I typically don't rant, but.........

[SteveL]

Went to HF today to get some more anti fatigue mats for the wood shop since there was a 25% coupon and as I'm trying to tie them in with other tiles that I've bought over the years, I quickly realized that they no longer match in size. Don't get me wrong as I fully understand what I'm getting when shopping at HF but it just irks me when a manufacturer changes sizes of their products ever so slightly with the thought that the consumer will never notice. This happens a lot in the food industry where they will reduce the size of a bag or can by an ounce or so and kept charging the same amount. Just keep the damn thing the same and raise the price if you have to.

No, it's not the end of the world but being the crotchety old ******* that I am, I just has to vent to someone and my wife won't listen.

Happy New Year!

 

[Musicinabottle]

This is why I've never even been in a harbor freight place or owned any of their stuff!

 

[scissorman]

Speaking of HF, I need to go down and look at their ****** jacks. I have a trans to swap in my wheeler and I'm not young and dumb anymore to bench press it out from under the rig.

 

[jakemac]

If that is true, then I'm annoyed alongside you.
I bought a bunch to replace a wall-to-wall carpet in my basement after a flood. The thought was that if I get water in there again, I can just pull up tiles until things dry out. I have enough to cover, but I may need replacements at some point.

The old mats don't match up to other brands. I wonder if the new mats match up to the others ?

 

[juiced10]

This is why I've never even been in a harbor freight place or owned any of their stuff!

Because the manufacturer changed the design of a product years later? lol I guess you never had to match old siding or old tiles or I could go on and on. Of all the reasons......,,'


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[chruler]

I love a good rant! And I hate it when companies pull **** like that.

 

[Thumper68]

Trying to figure out what HF has to do with this, other than the fact that was the store where you bought them to begin with.

All manufactures do this, planned obsolescence, but I know it is cool to beat on HF....

 

[AnEv942]

I pieced mine over a couple of years.


Every time I picked up a package it was a different color. Had to replace a few that I burnt holes in (they really dont like sparks). Last package was a good 1/8" thicker?

 

[Marcm157]

Speaking of HF, I need to go down and look at their ****** jacks. I have a trans to swap in my wheeler and I'm not young and dumb anymore to bench press it out from under the rig.

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=transmission+jack

Not sure if you have a lift or not but if you are working on your back go for the 800 lb capacity one over the cheaper 450 lb one. I cheaped out before I had my lift and bought the $99 one and it was pure garbage. The only good thing about it was it seemed more stable then the other one. I returned it and bout the other one and still have it.

When I put my lift in I went and got the 2 stage one and I'm very happy with it.

 

[JRC3]

This happens a lot in the food industry where they will reduce the size of a bag or can by an ounce or so and kept charging the same amount. Just keep the damn thing the same and raise the price if you have to.

I bet you didn't notice something that happened a few years ago.

They all did it too. What a ****** thing to do.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I see small changes in products all the time, They figure that the customer will not notice.

 

[scissorman]

Yeah I'm looking at the SKU 60234 since it lifts to 24 1/2" and my wheeler sits 10" higher than factory. I just need to go measure the distance from the ground to the trans pan to make sure it will work.

 

[T45]

What a ****** thing to do.

 

[bcradio]

This is why I've never even been in a harbor freight place or owned any of their stuff!

That's probably one of the more odd reasons to not shop there that I've heard.

 

[wildbill23c]

Most of the time the size of the item shrinks but the price goes up exponentially...its only going to get worse when minimum wage goes to $20 an hour.

 

[94EG8]

Chances are it wasn't the manufacturer that changed sizes, more likely Harbor Freight changed manufacturers.

I guess I have two thoughts on this:
1) It ***** not being able to match up something, especially if you already have a bunch of it
2) If no one ever changed anything we would never see any improvements

I will say one very nice thing about Snap-On is if you break a socket made in the '70s and replace it with a brand new one it will look identical with the exception of the script.

 

[bczygan]

And when the item gets too small to be usable.....they come out with a NEW Jumbo sized one that is the size of the original....

 

[Dagny]

I remember when coffee came in 1,2 or 3 pound cans. the coffee isle is insane now same with cereal.

 

[nczo6]

Went to HF today to get some more anti fatigue mats for the wood shop since there was a 25% coupon and as I'm trying to tie them in with other tiles that I've bought over the years, I quickly realized that they no longer match in size. Don't get me wrong as I fully understand what I'm getting when shopping at HF but it just irks me when a manufacturer changes sizes of their products ever so slightly with the thought that the consumer will never notice. This happens a lot in the food industry where they will reduce the size of a bag or can by an ounce or so and kept charging the same amount. Just keep the damn thing the same and raise the price if you have to.

No, it's not the end of the world but being the crotchety old ******* that I am, I just has to vent to someone and my wife won't listen.

Happy New Year!

Remember we are talking about harbor freight here, you should be glad they still offer a similar product at a cheap *** price more less the same product....

 

[thesilverone]

guy with 2 BMWs and 1 Mercedes complaining about HF

 

[K-Dog]

This is just as bad.

