I don't think it's that cut and dried. But, it does show up what their strategy is. Their strategy is not go build the best tools they can, and sell them cheap. Their strategy is to build a low end tool that they can sell to users that otherwise wouldn't or couldn't buy a better tool.
You see a tool they advertise, looks real good, color and style is made to imitate the market leader. You've owned the market leader, but the sticker shock is a bit high, or you don't need the best for the application you have in mind. Plus, they claim theirs "compares to" the best. And, it's guaranteed, right, because everything from HF is lifetime?
You buy, and the item is poorer performer, designed with a bunch of shortcuts, and when some absurdly simple thing breaks, you find it's not repairable. And, the warranty was not lifetime, it ended two weeks ago. You, being smarter than the average bear, recognize their strategy for what it is, and don't buy from them again. That doesn't make you a hater, except to the fan boys that have to justify THEIR purchases, to either themselves or someone on the internet that it's important to them to impress somehow.
HF's strategy is simple, and recognizing it for what it is doesn't make them a hater, it shows that they have become aware. The strategy is simple:
1) Pick a known good tool, (or line of tools) coveted by many, but expensive.,
2) Make a cheap asian made copy, with the appearance and color of the known good tool, but cut corners on it to get the price of making it down to about 10 or 20% of the cost of making the good one.
3) Price your tool at about 50 to 70% of the known good tool cost.
4) Put a guarantee on the tool that's either lifetime and just replace them as they come in, or put the guarantee just about how long the typical customer stores the tool before they really try to use it for it's intended purpose.
5) Make a great profit, and use it to build up your business.
Can't really blame HF, it's been a great strategy for success. You can argue that they're meeting the needs of their customers, because they are. Can't blame the low end buyers that don't need the real thing and have low enough demands to live with the low cost copy. For them, it's a great, cost effective way to meet their needs.
However, if you have a need for the more durable, capable, safe, and effective tool, HF is probably not for you. Just recognize it and move on. No hating, just buy an appropriate thing and leave this stuff for the users that it's suited for.
I personally don't see myself running out to buy orange copycat tools in this lineup.
