US General Series 2 - beats Blue Point
- Thread starter kctyphoon
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PelicanPines
ALLIANCE MEMBER
That popped up earlier for me too... It's interesting. For about 2 seconds... i almost thought HF had a YELLOW 5 drawer cart too. Then when I was able to breathe again... I realized it was just the other china cart (bluepoint)
PhysicsDude
Well-known member
I wish RealToolReviews would have covered a couple other quality items. The metal is probably thicker and stronger on the bluepoint. Internal welds stronger. He does mention the grease fitting on the Bluepoint caster, but I'm sure beyong that the Bluepoint casters will last at least twice as long as the HF ones.
I have a metal cart that I used to keep in my work truck. The bolted construction like the HF cart comes loose really easily. I'd have to retighten every nut every month. I eventually tightened them and then tack welded the nut to the bolt. I'm sure the Bluepoint cart would hold up a lot better when transported, although the vast majority of users would keep them in a shop environment.
Are the quality differences worth the huge difference in price? I don't think so. But its kind of disingenuous to compare specs like cubic inches of space and shelf sizes and conclude that the HF cart is "better". I still agree with the overall conclusion though.
I have a metal cart that I used to keep in my work truck. The bolted construction like the HF cart comes loose really easily. I'd have to retighten every nut every month. I eventually tightened them and then tack welded the nut to the bolt. I'm sure the Bluepoint cart would hold up a lot better when transported, although the vast majority of users would keep them in a shop environment.
Are the quality differences worth the huge difference in price? I don't think so. But its kind of disingenuous to compare specs like cubic inches of space and shelf sizes and conclude that the HF cart is "better". I still agree with the overall conclusion though.
thesilverone
Well-known member
yawn more paid reviews
Buckgnarly
Well-known member
Break the anvil on your expensive tool because the shelf is not permanent?...
....come on!
I own a HF cart but that "review" was ridiculously biased. Also note the plethora of HF tools in the background, and the use of the lift table to assemble....
On a serious side note, what exactly is the difference in the Gen 2 cart other than the lid? Is it larger or better?
....come on!I own a HF cart but that "review" was ridiculously biased. Also note the plethora of HF tools in the background, and the use of the lift table to assemble....
On a serious side note, what exactly is the difference in the Gen 2 cart other than the lid? Is it larger or better?
Vantastic
Well-known member
I don’t know how any real tool user could watch that fools videos.
Snakebyt
Well-known member
I have a bluepoint cart i have had for about 3 years, I also have a HF 4 drawer that i paid 99 for. Plan on getting one of these us general carts as well.. i have used the older version of them, and honestly, the blue point cart isnt any better that the HF carts. I would probably sell my blue point and buy 2 HF carts, but im a ******* and dont want to lose all my stickers. Stickers make everything better
Snakebyt
Well-known member
I thought it was a decent video, I own a blue point cart, and it is defiantly not worth the extra money
There are definitely worse tool video channels on YT that I would rather watch RTR anyday.
It is embarrassing. Slightly better features and construction but still made in China. That cart should be about $400 and that’s being generous.
Wamsutta
Well-known member
At least Snap-on is still making their own wrenches. Matco has theirs farmed out to Taiwan.
the lid,the logo and the lock.
Also 22" deep vs 18"
RV8guy
Well-known member
The 5 drawer cart is the same except for the lid, logo, and lock.
Agreed. I am a big fan of the wrenches, ratchets and welded chrome universals. I think the hard-line US made tools are beyond compare. But somebody needs to call them out when they rebrand and/or import stuff with huge mark ups. Good for the shareholders but a bad deal for the poor souls who get suckered into buying them.
The Matco business model is baffling, valet service of Carlyle grade Taiwan tools at twice the price. Around Orlando I've never seen a Matco truck (doesn't mean there isn't one), I've seen a couple Mac trucks and I see Snap-on almost every day.
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Now that Harbor Freight has fixed the cart lid issue so, it opens a full 90 degrees, they need to make the top till area deeper to accomodate pry bar handles.
Perhaps that can debut on the Gen 3 models
I wished the reviewer would have used a closer priced cart from Homak or Sunex for comparison to eliminate the Snap on drama.
I thought it was a pretty good video. After using a cart with 7 drawers and a deep till for many years now, i don't care for the carts with open space at the bottom but, that's just me.
