Seriously?

[Andy Compton]

Looks like Amazon only sells the 1-pack. The 2 and 6-pack are sold by some merchant called "TheHardwareCityCO"...

[Andrew Kertesz]

I've been using the same $6.95 speed square for 30 years and haven't had a house fall down yet....

[Peter Quinn]

I can't imagine buying many of the tools they make, others seem to fill a real niche, but I haven't bought those either Often they create elaborate and expensive solutions to problems I don't have. To me the tools are probably worth the asking given the time and material involved, particularly given the precision that is claimed. Question is do I need a tool that precise and so specific to a task? This one is more general, but there are probably 5 other implements in my shop that are equally precise and cost less. For actual carpentry these are comical.

[Dan Hunkele]

Another tool for those that buy them to look at them.

[Bill Orbine]

If it's made to be a collectible, it probably isn't!

[Myk Rian]

Another tool for those that buy them to look at them.

Or with too much money and not a lot of sense.

[Jerome Stanek]

Thats almost as bad as this harbor frieght $2.99 Starrett $37.99

[Keith Weber]

Thats almost as bad as this harbor frieght $2.99 Starrett $37.99

Comparing a Harbor Freight punch to a Starrett is like comparing a wooden yardstick to a micrometer. One of them is just crude. I'd be willing to bet that one blow of a hammer to that HF punch into stainless steel would bend the tip, and round it over. Chances are, the point on the tip isn't even centered. The Chinese make punches and nail sets that look like their American counterparts, but they just don't understand the concept of hardening. All of my nail sets from before I stopped buying anything Chinese are all bent or flared. My Snap On set is like new after years of hard use. I see the HF one in your pics as the overpriced one!

[Peter Quinn]

Comparing a Harbor Freight punch to a Starrett is like comparing a wooden yardstick to a micrometer. One of them is just crude. I'd be willing to bet that one blow of a hammer to that HF punch into stainless steel would bend the tip, and round it over. Chances are, the point on the tip isn't even centered. The Chinese make punches and nail sets that look like their American counterparts, but they just don't understand the concept of hardening. All of my nail sets from before I stopped buying anything Chinese are all bent or flared. My Snap On set is like new after years of hard use. I see the HF one in your pics as the overpriced one!

Ditto. LOL. I remember a guy in the shop making fun of my starret combo square, probably cost me $80. Gets used constantly. I have cheap groz machinist squares that are fine for basic layout and set ups, save money where I can. but when it involves moving parts and mechanicals.....they can keep the Chinese junk, not worth fighting with. So the guy who made fun of my starret has a Chinese 3 piece combo with angle finder...and one day job pops up where he needs to pull angles off a template....I watched him spend 25 minutes trying to get the angle head on the ruller...cussing, fighting, couldn't do it. Pulled out my starret to taunt him. Ten seconds. I'm standing there laughing...See buddy....10 second set up every time....you have wasted enough shop time ($70/hr) just today fighting with your Chinese low budget junk to have paid for the starret! And when you finally get that head on it's no guarantee that it will actually read the angles correctly anyway given how sloppy it is. Plus or minus 7 degrees is not my idea of accurate! Never confuse cost and value.

[Greg R Bradley]

$100 seems reasonable considering the materials, workmanship and features.

It is just that most people that need a CARPENTERS square don't really need those materials, workmanship and features. That leaves a VERY small market for those.

Makes sense for movie set builders, scale model builders, and ........... OK I'm running out of possible buyers without getting to the people who collect tools instead of use them.

[Ryan Mooney]

They are really proud of those "One Time" tools. Every time they send one of these emails out about a new one, it cracks me up at the price. The last one I remember was that mortise center finder.

The one time creates a sense of urgency so you have to "buy it now or never get another chance" which is really a smart marketing strategy. If you don't know what you need its easy to get confused. My hats off to their marketing department (although my wallet will stay in my pocket).

[Jerome Stanek]

Comparing a Harbor Freight punch to a Starrett is like comparing a wooden yardstick to a micrometer. One of them is just crude. I'd be willing to bet that one blow of a hammer to that HF punch into stainless steel would bend the tip, and round it over. Chances are, the point on the tip isn't even centered. The Chinese make punches and nail sets that look like their American counterparts, but they just don't understand the concept of hardening. All of my nail sets from before I stopped buying anything Chinese are all bent or flared. My Snap On set is like new after years of hard use. I see the HF one in your pics as the overpriced one!

You don't hit it with a hammer they both are spring loaded. I have had the Harbor freight one for 15 years and it still works like new. I used it every day for the first 5 years installing CVS pharmacys. How do you not center a point? If you want to bang on the Starrett with a hammer then go a head also the Starrett is aluminum.

[Bruce Page]

Thats almost as bad as this harbor frieght $2.99 Starrett $37.99

My Starrett spring punch is at least 30 years old, it has thousands of punches under it's belt and still works as good as new. I don’t see the HF giving me that performance.
Mine is steel.

[John Lanciani]

I could make one exactly like that for a lot cheaper prolly like five bucks. I have files, countersinks etc., probably all the tools I would need and aluminum is easy to machine. I know some guys that do anodizing.

But could you make a couple hundred of them to the listed tolerance and sell them for $5 each and feed your family at the end of the day?

[Myk Rian]

I'd be willing to bet that one blow of a hammer to that HF punch into stainless steel would bend the tip, and round it over.

1) They aren't designed to be used with a hammer.
2) They don't work well with stainless.

I have a Starrett, and a HF. They work equally well, by hand pressure only.