First Time EVER at Harbor Freight and ....

[tmoneyr007]

That place *****!

Seriously people? I honestly saw like 4 things I would even remotely think about spending my money on and I didn't find the prices to be that enticing.

The things that looked like they were actually of any quality.

Pittsburg Pro Swivel Ratchet (smooth, teeth felt like they engaged nicely)
Pittsburg Pro Pliers/Side Cuts Red/Black Handle (very Gearwrench ish)
Compact 1/2" Air Gun (very small/balanced, no clue to performance)
Pittsburg Pro Impact sockets (some looked good, some ok)

Honestly for everything that looked good, there were 100's of things that looked like *** and I didn't see the prices convince me I should buy anything and not continue to buy Neiko/Craftsman, etc. on Clearance/sales. I'd rather shop Amazon any day of the week.

My $.02

 

[earlthegoat2]

There are a few things at HF that are a great value.

I like their 4 piece hammer set for 19.99 and the spark tester.

I also have one of the 5 drawer service carts and it is well worth the money.

 

[Displaced Hokie]

Funny, one time I visited the Snap-On truck...and the place sucked! Vastly overpriced to make profit margins high enough to support the practice of people paying for the stuff weekly.

I like HF fine, but I too love cruising Amazon for a deal on higher quality products.

Everything has a place, and sometimes you have to buy what you can afford.

 

[Altec]

I find Sears to be depressingly boring...

All stores have good, and bad. Nothing out of the norm there. But I'm not dare going to try and tell the quality of hand tools by staring at them.

I'll shop anywhere, as long as they have what I want. Even a Victoria Secret. Wait... Tools at a Victoria Secret... Hm...

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

That place *****!

My $.02

Which is about what your post is worth.

 

[B17E1943]

... there were 100's of things that looked like *** and I didn't see the prices convince me I should buy anything and not continue to buy Neiko/Craftsman, etc. on Clearance/sales.

Smells like ***, too. I pick and choose very carefully in there; IMHO it's mostly commie crappola. There are a few worthwhile things, but not many.

Buying vintage American-made tools at yard/garage/estate sales is hugely rewarding.

 

[nate379]

Hmm everytime I went to the one in Boise when I lived in Idaho I don't think I walked out the door without spending at least $100

 

[oldgoat]

That place *****!

Seriously people? I honestly saw like 4 things I would even remotely think about spending my money on and I didn't find the prices to be that enticing.

The things that looked like they were actually of any quality.

Pittsburg Pro Swivel Ratchet (smooth, teeth felt like they engaged nicely)
Pittsburg Pro Pliers/Side Cuts Red/Black Handle (very Gearwrench ish)
Compact 1/2" Air Gun (very small/balanced, no clue to performance)
Pittsburg Pro Impact sockets (some looked good, some ok)

Honestly for everything that looked good, there were 100's of things that looked like *** and I didn't see the prices convince me I should buy anything and not continue to buy Neiko/Craftsman, etc. on Clearance/sales. I'd rather shop Amazon any day of the week.

My $.02

Trouble is I can go to HF and buy them any day and not wait for clearance pricing. I admit that some of their stuff is junk, but overall I've had pretty decent luck with them, their prices and even with returning stuff. However I'm not too much into buying stuff for the name on it and paying three times what it should be.

 

[91bronc300]

I also have one of the 5 drawer service carts and it is well worth the money.

I like the way you think earl

I'll shop anywhere, as long as they have what I want. Even a Victoria Secret.

I like the way you think Altec

 

[Butters]

I hate to be an HF apologist, but I guess I am . . .

The OP is right about there being thousands of pieces of **** at HF. But unlike Sears, it is priced accordingly. And, unlike Sears, there are truly some GREAT deals. (Okay, I'm bashing Sears too much).

The red US General tool cabinets are an incredible deal. Built in China, just like Craftsman, but priced better and built better.

The tool carts are the same way.

How about a widely praised impact wrench for next to nothing.

