Harbor Freight Tools - Sub-standard Performance. Drill-Bits could damage Chuck.
over the years I've bought a few small items from HF, mainly simple tools and supplies: hand tools, painting gloves, chip brushes, etc. Most of these items have been about of the quality I expected (you get what you pay for), but occasionally the quality was better than that (as with their Nitrile gloves).
Anyway, about two years ago I purchased a 10A Rotary Hammer-drill from HF, an item they've sold for many years, and shortly after that, I purchased a set of replacement "Drill Master" SDS drill bits for the same drill-motor. Since owning the roto-hammer, it has seen what I would classify as light use (I've drilled probably the equivalent of a dozen 3/4" holes, 12 inches deep with it (for stubbing rebar into cured concrete).
Up until this Spring, the drill performed pretty well, but then seemed to develop an intermittent problem with running. Initially, I thought this was due to thermal protection, but then discovered that it was because the brushes already needed replacement (I noticed an unusual amount of arcing, and when I pulled the brushes and cleaned them the problem, temporarily resolved). So, I contacted HF to see if they carried the replacement carbon brushes for this tool. I was told they did not. This really surprised me and seemed like a basic customer service necessity--if you are going to sell power tools you should support them for a minimum of 5 to 10 years in my opinion.
I did, however, find the brushes available elsewhere online--they haven't arrived yet, though, so still crossing my fingers.
Regarding the heavy duty "Drill Master" SDS masonry drill bits that I ordered from HF (16" long, 1" to 5/16" diameter). These bits initially really seemed to be well made. They cut extremely well and the tips showed almost no sign of wear after drilling a couple of holes. The problem came when I tried to remove them from the drill. It turns out that the SDS splined-end of the drill was not heat-treated properly and twisted slightly into a helix as I was drilling, making it nearly impossible to remove from the drill-motor's chuck without damaging the tool! I actually had to lock the bit into a vise and yank on the drill to remove it!
Unfortunately, I didn't use these bits until after the (standard) HF 90-day warranty had expired, though, so too bad for me.
Buyer beware.
Monetary Loss: $100.
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