Technical Beverly shear

Have any of you guy's tried the Harbor Freight Beverly Shear, or should one stay clear?

 

I've got a couple of the real Beverlys, both probably 50 yrs old. Looked at the one at HF one day and it seemed real loose and sloppy as compared to my old ones. The pivot joint has to be tight enough to keep the blades tight together thru the entire stroke, and the HF shear didn't look like it was tight enough to do that.

That said, there's a lot of variation in quality levels of identical HF items, so you may look at another one somewhere else and it might be fine.

 

I have used one, and if you have ever used a real Beverly, there is no comparison. That said, if you are just going to use one for hobby purposes, the cheapo will be fine. If you plan on making a living with it, or just want to buy 1 that will last you a lifetime, buy the Beverly!

 

I bought the one from Eastwood and I'm not 100% happy with it. I'm sure Eastwood and HF use the same Chinese manufacturer. Spend the money on the real thing is my opinion.

 

I bought the Eastwood one, makes a great workbench ornament, I need to buy one I can use now...

 

I have had a real one for about 40/45 years, works real good....
the HF one mite be worth it's weight in scrap metal..... IMHO

LW

 

what about any other brands out there? or is everything else just Harbor Freight painted different colors?

 

I have a old Beverly and it's awesome.

Short answer - yes
A bunch of the stuff comes from the same buildings in china.
Run around on allibaba.com and you can see this, you'll be amazed at what you will see.

 

I dated a girl named Beverly Shear in high school. I loved that girl until one day I caught her making out with my best friend. You heartbreaking WHORE! (Sniff)


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How about the the Baileigh throatless MPS-3 shears.
I have been looking at this tool but have not seen or heard about it.

 

LOL, LOL, that' what I was thinking, but it's always a good thing to check in with HAMB - best Hot Rod site I know of, LOL

 

A friend bought an old one at a flea market for $75. didn't even try and get him down. Has worked well after a little adjustment.

 

Take it from a retired sheet metal mechanic. Buy a Beverly. It'll still be going strong long after you're gone.
Depending on the type of work you plan on doing, you might also look into an electric Unishear. I bought an old Rockwell Unishear at a swap meet for $15.00 back in the 80's. Except for having to buy new brushes a while back, it cuts up to 14 Ga. mild steel like butter. Find an old one though. The new ones are junk.

 

Wonder if anyone has ever wore out or killed a Beverly beyond repair from normal use?

 

Great advice right there. If you are only going to use something occasionally and as a hobby tool you can get away with using a knockoff but if you plan to use it in a working shop to make a living with it you want the real deal.

I've picked up a few decent pieces lately by watching the tool section of Craigslist and hitting going out of business auctions or sales.

 

I had a kid in a shop I ran destroy a set of Beverly blades once. He was caught trying to cut case hardened steel on it. After shoving my boot half way up his ass, I devised a way to lock the Beverly with the blades in the down position.

 

I have been using a HF shear for 4 years now. We have cut a lot of sheet metal with the thing and it is still working fine. Like the others have been saying a true Beverley shear would be a great investment but as a hobbyist just making occasional cuts or on a tight budget you can get by just fine with the HF tool in this case.

 

That would be "not normal" use & clearly into abuse.

I would took the handle off and give him a shampoo with it.

 

Same kid was caught trying to grind aluminum on a 12" pedestal grinder. That was the last time he worked in my shop. Last I saw him, he was on the other end of the building, grinding fiberglass parts.

 

Although our MPS-1 is not a Beverly, we have a ton of them out there and pretty much everyone loves them. If anyone would like me to post a video of one in action let me know.

 

I got mine off of CL for $50. It's a B2, and all it needed was the blades sharpened and a paint job! They are out there, just have to keep your eyes open.

 

I have the Horrible freight version. Works well for what it is. No complaints.

 

I know it is sort of a backhand compliment, but my HF clone is one of the better HF tools. I'm more of a hack than a fabricator, but my HF shear seems to work well.

Would I upgrade to a genuine Beverly if I stumbled over one at the right price?

Of course I would, but in the meantime I don't loose sleep over the purchase of the HF version.

I even found a set of replacement cutters on the clearance table for $5.00.

 

Don't try to make any tight radius turns with the HF cutter, it will chip the cutter blades. I ended up replacing the blades and remember to not cut it too tight - it works OK for hobby use, but I'm still looking for a real Beverly (and a real Burr King)

 

I would like to see it and also the MPS 3 in use and wounder what the difference is in the two.

 

Took a little patience to get my HF blades line up "just so", but I'm pretty happy, they get the job done. If my paycheck depended on it I'd have invested in some better quality shears but so far pretty pleased with the HF.

 

HF shear chipped the blades the first time I used it. Big void
Under the lower blade let I wobble. A friend reground the blades,
Filled the void with bondo, works ok. Just flip a coin with HF stuff.

 

I have a Beverly that spent 35 years in a high school shop before I got it 20 years ago . It still works fine.