I posted in the HF pass/fail thread and didn't get any responses.....I'm looking for a Shrinker/Stretcher set for home use and HF seems to have the same body as the Eastwood set but it $100 cheaper. Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with the HF set (or Eastwood) and if it's worth the extra $100 to go Eastwood.
Shrinker/Stretcher set....Harbor Freight or Eastwood
- Thread starter NYBODYMAN
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K13
Well-known member
I have never used the either the ones you are asking about but for tools like this where there is a lot of opportunity for wear on the functional parts, the jaws, I wouldn't buy either. Lancaster's are the way to go. I have owned mine for 20 years and have used them quite a bit and they still work like the day I bought them. If money is a concern I would get the single Lancaster unit with 2 jaws and swap them out (you used the shrinking dies way more than the stretching) from Eastwood and know I will never have any issues with it. If I just wanted good quality and two units I would get the two Lancaster set from Tinman Tech.
Lancaster Porto-Metal Formers - Shrinker & Stretcher - TM Technologies
TM Technologies: Tools, Sheet Metal Shaping Machines, Gas Welding Supplies, Articles & lWorkshops for Better Metalworking
www.tinmantech.com
I looked into the Lancaster on the Trick Tools site. They seem high quality but the price was a bit steep. I don't mind paying up for quality but I will be using these very seldom. The site you posted is a much better price than Trick Tools. It says the combo comes with "2 cartridges." I assume that means the jaws?
K13
Well-known member
Yes two jaws. Eastwood actually has the Lancasters as well and have the one body two jaw set on sale for just under $250.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the Eastwood combo set (the yellow/blue set) is the same off-shore made set as Harbor Freight.
So if you're set on the combo with both bodies, just get the Harbor Freight. Switching the jaws back and forth can be a pain after awhile
So if you're set on the combo with both bodies, just get the Harbor Freight. Switching the jaws back and forth can be a pain after awhile
stinkity stoink
Well-known member
Take this from a novice.
I have the harbor freight set and it has done a fine job for me. I have nothing to compare it to because I have never used anything but the cheap import ones. I don’t use it a ton , but when I do it does what I need it to do.
I have the harbor freight set and it has done a fine job for me. I have nothing to compare it to because I have never used anything but the cheap import ones. I don’t use it a ton , but when I do it does what I need it to do.
arrowhead
Well-known member
Same here
This was my thoughts exactly. I'm sure they are the same. I just wasn't sure if the Eastwood had better/different jaws than the HF.
Rockable
Well-known member
I have had the HF set and have had 2 sets of Lancaster. There is no comparison. If you are going to use these very much, bite the bullet and buy the Lancaster.
Define "very much"
They will not be used often. Again I don't mind paying for quality but if the HF were decent I'd just get them. I will stalk the Lancaster ones and see if I can get them on sale sometime.
I have a mixed opinion of Eastwood in general. They have some interesting ideas and come up with clever stuff, but I kind of feel like most of the Eastwood branded stuff is still just off shore product not much different than HF.
Chris_Hamilton
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Neither, spend a little more for the Lancasters. If you get serious about shaping, look at TM Technologies stippled dies for the Lancaster that don't mark up the panel nearly as much.
Monza Harry
Well-known member
There are other options as well concerning where to buy. Watch C.L., eBay, FB Market place, Racing Junk, SpeedSport News, and watch for auctions etc. and buy which ever one shows up first real cheap HF/Eastwood (racecar places have their own branded stuff, Howe, Speedway, etc. they aren't as well known to the average guy so on the open general market won't fetch as much as the HF/Eastwood will, but again likely same manufacterer then use until a premium name brand pops that you can justify and then sell the cheapies! Or find that the used cheapies are meeting your needs +/- then go from there. Harry
Chris_Hamilton
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Eastwood is DIY level stuff. Not professional. They are good at marketing their stuff. I'm not a fan of 90% of what they sell.
rsanter
Well-known member
I bought a HF used for cheap at a swap meet.
It worked fine and did the job.
I later bought a pair (stretcher/Shrinker) off eBay that was a no brand.
Looked and functioned identical to the HF and was a bit cheaper.
I made a stand with foot pedals to,hold,both.
Warning, I bought a VEVOR from Walmart online. Was a bargain but was also complete junk.
Seller was impossible. But wallmart stepped up and resolved the return and gave me an added credit as an apology.
It worked fine and did the job.
I later bought a pair (stretcher/Shrinker) off eBay that was a no brand.
Looked and functioned identical to the HF and was a bit cheaper.
I made a stand with foot pedals to,hold,both.
Warning, I bought a VEVOR from Walmart online. Was a bargain but was also complete junk.
Seller was impossible. But wallmart stepped up and resolved the return and gave me an added credit as an apology.
Hohn
Well-known member
That's the devil of it, isn't it? What is "very much" in terms of justifying the premium of a good tool?Define "very much"
They will not be used often. Again I don't mind paying for quality but if the HF were decent I'd just get them. I will stalk the Lancaster ones and see if I can get them on sale sometime.
I myself have gotten to where I basically never buy a middle of the road tool much anymore. Either it's worth the premium because it makes me productive or it easies wear and tear on the body or it's safer or more effective (etc)...OR I can just buy the cheapest thing that's functional because I will never accrue benefit enough to justify the premium option.
Experience has taught me that middle of the road usually means I overpaid for a seldom-used tool or I underpaid for something that I use frequently.
And as I've gotten older, there's a very good chance that if I haven't need the tool yet, I almost certainly won't need it later. My days of wrenching on things are numbered. Another 10-15 years I'll probably be done. So the period in which I can recover ROI is dwindling and I'm keeping that in mind with any newer acquisition. Heck, most of my recent acquisitions have been those that make it easier on my body to do what must be done.
Finally got my shrinker stretcher set in from Tar Heel Parts inc.
Eastwood had this nice mounting plate that goes into a vise, and I got lucky and found a NOS one on eBay for about half the cost of new from Eastwood.
Eastwood had this nice mounting plate that goes into a vise, and I got lucky and found a NOS one on eBay for about half the cost of new from Eastwood.
californiamilleghia
Well-known member
it would be interesting to have an Eastwood and a HF next to each other and see if the casting marks etc are the same ,
if you look an Alibaba you find many companies selling the "same" thing , but just because it looks the same does not mean they are the same hardness etc....
if you look an Alibaba you find many companies selling the "same" thing , but just because it looks the same does not mean they are the same hardness etc....
K13
Well-known member
The difference in quality levels is in the jaws not the bodies. There would have to be a serious flaw in the casting or you have hulk operating it to damage the bodies. You are barely moving the handle at all when the jaws are engaged with the metal.