are a no no to ship to the US, let alone the UK. Very helpful staff.
Ryobi do a 12v cordless hammer
They had a couple of items I was willing to pay shipping on to my gaff, but they flat-out refused to ship outside the US. Wankers.
'Inflated sense of self-importance' - spot on!
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