Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse

it is now Monday 12th January 2026. i ordered an item online on the 25th December 2025. the item was dispatched on the 5th january 2026. arrived at canberra mail centre at 4am 7th january. it’s still at the mail centre. 5 days sitting there. how long does one have to wait to receive an item they have paid for ?

Website was easy to navigate, found exactly what I wanted and for a great price. The workbench arrived within a couple of days, was easy to assemble, high quality and exactly as described. Was really impressed and would buy from them again

Inept staff – Narrow minded inept staff & sales team - the lot of them. I placed an online order the day before and paid via direct transfer as I have done many times in the past over the years. I was notified by email that most items are not in stock which is fine however I found myself unexpectedly driving past the next day and decided to pop in and pick up… Read more

some sandblasting screens out of my $600 + order. So I stopped in to the pick up area and asked the warehouse if I could pick up just the sandblasting screens out of my order giving the invoice number. Was told I need to go across the road to "sort out some nonsense about the invoice" So I go over there, wait 10 - 15 mins before any staff could assist me, asked what I need to do to sort out whatever needs to be sorted out, explained I just want to pick up my sandblasting screens out of my order, nothing else. I was asked to show the invoice & remittance as the payment had only been made the day before, the secretary needed to confirm the payment not sure what came of that but I was told I would need to wait for management or someone higher up to speak to so I continued to wait. Sometime later I finally get to speak to the higher up, again I had to quote the invoice number and show remittance, then told it needs to be confirmed by head office, so I continue to wait. This person comes back to me all confused saying some of my items are not yet available etc when im starting to really loose my patience explaining for a third time I only want to pick up the sandblasting screens out of my order, just my $25 sandblasting screens, I want nothing else but my sandblasting screens, I have explained to warehouse staff, showroom staff now management that's all I want. Then finally someone actually understood, I then had to wait a further few minutes while an invoice was typed out? printed then back across the road to explain 1 more time I just want my sandblasting screens out of my order. FFS Hare & Forbes, something so simple made so hard and you took a valuable half an hour out my day and raised my stress levels, im now joining the many who are very unimpressed with your failing customer service skills, ive spent over 40k with your company and I stood in your showroom office feeling like I was trying to scam you out of some sandblasting screens after showing an emailed invoice and remittance twice, perhaps with some of the massive profits you make spare some of that money to train the clowns you put behind desks.

Very Satisified with the Sales & After Sales/Servive of 'Machinery Warehouse' – I purchased a mini lathe from H&F Perth (Halfo AL51-G) early Jan - 2024, My opinion of the lathe is - Good Design BUT Very Poor Build Quality and Manufacturing Detail.. (and yes you get what you pay for, otherwise all good) First Threading operation the Lathe died. Rang H&F Perth (Jason) who reacted immediately to supply new parts and suggested I… Read more

fit them, rather than return the Lathe to H&F Perth. Excellent Service - Good Result. Approx 6 weeks later another failure with unknown cause resulting some broken parts. Drove to H&F Perth and spoke to Service Manager (Samantha Blackwood) who explained I was too far out of town to do an onsite repair. However as luck would have it, she had a technician coming down my way, early in the next week and would do an inspection. True to her word the Technician (Ritch Barrett) arrived at my place on the time nominated and not only did an inspection, but supplied and installed any thing on my lathe that did not meet specification. I could not be Happier with the obliging service I had received for such a 'Low Cost' Lathe. I am also Extremely Happy that I chose to purchase from H& F Perth rather than buy an 'On-Line' Lathe from other so called 'online suppliers' - who normally do not offer this kind of service.. EXCELLENT SALES and EXCELLENT SERVICE. Thank You H&F Perth... Jim Alcock

Lathe purchase – I recently (November 2023) purchased a lathe from Hare and Forbes. Contact was initially via email but after receiving a positive response to my email that asked me to phone for any help I wanted I continued the purchase via phone. Being in a country area I am used to buying items sight unseen, paying via bank transfer and having the goods… Read more

freighted to me. This is how I conducted the purchase of the lathe and the associated tooling that I ordered. Freight was arranged quickly with the boxed lathe and a large box of tooling arriving overnight at the local depot. Unfortunately the box containing the lathe was handled very badly somewhere along the freight chain and on unboxing the lathe I found it seriously damaged. I made follow-up contact with Hare and Forbes and within a very short time a resolution was offered to me which resulted in the lathe being replaced. The salesman I dealt with was Rameshwar and I can truthfully say that from the moment of first contact asking for a price quote he went out of his way to ensure that my experience buying from Hare and Forbes was a good one. I am very happy with my lathe and very happy with the service I received from Hare and Forbes and Rameshwar.