I picked up 1/4 and 3/8 drive composite ratchets for $12 for the pair. Waaaay better than CMan raised panel stuff. And the same warranty, hmmmmmmm.

Give it a chance man!!! It is worth the smell and wading through the garbage to pick up more than a handful of incredible items.

 

[91bronc300]

Give it a chance man!!! It is worth the smell

That made me LMAO. I won't say why


But yeah, I thought it was strange that the OP said he will continue to shop at sears too. I could understand if he said I will continue to shop Snap On or some other top tier company. But sears and HF are pretty much occupying the same niche now. Granted, it's because sears is going downhill and hf is going uphill. Kind of makes you wonder how those two companies will be doing in 10 years.

 

[tmoneyr007]

Sorry but by Sears I meant their 50% off Gearwrench ratcheting wrench sets, Craftsman Professional wrench sets or socket sets I got for over 60% off.

I would never walk into Sears and pay sticker price for anything.

 

[gabeancounter]

OP... aint it the damn truth. The first time I walked in I tought the same thing. But that place is like crack. You start thinking its ok if they sell me something that I have to work on out of the box. Buy one of the toolboxes and you will be another HF hoe.

 

[supertooljunkie]

Some good.........some bad. I have both the four and five drawer tool carts. REALLY like them. I paid $260 for both carts. Sears sells a worse cart for more $$. I also have one of the plastic two shelf carts. Nice cart for $90. With a 20% coupon......$72. Cheaper than anywhere else I found.
You do have to pick and choose. There is A LOT of ****.......then there are the jewels.

 

[tmoneyr007]

Yeah, I did pass the toolbox area up, I can be honest didn't check it out, the bottom boxes on here that people post about for ~$400 looks nice but I got my top and bottom 40" 22 drawer combo Craftsman Ball Bearing for 50% off, $700 and don't have any room/need for a cart in my small 2 car.

 

[six-T-seven]

Funny, one time I visited the Snap-On truck...and the place sucked! Vastly overpriced to make profit margins high enough to support the practice of people paying for the stuff weekly.

I like HF fine, but I too love cruising Amazon for a deal on higher quality products.

Everything has a place, and sometimes you have to buy what you can afford.

there's knowledge in those words, boys and girls.

 

[back2class]

Think of it like a flea market! Mostly all ****, but of you dig a little, HF has some gems.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

My $.02

That sounds vastly overpriced, can i use a 50% coupon on it?

 

[71flh]

Pittsburg Pro Swivel Ratchet (smooth, teeth felt like they engaged nicely)
Pittsburg Pro Pliers/Side Cuts Red/Black Handle (very Gearwrench ish)
Compact 1/2" Air Gun (very small/balanced, no clue to performance)
Pittsburg Pro Impact sockets (some looked good, some ok)

I think that's a pretty good list of things you shouldn't even think about buying from HF.

The ratchet will probably break
For pliers, dikes, etc. buy Klein or similar.
Air gun? Wazzat? Impact?
Sockets of any kind, buy USA.

The list of what not to buy is long but the list of stuff to buy is short...

$10 air ratchets are ok.
Things that have few/no moving parts.
Things you plan to throw away in short order.
Things that don't need to be strong or of good quality.

 

[kms]

Lest we forget.

their breaker bars kick a$$.

 

[treasureseeker]

HF has some good items like the US General tool chest and you don't have to check to see which are from China like Sears as almost all are Asian. A lot GJ members like the 1/2 breakers bars.I got my neghbor one and he is very happy with it.

 

[kms]

And I'm almost positive that these babies are COO Taiwan.

Cheap and very nice.

 

[Cryts]

One thing about HF their presentation *****. I've been to two of their stores - one of which is brand new - and it's pretty hard to find some stuff even when I know roughly where to look. This is especially problematic since so much of their business is people looking for inexpensive one-time-use specialty tools. If I was just browsing I'd probably be pretty unimpressed.

