We talk about it all the time, how tool brand names mean less today than ever because of the amazing tools you can buy for the money and because of the warranties that are now offered on all kinds of cheaper brands. When Craftsman changed their tool warranty policy several years ago, during the demise of Sears stores, everyone thought that there would never be a good warranty offered on any reasonably priced tool again but boy were they wrong. Because brands like Daytona and Pittsburgh were being pedaled by Harbor Freight, who’s company motto is to compare their cheaper tools to a specific high-priced model from a big name, they also had to step up their warranties and the rest of the industry seems to have followed. Not for everything mind you, but for a lot, and it has changed the tool game in a big way.
One of the tools that Harbor Freight has always been a big seller of is floor jacks, but with prices being so low on most of them you never really had big expectations on the quality of these things and just lived with the fact that they weren’t the best. That’s because a real deal high-quality jack costs a jillion dollars!
In this test from Project Farm you’ll see a $1,000, before shipping and handling, Snap-On floorjack go up against a bunch of others. Now make no mistake, this Snap-On floor jack is a really nice jack, but it costs $1,000! That’s so far out of my price range that if it was the only floor jack available I’d have to live without one.
But what kind of floor jack can you get if you are on a budget like me? Well, this video is going to go over build quality, lift heights, number of strokes to get to maximum height, force required to lift, max lift capacity, pressure holding, clearance, reach and more. It’s a good one and will let you know whether you own the right floor jack or are shopping for the right one. I know I’m going to be in the market for a new floor jack or two before too long and this definitely helped me decide which one I’ll be spending my money on.
Video Description:
3-Ton Floor Jacks: $1000 Snap On, Daytona, Pittsburgh, Arcan, Black Jack, ESCO, Husky, Maasdam. Jacks tested for maximum lift (3 ton rating), bleed-off under load, rolling resistance while under load, jack handle and jack efficiency under load, handle pressure to lift 3 tons, number of jack strokes to lift vehicle, holding 3,000 pounds for 24 hours, and jack build construction quality. I purchased all of the floor jacks to ensure an unbiased review.
So in other words, buy 2 of the Daytonas and update them to slightly larger wheels. Then take the 400 bucks you saved from not getting the Snap On one and do whatever you want with the money.
What came out of a container from China the week the video was made means little as to what you can expect if you buy the same items today. I was given an HF one as a present a while back, so nice-looking, it went into the scrap barrel after about 30 days of dealing with the piece of garbage. How do I tell well-meaning people to not buy me presents from Harbor Freight? I don’t do that to them…
But yay China, right? Doesn’t matter that it’s getting so that we owe them a whole lot of money.
price is directly related to cost. People with a conscience ask themselves if the ‘savings’ is worth it.