Perhaps that can debut on the Gen 3 models
I wished the reviewer would have used a closer priced cart from Homak or Sunex for comparison to eliminate the Snap on drama.
I thought it was a pretty good video. After using a cart with 7 drawers and a deep till for many years now, i don't care for the carts with open space at the bottom but, that's just me.
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Now that Harbor Freight has fixed the cart lid issue so, it opens a full 90 degrees, they need to make the top till area deeper to accomodate pry bar handles.
Perhaps that can debut on the Gen 3 models
I wished the reviewer would have used a closer priced cart from Homak or Sunex for comparison to eliminate the Snap on drama.
I thought it was a pretty good video. After using a cart with 7 drawers and a deep till for many years now, i don't care for the carts with open space at the bottom but, that's just me.
The HF 4 drawer carts also has the new logo.. no idea what's different there..
this
Snakebyt
Well-known member
got to face it, HF is making a really good quality cart for really reasonable money, i would rather buy a $200 cart and spend $700 on tools than to spend 900 and have an empty cart.
i traded a black $99 HF cart and $50 for my bluepoint box, guy wanted a black cart to match his other black toolbox. He didnt like the blue. No idea where he got or what he paid for the bluepoint cart.
Hoping to find a blue HF cart in stock soon
i traded a black $99 HF cart and $50 for my bluepoint box, guy wanted a black cart to match his other black toolbox. He didnt like the blue. No idea where he got or what he paid for the bluepoint cart.
Hoping to find a blue HF cart in stock soon
Snakebyt
Well-known member
I agree, one guy at work has this gearwrench serpentine belt tool
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002WSFTO/?tag=atomicindus08-20
Another guy bought the exact same thing, branded matco and paid right at $150 off the truck. We put them side by side and they are identical in every way other than the name.
Not badmouthing trucks at all, just saying there are ways to get the same quality, and in some cases the exact same tool for way less money. The more money in your wallet the more tools we can buy right, and that makes us all happy
BDT/NWMN
Well-known member
Well, Snap-on is Snap-on, and Snap-on wrenches have little to do with Blue Point tool carts..
Blue Point is a budget line that Snap-on owns and retails.
The comparison here is between two tool carts made in China FOR Hf and the Blue Point division..
Would I pay three times the price for the Yellow Cart because some Chinese factory put a Blue Point sticker on it?? NO Way.
Well its the easiest part of marketing to add a few pieces of plastic and charge 4x the cost to make people FEEL like they are buying something better. What's funnier still, is some guys that go for the $800 cart will swear up and down that the cheap HF cart is "junk" purely based on the brand it's sold under, or point out that the "wheels" are better on the expensive model- justifying 4x the cost over something so trivial.
WittHay
Well-known member
Not sure the point of the video, its like a infomercial but without the sponsored by Harbor Freight disclaimer. Nothing wrong with the quality of the 5 drawer HF tool cart for a home garage. Local tool store imports the same carts and sells them under their house brand Bynford Pro.
The Blue-Point is frequently on sale, and the reason a shop would buy one over a HF is lifetime warranty vs. 90 day. Comes delivered fully assembled from the dealer vs paying someone to pick up and assemble the HF. Better casters and "maybe" heavier guage metal. Deeper storage area for large prybars. Every part on the BP is available from Snap-on and lastly the Blue-Point comes in 10 colors.
The deal breaker for me is the welded vs. bolt together construction, welded is more rigid and the BP has detents vs. spring latches on the HF or Bynford Pro. Don't like those spring latches at all.
The Blue-Point is frequently on sale, and the reason a shop would buy one over a HF is lifetime warranty vs. 90 day. Comes delivered fully assembled from the dealer vs paying someone to pick up and assemble the HF. Better casters and "maybe" heavier guage metal. Deeper storage area for large prybars. Every part on the BP is available from Snap-on and lastly the Blue-Point comes in 10 colors.
The deal breaker for me is the welded vs. bolt together construction, welded is more rigid and the BP has detents vs. spring latches on the HF or Bynford Pro. Don't like those spring latches at all.
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^ yeh quite a few companies sell that 5 drawer cart under their own label.
It a really decent buy and at HF coupon price a total steal .
Throw in few mods and taking time loctite the nuts and do um proper good-n-tight it a solid box that works fine for pro use, plastic latches are bit lame but I do see need for them on a cart that gets moved a lot and at the price and drawer size it more than acceptable, same latch on HF 56" and 72" not acceptable though IMO .
