"Dumb question. Whats so special about harbor freight?"

[kctyphoon]

But that's my point, the name brand stuff is severely overpriced, so you can't really count them. The ones that aren't overpriced are just the normal price but some knockoff brand.

One example, CRC Brakleen is $5.99 at HF. $2.99 at Menards...We used to get it for $2.50 for 6 cans.

https://www.harborfreight.com/19-oz-crc-brakleen-brake-parts-cleaner-62229.html
https://www.menards.com/main/tools/...eaner-19-oz/05089/p-1444427766745-c-10098.htm

I dunno man - pricing is gonna be subject to how much they buy. when i open the link you posted the mendards price is $3.47 with a note that says i may have to buy 12. If i need it and I’m already in the store, I’m not leaving and driving somewhere else to save a couple $, but thats just me.. at least with name branded stuff you know what your getting instead of store branded mystery materials. My bigger point is at least its IN the store to begin with.

The best part is if you don’t like HF - you can simply leave and go somewhere else. It’s a free market. OBVIOUSLY - they have been doing pretty well for themselves.

 

[darkzero]

Like what? All I can think of is stuff like overpriced brake and hand cleaner and such. Lucky for me Menards and HF are right across the street from each other.


*edit*
There is certainly one thing I rock from HF that I'm pretty sure is made in the US. https://www.harborfreight.com/ez-lock-trailer-lock-98518.html Funny it doesn't say in the description.

Not a whole lot & not for tools really but not just lubricants & cleaners. There are some.little knick knacks that I have seen in store made in the US but does not mention it online.

My older US General 60 gal air ompressor is considered made in the USA. Has a Manchester certified tank, Condor USA pressure switch, AO Smith USA motor, but the pump is IMC Italy. The air compressor is the same thing as a ABAC/Belaire.

Not trying to brag about that air compressor, nothing to brag about, it still came from HF, just saying. I bought it used to replace my 20 gal Craftsman. After selling the Craftsman it was only a $55 upgrade. Thing has been running strong for 10+ yrs now with still no signs of the tank rusting. Never thought I'd own a HF air compressor & for this long but I got my money's worth already.

 

[Bigbandguy]

Were you working in a septic tank or something?

Great guess ! So much light in there that I could see how to paint the inside and then polish a turd, which I delivered to the Orange box and STILL saved 25 bucks.

Not only that but the light still works and has been used for several other projects. When it finally craps out I will still be ahead.

My HF air compressor is 16 years old and still works perfectly. YMMV but I have no complaints.

 

[DFB]

When young I worked for an importer, his overseas cost was 10% of the retail cost. A pretty standard mark up. That other 90% was local.

Ya we buy a lot of tools wholesale for resale flips. Though the inventory is mostly one time lot buyout's or closeout deals I do find it absolutely amazing what we can get certain stuff for...known name brands too.

 

[bob15]

I wasn’t responding to just you.. i removed your quote, happy?

Well, yea. You're quoting me and responding to someone else. Maybe you should have quoted them instead of me?

Or do I just bring the best out in you

 

[measuredtwice]

But that's my point, the name brand stuff is severely overpriced, so you can't really count them. The ones that aren't overpriced are just the normal price but some knockoff brand.

One example, CRC Brakleen is $5.99 at HF. $2.99 at Menards...We used to get it for $2.50 for 6 cans.

https://www.harborfreight.com/19-oz-crc-brakleen-brake-parts-cleaner-62229.html
https://www.menards.com/main/tools/...eaner-19-oz/05089/p-1444427766745-c-10098.htm

Yep, that's another example. No denying it but it might be tough for some to swallow though. The "compare to" marketing is cherry picked. Competitors will sometimes have lower prices. And there are lots of deals on tools at other stores. I've picked up made in USA and made in Germany for cheaper than I can buy made in China/Taiwan. Just need to do comparison shopping. And don't rely on the cherry picked "compare to" marketing.

