An LED striplight. After 1 month, BANG! A puff of smoke and a hole blown in the side of it. What I think used to be an inductor has exploded with enough force to rupture the casing. Funny thing is, it continued to work for a day, and now works if I tap it.
I have never thrown away so much chinese junk....never did that with jap stuff....
Much of it made to the specifications of an engineer or designer from the US importer. Ask for junk, get junk.
From personal experience: You give the specs to the chinese and ask for test samples - they excede your spec by 20 or 30%. You place your first order - they meet spec - mabee excede by a percent or 2. You place your third order and the quality has gone right down the crapper. This was computer parts. Unless you have inspectors embedded in the factory you don't know WHAT you are getting - or even what "factory" they are coming out of. One "major brand" component was being produced under a tarp behind a guy's "house" by a cabal of kids. Different kids from month 2 month - and likely even a differnt guy's house. That was the "final product". Where the board was printed, where it was etched, where the components came from? Anybody's guess. Where the solfer for the wave soldering machinr came from? again - anybodies guess. Likely the scrap from another, bigger, "major manufacturer".
Lots of these little "micro-factories" in places like Guandong supplying "major brand" distributors.
That may happen but my experience has been different. I've only bought tooling, all one off stuff. Quality is equal to both US and European versions. Cost is 30% less and lead time is half.
I suppose if you use Harbor Fright as a tool sample, you will find the cheapest models are real junk and might not even get you through that "one time" project but if you kick it up a few notches and buy the more expensive tool, they seem OK. I have been using the hell out of the purple brad nailer for 10 years. The red one went in the trash within a month. It was only useful to tell me I will use a brad nailer a lot if I have one.
Do you blame China or Harbor Freight? HF wants to sell stuff cheap. Much of it is junk, Some will get you through that one time project and they crap out. HF does have some good buys if you are careful, I've bought some good knives and air fittings but I'd not buy a new car there.
I blame the American public. Sometimes even myself.
I have some HF tools here and even keep the $ 29.95 tool set in my truck. I look on them as use one time in an emergency type items. Only used the ratchet one time to help a fellow put his fan belt back on a car. The kind that has a pully with a strong spring that has to be pulled back. Out of about 20 men I was the only one that had a tool that could be used.
For a home owner like me that may use a tool once or twice they are ok, but if I made my living with tools, I would go to another brand.
I do buy (more like used to as I have most tools I need now ) mostly the Craftsman tools for home use.
I think that is a strange policy. If you are on the side of the road or stuck out on the water in your boat and you have one chance to get going again, the last thing you want is a marginal tool .
I have some HF sockets, open ends, and so forth in the tool tube on my bike. It's a step up from the typical Suzuki tools that come with it. If they disappear it's no big loss.
I do use the tools I carry for routine maintenance. If there's going to be a problem I'd rather find out about it in my driveway than 30 miles outside of Lower Moosenuts.
Hard to disagree with that but a marginal tool did the job where others had no tool. What do you keep in your car? I have a screwdriver and flashlight.
It may be. However the vehicles I have are in good shape. The truck has less than 100,000 on it . Even if I had a whole SK tool set on hand I would not have any parts to work on the truck or probability the ability either.
That HF kit did save the day for the one time I used it to help out another.
A margional tool beats no tools at all .
Lemme see... Metric socket set, metric open ends, 1/2" drive breaker bar, extension, and deep wall socket that fits the lug nuts, 1/2" drive ratchet, multi screwdriver, 12VDC air compressor, DVM, e-tool, ax, alcohol stove, Esbit stove, rations, Leatherman, flashlight, various knives, tent, sleeping bag, blankets, spare boots, chem lights, QuikClot, Israeil battle dressing, compass, Petzl headlamp, and a few other odds and ends...
It's only a subcompact Toyota or I'd really go to town.
I used to carry one of those in the car - but when (not if) the socket splits or the ratchet slips (whether the first time or the 20th time) and you take off a square inch of skin from your knuckles your friends fon't want to be in the line of fire when you pitch it. Instead of a $29.95 set I now look for the $129 set at Canadian tire to go on sale at 70% off - - -
In my old Ranger I have a Mastercraft tool set with standard and metric 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive sockets (deep and standard) and ratchets,,a set of metric and standard wrenches, a water pump pliers and diagonal pliers, and a full set of screwdrivers. I also carry a
1/2 inch speed handle and 1/2 inch torque wrench and usually a hammer. There is a multitester in the glovebox and theScanGuage acts as a code scanner and code clearer. Also a good set of HD booster cables -I also have a CAA membership - - -
Having NO tools won't give you skinned knuckles or broken fingers or a black eye when they break - - -
In one car, I have jumper cables, a rag, a flashlight that I haven't checked in several years, and two phone charging cables. In the second vehicle, I just have a phone charging cable. I carry nothing on the motorcycle.
Hey, I can always serve as a bad example.
Forgot - I have flashlights and LED safety flares in both vehicles as well.
Well, I carry two of everything that anyone has so far mentioned. I also carry in my Miata a 24-ton floor jack, a 6000 Watt multi-fuel generator with 200 gallon fuel tank, four 8000 Watt aircraft landing lights, and two boxes of strike-anywhere matches.
Oh, and two finger nail clippers... and shovels! Don't forget the shovels! I also carry two first-aid kits complete with at least two of everything I will never need.
The rest of you may be ill prepared, but I'm not!
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