Dee bought me a side grinder from Harbor Freight Tools for Christmas. I used it once for about 10 minutes and got it out again today and used it about another 10 minutes and it burned up. The warranty sheet shows a 90 day warranty. I called Harbor Freight on Brainerd Rd. and the guy basically said "tuff". I have bought several things in the past but I've bought my last from Harbor Freight Tools. If I had used the tool extensively and it burned up I wouldn't even think about posting this on the forum but to use the grinder a total of 20 minutes and have it burn up and them not even care??? They will not see any more of my money.

I should have known better to begin with. :withstupid:

Yeah, don't buy anything there that would use on a daily basis, especially if it has moving parts or is orange (seems like that's their code for "made in China"). I've got one of their grinders also and it's run fine, but I use it once in a blue moon. Also got a floor jack that required some "shimming" to get the gears to release the arm. Just cheap stuff for a cheap price.

Regardless of that, they should at least honor their warranty!!!

I know for a fact that their tools are cheap.  I don't have any tools from them that I expect to last a lifetime.  I do have tools from there that I have had no trouble with whatsoever.  I did get a soldering gun from there that broke the first time I used it...but just like Herb, it was after the warranty period was over.  I didn't expect them to honor a warranty that had expired.  I just bought another one and it is working to this day.  My 4' X 4' trailer that I bought from them several years ago is just now developing some rust on it.

I will still buy from them, I will just use discretion as always...and test any tools before the warranty expires.

Here's my Harbor Freight list, (or at least the high (low) points of it:
Pressure feed Sandblaster...Hasn't really worked right since I bought it.
12 ton Press...Doesn't sit even on the floor (scares me to death every time I try to press the timing gears from a VW Crankshaft)
Reciprocating Saw (Electrical/the bright orange one previously mentioned)...other than its annoying propensity for loosening blades that have to be periodically tightened, has actually held up well and cuts darned near anything...believe me I've tried.
Hole saw Set (the one that's almost always on sale for $3-$4)...Worked to cut gauge holes for a friend in a fiberglass buggy shell, but they wear your wrist out because turning on a center seems to be too much to ask.
Why do I keep buying stuff there?...Simple, they're CHEAP, people.  If you need a tool for a one time use, have at it.
 For quality stuff, I've seen pretty reliable results from Craftsman hand tools,  Dewalt and Makita Power tools, and Ingersoll-Rand air tools.  As the old saying goes, you've got to "pay to play".
Personally, I love Snap-On tools and have a bunch of 'em, but there's a reason why technicians like myself have revolving tool accounts on the trucks...Like, say, the set of metric wrenches I saw on the truck the other day for a tick under $400! (that's a 10-19mm set)
My favorite wrenches?  Hazet.  My favorite Sockets? Hazet.  Yes, that's right folks, Hazet... the supplier of O.E. VW tools from the earliest days.
Want to check them out?  try a couple of web sites:  www.samstagsales.com and www.zelenda.com
Zelenda is in New York.. Samstag Sales is in...get this...Carthage, TN.
These tools have prices in the vicinity of Craftsman Professional stuff, and the quality is outstanding.  I still use wrenches almost daily that are older than I am... bought them from a former co-worker a while back who got them in his original VW tool kit at Southland VW in 1969.
How cool is that?!   They still take a beating today like they did 37 years ago...Germans...great cars, great tools.  And besides that, they're just plain cool.

Just checked out the sites....If I ever win the lotto I'm going on a spree...

That's some really nice stuff,is there any warranty on Hazet stuff. It's the only thing I still like about Craftsmen if it breaks they at least replace it.