Good people and gear to deal with – After looking at bench drill presses for some time, all the usual suspects,and brands, and realising how noisy ,and low quality, they are along with not really user friendly they are, I went to Hare and Forbes and bought a drill press, for a few bucks more ,you get quality, more speeds, bigger chuck,and removable,and having used all types throughout my trade, even though this is the cheaper model, it impresses

Great experience – Simple ordering experience, great pricing, easy access to pick-up at the Melbourne site (Dandenong), and a friendly, helpful team at the store when I arrived to collect my purchase. Thanks!

Excellent service and product – Purchased a hydraulic press online and delivered without any damage, Taiwanese manufacturing is far superior to Chinese junk, not up with the European stuff but at a fraction of the price it’s a no brainer, very good quality and have just ordered a pedestal drill, fingers crossed.

PS 1810 – Purchased the PS 1810. The saw itself is ok, only adjusting due to weather change. The dust extraction allowance is inadequate with large gaps everywhere, OH and S would ban it for this reason. I am waiting for it to be out of warranty to rectify. The sliding table saw is a waste of time for mid sized boards, I have got bolt on modifications and an additional runner to make it stable Show details

They sent out the wrong replacement part waited 3 months – I had issues with the panel saw 1810 with the sliding table saw measurements fading after only 1 month and was told they would send out a new one waited 3 months to get the wrong part and no one wants to know about it

This company has gone down hill and cares nowt for its customers – I've been a customer for about 30 years, though as a result of various purchases during the last 5 years now I'm seriously considering never purchasing again from them. The products they sell all too often now come with a defect, like insufficient length fasteners or just basic poor build quality, in essence if you purchase a machine or device… Read more

from them be prepared to have to fix it BEFORE you can use it. The company claims on their website to have trained staff in their workshop, yet experience has shown me that these staff fail to understand the very basics of the requirements of fasteners for various basic applications.. My last purchase came with fasteners that were too short to hold the components together, a mere two threads to hold in place a moving part that requires a clearance, problem is that in order to correct this issue the proper fastener must be made as one cannot be purchased anywhere I can discover that is the correct length. The result of bringing the issue to their attention resulted in the words that the item can be assembled, yes sure it can that was never in dispute, but it can not be done correctly so as to have a machine that will continue to function as it should under load. Sure I could return my purchase, that is their stated solution but multiple issues with products has shown me that they are simply not interested in actually improving the quality of the products or their service and when an item purchased has been shipped to you and you discover that the issue should not exist because they claim on their website to check their products upon arrival, it is easier to just fix the problem and prevent someone else from being sold the same dodgy product. If you try to call and talk to the manager, no it is not possible and also despite leaving your details and receiving the words that you'll get a call back, it does not happen.. I definitely no longer intend to be upgrading my milling machine to one that this company sells, if there is a good chance I'd need to have to fix a new machine i might as well continue to maintain that which i already have, less hassle and no wasted money or time dealing with poor service.

Customer (no)service for parts – Customer service 0/10. Let me explain. First and foremost it's not any individual that I've rated as less than zero. It's the H&F policy on doing the right thing by their clients. I have a lathe that required a tool post hold down bolt. I figured if someone wrecked one I'd best get two, just in case. Cost of the bolt was $7.50 each, which in… Read more

itself is a bit much, to say the least. Then they tell me that they don't stock them down in here in Melbourne so I'll have to pay $13.18 to have it posted down from their Sydney warehouse. That make it $31 for two bolts that turned out to be very poorly made from Grade 2 units. When I opened the parcel I get two bolts that looked like they had had the hex heads hand ground to fit a t-slot. Not parallel, not square and every edge was burred. I ring their Melbourne office to let them know that I'm very disappointed with the whole experience and I get told, albeit politely, that I need to ring their head office in Sydney to tell them as there wasn't anything they could do from their Melbourne office. I'm not angry but I am extremely disappointed and would suggest that anyone thinking of buying from this company think long and hard of this sort of lack of service before purchasing anything from them.

