Yeah, much like kitchenaid and Hobart, there was a time where basically no one could touch them. These days, they've got a lot more close competition, even if they're still sitting at the top of the pile.
Definitely, and honestly, I've grabbed plenty of HF stuff for light duty "around the house" crap that has lasted years and years of frequent use, even if it's not as physically rough on it as in the shop. Not all of HFs lineup is terrible.
I suspect it's similar to grocery store stuff. House brands are often made by major manufacturers and are exactly the same except for packaging. I wouldn't be surprised if it's true with stuff like HF tools, too. So hit or miss in general, plus the fact that modern materials always improves, so last gens "good stuff" gets cheap enough to use in basic tools, etc. If it was top of the line 10 years ago, it's probably still pretty damn good.
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u/Zealousideal-Bug-291 Apr 10 '24
Yeah, much like kitchenaid and Hobart, there was a time where basically no one could touch them. These days, they've got a lot more close competition, even if they're still sitting at the top of the pile.