I got a set of those magnetic cups to hold the lug nuts when a car is on the lift. I got four of them because the lift has four arms and cars have four wheels. No biggie. Go to the store, buy four of them, bring them back to the shop. I go to put them away, as any logical person on planet earth would do, I decide to stack them for storage. I can't. Literally CAN NOT stack them because one of the magnets was mounted POLARITY REVERSED

You have GOT to be kidding me !?!?!?!?

 

[kythri]

This is just as bad.

I got a set of those magnetic cups to hold the lug nuts when a car is on the lift. I got four of them because the lift has four arms and cars have four wheels. No biggie. Go to the store, buy four of them, bring them back to the shop. I go to put them away, as any logical person on planet earth would do, I decide to stack them for storage. I can't. Literally CAN NOT stack them because one of the magnets was mounted POLARITY REVERSED

You have GOT to be kidding me !?!?!?!?

You're talking those little $3 bowls?

Why don't you just leave them on the lift arms?

 

[SteveL]

guy with 2 BMWs and 1 Mercedes complaining about HF

Some call it being cheap, I call it being discretionally frugal.

 

[turbowoodworker]

I have dealt with the same problem matching the mats new vs. old. I just never thought to start a thread on it!

 

[Koolmoose]

Our family has had problems with these types of mats from other stores too with:
1. Thickness issues
2. Color issues
3. Sawtooth edges different among same brand but different lots purchased at different times.
I think it is more than a HF issue.

 

[PelicanPines]

This is just as bad.

I got a set of those magnetic cups to hold the lug nuts when a car is on the lift. I got four of them because the lift has four arms and cars have four wheels. No biggie. Go to the store, buy four of them, bring them back to the shop. I go to put them away, as any logical person on planet earth would do, I decide to stack them for storage. I can't. Literally CAN NOT stack them because one of the magnets was mounted POLARITY REVERSED

You have GOT to be kidding me !?!?!?!?

Woke my wife laughing.

 

[kctyphoon]

This is why I've never even been in a harbor freight place or owned any of their stuff!

That's too bad.. typically people with that much of a cut and dry attitude about HF usually don't realize they are buying the same products in HD or Lowes under a different brand, for more money, and are completely unaware of just how many items on the shelves are made in the USA anyway...

 

[kctyphoon]

You're talking those little $3 bowls?

Why don't you just leave them on the lift arms?

Yea - the ones they give away for free I'll assume...

I put down new floors in my house when I bought it.. I couldn't see complaining about DuPont or Pergo for changing something.. it's just bad luck or bad timing. Typically people don't buy flooring 1 package at a time..

 

[K-Dog]

You're talking those little $3 bowls?

Why don't you just leave them on the lift arms?

It is one of those in floor car bench frame machine. The lift arms are removed.

 

[visionguru]

This is why I've never even been in a harbor freight place or owned any of their stuff!

You've never been to HF or owned anything from there? Why do you bother even commenting?

 

[visionguru]

...I quickly realized that they no longer match in size. .......Happy New Year!

HF could have changed the supplier.

 

[jakemac]

This is just as bad.

I got a set of those magnetic cups to hold the lug nuts when a car is on the lift. I got four of them because the lift has four arms and cars have four wheels. No biggie. Go to the store, buy four of them, bring them back to the shop. I go to put them away, as any logical person on planet earth would do, I decide to stack them for storage. I can't. Literally CAN NOT stack them because one of the magnets was mounted POLARITY REVERSED

You have GOT to be kidding me !?!?!?!?

A little acetone to soften the glue on the rubber boot.
Same to remove the magnet.
Flip the magnet over.
Re-glue with liquid nails.
Done. Polarity problem solved.

 

[FullRaceMerc]

...This happens a lot in the food industry where they will reduce the size of a bag or can by an ounce or so and kept charging the same amount. Just keep the damn thing the same and raise the price if you have to...

Have you looked at a "half gallon" of ice cream lately? 1.5 quarts. Even the cows are in on it.

As for the HF thing, it wouldn't surprise me if they found a similar cheaper manufacturer. If you can somehow check the SKU of the old vs new they might be different.

Sometimes sellers will run the "same" item, even with the same house brand packaging, but with different SKUs for each source. You might luck out if you can find a location with the other SKU. A HF ad will sometimes list 3 different SKUs for the "same" item.

 

[JRC3]

Have you looked at a "half gallon" of ice cream lately? 1.5 quarts.

Must be that "new math" I remember them talking about in HS.

 

[jrockford]

HF could have changed the supplier.

+1

Good to see someone else with some sense.

 

[Fordguy1964]

And when the item gets too small to be usable.....they come out with a NEW Jumbo sized one that is the size of the original....

Hey... wait a minute with posting my Avatar... I thought I posted that or something! LOL!

 

[K-Dog]

A little acetone to soften the glue on the rubber boot.
Same to remove the magnet.
Flip the magnet over.
Re-glue with liquid nails.
Done. Polarity problem solved.

Ya know,,,,,, for SOME REASON, fixing the problem just didn't cross my mind.

Well it was fun bitching about it, but tomorrow...... I STACK MY CUPS !!!!!

 

[Dave455]

Well, as my old Gran used to say (or rather shout, if memory serves) "You pay more and get less"! True then, true now!

The solution is more ranting!

They only get away with this shite because they think we don't notice!

Perhaps we should start a GJ "Name 'em and shame 'em" thread to highlight the worst offenders!