Poor quality TC-750 Hafco range – My Hafco Hare and Forbes steel tooling cabinet TC-750 has now locked up twice. It can't be opened. I've spoken to H&F who have offered how to jam a ruler into the inside mechanicals to unlock it. But it's a defective cabinet now and I can't see it being of any use now in my workshop if it randomly locks up. Hare and Forbes won't help in solving… Read more

this ongoing product defect. So I've just seen the low quality of H&F products and esp Hafco and definitely my last H&F purchase for quality tools. A locked drawer costs $$ in downtime whilst trying to fix the problem. Buyer beware. Back to Milwakee quality.

Really poor after service from NZ Machinery house. Real work to be done here in their service deps – This is for the New Zealand branches to which I am unable to find a review area. The complaint: Major parts didnt fit together on to the machine . Half a dozen calls, photos were sent and time marched on (a month to be exact) and many promises were made but in the end the answer ....... fix it yourself and we will compensate for materials. Wow.… Read more

Awesome. Pretty imbarrassing effort of pass the parcel and then he'll just give up. And I did, but I paid and therefor have the right of public review. Get it together guys. Past purchases have all gone smoothly before this one but this is the first time that I have requested help in a problem and the ball was totally dropped.

worst customer service ever – Worst customer service ever. Purchased online, got charged 2 times and the lady from the online sales was rude and mean. I cancelled the purchase in the end.

Cusomter Service really lacking – I went there to try and purchase a replacement part for a lathe supplied by them, Although it was something you would expect to wear, they had zero stock in any store. They took all my details and said they'd check with the manufacturer and get back in contact, they never did. Its worth noting that the ony reason I went to the store was that… Read more

during the same morning I could not get anyone to answer the phone. Also, If you try and leave an enquiry on their website you'll find it doesn't work as their contact form fails to accept any post code, but then wont let you submit your message because it says the post code is blank. When I originally bought my lathe from them, it was also a drama as the delivery company called me on the planned day of delivery and said I lived further away than they deliver to. I then had to go and collect it myself, but then it took weeks and weeks for Hare & Forbes to refund the amount I paid for delivery. I had to make numerous follow up calls and then they refunded about $5 too much and sent me an email asking me to pay them back.

Machine not working – Spent $60,000.00 on CNC Brake press and its not running every time I call a different excuse. Asked to speak to managers many times no response.

Customer service one particular sale person issue "Lathe quick change tool post" – I walked in this morning 23/12/20 and knew what I wanted. I may not have had all the exact measurements but close to the mark. A tall European looking gentleman around in his 50sh came to the counter. His manner was somewhat staunch. I told him that I was after a quick change tool post. He wanted to know what for? answer Lathe! He wanted size?… Read more

Answer around 250-300mm swing! He could not help me. (I think he was hiding his ignorance about the subject) I became agitated as my answers should have given him an indication. Question: What centre hight? My answer: obvious around 13 or 15 cm half the swing! I asked him to show me the tools and I can tell you the one I want. He showed me a very large one in a glass case. We were not getting anywhere. I was getting very agitated by his manner, I asked for a catalogue? Looked in the catalogue I found the one, looked up and the salesperson had walked away he was standing at the end of the counter near the office door by himself. It was very obvious he did not want to serve me. I needed this tool post, I had ordered it online three times and three times my money was returned because of transport issues from China. I was extremely close to walking out. Called him closer to me. Told him the size I wanted. He needed to ask another salesperson where the tool was. (again ignorance reigned) Ready to Clinch the sale. But still more obstacles! He needed to know my name and postcode to find me in the computer. Gave him my company name and personal name. He was not able to find me. I told him to forget about the name just make it a cash sale. By now all the salespeople were following us and the issue. One gentleman of east Asian appearance came to the rescue. He found my company name on the computer immediately and the sale was done. I asked if they sold engraving tools. Unfortunately not. He talked about engraving etc. We struck a note here with a common interest, but I think he was trying to calm me down. It sort of worked. Merry Chrismas and a Happy and Healthy New year

