Harbor Freight Tools... Inverter Generator

[Gulfcoast]

I received a new sale paper from Harbor Freight the other day and see that thay have a NEW inverter generator:

Predator brand
2500 max./2200 rated watts
125 cc
Red in color
Lot # 61169
$499.99

I don't see it on the website yet... probably in the stores soon.

[mlts22]

HF is a good place to buy a tool that you use once, then toss in the toolbox, or if you want an alternate set of stuff, should your main wrench or drill breaks. I've been to a HF once in my life.

It might be the same rebranded tool, but for hand tools, I end up with Kobalt, Craftsman, or Husky tier items. For power tools, it varies.

A generator is something you buy once, and if it is maintained, it will last decades. A malfunctioning generator can cause a lot of damage, so I'd rather spent a bit more (if possible -- this economy is still pretty horrific), and at least buy a known good brand like Champion. However, if the $100 ET800 clone is all one can afford, no shame in that. Just replace the spark plug, keep the oil/gas mixture right, and hopefully "buffer" electronic items with a power conditioner so the surges/spikes from the unregulated voltage are mitigated.

[Gale_Hawkins]

Max49 wrote:
Harbor Freight 2200 Watt Inverter Generator


Has any one bought and used one of these yet?

About 2 HP and 40CC bigger engine than the Champion 2000 Watt.
They don't say any thing about paralel capability and no RV type of plug, That would be nice but maybe not a deal breaker.
I'm tempted to try one but there are few reviews of this yet.

They may be sold under other labels on like Amazon and have reviews.

Had a chance to pick up one at HF for $375 due to sale and coupon but passed. It just weighed more than was good for me, 70 pounds??

I was tempted but my son is more rational and said pass. 🙂

[Max49]

Harbor Freight 2200 Watt Inverter Generator


Has any one bought and used one of these yet?

About 2 HP and 40CC bigger engine than the Champion 2000 Watt.
They don't say any thing about paralel capability and no RV type of plug, That would be nice but maybe not a deal breaker.
I'm tempted to try one but there are few reviews of this yet.

[So]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
I don't care if Dack & Blecker is a subsidiary of Rolls Royce, the stuff is GARBAGE. DeWalt wants to make as much money as it can so it has a "low quality" level.

I wasn't disagreeing with you.

I'm guessing both you and I were likely trolling high school halls when there was only 3 lines of tools from USA soil...

Small
Medium
Large

Today, it's...

Trash
Semi-trash
Unafffordable

My first cordless was in Aug of '94 - a shinny 12v DeWalt model DW972. For 6 months I pampered that drill - then one day when I pulled it from the case, I noticed a hairline crack in the housing between the trigger opening and the F/R switch opening. It was never dropped or abused - go figure. Working on a remote site, I was in no position to warranty it, so I bought another 972 (drill only) - same problem occurred less than 2 months later. My vacation started in spring of '95, and was asked to help renovate my daughter's kitchen. So I packed both drills and headed for Twin Falls, ID. While there, I noticed a DeWalt Rep setting up a tool display at Anderson Lumber, so I high-tailed it back to the house and grabbed the drills. The DeWalt Rep just glanced at the drills and said, "Yup... common problem". "I can warranty them, but you'll be without for at least 6 weeks... with no guaranty they'll replace them under warranty". Without a word, I turned around and disappeared into the store... and returned with a sealed-in-the-box Milwaukee 14v Power-Plus. The Dewalts eventually landed on ebay.

Since then, I've fondled a number of Milwaukees (relatively trouble free and I really liked the smaller grip, but the ni-cad batteries were short lived). I then moved straight to Panasonic's 14.4 lithium some years later. Lightweight, superb grip, and the batteries.... now 7 years later, still maintain 4.15V per/cell. And unlike a fresh dewalt pulled from the display case, it doesn't sound like it has gravel in the gears. Undoubtedly, the finest cordless I've ever owned. -kenny-

[MEXICOWANDERER]

I don't care if Dack & Blecker is a subsidiary of Rolls Royce, the stuff is GARBAGE. DeWalt wants to make as much money as it can so it has a "low quality" level. The Black & Decker line. When someone has the guts to tell me their 1/2" hammer drill is "Alright" when it has far less power than their same level 3/8" drill (this is after they got their grubby mitts on it and supposedly tested it), that the 3/8" hammer drill was NORMAL slightly struggling to bore a 3/8" hole in concrete block, while the 1/2" COULD NOT BORE AT ALL IN THE SAME HOLE both drills used with a 10 gauge extension cord and voltage verified. Three eighths inch and three eighths inch (same masonry drill bit), and B&D comes up with an answer like that after being told "The Whole Story" as explained above.