 

[nelstomlinson]

They have QC because they have to compete not only globally, but with other Chines companies. They also have to build to the customer's specs or the customer won't give them the money or continue business.

The other Chinese companies are the same. The one thing you can count on is that they will cheat every chance they get, will do absolutely nothing they are not forced to. They will ship the very worst they can get away with. In their culture, it is unacceptable to behave any other way. Not cheating strangers cheats your family, in their culture.

Companies which get adequate QC from Chinese factories get it by doing the QC themselves. When the Chinese learn that enough of the product is being inspected that all the sub-par stuff is rejected, they stop making sub-par stuff. They won't get it right if they don't have to.

A lot of Western companies are starting to realize that the Chinese not only deliver a substandard product, but slap their own brand on the product from the production line the Western company paid for and sell it in competition with the Western company's brand. The Japanese are already starting to move their chip plants out of China after only 20 years, because it just wasn't working out.

Chinese culture isn't our culture, they don't operate the way we operate.

 

[jgromada]

I do have a bunch of stuff from HF like impact sockets. They have been fine.

I bought a corded impact wrench a few years ago and it is terrible. But most of my purchases have been good. I like their corded DA polishers.

My store is new and doesn't smell, is well stocked and people there are very helpful. Not a bad experience at all. I buy carefully at HF and i have been pretty satisfied. I prefer my power tools from DeWalt or Milwaukee M12 but its fine.

 

[kctyphoon]

It’s hard to sell the idea that HF ***** to an unbiased person, when someone can literally walk out of that store with all the tools he would need, in ‘good enough’ quality - to build a house, restore a car, pour your own concrete, even open a small business.

If you only choose to focus on the bottom of the barrel for their tool options and ignore the rest - thats your choice. For the people that don’t see a point in spending more than they need to for a ‘single project tool’, those options are only an asset.

 

[kctyphoon]

Ya we buy a lot of tools wholesale for resale flips. Though the inventory is mostly one time lot buyout's or closeout deals I do find it absolutely amazing what we can get certain stuff for...known name brands too.

I will die a happy man when i figure out how all these people on eBay Are getting hundreds of OEM Milwaukee/Dewalt batteries, and can afford to sell them for almost half of retail. (Without breaking up 100 kits they bought on sale).
I don’t even wanna be an eBay seller. I just wanna know how they **** they do it..

 

[sberry]

I see guys selling new Cman tools at fleas. I know they buy silly super sale sets when they can and part them out, they can match store prices for single sets and still multiply the markup.

 

[gtjunk]

The other Chinese companies are the same. The one thing you can count on is that they will cheat every chance they get, will do absolutely nothing they are not forced to. They will ship the very worst they can get away with. In their culture, it is unacceptable to behave any other way. Not cheating strangers cheats your family, in their culture.

Companies which get adequate QC from Chinese factories get it by doing the QC themselves. When the Chinese learn that enough of the product is being inspected that all the sub-par stuff is rejected, they stop making sub-par stuff. They won't get it right if they don't have to.

A lot of Western companies are starting to realize that the Chinese not only deliver a substandard product, but slap their own brand on the product from the production line the Western company paid for and sell it in competition with the Western company's brand. The Japanese are already starting to move their chip plants out of China after only 20 years, because it just wasn't working out.

Chinese culture isn't our culture, they don't operate the way we operate.

That's not a feature of Chinese culture, it's a feature of profit driven business. Those are all standard textbook ways of doing things, it's not even new, most of that is covered in Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" from 1776. You'd have a hard time citing American (or European, Asian, Micronesian, etc) companies that also don't follow that methodology, those that don't will usually be listed in the "former manufacturers" category. China, The US, Britain, Canada, Thailand, or whomever are entirely capable of achieving pretty much any level of quality from the finest to the lowest and each will almost certainly deliver the product at just barely above the required quality standard for any product they produce, to do otherwise is to give the market to the competition.

