Harbor Fright Down Grades Quality Again

Harbor Fright Down Grades Quality Again

I've got a couple Harbor Fright Drill press. One is a floor model. Its not wonderful, but its atleast 15 years old and it works. Once you learn a few tricks you can drill decent holes. The other is a 12 speed bench model. In some ways its better than the floor model. I keep a tapping head in that one. I tap a lot of 10-32 holes in aluminum with it. It was the smallest least expensive drill press I could find that had a regular MT2 taper, and it works great for what I use it for. Tapping holes.

A buddy from another newsgroup gave me a good deal on another tapping head a little bigger than the one I had. I figured I would set it up, and just leave a 1/4-20 machine tap in it since that's the second most common hole I tap. I was thinking another one of those Harbor Fright 12 speed bench toppers would do the trick, so I started hunting for a coupon or a sale. Finally I found an outfit that would "sell" me a coupon for it for $5. Since it would save me $40 if it wasn't bogus I figured it was worth a shot. I printed my coupon and checked on-line to make sure the coupon code was good. Off to Harbor Fright to buy my drill press. There were none on display, but there was one below in a box. I opened up the box to make sure everything was there, and noticed the head didn't look right. I checked further and found it doesn't have an MT2 taper anymore. Its got that stupid fixed BT16 spindle taper instead. The one that is on the smaller cheaper drill presses. Just to be double sure I looked at the manual. Yep. They downgraded the unit a LOT and didn't lower the price.

I left the coupon on the box for the next guy.

Reply to
Bob La Londe
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Hmmm...downgraded the unit and didn't lower the price. Where have I heard that before?

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Reply to
DerbyDad03

"Bob La Londe" wrote in news:mgk4e5$c76$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:

Going off on a tangent here, but how could you not find a Harbor Freight coupon? Every magazine I subscribe to has a full-page Harbor Freight ad every month, with a 20% off coupon (and one for a free tape measure/LED lamp/screwdriver/ random trinket). Every week the mailman brings me the three local ad stuffers, and every one has a Harbor Freight ad in it. I could probably find a dozen Harbor Freight coupons in the house right now (plus another dozen that are expired).

John

Reply to
John McCoy

There are "special coupons" around that are better than the coupons that you see everywhere. I knew what I was looking for and I found one. Sadly they changed the drill. Glad I didn't just order it on-line. I would have been peeved. to find I couldn't use it for what I wanted.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

Went to Lowes the other day to buy another box of Hefty 39-gallon 1.3 mil "Steel-Sak" garbage bags. From my records, I have observed these price increases:

2009, $9.99 2010, $10.98 2011, $11.99 2015, $12.99

The price increase didn't bug me that much this year. What bugged me was when I got home I found out there are now only 28 bags in the box instead of 30! Along with the price increase, it bugged me...lol There are cheaper options, and will be choosing one of them. My new choice is unlikely to involve either Lowes or Hefty.

Reply to
Bill

---------------------------------------------------------- Been to the supermarket lately.

The favorite way for retail consumer products to get a price increase is to maintain the package size while reducing the quantity of the product in the package.

As examples a half gallon size (64 oz) box of ice cream is now 56 oz, and a 5 oz box of Irish Spring bath soap is now 3.75 oz but the box sizes for these items have remained constant.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

I guess one of the kind things we can do for each other is to share our knowledge. I don't like it when they try to "deceive" us. TurboTax, you may recall, tried to do that in a big way this year. Gasoline prices actually aren't so bad at this point! : )

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Reply to
Bill

What does that have to do with quality? They downgraded the features, but that does not mean the quality of the product is affected at all. You have the terms confused.

Quality has to do with tolerances, grades of material, proper assembly.

What you have is a lesser featured product.

Also, don't be confused by a company that touts they are ISO9000 certified. That does not mean them make a good product. It meant if they make a crappy product, they will all be equally crappy and they have the process to assure it. .

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Look at the mayonnaise jars- now 30 oz. instead of 32 oz. Sauers just succumbed to this and I am looking at other brands for the first time in years. I quit Unilever over their "Just Mayonnaise" fiasco. No more Lipton,Knorr or other Unilever for me. If enough of us over react, this bs will not be acceptable.

Reply to
Mr.E

Lowes margins haven't changed much in years, in fact they may have gone down some. Yes, their gross and net have increased with selling more and adding stores. Their financials seem to reflect a well run company.

Reply to
Doug Winterburn

And the paperwork to prove it.

Reply to
BF

Yup! Meeting a certain standard means that you meet a minimum requirement and that is all.

Reply to
Leon

I haven't looked at prices for benchtop drill presses is there a wide range of prices how much lower is 'harbor fright'

sounds like a series of fortunate events or are you not going to get one at all now

coupon's only good for that tool? what's the story with that

Reply to
Electric Comet

Aren't these things clearly marked on the packaging? You guys are acting like they're trying to pull on over on you.

You can see the price and the quantity or weight or volume clearly marked on the labels. You're not stupid cows sauntering over to a feed trough ever day gulping down whatever was shoveled into it.

Reply to
-MIKE-

+1

...and a process to produce an even crappier product in the future. ;-)

Reply to
krw

Guys, this is NOT price increases.

This is inflation at work.

And it's about to skyrocket!

Who among us really believes or government can spend trillions of tax dollars without this happening?

Fools

Reply to
Richard

You've never heard of "product specific" coupons? Allow me to enlighten you...

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Reply to
DerbyDad03

Keep in mind that label details are not always correct. The pricing is, but not always the price per oz. or lb. I see that every time I take the time to check those labels.

Reply to
Leon

You mean trillions of borrowed dollars.

Reply to
Doug Winterburn

The package shows the volume or weight clearly marked. The price is also clearly marked, somewhere. That's the end of their responsibility. They're not responsible for people getting confused by inflation or not being able to do 4th grade math. :-)

Reply to
-MIKE-

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