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Re:Home Depot is introducing power tools that won’t work if ... by sokoloff on Monday August 02, 2021 @11:01AM (#28037381)
I worked for years with Craftsman and Husky (and some Harbor Freight) hand tools. I later splurged for some secondhand SnapOn ratchets. They are unquestionably better and totally worth the difference in price to me. Similar story with Wera screwdrivers being noticeably better than Craftsman.

I still buy some Harbor Freight tools, especially if I only need it for a one-off job, but the higher-end tool names are often genuinely better, not just higher priced.

Re:Home Depot is introducing power tools that won’t work if ... by throwaway0a5e on Monday August 02, 2021 @11:13AM (#28037619)
You never get more than you pay for but you can always get less.

Whether a fancy ratchet is worth it depends a lot on how much you use your impact wrench. People tend to buy high end versions of the tools they use the most. There's plenty of professional roofers who have a $400 nail guns that weigh nothing and a couple clunky old HF framing guns on the truck. An electrician probably has a pawn shop or harbor freight hammer drill. The plumber probably has a nice hammer drill.

Re:Home Depot is introducing power tools that won’t work if ... by michaelt on Monday August 02, 2021 @01:52PM (#28040150)
Oh, expensive tools are very nice, certainly.

But if you're a young guy just getting started in a trade, and you can choose between a cheap socket set plus two dates with your girlfriend, or a premium socket set? 9/10 guys would choose the former.

Re:Home Depot is introducing power tools that won’t work if ... by kevin_thibedeau on Monday August 02, 2021 @11:56AM (#28038338)
Go watch the Project Farm torque wrench test where the Harbor Freight was more accurate than Snapoff.
Re:Home Depot is introducing power tools that won’t work if ... by rpcope1 on Monday August 02, 2021 @01:17PM (#28039573)
It's not totally inconceivable that there are Harbor Freight torque wrenches that are initially is on par with a CDI, Precision Instruments (both of whom Snap-On rebrand), or the Tech-Angle with regards to torque accuracy, but good luck ever getting a reputable metrology shop to touch a Harbor Freight torque wrench (or one that isn't American made, for that matter) when it inevitably comes time to do a re-calibration.
Re:Home Depot is introducing power tools that won’t work if ... by namibj on Monday August 02, 2021 @02:11PM (#28040465)
Not even like Knipex, Wera, or a similar German tool company?
Re:Home Depot is introducing power tools that won’t work if ... by rpcope1 on Monday August 02, 2021 @05:49PM (#28043128)
If it's manufactured in a western country, it's probably fine, I don't think you see too many like that here in the U.S.

It's usually either American, Taiwanese or Chinese, and a reputable shop like Angle Repair, for example, absolutely will not touch a Chinese torque wrench, and might only ever touch a Taiwanese torque wrench if it's a warrantied item on one of their supported brands, and probably only with some arm twisting on the part of the vendor they're doing warranty work for.