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outfitting a garage on a budget

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by motorduck, Jul 17, 2009.

  1. motorduck

    motorduck Member

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    Looking for suggestions of places to find cheap tools.
    Anyone?
     
  2. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Sears when they go on sale. Just have to watch ads/circulars; often just certain items are on sale for as much as 40-60% off.
     
  3. coachholland

    coachholland Member

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    Harbor Freight as well, especially on a budget. Quality is not as good as Craftsman stuff you get at Sears, but Ive not had a HF tool mess up on me yet.
     
  4. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    Harbor freight!?! HARBOR FREIGHT!?!?! I LOOOVVEE Harbor Freight!!!! I have not had any problem with any stuff I buy from there. As a matter of fact, when I go up there my son always wants to go, too. "Daddy, can I go to the toy store, too??". He calls it that cuz that's what I call it. Now in fairness, I have not bought any power- or heavy-duty tools. ONLY handtools, airtool accessories, and tool accessories. I tend to buy lightweight stuff there and the heavyweight stuff at name-brand/guarantee locations.

    And with THAT being said.........there is plenty of stuff at HF that is identical right down to every little piece, save for the color and for different motors, that I suspect I will do some experimenting sometime and get something just to swap a better motor onto and see what happens. Things that I have noticed....many machines identical (except in color) to Grizzly, corded and cordless powertools identical (except in color) to Black and Decker. Also, all of the Pittsburgh handtools have lifetime warranty. I've yet to break one...........

    fwiw,
    Dave Fox
     
  5. That_Guy

    That_Guy Member

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    Definately Harbor Freight
     
  6. baz666

    baz666 Member

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    I wish we had a Harbor Freight up here in the Toronto area. The main store we have is Canadian Tire, which isn't too bad but little in the way of bike stuff. Tools are generally from average to lousy quality. But they have lots of stores around.
    Just never use their car repair facility. Their mechanics work on commission by selling parts. One guy who worked there for a few years told me he'd crack perfectly good brake pads to force the car's owner to buy new ones. How do you crack a brake pad? Apparently, you shove a narrow piece of wood in between the two pads while they're still in the caliper. Then you whack the piece of wood real hard with a mallet maybe several times. Eventually the pads crack. He said that tech dudes from Bendix, the company that makes the pads, even showed up eventually to see if it was a bad batch or something. That's when he stopped pulling that sh*t. But then he'd do stuff like punch holes in the calalytic converter even if it was slightly rusty.
    But I digress. Other suppliers in the Toronto include Parts Source, which is useless and overpriced and Princess Auto. PA often has great deals on tools and various do-dads, but nothing bike specific.
    And that is about it for Trawna.
     
  7. tomandjerry00

    tomandjerry00 Member

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    Hit garage sales and the occasional pawn shop up like no ones' business is what I would say. I've picked up $200 router sets for $15, full socket sets for $3, and numerous hand tools for $1. Start with what you can afford in the cheap stuff and upgrade as you go along. Good luck!
     
  8. motorduck

    motorduck Member

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    Thanks, guys. It sounds like I'll be ordering some tools from Harbor Freight. Any online resources for USED tools? Specifically heavier power tools (bench-mounted grinder, air compressor, etc).
     
  9. schmuckaholic

    schmuckaholic Well-Known Member

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    I like Harbor Freight as much as the next guy, but some of their equipment, despite claims to the contrary, is less than top-notch.

    I work with a guy whose father bought a set of their jackstands. He was working on his car and put it up on them. When it came time to take them off, they wouldn't let go. He ended up dropping the car off the jackstands onto the pavement. The jackstands promptly went in the dumpster.

    I bought their rotary tool. It's a joke -- no power whatsoever. I went and spent the extra money and bought an actual Dremel.

    Likewise for their bench grinder. It spins up nice, but no power.

    On the other hand, at work we've got one of their chop saws that we use for cutting through bolts, flat stock, and such. Works great. I also keep one of their rotary tool accessory kits to feed the dremel. They sell left-handed drill bits that have come in VERY handy on occasion.
     
  10. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    The problem with Harbor Freight is exactly what Schmuck is alluding to: some of their stuff is FINE, some of it JUNQUE. You really need to LOOK at it to decide.
     
  11. bill

    bill Active Member

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    Agreed I have a couple of their power tools that work great but some stuff is garbage.

    One note I have their plastic cases screw driver set and they seem to fit the screws on our bikes quite well.
     
  12. johntc

    johntc Member

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    I'm not familiar with Harbor Freight but I have a lot of Craftsman tools I've been plenty happy with. Also if a handtool does fail all you have to do is go to your nearest Sears and walk out with a new one. At least in our area you can also get them at K-mart.
    Oh yeah, rather than looking for "cheap tools" I prefer to call it shopping for bargains on quality equipment.
     
  13. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    I've always bought Craftsman because I figured Sears would never go out of business; I've got broken "Lifetime Guarantee" tools from other manufacturers that have...

    But then again I always thought GM was safe too...
     
  14. XJ700VET

    XJ700VET Member

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    Another good place to check out is craigslist.com You can pick up an air compressor very cheap. I've seen 30 gal compressors go for as little as $30.

    Cheers
    Ken
     
  15. tomandjerry00

    tomandjerry00 Member

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    You can also check ebay and search distance from your zip code. I picked up a Shopsmith Mark V really cheap that way...
     
  16. Pseudonym

    Pseudonym Member

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    Steal them!!

    Na jk, but seriously I got a really awesome bike stand (the kind that goes under the swingarm and lifts up the back) from HF and it was 30$. Good product, though (especially if you can't afford a bike lift).
     
  17. tumbleweed_biff

    tumbleweed_biff Active Member

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    As said: Craigslist for used.
    Likewise, keep your eyes on ads for garage sales and estate sales.

    With estate sales, you'll have a full garage going up for sale ... you can find many great deals. With garage sales, you never know what they'll have until you get there ...
     

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