"We're sorry sir but the drill is not for heavy duty work (you are stuck with it)"

It is well and truly THE END OF THE LINE

I have a three pound ball pien hammer waiting for the next Black and Decker product. I was so angry I went home and took the ball pien to a 20 amp Black and Decker charger that failed after six or seven battery charges. Didn't even bother to open it up to see "why". I gave the 3/8" to Jesus (oh hell yes it too failed in under a year). Everything is now SKIL.

General tires, Craftsman tools (personal injury) and Dack & Blecker are banned from my presence.

Grrrrr....

[CincyGus]

HF has saved me a bunch of money. They also sell some things that I know are junk and would not buy.
I have a sawsall that was 2/3rds the price of HD and Lowes and for the 5-10 times a year I'm going to use it, has done everything I asked of it without issue.
Bought a cheap smaller 12v drill/driver that has been a blessing when my bigger 18v was too big for the space I needed to work in.
Rachet straps for tying down stuff in the truck bed were about 1/2 cost of what was at the big 2 stores.
Plastic gloves in a box for when I'm dealing with the stinky slinky were cheaper there.
Ball and 6" drop for the hitch so my portable tank would roll level were about 25% off what Lowes and HD wanted.
Bought a cheap water cooled tile saw there for a remodeling project I was doing.Completed my project and sold it to a friend for half of what I paid for it. Total cost was half od what I could have rented one for and a fraction of what a better one would have cost to buy, only to sit in my garage for the next 20 years.

I figure HF has saved me about $300-$400 over the past year or so. When the item is not going to get heavy use, I can save a few bucks and still accomplish what I need to with it just as well as the higher priced item, why not? I know I'm not buying top of the line and making that choice because I don't need top of the line and accept the risk that it may go bad at some point sooner than the 25%-50% higher priced name brand version.

[Mr_Beebo]

Everyone needs to know their limitations, and we are all now living in a disposable world.
HF has tools I might need for a once or twice in a lifetime job, and once or twice is all they will need to last. I will buy specialty tools from them; big ticket items like gennies, probably not. I did however pick up their $99 1000 watt two stroke genie about 7 years ago. I got my $ worth.

[So]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
I purchased a DACK & BLECKER (this is my official name for them) half-inch drill. It was not nearly as powerful as their cheaper 3/8" drill. I turned it in for warranty. They refused. Their answer. "This drill is not intended for heavy-duty service". B&D has lost a customer for life. What do they think I am? Stupid?

You are aware that DeWalt is a subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker.... yes?

9 1/2, maybe ten years ago I was a CWI at the local Community College welding shop. A new student bought a Dewalt 4-1/2" angle grinder (paid $69). I picked it up and closely examined it... thinking, "odd, I've seen a grinder almost identical to this one somewhere". At lunch, I swung by the local HF and low-&-behold, there it was... boldly dressed in a bright, florescent orange case - Out of shear curiosity, I forked over the $19 and headed back to the shop.

When closely compared, the ONLY difference between the two was the motor vents (vertical vs. horizontal), the black plastic handle, and the color. To be sure, we popped the covers and discovered identical parts,... with matching part numbers. Even the HF owner's manual was a direct copy... but with obvious deletions of the "DeWalt" label.

[Gulfcoast]

I think so...

[MrWizard]

does it look like this ? except red


ETQ 2500 inverter $419 on Amazon

[deleted-2]

^^^^
Godzirra stomped tons of those back in the day...

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Zero carrying capacity. Why? The metric tools needed to get you home bottomed the rear springs out. This thing was worse than a joke. Ever try and buy "metric" tools 50-years ago? Hahahahahahaha

[Bipeflier]

jfkmk wrote:
Most of Harbor Freight stuff is junk. You pay for what you get, and this is why their stuff is so cheap.

Some of us are old enough to remember when everyone said Honda was JUNK!

Times change I guess.

[JiminDenver]

I have a HF radial arm/chop saw and it's so flimsy that getting the cuts needed for making frames is impossible. However it's good enough for the crude cuts needed for making art crates.

[Gale_Hawkins]

ralphnjoann wrote:
When I was younger, I bought tools that would last a lifetime, usually Craftsman. Other things being equal, I had a lot of lifetime left. Now that I'm over 70, a tool that lasts a lifetime isn't worth the price. This is where HF comes in.

When my dad died at 72 20 years ago it hit me that I was just a mortal. At 60 I started to putting together a few things like the old Ford F700 flat dump, back hoe, etc just for use around the place. I have fixed up the old stuff not expecting not to need it past 80 most likely.

Thanks to HF we have tools to fix most of any of our old stuff when it breaks. 🙂