Harbor Freight Beliefs

[Stuey]

I'd say this has more to do with print media's failure than anything HF did wrong. If you are struggling to sell ad space in a magazine that's 1/3 of its size in the 90's, the ad space is going to be cheap, and I don't think it's fair to criticize a company who already advertises in print to expand where they advertise, likely with the same marketing budget as before.

It's like if I were to say some of this nonsense;
I don't think it's fair for a blogger should comment on magazine ads since some blogs are about tools and others are about other things. Some also have ads. The blogs about other things that have ads sometimes have ads about tools. Odd.

I'm not saying that HF does anything wrong with their ad tactics, it just seems odd, that's all. You don't see Lowes and Home Depot advertising in photography magazines, Readers Digest, and random other magazines. If you ever do, it would be for paint and things like that, not jacks, winches, shop accessories, and heavy equipment.

 

[slob]

Yup! It's all been said before.



Not necessarily true - some real artists in woodworking turn out some real masterpieces on old cheap beat to **** equipment - it's the man, not the tool.





slob, meet Gary S

What are you implying?

 

[Alchymist]

What are you implying?

Nothing, just observing!

 

[lennoxlennox]

Just remember comparing Harbor Freight "tools" to Snap-On or any other quality USA made brand is not fair as I have been told by many of the people that purchase "tools" from Harbor Freight.

I would say Harbor Freights claim "Nobody beats our quality, service and price" clearly indicates they want that comparison.

This ^^^


They certainly want the comparison and whether you say you have to take the whole phrase together or single out quality, it's still the same and it's still laughable.

Seeing it's political season, this might as well be called a statement from the "Harbor Freight National Convention" because it's full of as much unbelievable ******** as the other conventions (both) have spewed out.


Honestly, I go there with my free coupon and 20% off coupon, and I try really hard to buy something. I pick an item up, look at it, try to justify it, even get in line with it, keep looking it over and no matter how cheap it is... I just can't bring myself to do buy it and end up leaving empty handed.


Yup, they would have done better with a more credible statement... something like "value priced", but to insert quality.... no way, it's anything but.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I have never purchased an item at Harbor Freight that lasted more than a week.

You just have to try their cotter pins!!

 

[pipsters]

There was a guy on here who went from working in a small cramped garage to running his own shop working on high end cars using nothing but Harbor Freight tools. That is proof enough that their tools are just fine and work as advertised. Feel free to go spend $200 on a set of sockets that would run around $10 at Harbor Freight...but they don't work any better or make someone better able to complete a job. In fact I've found pretty much all imports are as good or better than American hand tools due to the lax environmental laws overseas.

 

[lennoxlennox]

There was a guy on here who went from working in a small cramped garage to running his own shop working on high end cars using nothing but Harbor Freight tools. That is proof enough that their tools are just fine and work as advertised. Feel free to go spend $200 on a set of sockets that would run around $10 at Harbor Freight...but they don't work any better or make someone better able to complete a job. In fact I've found pretty much all imports are as good or better than American hand tools due to the lax environmental laws overseas.

sure

and you can live on top ramen and mcdonalds too - but NOT TOO WELL - you'll end up in the hospital or dead


just because someone does this, doesn't prove quality, just proves he was determined to do that... interesting too, that now he's buying tool truck brands, hypocracy much? or is it that after eating top ramen so long, you can now really appreciate a steak

the point being is a tool box full of harbor freight isn't quality it's a box full of **** - in a box made out of ****

 

[pipsters]

sure

and you can live on top ramen and mcdonalds too - but NOT TOO WELL - you'll end up in the hospital or dead


just because someone does this, doesn't prove quality, just proves he was determined to do that... interesting too, that now he's buying tool truck brands, hypocracy much? or is it that after eating top ramen so long, you can now really appreciate a steak

the point being is a tool box full of harbor freight isn't quality it's a box full of **** - in a box made out of ****

Feel free to watch his last video where he talks about the tools themselves and what held up and what didn't. There were very few tools that didn't hold up. It's a log vid but he goes into depth about a lot of stuff.

Also he explains why he is buying the more expensive stuff - had nothing to do with the product itself.

If it makes you feel like more of a professional to use higher cost stuff feel free, but you have to be honest with yourself in justifying it.

 

[lennoxlennox]

If it makes you feel like more of a professional to use higher cost stuff feel free, but you have to be honest with yourself in justifying it.

hillarious!


funny isn't it, all the "professionals", you know, say the race teams... i see them all using harbor freight... it's the quality you know

the shops across the country using tool truck brands, because you know.... they just want to feel more "professional"

that's it... you nailed it!

 

[t100]

sometimes it's the car, sometimes it's the driver who cause the crash, but most of the time is....not the car.

 

[lennoxlennox]

sometimes it's the car, sometimes it's the driver who cause the crash, but most of the time is....not the car.

ya but not matter what...you don't bring a chinese made car to the starting line of NASCAR

 

[t100]

don't every car maker advertising their cars are THE best? doesn't Matco say their tools are better than Snap On, and Snap On would piss on Matco?

few people I know, are quite bitter about the amount of money he has to pay the tool man each week on his high dollar tools, but the punk next to his bay using cheapo tools enjoy his life. it stinks that they make the same money.

you don't get paid for what tool you have, you got paid for the work you do. how hard is that?

 

[lennoxlennox]

don't every car maker advertising their cars are THE best? doesn't Matco say their tools are better than Snap On, and Snap On would piss on Matco?

few people I know, are quite bitter about the amount of money he has to pay the tool man each week on his high dollar tools, but the punk next to his bay using cheapo tools enjoy his life. it stinks that they make the same money.

you don't get paid for what tool you have, you got paid for the work you do. how hard is that?

I'm a tech, and I'm always on the lookout for this "punk next to his bay using cheap tools enjoy his life"

and you know what, it's a MYTH, I've looked and apart from people on here posting that this happens all the time - I can tell you first hand that it doesn't and only exists as a fantasy in the minds of people that post here.

People that earn their money with their tools, use tools that won't let them down - i.e. they buy professional tools.

Yes they might have the odd tool from HF but it's the "odd" tool, nobody builds his tools around HF, Walmart, 99 cent store.

sure there is the one guy here that has made it is mission to prove his point, but like I said, he's buying professional tools now and easy bet, this will continue more and more for him because you learn that you need the right tool to do the job, not the cheapest.


HF, Walmart, Advance Auto have a place, it's for the home user - their tools are "value priced" for this market - but they aren't quality


but hey, i'll keep looking for "nessie", "big foot" and the guy in the bay next to me happy with his life using HF tools - who knows... I have seen Elvis in my shop last week, so I could get lucky!