I have never thrown a tool. Serves zero purpose.
If you buy a cheap harbor freight tool and it is making you really mad and it isn't working the way its supposed to and causes more work, then it feels good to throw it, on the concrete, really hard. In fact it may be therapeutic.
Over 20 years ago I thought, I'll buy a harbor freight remote starter switch, something that simple can't be that bad, the kind you put on the solenoid to crank it over while you are under it. Anyway, that thing was annoying the hell out of me because the cheap @$$ spring clips kept falling apart instead of clamping the terminal. Finally I got so mad at it I just swing it around from the cord like a lasso but vertically, got it going really fast, and let it go right into the concrete, shattered to pieces, man that felt good.
That was the 3rd and last time I ever went to Horror Fraught tools. I bought a Lisle USA made remote switch and I still have it.
I have never thrown a good tool.
Harbor freight has come a long way in the last 20 years. I really like their Icon line of tools. They're marketed to complete with Snapon at Craftsman prices although their actual quality falls in about the middle of the two.
The plant I work at buys exclusively Harbor freight tools and not the good Icon stuff, mostly Pittsburgh or Quinn and the Hercules cordless stuff. They live a hard life and are more likely to rust due to the environment than actually break due to use. Also tools seem to get misplaced or go missing an awful lot so buying cheap makes sense. The point I'm making is that they really aren't bad to work with and would be a good for a starter set or something to travel with or emergency use etc.
I can't do it, I'd usually rather have a used USA made tool than a new overseas tool.
Plus I'm not a tool beater,(you aren't either I'm sure) I like to take care of them and keep the looking like new and organized as much as possible while still using them. But I don't use screwdrivers as prybars, I don't use ratchets as hammers, etc. Therefore I want a quality tool that will last a lifetime.
In fact, if I break an old USA made Craftsman socket, which is rare if you use the right tool for the job, I don't go waste my time trying to trade it for a new china socket, I just order a USA made one from McMaster or something as a replacement. It's usually a Proto or a Williams and one socket at a time is not too expensive. However, a whole set is quite expensive and then I will buy used or find another option.