Even the packaging is a problem. Look at the 3pc socket organizer set everyone's been raving about - they're stuffed into a little 3" x 3" box for efficiency instead of presentation, then stuffed onto the bottom shelf under the ratchets. It's hard to even know that they're there! Compare that to the Hansen organizers at Sears.

 

[Gtamazing]

 

[crewchief888]

i cant say i'm proud to own hf tools, but for what they are, and the price i paid, i'm not going to complain.

ive had 2 "fails"
one was a hf 14" chopsaw, on sale for $50, lasted 3 years and cut a lot of tubing.
my fault it went up in smoke, brush holder cap came loose and i didnt notice it until too late.

2nd was a hf heat gun, $10 it sees a lot of abuse, and got wet several times in my service truck

all in all i have good luck with my HF tool purchases, they have a home right next to truck brands, dewalt, ridgid, hitachi and b&d in the garage

 

[ozyborn]

The only item I have gotten there in the past couple of years was their 2HP dust collector. It was onsale for $149.99 and I had a $100 off coupon I used. Made a cyclone separator and it is working great so far.
As far as tools from there, none needed. I go to a lot of farm auctions to get mine. Then when my dad passed I got his collection. Lets just say his idea of a crappy wrench was a Williams or 40 year old Craftsman.

 

[tyyost]

Funny, I go in every few weeks and grab some odds and ends. Like many have said the few gems or the one job in a lifetime tools make it a real value. As far as my use, their impact sockets and new socket holders are as good the Hanson and craftsman they compliment. I have a few sub $20 air tools too. If I used them regularly I may consider a better brand, but I don't drag out hoses like I used to.

Truth is at least my expectations are in the right place. I bought a Fein clone oscillating tool when they came out. That was 2 years ago. I have used it 3 times to save my rear and it was great. I think it was $29 with 20% off. Anyone who has paint to scrape should buy one, it is a great addition to a tool arsenal. If it died I'd buy another one before a Bosch or upscale brand, but I know what to expect.

Its not sears, but sears can't offer the range of tools close to that pricepoint. I think this site focuses on mechanic tools, but for someone starting out a set of jack stands from hf is a lot better than none. Same for remodeling, I hear great things about rotary hammers and tile saws from hf that save the day and are cheaper than a rental.

In the end, to each their own.

 

[oldgoat]

I have noticed that since our HF store opened a few years ago that I see a lot more commercial trucks in the parking lot than before. Evidently they are seeing the value in the products at least. From other sites I've gone to the owners say that especially if it the tools they have for their employees to use that they don't take care of them and either abuse or lose them. For the HF price they get a tool that they can buy and if the guy abuses it or loses it then it isn't near as much of a loss. I have a friend that used to swear by SO, but when I bought him a set of impact sockets from there he came back later saying that he was impressed because other than being a little thick they did the job quite well and has been happy with them. I've bought several tools knowing that I might not use it or just to have if I want to modify a tool I'll have it. Figure if I use it once or twice then most of the time it has well paid for itself, and several times they have come in handy. I wouldn't let the name on the tool and the status push me away from buying a tool for at least having as a spare or otherwise. You just might find out that they aren't near as bad as you think.

 

[dieselmike]

some of you guys make me sick, so happy to spend your hard earned money on chinese garbage. almost everything is still made in USA, you still have the options.... most manufacturers in canada are gone. usa is the last strong hold.. you guys are gonna miss domestic products when theyre gone.

i drive to washington just to get us made products, sprinkler heads, cutting boards, glass sealable lunch ware, etc

so much money and debt is borrowed from china, and you guys are so happy just to keep sending money over there.

spend a couple extra bucks... save a little more... live without what u want for another month or 2, save your cash, then youll be able to afford what you want.

 

[RivennHewn]

Bought my first vise at HF.

Sold it in a garage sell a month later.

Haven't been back since.

 

[justanengineer]

Common garage hand tools? Ehh...Ive got a million spares of much better vintage items. I only buy those if theyre going to be modified on the Bridgeport.

Power tools or machinery of any sort? Hell no. Give me something that will outlive me please. I also consider the majority of these downright dangerous.