 

[BigBoreFan]

I go to HF for the little odd bits. Zip-ties, acid brushes, brass detail brushes, utility knives, tarps. They seem to have odd little items that no ones else has. They have plenty of things that make it worth going. I have very few hard tools from there. But the ones I have work for what I use them for.

If nothing else, it's worth going there and buying a 59 cent utility knife and getting a free light, a free tarp, a free packing blanket, a giant pack of batteries. I have three granddaughters, batteries are always needed for something. I used my packing blanket just the other day, as work mat while I swapped out a garbage disposal. I use the tarps for all kinds of things, but mostly on camping trips.

It's been said already, but those US General toolboxes are fine for home use. That's my next big purchase, the 26". It's perfect for my needs.

HF is not always the cheapest, that's a fact.

Menard's is a pretty cool store. Their store brand tool boxes are very nice. I think they have the edge over the US General, but not my much, and they cost a little more. That 36" calls my name whenever I go there, but it's $900.00.

 

[PugetDude]

The best part is if you don’t like HF - you can simply leave and go somewhere else. It’s a free market. OBVIOUSLY - they have been doing pretty well for themselves.

We've got an active subset here on the GJ that loathes success...a microcosm of our society in general.

 

[kctyphoon]

We've got an active subset here on the GJ that loathes success...a microcosm of our society in general.

That’s a fancy way of saying “haters gonna hate”.
I’m not very fancy.. so ill translate for the laymen..

 

[measuredtwice]

So much drama on social media.

I go to HF for the little odd bits. Zip-ties, acid brushes, brass detail brushes, utility knives, tarps. They seem to have odd little items that no ones else has. They have plenty of things that make it worth going. I have very few hard tools from there. But the ones I have work for what I use them for.

If nothing else, it's worth going there and buying a 59 cent utility knife and getting a free light, a free tarp, a free packing blanket, a giant pack of batteries. I have three granddaughters, batteries are always needed for something. I used my packing blanket just the other day, as work mat while I swapped out a garbage disposal. I use the tarps for all kinds of things, but mostly on camping trips.

It's been said already, but those US General toolboxes are fine for home use. That's my next big purchase, the 26". It's perfect for my needs.

HF is not always the cheapest, that's a fact.

Menard's is a pretty cool store. Their store brand tool boxes are very nice. I think they have the edge over the US General, but not my much, and they cost a little more. That 36" calls my name whenever I go there, but it's $900.00.

Sounds reasonable. Some stuff worth buying for the price. Some stuff is better bought elsewhere for a better price or better quality.

 

[JRC3]

I bash the ****** warranties and (nearly name brand) cost on stuff like Bauer and Herc, but, as many agree with gloves and little stuff. I love those little white storage Storehouse things full of cotter or roll pins, grease fittings, O-rings, set screws, hose clamps, etc. I grab them when they're on sale or just use a 20%. I may not need some of them but it sure is nice to have them when the time comes.

 

[PugetDude]

I bash the ****** warranties and (nearly name brand) cost on stuff like Bauer and Herc, but, as many agree with gloves and little stuff. I love those little white storage Storehouse things full of cotter or roll pins, grease fittings, O-rings, set screws, hose clamps, etc. I grab them when they're on sale or just use a 20%. I may not need some of them but it sure is nice to have them when the time comes.

The cotter pins, shrink tubing, O-rings, etc Storehouses are OK. The nuts/bolts and sheet metal screws are made of a semi-metallic cheese-like substance and should be avoided as though you're lactose intolerant. Surprisingly, the black oxide socket head screws, set screws, and keystock assortments seem to be decent quality.

 

[ChrisLS8]

I bash the ****** warranties and (nearly name brand) cost on stuff like Bauer and Herc, but, as many agree with gloves and little stuff. I love those little white storage Storehouse things full of cotter or roll pins, grease fittings, O-rings, set screws, hose clamps, etc. I grab them when they're on sale or just use a 20%. I may not need some of them but it sure is nice to have them when the time comes.