I'm going get one of these in blue go with my matco boxes.
I couldn't care about lifetime warranty on a metal box, nothing on that cart I couldn't fix myself in couple hours and even at my shop rate of 70bucks I could justify putting hour in to assemble the HF cart.
I don't mind paying more for snapon/williams ratchets but even if bluepoint cart was a 500bucks deal it still potentially twice the price of the HF if spent another 100buck on HF modding it .
It a really decent buy and at HF coupon price a total steal .
Throw in few mods and taking time loctite the nuts and do um proper good-n-tight it a solid box that works fine for pro use, plastic latches are bit lame but I do see need for them on a cart that gets moved a lot and at the price and drawer size it more than acceptable, same latch on HF 56" and 72" not acceptable though IMO .
I'm going get one of these in blue go with my matco boxes.
I couldn't care about lifetime warranty on a metal box, nothing on that cart I couldn't fix myself in couple hours and even at my shop rate of 70bucks I could justify putting hour in to assemble the HF cart.
I don't mind paying more for snapon/williams ratchets but even if bluepoint cart was a 500bucks deal it still potentially twice the price of the HF if spent another 100buck on HF modding it .
WittHay
Well-known member
Mr B, the 5-drawer carts that I have seen actually look quite solid and I am not bashing HF. I like tool trucks but its hard justifying their prices on boxes.
I have 2 blue tool carts, one is a 3 shelf New Holland made in China and the other is a 5 drawer Mac made in USA with the sliding top
I have 2 blue tool carts, one is a 3 shelf New Holland made in China and the other is a 5 drawer Mac made in USA with the sliding top
Mikeske
Well-known member
So let's see a $800.00 vs a $169.00 cart. I can have 4 of the $169.00 carts or just 1 of the $800.00 cart and still have change left over buying the 4 carts. Return on Investment would be better with the $169.00 only for the reason is cost. In the automotive shops I frequent I see a sea of the Harbor Freight carts as the technicians are buying the Harbor Freight carts. All the ones I seen had the US General nameplate removed and a lot of the carts are sitting next to various truck brand roller cabinets.
Buying either is buying a Chinese cart no matter what is said so why not buy the Harbor Freight tool cart?
Then it comes to warranty and I have rarely if ever had a major failure on any tool box and I used a Bonney branded Waterloo 27" box in a industrial setting for over 30 years, use was heavy and the only thing I ever did was replace the casters with heavier duty ones and affix a 1/4" aluminum plate to the bottom of the box when I replaced the casters.
Buying either is buying a Chinese cart no matter what is said so why not buy the Harbor Freight tool cart?
Then it comes to warranty and I have rarely if ever had a major failure on any tool box and I used a Bonney branded Waterloo 27" box in a industrial setting for over 30 years, use was heavy and the only thing I ever did was replace the casters with heavier duty ones and affix a 1/4" aluminum plate to the bottom of the box when I replaced the casters.
Now that Harbor Freight has fixed the cart lid issue so, it opens a full 90 degrees, they need to make the top till area deeper to accomodate pry bar handles.
Perhaps that can debut on the Gen 3 models
I wished the reviewer would have used a closer priced cart from Homak or Sunex for comparison to eliminate the Snap on drama.
I thought it was a pretty good video. After using a cart with 7 drawers and a deep till for many years now, i don't care for the carts with open space at the bottom but, that's just me.
But then he couldn't put the click bait in his title. Have to recoup the $900 for that BP cart somehow.
On an aside I'm going to get some of those rubber bumpers for my Napa full drawer cart. Those plastic guards broke off ages ago.
Bryanthegreat
Well-known member
With these U.S. General carts I really don't see the need to pay more for any other cart unless it has more drawers. They are sturdy and well built. There are a few in my shop and I also had one before I purchased a cart with more drawers. My only gripe with them was the depth of the pry bar storage area. Which could easily be modified. If the 90 day warranty is of concern buy an extra one for parts and you will still come out ahead. I think the videos are good and I like to watch them.
pgilmore7
Well-known member
My SO tool cart is 10yrs old and I work out of it everyday. The drawer slides and casters started to give me issues, now they’re getting replaced under warranty. Still looks brand new and no issues with the metal on the cart itself. I know this is about BP vs HF carts but my point is if it works for you and your happy with it who cares what some one sided video says. These reviews are getting like the news.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Not sure a "lifetime" warranty on a $800 cart that is essentially the same as one that sells for $169 is a valid reason to justify going with a bluepoint.. neither is the "no real assembly". You can't really argue both sides and say it's a lifetime investment, only to turn around and say you're u don't have an extra 30 minutes to invest in that.. you can buy a replacement HF cart over the course of your ENTIRE CAREER and still have spent less than half the money compared to a bluepoint. And you cannot use the "well parts are readily available for the bluepoint" as justification, as I've proved that you can get parts for the US General stuff very easily.
