Breaking911: About 1,020,000 Portland, One Stop Gardens, and Chicago Electric 14 inch electric chainsaws are being recalled because they might not turn off.
Harbor Freight Tools has received 15 reports of chainsaws continuing to operate after being turned off by the operator, resulting in three laceration injuries including one serious injury to the arm requiring stitches.
“The power switch can malfunction and allow the chainsaw to continue operating after the operator moves the switch to the “off” position, posing a serious injury hazard to the operator,” the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said. more
never seen any electric appliance that didn’t turn off when you unplugged ’em …
& ‘electric’ chain saws just don’t seem right
btw, never buy junk from Harbor Freight
Radioman loves him some CHAINSAW!
Some times we had to “clear cut” a
survey line in the woods back in South Carolina
so we could get an accurate “shoot” with the
transit.We did every land surveyor trick in the
book to save a tree or a “great tree”.We had permission
to cut what-ever-the-hell we wanted to.We saved alot of
trees and I am proud of that.
Molan, HF is really frickin bad.
Last for 1 job.
120 VAC chain saw with a razor razor
sharp chain does OK for my joe home owner stuff.
@RADIOATION ~ that must’a been some mighty long extension cords y’all used for those chainsaws back in them woods of South Cacalacky 😜
i’ve never had a problem with harbor freight generators. the rest of it you have to know that you are buying home use products, not industrial.
How come there has never been a recall for mothers-in-law that never stop??
Along with my gas fired, Harley Davidson, 30 horse chainsaw, I have a cute little Stihl battery chain saw. Every time I take the battery out it shuts off, and I can’t get it to start again until I put a battery back in it.
Used to be that every electrical appliance sold in the US had a UL Approved sticker on it to assure it was safe. I guess we don’t do that anymore since none of the Chinese crap would pass the tests. Another “benefit “ of globalization! Thanks again Liberals
@TonyR ~ most everything from China has a UL label … & much of it is forged
You get what you pay for.
I have tools that I own and still use that are over 40 years old.
Some things are hard to improve on.
18” gas, it does what I need. Hunnert forty bucks.
Sounds like the common sense crowd here at IOTWR figured out you kill the energy supply. It works every time, even when you lock the trigger.
Yawn. Anyone tired of winning?
Harbor Freight has its place for tools. A few years ago, my dad had me using a 1/2 inch “hammer drill” trying to bore a hole through extremely hard brick and 8 inches of concrete to install a dryer vent on the outside of the house.
Thankfully, there was a guy doing contract work for the local municipality that heard the high pitched sound of this drill trying to do something it wasn’t intended to do. He brought a Bosch masonry drill down to the house and had a 3/4 inch hole drilled through the brick and concrete in about 90 seconds.
He asked how big of a hole we needed, I told him about 5 inches. He explained that he didn’t have time to do that for us, but we could RENT a good drill that would do the job for about $50 a day.
We used a coupon that same day at Harbor Freight to BUY (not rent) a “heavy duty” masonry drill for about $50 plus another $20 for 3 large diameter, 18 inch masonry bits. I drilled out the large hole to install the dryer vent in about 30 minutes and the drill and bits still work fine to this day.
Yes, it’s cheap Chinese shit for the most part, but for some situations, their tools do everything you need for moderate use for a lot less money. We used several items including screwdrivers, wood bits. 12 gauge extension cords and hammers (and a few other things) to build a good, solid, brick house that should last for 100 years or more.
I honestly have no problems with Harbor Freight these days (understanding that they aren’t the absolute best tools available, but often very cost effective), especially considering that practically everything these days is made in China including Craftsmen, most Snap-On and other tool brands that have traditionally been made in the US.
I forgot to mention that comparable name brand drills like Bosch, Makita, Dewalt, etc. were anywhere from $700 to $1,000 to buy ….. not including the large masonry bits.The price at Harbor Freight allowed us to not only do the job, but own the tools used to do it for less than we could have hired someone else to do it.
Ever herd of “pulling the plug” ? 😉
I have seen the insides of many Harbor Fright power tools. Their designs and manterials are NOTHING like the big brands, regardless of where they are made.
They are what I call “SINGLE USE” tools, and that is IF you are lucky enought to get one that survives that single use and doesn’t catch on fire.
The hazard is not when you release the trigger when the chain is just freewheeling and it doesn’t stop. It’s when the chain binds up or saw “kicks back”. A user expects the motor to stop and the brake to stop the chain quickly. If it doesn’t the user can lose control and who knows what could happen then.
Also, Harbor Fright markets to inexperienced customers who need the tool “just for this project”. Of course, many don’t read the instructions and safety warnings. It’s scary watching people like that wield a chain saw. It’s like a slow motion train wreck…
If it won’t shut off, just swing it around over your head like a dead cat until the handle falls off. Works every time.
“14” electric?”
Sorry, that ain’t gonna cut it. Found that out just days after moving to my rural location years ago. Borrowed my brother’s electric and blew the motor out almost immediately.
Now, I’ve got a 20” gas Stihl. Comes in mighty handy for when a giant pine drops across your driveway and you need to cut your way out. (Like many times before, including this past week!)
Lol! Get a real saw! I have a Stihl MS261-CM, cuts through twisted white oak like a hot knife through butter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpl0UDKY-vw
Aah, the quality of Chinese workmanship(slave labor). The same dedication to quality they exhibit in their electric chainsaws can be seen in all their products, including high-tech military equipment. Not that all units have flaws — they don’t check for flaws. They let the buyer be their quality control. “Buyer beware” should be their motto.
China sold Ecuador an air traffic control system for many millions of dollars, thoughtfully financed by China. It didn’t work. There was no warranty.
China built Ecuador a bridge, again, financed by China. It was not engineered or built properly and can only carry light vehicles. No warranty.
China specializes in building large government buildings and projects for 3rd world countries (to whom they pay the leaders handsome bribes), almost always with faulty site engineering and substandard material and construction. Always financed by the Chinese government, and without warranty. They also build roads that quickly deteriorate. They are like Travellers but with sovereignty and a blue-water navy.