Harbor Freight Tools Screwed again by Harbor Freight. Stuart Florida

I know that a lot of us are men's men and we like to think that we know what we are doing when it comes to mechanical stuff. Like most, I'm sure you thought, "It's just a grease gun" and proceded to rip it out of the package and shove a grease tube in there. Then after it didn't work you likely tried to shove it in from the other end.

Now this is difficult for some of us, but the gun came with a folded piece of paper inside called "Directions". Upon reading these, you may have learned that this grease gun like many, comes with a feature where you can draw grease form a grease bucket. Looking down the barrel you will notice a rubber disc in there. This disc gives it the sucking action much like a syringe.

The directions will guide you at removing a small nut, and then the rubber disc and then put the shaft back through the hole and re-attach the nut (The most difficult part). Now that the grease cartridge has been destroyed due to your prior efforts, you will need a new one and can now shove it in there and begin greasing your friend's boat.

Everything I've purchased from them has been defective. Some on the tools are dangerously defective.  Lets take the 3 1/2" framing nailer. Plug it in to the compressed air line with nails in the magazine and it fires 1 or 2 nails automatically wthout the guns tip being in-contact with anything or your finger even being on the trigger. I'm supprized someone hasn't been killed by this product. How about the 10" miter saw, they left the 2 allen screws out of the dowel pin that holds the hinge together. The pin nearly fell out during operation and the whole saw top could have disconnected!!!  Drywall screw gun, the cord cracks if used in cold weather, electrocution hazzard. The magnesium line circular saw - trigger doesn't shut the saw off when released. could have easily caused a severe injury.  Vise grips that shear off the rivits when you use them. Ball joint splitter wedge - improperly manufactured needed to be modified by grinding it - yay it worked after that. Wet tile saw -- guide and table are permenantly out of alignment, the only way it works is to remove the guide and safety blade covers. Angle grinder than melts and burns after about 10 min of use - nearly catches on fire!

Portable air compresses that can't start in cold temps because of defective starter capacitors and weak motors. Now they do replace these compressors faithfully bit charge $20 for a new warranty - else they'd become boat anchors!  Should we try a few other tools and see how they malfunction too?

They sell cheap stuff that works bad. Save the dollars and get quality tools, you'll be ahead in the long run and it may save your life or the life of a friend or employee. I heard there suing each other, awe too bad.

Ive been the same way, I had in my shed a butane torch from HFT. Never used it till today, but of course it never worked from the get go. Same as my air/oiler regulator, and led sensor lights for outdoor use, and several other things also from there. My advice is, to buy from Lowes. They have many cheap chinese tools after thxgiving, generally better quality, and more expensive one too. And you can get the 10% off or more coupons online. They have a much better return policy also. I bought a 10" compund miter saw from there for 50 bucks, which was cheaper than HFT. Im getting to dislike HFT.

your not alone. most every item is made cheap and you get what you pay for. the store is fair but they are strict about having receipts for returns. i try to be smarter than Harbor. I copy my receipts as the originals fade fast - especially in troical climates.  I try to test everything before leaving the store. I even make sure to take my pocket knife with me. Why open it at home or outside in the parking lot when you can save time and trips by testing right at the store. The employees understand and are ok with my buying methods. You really can't get better pricing anywhere else. Remember, Harbor Freight sells inexpensive chinese made products - they have great prices and whether you buy the cheaper or expensive model be sure to test it 1st. call me crazy but sometimes I buy 2 of the same item and then return the defective or unused one at my convienence. I tape my receipts to every box. Its a bit anal but you have to outsmart them. if you check mechaincal magazines you'll find 20% discount ads in the back. the extra savings make buying chinese more palatable. I bought a 169$ remote controlled 3,000 lb winch for $49. By the way, the 2nd one I bought was not defective. I had to remove the 1st one from my 120 degree attic. lesson learned! test 1st - then install.

Just because they have issues with that one product, doesn't mean they will pull it off the shelf.  Obviously not every grease-gun is defective, like you seem to think, or else they would have stopped selling it.  Actually, when they have a problem with a product, they are almost always quick at getting a new, updated version of the product on the shelf.

You should remember that you are shopping at HFT.  Cheap junk is how they make money.

As for your comment about them going out of business, sorry but that won't happen for a long time.  They are sitting rather well in this economy.

"The manager recommended a better model.... at more money."  If you are doing work very far away from any HFT store, than invest an extra $5-$10.  Don't buy the cheapest product you can possibly find than throw a fit when it doesn't work and complain to the employee about how you had to drive 10 million miles to return it.

Recipes don't matter at HFT unless you want to flat out return the product.  If you exchange it for another of the same product, or a better one, they won't care.  I don't know why you included that in your complaint.

I love the comments about how the guy is "stupid" for getting ripped off. only other theives blame the people they steal from. i bought 1 item from harbor freight, a 1/4 inch "lamintate cutter"...in english thats a small "router". i was wary...i tested it on a peice of scrap, the thing works just well enough that you dont LOOK at it and take it back...the LOUSY P-O-S ruined a 200.00 dollar piece of mahogany..the base collapsed while i was cutting..the F-ing thing completely FAILED at high speed. cheap or not something called ( and ESPECIALLY ADVERTISED AND SOLD AS ) a "tool" should do "work". i guess the disturbing things harbor freight tools do is, technically, "work",(using the definition i learned in high school physics) its just that that "work" is more accurately defined as "sabotage", or "terrorism".. it did some nice work after i threw too, although i didnt measure the force of impact againt a cement wall, it makes a pretty tight, dense projectile. Maybe the chinaman that made it is a red army ballistics engineer. I would not pass up the chance to throw it right at his round,laughing, little face.

I got a small brad nailer/stapler for $20. Best 20 I ever spent. When it finally breaks, it will have far surpassed any expectations I had for it.

Harbor Freight is well known for selling some cheap chinese junk disguised as tools. They also sell some decent tools (at higher prices). If you want something to be reliable do not buy the cheapest one you can find at Harbor Frieght. That's just asking for trouble.

I'm ashamed to report that I let Harbor Freight screw me AGAIN

Case Closed you were not ripped off, just stupid.

How do people come up with the idea that CHEAP equals GOOD?!