Poor inflexible public relations – I live in a rural area of SW WA so asked friends from Melville to buy the Ute swivel hoist for me and some holding straps. Hoist was on special on the internet Monday night 30th November 2020. They attended the Kewdale store 9.45am Tuesday 1st December 2020 intending to purchase for me and other items for themselves. Very disappointing customer… Read more

service, totally inflexible and abrupt to the point they felt they were interrupting the man’s day. The price went from $239 to $275 overnight. I have now read previous reviews which indicate a hit and miss positive experience with this company and staff so we’re not alone and will never use or recommend them again.

Terrible – I ordered a mill drill through the Sydney Hafco store, they found one in Perth, and shipped it over to Adelaide. On arrival I broke open the box and plugged it in to check it worked, nup, not one, not two but three faults: Digital speed display doesn't light a full screen, depth display doesn't work and the machine itself simply doesn't run. … Read more

When you buy products, you have a right to expect that not only is it fit for purpose it should at least work. Apparently Hafco do not check, nor does the factory that produce the machine. I paid $220 dollars to have a $2000 non working machine freighted halfway across the country, abysmal! A very, very angry customer.

3 Way Milling Vice - HFV75W – These vices are absolute rubbish, the castings are not too bad but the machining is terrible, there is not one surface that is square or parallel to another. The degree scales are also poorly marked and inaccurate. With all of the work required to make them usable they are definitely not worth nearly $400.00

air cleaner and track saw – Did extensive research before purchasing. The Hafco Air Cleaner is great, and a few bucks cheaper than other identical models with the same features. Scheppach CS55 track saw has it's downfalls, but very good for 1/3 of the price of other models on the market. Both items were shipped to me within days which was awesome!

2 HP Dust extractor – I recently purchased one of their 2hp Dust collectors online. Delivery was fast and I had it in a couple of days. Assembly was straight forward. On initial start up, there was a quite loud metallic clunking sound in the actual motor area. As it ran, the sound coming from the motor itself sounded like a crook bearing. It would squeal and then run… Read more

OK, then intermittently squeal again randomly. It wasn't sounding right and it was so hot, you could'nt touch the heat shrink area of the motor. After a bit of use with it making these squealing metallic noises, the noises seemed to go away, but the motor was still very hot to touch. Spoke to H & F and they agreed to replace the motor, if I was OK fitting it. New one arrived and I fitted it (easy job) and the unit now performs faultlessly. They paid for shipping of the returned motor. I cant fault the customer service department, they acted in a timely manner and my issue was resolved. The 2hp unit is great. Very stable and can be wheeled around the workshop with ease as I connect it to different machines. I've since fitted a better filter than the bag that it comes with. I'd recommend the 2HP dust collector and also the service I received from Hare and Forbes.

Brilliant! – I was after parts for my old Tiger 2000 wetstone grinder. Alas she was too old. H&F sold me a new one with a discount. The machine was at my home less than 24 hours after I had ordered it. I've bought quite a few bits of gear from H&F over the years. Always good service, decent quality and fair prices. Ian

thicknesser cracked mtr housing new zealand store auckland – just saw some one else with my problem ,tried warranty claim told ha well out off warranty time,told never seen this happen before.told cheaper to buy a new one cheaper than a whole new motor wasnt impressed with sales staff, this machine is like brand new was his first remark thanks 4 reading be aware Show details

Always great to deal with, the Mates Rates discounts really add extra value to sale prices – I've bought online from Hare & Forbes for some years now using the Mates Rates discount codes, and picking the item up instore. The range is fantastic, and the website is really laid out quite logically and simply with no stupid "snazziness" like some companies feel compelled to do! The amount of stock instore is fantastic, although it seems a… Read more

little less than the old site, but at least you can see, touch, and power on quite a lot.

The staff have always been really helpful and I've never had any reason to complain, so kudos to H&F!

Great – Brought a lathe from Brisbane store. Have had a couple of issues but every time the service has been excellent. Highly recommend this company. Show details