Replacement Pittsburgh Jack stands also failing!

[OilReport99]

Originally Posted by nascarnation
Actually a LOT of their stuff is an excellent value for the money.

[Taiwan] Impact sockets and ratchets are very good.

Originally Posted by nascarnation
Just don't depend on Chinese quality for mission critical items.

Like those "protecting" you against Gravity's attempt to crush you.

Originally Posted by nascarnation
Those 6.5 hp Predator engines are awesome for go karts / OPE and only 99 bucks.

They're Okay for the price.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted by CT8
Harbor freight ,,you usually get exactly what you pay for.


Yup.

 

[JeffKeryk]

This is freakin' scary.
Jack stands have always given me a huge sense of security; not now.

 

[Fattylocks]

Harbor Fail.

They'll never get anymore my hard earned coin.

 

[TheLawnRanger]

I've been been a HF fan for years. A lot of my tools and my main tool box come from there and I couldn't be more satisfied. The jack stands looked as good as any in the store and had good reviews.
This recall flipped a switch in my mind when it comes to HF. I'm not done with them but I'll go somewhere else an item I need is even remotely near a price I can handle.

 

[stanlee]

And a bunch of you will go out and spend 30 more for another brand stamped on it of the EXACT same quality if not the same exact stand. Potential shoddy welding on cheap jack stands is not new or exclusive to HF (go look at reviews/pics on any budget jack stands on Amazon). I decided NOT to return my recalled 6 ton stands because I've used them HUNDREDS of times. I know I'm not going to spend $100+ on jack stands and if you aren't the name on them is the only difference from HF stands. Without the recall 99.9% of you would still be happy with yours.

 

[wings&wheels]

HF, like any second (third?) tier brand has good and bad. I am a fan of them, I admire their story and the business they built, but I've never bought what I consider life critical tools from them and don't plan to unless I get much more confidence in them. That said, to others' points, I'm not sure how many of the stands (and who knows what other goods) out there are produced in the same or related factories and sold under different brands. Mid-lower tier is what it is no matter what label is stuck on.

Now once they straighten this out their stands will probably be pretty good at least for a while!

 

[JohnG]

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, but not sure why. The broken weld shows absolutely NO penetration on the right side, just laid on like putty. This could be just a single batch.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted by stanlee
And a bunch of you will go out and spend 30 more for another brand stamped on it of the EXACT same quality if not the same exact stand. Potential shoddy welding on cheap jack stands is not new or exclusive to HF (go look at reviews/pics on any budget jack stands on Amazon). I decided NOT to return my recalled 6 ton stands because I've used them HUNDREDS of times. I know I'm not going to spend $100+ on jack stands and if you aren't the name on them is the only difference from HF stands. Without the recall 99.9% of you would still be happy with yours.


If they are the exact same quality, they are going to get recalled too. That's not how this works.

 

[haggler]

Best to have multiple layers of protection in addtion to jack stands. Rather use ramps on the one end I'll be working on than jack stands if possible. Even when using ramps ill place the jackstands in place for insurance, as well as the floor jack. Its also not a bad idea to place some wood blocks as insurance.

 

[dogememe]

I suspect there are not that many companies that actually make jack stands. Most are probably relabeled. Whether it's Pittsburgh from HF or "ACDelco" from O'Reilly it's probably all the aame...

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted by stanlee
And a bunch of you will go out and spend 30 more for another brand stamped on it of the EXACT same quality if not the same exact stand. Potential shoddy welding on cheap jack stands is not new or exclusive to HF (go look at reviews/pics on any budget jack stands on Amazon). I decided NOT to return my recalled 6 ton stands because I've used them HUNDREDS of times. I know I'm not going to spend $100+ on jack stands and if you aren't the name on them is the only difference from HF stands. Without the recall 99.9% of you would still be happy with yours.

For the most part I agree with you. There aren't too many companies making jack stands, a different brand name, color and higher price doesn't always mean it is a different jack stand. Many companies will charge more for the same exact product, re-branded because some people feel a higher price is a higher quality. That may or may not be true. Where I respectfully disagree is if my HF stands were part of the recall I'd bring them back.

 

[Dave9]

Good grief, we're back to this "all jack stands of this design must magically be the same" nonsense.

There's probably at least 100 jack stand factories in China alone. Think about how BIG China is. This site lists 563, though obviously some don't make this style of stand:
https://www.made-in-china.com/manufacturers/jack-stand.html

Attention to detail makes all the difference. Two jack stands that look "pretty" similar, may not be all that similar when it comes to a safe defect-free build.

Quality control does cost money, so yeah if you buy the cheapest widget, odds are there was less quality control than from a more costly major brand.