I actually just grab some of that stuff today I find myself needing a specific o-ring so I got the viton o-rings nitrile o-rings hbnf o-rings cotter pins and shrink tubing. I used to shrink tubing a lot but I've had pretty bad luck with all their nuts and bolts so I avoid those

 

[JRC3]

I've never bought the nuts or bolts or screws. Mostly because the price isn't very good for the quantity you get. Looks like avoiding them for that reason is just one reason.

 

[928'er]

Nothing...

 

[JRC3]

Nothing...

Oh, come on now...Just because you fancy wine country types can afford better tools to polish doesn't mean HF isn't good enough for others.

 

[PugetDude]

Oh, come on now...Just because you fancy wine country types can afford better tools to polish doesn't mean HF isn't good enough for others.

C'mon JRC3, you know it would be heresy to wrench on a Porsche in your wine cave with HF stuff. Gotta have them fancy German tools to get 'er done.

 

[measuredtwice]

Nothing...

Oh, come on now...Just because you fancy wine country types can afford better tools to polish doesn't mean HF isn't good enough for others.

Saying something isn't "special" doesn't mean it's not "good". "Special" and "good" are 2 different things.

Calling Harbor Freight "special" is an excellent example of how everything Harbor Freight gets romanticized on the interwebz. It's just a store. What sets it apart from other stores is the heavy marketing and almost exclusively China/Taiwan tools.

 

[JRC3]

Saying something isn't "special" doesn't mean it's not "good". "Special" and "good" are 2 different things.

Calling Harbor Freight "special" is an excellent example of how everything Harbor Freight gets romanticized on the interwebz. It's just a store. What sets it apart from other stores is the heavy marketing and almost exclusively China/Taiwan tools.

I in no way "romanticize" HF. In fact I bash their ****** warranties almost too often around here. I do point out their good points too though. Everything in that post you quoted was just banter, we're also here to have a little fun.

 

[measuredtwice]

I in no way "romanticize" HF. In fact I bash their ****** warranties almost too often around here. I do point out their good points too though. Everything in that post you quoted was just banter, we're also here to have a little fun.

I'm not arguing with you. I'm also not accusing you of romanticizing Harbor Freight. I do think the OP romanticizes Harbor Freight. Just pointing it out. Not fighting.

 

[JRC3]

Can you imagine if HF gave away fresh popcorn like Rural King does? Popcorn is the ultimate lure of cheap people. It's like the Field of Dreams, "If you build it, he(they) will come." LOL

 

[measuredtwice]

Can you imagine if HF gave away fresh popcorn like Rural King does? Popcorn is the ultimate lure of cheap people. It's like the Field of Dreams, "If you build it, he(they) will come." LOL

Haha. Free LED flashlight (with purchase) and free lunch too.

 

[VinceG]

They got people now. they take the same quality tools from the same factory brand them with 3 different name and charge 3 different prices so now you buy the same old tools for more because they hooked you. You have to watch out you can buy some name brand electric tool for less (sometimes a little more)with a better warranty. Their Pittsburgh Impact sockets are a good deal. They do some weird Skips in sizes. I think most of the time their hand tools will get the Job done. Their hand tool warranty is pretty good till they change the name on it and no longer warranty it.

 

[PugetDude]

Can you imagine if HF gave away fresh popcorn like Rural King does? Popcorn is the ultimate lure of cheap people. It's like the Field of Dreams, "If you build it, he(they) will come." LOL

Mmmmmm... thinking about the aroma of hot buttered popcorn and uncured burnt rubber is making my mouth water.

 

[JRC3]

Both the HFs in my always have an OTA radio station playing just a tad too loud and always slightly off channel so it sounds like total ****. I wonder if this is like some subliminal marketing thing...Like to make you not read the warranties or notice the cheap rubber smell. Kind of like snapping a rubber band around your wrist to distract from something undesirable.