Boxes? What are those? I gave up on boxes when I sold my SO roller cab. I can buy good Vidmar cabinets used for the same price as the cheap **** is new, and will have 10x better quality than the most expensive box.

Specialty tools? Those I rather like and have had a few. If I need something once, as long as it works ONCE, Im happy. Beyond that I really dont care.

 

[Indy_500]

so much money and debt is borrowed from china, and you guys are so happy just to keep sending money over there

But a lot of the stuff I buy from there is made in Taiwan, not china

 

[Altec]

And I'm almost positive that these babies are COO Taiwan.

Cheap and very nice.

I have the 3/8. Comfy ratchet. When it comes to "normal" ratchets, I'll grab it before the Craftsman, and Proto's, but not before the Snap-on, or Mac.

need to pickup the 1/4 one.

 

[sanddrag]

ive had 2 "fails"
one was a hf 14" chopsaw, on sale for $50, lasted 3 years and cut a lot of tubing.
my fault it went up in smoke, brush holder cap came loose and i didnt notice it until too late.

Figured I'd give it a try for $50 too. Burned up mine after about 4 cuts. Vibrated like crazy, didn't cut worth a darn, even with a good blade. Bought a RIDGID at more than 3x the price. It's easily 10x the quality.

I have had a lot of great experiences with many harbor freight tools though such as the 8x12 lathe I bought in 2006, the drill press, breaker bar, ratchets, sockets, etc.

 

[iajonesy]

There are a few things at HF that are a great value.

I like their 4 piece hammer set for 19.99 and the spark tester.

I also have one of the 5 drawer service carts and it is well worth the money.

I,too have one of the 5 drawer service carts,and I think it is just fine. All tools should be purchased with your purpose in mind. If you use them every day,buy the best you can afford. If you are an occasional mechanic,buy what you can afford and don't think you have to please anybody but yourself. Some HF stuff is just fine for what I do,(build hot rods as a hobby) but sometimes I need a SO tool to get the job done. It's my choice and my money. If someone doesn't like it they can kiss my fat white ***.

Mike

 

[klhitman]

i cant say i'm proud to own hf tools, but for what they are, and the price i paid, i'm not going to complain.

ive had 2 "fails"
one was a hf 14" chopsaw, on sale for $50, lasted 3 years and cut a lot of tubing.
my fault it went up in smoke, brush holder cap came loose and i didnt notice it until too late.

2nd was a hf heat gun, $10 it sees a lot of abuse, and got wet several times in my service truck

all in all i have good luck with my HF tool purchases, they have a home right next to truck brands, dewalt, ridgid, hitachi and b&d in the garage

sounds like you got your money worth out of them.

the way i look at it is for a average person that maybe need a tool once or twice its the store to go to.

i have bought the 13 drawer box a few weeks ago and so far i am happy.
the air body saw for 10.99 with a coupon i haven't killed it yet and use daily.

i have bought a few items there and happy with them. for tools that will get broke at work or "lost" at work, that's the store for me as i have to buy my own tools.

the only thing that i have had a problem with is the blades for the body saw, the teeth got ate up but i was also trying to cut a lock of a trailer. so my fault

 

[american lockpicker]

IMHO it's mostly commie crappola.

I find that offensive. Its due to capitalism that you see such poor quality item.

 

[Cheapskate]

Sorry but by Sears I meant their 50% off Gearwrench ratcheting wrench sets, Craftsman Professional wrench sets or socket sets I got for over 60% off.

I would never walk into Sears and pay sticker price for anything.

And I would never walk into Harbor Freight and pay sticker price for anything either.

Inside Track coupons.

 

[oldtools]

I would never walk into SO/MAC/Matco/Cornwell truck and pay pay sticker price for anything either.

 

[copterdoctor]

I find that offensive. Its due to capitalism that you see such poor quality item.

I know what you are trying to say with that statement, and I somewhat agree... but, communist nations have never been known for the quality of their exports....