Also - I know it sounds good to use as a debate point, - but a great many mechanics will never buy a tool cart and wind up keeping that same cart for their entire career. People buy new things all the time (which is ALOT easier to do when you're paying about 80% less for the same thing) and are constantly changing setups and trying new things to find what works best for them. Organization and storage is always a work in progress for most people, and the $800 cart can get crushed with a car just as easily as the $169 model. In that situation it might be a better feature to have replaceable legs that can be purchased and replaced, compared to a one piece welded frame.
Also - I know it sounds good to use as a debate point, - but a great many mechanics will never buy a tool cart and wind up keeping that same cart for their entire career. People buy new things all the time (which is ALOT easier to do when you're paying about 80% less for the same thing) and are constantly changing setups and trying new things to find what works best for them. Organization and storage is always a work in progress for most people, and the $800 cart can get crushed with a car just as easily as the $169 model. In that situation it might be a better feature to have replaceable legs that can be purchased and replaced, compared to a one piece welded frame.
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I can’t seem to justify buying a KRSC as a DIY’er (and my worn out junk cars keep needing money thrown at them) so I’d like to see HF go this direction.
I’m really kicking myself for not getting the Homak cart when NAPA was blowing them out a few years ago.
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PelicanPines
ALLIANCE MEMBER
BDT/NWMN
Well-known member
The yellow cart has four swivel casters; but I find the carts and roller cabinets with two swivel casters and two fixed casters easier to maneuver in a straight line. I prefer a side shelf or tray to be bolted in place.
It must be the Red Carpet Delivery Service, Warranty, and Finance Plans that attract the buyers???
WittHay
Well-known member
The Blue-Point carts are popular up here. There is the trade in value too, get tired of your cart trade it in. The HF type carts sell in the $300 range up here and the Blue-Point for $750 to $800. So the price range is less.
I am familiar with Blue-Point line of carts as the same carts are sold through Case IH and New Holland. All I know is that if I would buy a HF cart for the guys to use in the shop, the latches would get wrecked with in a week, The Blue-Point with the detents stand up better.
Like I said HF will work for people that have time to fiddle and make it work right or return it if there is quality issues. This is a quote from the HF cart thread a couple of days ago.
" The change I made was changing my mind in buying one today. I went to HF today with the intent of buying a blue cart. I left without one and felt $200 richer. Maybe it was that particular blue one but what a p.o.s it was. The welds were separating where the lower gas struts for the lid mount. The lid hinge rivets were all loose. I'm just looking for a decent box for the basement. I'll consider a Masterforce or Husky box, or wait until one of the tool guys has a decent SO used cart."
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I am familiar with Blue-Point line of carts as the same carts are sold through Case IH and New Holland. All I know is that if I would buy a HF cart for the guys to use in the shop, the latches would get wrecked with in a week, The Blue-Point with the detents stand up better.
Like I said HF will work for people that have time to fiddle and make it work right or return it if there is quality issues. This is a quote from the HF cart thread a couple of days ago.
" The change I made was changing my mind in buying one today. I went to HF today with the intent of buying a blue cart. I left without one and felt $200 richer. Maybe it was that particular blue one but what a p.o.s it was. The welds were separating where the lower gas struts for the lid mount. The lid hinge rivets were all loose. I'm just looking for a decent box for the basement. I'll consider a Masterforce or Husky box, or wait until one of the tool guys has a decent SO used cart."
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WhiffySpark
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2009
- Messages
- 6,252
Y'all are really starting to reach with the HF comparisons. Pretty obvious it's not the same. I have a hF 5 drawer at the house and it's the biggest POS I brought from them.
toddoky
Well-known member
^I had one as well that I bought 6-7 years ago and used it for about 6 months before selling it. It was a rickety pile of dung.