Getting a Harbor Freight...

[BellyUpFish]

I know much of their stuff isn't worth owning, but for some reason I'm excited they're coming to our town.

It'll be soo different not having to try and decide what junk I want to buy while I'm in a town with one..

 

[theoldwizard1]

Almost everything is on sale at one time or another even if it is with one of their 20% off any one item coupon.

A lot of their stationary power tools can be significantly improved with slight modifications shown on YouTube. Some of their power tools should never leave the building without the "extended" warranty (portable pipe threaded, 2 cycle generator).

They have updated their socket, ratchets and wrenches. They look much nicer than the old ones. I can not say how they actually perform.

 

[BellyUpFish]

I've always tried to buy with either the "use it til it dies" or "a tweak or two and it's worth owning" mentality.

 

[92GreenYJ]

I like them for consumables. Cut off wheels, grinding discs, gloves, step bits, etc. I also like them for seldom use tools. I bought one of their compound miter saws a while back because I needed one for a project I was doing but won't use it often enough to justify buying a good brand name one for twice the price.

 

[nadogail]

Enjoy the opportunity to collect the free flashlights and tape measures.

 

[timmyisme22]

Enjoy the opportunity to collect the free flashlights and tape measures.

Don't forget about the free "chisel extremes".

The gloves truly are to die for at the cost offered. The nitriles (5mil for most everything and 9mil for heavy duty tasks) are excellent and the mechanics gloves are sublime for having a spare in every single vehicle you have.

Just got ours this year. Makes deal changes actually useful as you can buy as they come up. No need to bulk buy.

 

[BMack37]

I REALLY like their professional mechanic gloves.

Their security bit set is also great for the money, covers just about everything and it's dirt cheap.

Their professional screwdrivers are great for the price, lifetime warranty and that includes general wear and tear.

Micro flush cutters are excellent. I've returned more expensive cutters because they weren't as sharp as the HF ones. They obviously aren't Knipex but they will do the job just fine until some idiot borrows them and tries to cut a nail...then they will still work just fine except for the spot where the idiot tried to cut a nail.

Can't complain about the items they give away for free with purchase either. The magnetic LED work light, tape measure and magnetic tray are all perfectly usable.

 

[steve308]

Ahhh the smell of a brand new Harbor Freight. Nothing like it anywhere else in the world except maybe a land fill on a hot and humid august afternoon.

 

[TAMPAGT07]

I was happy as a clam when they built one less then 2 miles from my house...

 

[Matt M PA]

Off topic alert...those that use the HF nitrile gloves....do you find them okay for holding onto bolts, etc? I used the HF gloves years ago and switched to Microflex Diamond Grip because they seemed better for holding onto things. They have a texture on the outside that really seems to help. I buy them by the case on-line for about $10 a box. They don't hold up great against solvents...

 

[James-W]

I buy a lot of the nitrile gloves, the wife and daughter use them a lot for painting projects. They mess around with refinishing furniture, stuff like that, and they do quite a bit of decorative painting on things like kids dressers. They will paint little ducks, or cartoon characters, things of that nature on the kids dressers and for some reason little kids like that a lot.

 

[pcmeiners]

Ahhh the smell of a brand new Harbor Freight. Nothing like it anywhere else in the world except maybe a land fill on a hot and humid august afternoon.

They built a store north of us a few months back,was wonder what the smell was with the northerly wind.

Another point of having HF, keeps the local competition in check.

 

[nit2wn]

As much as I would like to dislike them, they make fairly good toolboxes. Very good when you can use a coupon on them. I think I have maybe $1300 in my top and bottom 56''. Not cheap mind you, but much better made than anything Sears had on hand and a better price. Their socket trays are a nice price too.

 

[bjcouche]

HF is great for buying tools that you may need now for a project but will seldom use. Some of their electric hand tools are ****, but I've found their sockets and wrenches to be great. I stopped buying screwdrivers at Sears because the quality was below harbor freight's screwdrivers, both made in China.
Still, I've bought a knowingly crappy HF drill when out of town at a job site and needed to drill a couple holes, bought the HF because I only needed a few holes and knew it was guaranteed to be stolen if left onsite.

 

[cdestuck]

People trash the place but they have a lot of good stuff that I'm not afraid to buy. Their combination wrenches are great. Fit and finish are good, lifetime guarantee and ya can get a set of 9 for the price of one Craftsman.

Many more examples you will find like this there. I love ours.

 

[Zeke]

HF is very useful. For instance the paint store charges $0.15 for a cone strainer. HF is about 5 cents each.

 

[Bigbandguy]

I used to live within two miles of a HF store. That was NOT good for my wallet. I am now about 10 miles from one and the distance is a good thing. Agree on the seldome use tools and things needing light modding. The metal cutting bandsaw is pretty good as is the 7 x 10 lathe within its limitations Overall HF has far more positives than negatives in my not so humble opinion.

 

[Kin Creed]

Don't hate the Freight!

