I ordered a 3/8" "Heavy Duty" variable speed drill from Harbor Freight to drive my Barley Crusher since I was getting kind of tired of hand cranking 20+ lbs of grain every time. It was on sale during the Black Friday festivities so I got it pretty cheap. Having been burned by a HF drill going dead on me after a few uses before, I went through and read reviews and whatnot. This one is five stars, everyone seems happy with it, etc.
First, I just wanted to mention that if you plan to ever buy anything from Harbor Freight, don't order it online. They sent me an email receipt for my order, and then I also got another little note thanking me for my order, and they had different order numbers. When I later went on the website to check the status of my order, neither number worked. I called them up and they had no idea what was going on with my order. Couldn't find it using either number.
The package surprisingly showed up yesterday, about two weeks after I ordered it. So, at least I got the thing. But I never got any notifications or tracking numbers in email or anything like that, even though the original email they sent said I'd see a notification when they ship it. It was a good thing I was home at the time.
Well, today I had to mill a 22-lb grain bill, so I went outside on the patio where my mill is set up, plugged the thing in and squeezed the trigger to test it out. There is a humming noise, but nothing else happens. Mind you, this is not hooked up to the mill already. Just the drill with not even a drill bit attached. I check everything to make sure I'm not doing something wrong (how hard is it to operate a drill?), but nope everything seems like it should work. Looking more closely at the drill (looking for a lock or something that would prevent rotation), I notice a wisp of smoke coming out of the casing. Wait a few seconds and then even more smoke starts coming out....time to unplug it I guess.
So, it's going back to the store when I have a chance to drive down that way. I'm not even considering trying to return it online. After my first drill dying after a few uses putting holes in drywall/wood and that kind of stuff, and this one smoking just from plugging it in, I think I've learned my lesson about buying drills from Harbor Freight.
Instead, I ordered an electric motor and a shaft coupling, and I will build a little milling station.
First, I just wanted to mention that if you plan to ever buy anything from Harbor Freight, don't order it online. They sent me an email receipt for my order, and then I also got another little note thanking me for my order, and they had different order numbers. When I later went on the website to check the status of my order, neither number worked. I called them up and they had no idea what was going on with my order. Couldn't find it using either number.
The package surprisingly showed up yesterday, about two weeks after I ordered it. So, at least I got the thing. But I never got any notifications or tracking numbers in email or anything like that, even though the original email they sent said I'd see a notification when they ship it. It was a good thing I was home at the time.
Well, today I had to mill a 22-lb grain bill, so I went outside on the patio where my mill is set up, plugged the thing in and squeezed the trigger to test it out. There is a humming noise, but nothing else happens. Mind you, this is not hooked up to the mill already. Just the drill with not even a drill bit attached. I check everything to make sure I'm not doing something wrong (how hard is it to operate a drill?), but nope everything seems like it should work. Looking more closely at the drill (looking for a lock or something that would prevent rotation), I notice a wisp of smoke coming out of the casing. Wait a few seconds and then even more smoke starts coming out....time to unplug it I guess.
So, it's going back to the store when I have a chance to drive down that way. I'm not even considering trying to return it online. After my first drill dying after a few uses putting holes in drywall/wood and that kind of stuff, and this one smoking just from plugging it in, I think I've learned my lesson about buying drills from Harbor Freight.
Instead, I ordered an electric motor and a shaft coupling, and I will build a little milling station.