Yes, the smell is awful, but I think they have a place in the tool world. Let's face it, there are so many manufactured good pouring in from China it's hard to avoid. The Freight just allows you to get closer to the source than most!

Competition is a good thing and they offer a decent option for some tools, especially as people have said for tools you are not sure you need or will use that often.

I picked up a random orbit sander and it did a pretty good job. But mostly it convinced me that this was a tool worth owning so when it started to wear out I upgraded to a nicer brand. So their tools can act as entry level offerings and once you are more certain that you'll use it you can invest in something better.

 

[ViperJon]

Their low profile floor jacks are a great value for occasional use. I have several and they can be had at give away prices with the 20% off coupon. Must have for lower sports cars.

 

[exranger06]

I was just at Harbor Freight today to buy a small tire mounting machine. They were out of stock and weren't sure when more would come in. The closest HF that had one is a 60 mile round trip. Forget that. I ordered it online and had to pay an extra $7 for shipping. At least I had a 20% off coupon.

Today's experience was frustrating but I usually like going there. I always find some cool thing that I didn't know existed.

 

[elefan]

I like them for consumables. Cut off wheels, grinding discs, gloves, step bits, etc. I also like them for seldom use tools. I bought one of their compound miter saws a while back because I needed one for a project I was doing but won't use it often enough to justify buying a good brand name one for twice the price.

Let me advice you good folks to not purchase low quality grinding and cutting disks.

Having seen what they can do when they suddenly splinter, i purchase only brand specific disks.. Dewalt for instance.

My friend sure as hell would like his vision back. A cutting disk splintered and went through his visors (he wore eye protection AND a helmet with a visor). Surgeons found the splinter in his brain. Thats how far it went. He nearly bled to death also, because a splinter cut up his forearm.

 

[CNGsaves]

OP . . . if it's nearby where you travel by often, keep your truck stocked up with all the free coupons. Can't have too many FREE tape measures, tarps, flashlights, screwdrivers, etc !!

The GJ guy's website for all the HF coupons is great. Use it and always have spares to "Pay It Forward" by sharing with other customers.

 

[elefan]

It went through his eyes and he only lost sight on 1 eye.. But still.

 

[justanengineer]

Back ~15 years ago when they still sold name brands and cheaper but solid knockoffs of professional equipment it was an interesting place to browse. If I didn't buy anything myself it was guaranteed that friends/relatives would voluntell me to haul a few hundred pounds out of there every trip in the form of mill vises, special jigs, and even occasionally a machine. Anymore tho its just like all of the box stores, low quality hand tools and plastic-ey toy power tools and machines. Instead of buying a kit machine/tool/jig that needs rework, now youre buying a toy kit that needs rework. The worst part IMHO tho is that theyre usually wherever the store rent's cheapest, neighborhoods that are ghettos or soon to be ghettos, and the stores usually hire the locals from those areas. I was in ours a few months ago for chip brushes and the cashier was busy griping while checking us out, the manager wouldn't let her off work for the afternoon to bail her kid out of jail.

 

[BellyUpFish]

The GJ guy's website for all the HF coupons is great. Use it and always have spares to "Pay It Forward" by sharing with other customers.

Where is this?

 

[cgall]

Ordered an item online, showed up missing parts. Took it to local store and they refused it, even after I showed them the warranty states it can be returned to store. Shipped item back to warehouse in SC, have tracking showing it was received. HF will not refund or replace the part. Customer service is impossible to understand on the phone. Had to file complaint with cc company to get refund. Would never even consider HF for any kind of purchase ever again.

 

[BellyUpFish]

Ordered an item online, showed up missing parts. Took it to local store and they refused it, even after I showed them the warranty states it can be returned to store. Shipped item back to warehouse in SC, have tracking showing it was received. HF will not refund or replace the part. Customer service is impossible to understand on the phone. Had to file complaint with cc company to get refund. Would never even consider HF for any kind of purchase ever again.

That's weird.

I bought a press in a store 60 miles from me that had a bad hydraulic ram.

Contacted Harbor Freight, but couldn't find my receipt. The lady who helped me was actually able to look up my transaction from the store number and the last 4 digits of my card used.

She then mailed me, free of charge, a new hydraulic ram so I wouldn't have to go all the way back to the store to get a replacement.

 

[Bluedodge]

...and the cashier was busy griping while checking us out, the manager wouldn't let her off work for the afternoon to bail her kid out of jail.

Did you offer her one of your 20% off coupons?

 

[CNGsaves]

OP . . . if it's nearby where you travel by often, keep your truck stocked up with all the free coupons. Can't have too many FREE tape measures, tarps, flashlights, screwdrivers, etc !!

The GJ guy's website for all the HF coupons is great. Use it and always have spares to "Pay It Forward" by sharing with other customers.

Where is this?

The general thread for HF coupons is at:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=85668&highlight=harbor+freight+coupons&page=407

Fellow GJer . . . Leftyz . . . made the awesome website for HF coupons at:
http://www.hfqpdb.com/

 

[Zeke]

Let me advice you good folks to not purchase low quality grinding and cutting disks.

Having seen what they can do when they suddenly splinter, i purchase only brand specific disks.. Dewalt for instance.

My friend sure as hell would like his vision back. A cutting disk splintered and went through his visors (he wore eye protection AND a helmet with a visor). Surgeons found the splinter in his brain. Thats how far it went. He nearly bled to death also, because a splinter cut up his forearm.

It went through his eyes and he only lost sight on 1 eye.. But still.

There is an anecdotal fallacy in presenting your message. That and an appeal to probability.

What we don't know is how the man was using the disc and if it was damaged at some point (even right up to the event). If the exact same conditions were created, the likelihood of a DeWalt disc exploding increases. The first time the disc grabs and there is a breach of the cutting edge, it must be taken out of service and destroyed.

 

[justanengineer]

Did you offer her one of your 20% off coupons?

BWAHAHA! Thanks for reminding me why I love this site, now excuse me while I clean the coffee off my monitor.

 

[sixty4]

They are a friendly bunch, I get emails from them 15 times a week. Consider yourself warned..... You never can unsubscribe

 

[PeterT]

I like the chinese rubber smell in my car when I leave,, it sticks to your clothes if your in the store more than 10 minutes.

 

[pancho400cid]

Directly to the OP's original topic, congrats on the new HF. They have their uses I guess.

Sorry if this is a dumb question but - as to the nifty HF coupon link.... the coupons say you have to present the "original" coupon... presumably on printed on newsprint I assume? It does not appear you can print one out and use it - so how do you get an original coupon?

Thanks!

 

[nadogail]

When the ads were emailed, the coupon has printed nicely. Several times I printed the coupon, an instructed the printer to print multiple copies. As far as the website was concerned, I only printed the coupon on one occasion; they did not know I had six coupons and handed them out to other customers in the store.

 

[DanielC99]

Back ~15 years ago when they still sold name brands and cheaper but solid knockoffs of professional equipment it was an interesting place to browse. If I didn't buy anything myself it was guaranteed that friends/relatives would voluntell me to haul a few hundred pounds out of there every trip in the form of mill vises, special jigs, and even occasionally a machine. Anymore tho its just like all of the box stores, low quality hand tools and plastic-ey toy power tools and machines. Instead of buying a kit machine/tool/jig that needs rework, now youre buying a toy kit that needs rework. The worst part IMHO tho is that theyre usually wherever the store rent's cheapest, neighborhoods that are ghettos or soon to be ghettos, and the stores usually hire the locals from those areas. I was in ours a few months ago for chip brushes and the cashier was busy griping while checking us out, the manager wouldn't let her off work for the afternoon to bail her kid out of jail.

They just built a new store much closer to me. It is in a pretty good neighborhood. In a town with 3 colleges. The new store has a much better class of employees. As such, the new store's employee's adhere to the companies policies very strictly. The older store is in a "ghetto" part of town. Another town entirely, and those employees don't give a **** about store policies. Don't have a 20% off coupon? No problem, they will grab one from under the register and scan it. If they can circumvent the stores policy, and the register's software will allow it, you can get much better deals at the old store. The new store is much more convenient. But if I have a need to buy something that costs more than $50, I'm going to the old store. When I'm not working from home, my office is in the city with the old store. I just wait until I have to drive in to the office an pick up what I need then.

 

[FigureItOut]

The general thread for HF coupons is at:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=85668&highlight=harbor+freight+coupons&page=407

Fellow GJer . . . Leftyz . . . made the awesome website for HF coupons at:
http://www.hfqpdb.com/

hfqpdb.com is done by GJ'er? I read on the website he'll no longer be updating it. Is this accurate? I personally have done my best to upload coupons but it seems like not many others are. It doesn't seem to be as thorough as it once was.

 

[sha]

Harbor Freight is great for show and tell if you have kids. I take mine whenever I have coupons saved up from newspapers, mailers and such. I take them and show them what the different tools are and how they are supposed to be used. I also point out quality issues and why or why not certain tools should be avoided. Sometimes I even buy something large and needful but usually they each buy something small for the free coupons. The employees allow the purchases and we all learn something.

 

[jack stand]

Ahhh the smell of a brand new Harbor Freight. Nothing like it anywhere else in the world except maybe a land fill on a hot and humid august afternoon.

I recently went to my first HF store, newly opened, and noticed that smell also.
Just kinda figured that's what China smelled like.

 

[haptiq]

I second the cutting wheel problem. That was the last item I deemed worth owning from HF but then I got a batch that must have been unbalanced. The hole never fits quite right on the arbor anyways but after watching the wheel about shake its self off the grinder I threw them in the trash.
If you use tools to make your living, you don't have time to deal with HF.
If you would rather use your tools to tinker than tinker with your tools, resist the HF urge.