Harbor Freight hardware assortment

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Good morning. Got a HF email today offering 1001 piece hardware assortment with storage boxes for $39.00

I know these wont be grade 8 or aircraft quality pieces but would you trust hardware that can be sold this cheaply? I guess when I go to Fastenal I never really ask the "trustworthy" question but this seems different. Showing my bias here I know but........

 

[SweetD]

I've always been a big fan of paying a bit more for quality hardware. Especially stainless, and especially for the marine environment, which is what I find myself buying mostly for with the boats.

HF hardware? Pass for me. I'm sure others will say it's just fine for certain applications.

 

[cherokee]

Personally I think it depends on what you are using it for. As I understand things nothing real "big" is in there so doubtful you are going to use the nuts and bolts to hold a car seat down to the floor.

What you use it for makes all the difference, and I have a feeling it will be just fine for "light duty" use. You always need that little nut or bolt for this that or the other that does not need to be super strong. Do you use grade 8 bolts everywhere for everything, no. Why don't you, well you just don't need it.

I look at it like trying to mow 20ac with a push mower. Sure you could do it, if you ran it 24hr a day 7 days a week for the entire summer. How long would the most expensive, and highest quality push mower last doing that....a week, a month. Then it would fail.

Is that high dollar high quality mower not that high of quality, no you used it where you should not have, it is not made for that.

Now if you want to hang engines on an airplane using this hardware is that a you issue or the hardware issue, likely both.

 

[jayemm]

I pay more at a local hardware store that has an awesome assortment of quality fasteners because I don't trust HF quality. Harbor Freight "quality" has in the past delivered to me: SAE thread socket head capscrews that had metric heads (WTF?) and roll pins that were undersize and fell thru the correct size holes (never thought to 'mic' those first). I never bought their wire crimp-on connector assortment because the metal gage looked pretty thin, so those were passed up.

 

[wolfhawk73]

Their quality bothers me on small stuff like that, but I probably wouldn't have a need for all the parts. I tend to buy what I need when I need it, usually with some leftovers, because there's always a safety factor for me to avoid another trip to the store.

But, hell, I could start going through my and my dad's extra hardware and sell them in 1001-piece kits for $20...and retire.

 

[ZRX61]

It's probably not even Grade 0.05, let alone Grade 3

 

[cherokee]

Their quality bothers me on small stuff like that, but I probably wouldn't have a need for all the parts. I tend to buy what I need when I need it, usually with some leftovers, because there's always a safety factor for me to avoid another trip to the store.

But, hell, I could start going through my and my dad's extra hardware and sell them in 1001-piece kits for $20...and retire.

That is the thing, how many of us have buckets of bolts. I know I have at least 3 buckets so full they are heavy. I likely have what I need in there somewhere, I just don't want to dig for it. Once and a while I will but then the time wasted is eh just buy a set.

I bought a spool of that hanger strip with the holes in it. I likely need about 3' of the stuff, I bought 100' for $30. Wife is do you need 100' of it, well not now, but when 10' is $20 it seems stupid not to buy 100'. I will have it the next time I need it. Did the same thing with the chain I used to hang my lights, ordered another 100' to hang 3 more lights. I will use it somewhere.

This little stuff, I will use it where it should be used and not think twice about it.

 

[P0234]

If you think you will use a 1/4 of it, probably a good deal, otherwise you'll have a box of nothing that you actually need at the time. I just accumulate spare hardware, key is good organization, its useless in a bucket.

 

[zendriver]

I use their nuts and bolts all the time even stainless with zero problems.

Would I use that on my space rocket? Maybe not.

Otherwise, I could waste my gas to go to the hardware store a big box and pay five times as much for items that are probably made in the same Chinese factory

Would I pay 40 bucks for an assortment? Depends what’s in it

 

[engineer2]

Lots of the ungraded import fasteners seem to be made of the softest steel available. Light duty use only and hope the head doesn't strip or it snaps in half.

 

[bwringer]

HF is great for some things, and some of the assortments are pretty useful.

But the threaded fastener assortments.... eh, not so much. The sizes aren't often useful and the quality is pretty low.

Use your brain and don't use them for critical stuff and if you have the space to spare... it can't hurt to have them around. If they save you one extra trip to the hardware store, they've paid for themselves.

 

[PoorUB]

Good morning. Got a HF email today offering 1001 piece hardware assortment with storage boxes for $39.00

This one for $24.99?

https://www.harborfreight.com/nut-and-bolt-assortment-case-1001-piece-59234.html

 

[HoosierBuddy]

I buy my hardware by the pound at Tractor Supply or Rural King.

When I get it home...it goes into Harbor Freight hardware boxes. Those boxes are handy as hell.

Oh...and it occurs to me that hardware assortments were always of really low quality...even when they were made in America. I think my Dad's workbench still has a couple that he bought at the local Ace Hardware in the 70's with the little pull out plastic drawers. I probably ought to go liberate those boxes. Dad's been gone 13 years now and Mom won't miss them.

 

[Kuma601]

Matched for the application at hand, probably fine. Some of those fasteners have some poor tolerances to be aware of. At least the boxes are marked what grade at most the box stores selling them in bulk. Sometimes I find the thread engagement fairly poor so have to hunt a few and try the corresponding nut to make sure.

 

[ATC]

Do you use grade 8 bolts everywhere for everything, no. Why don't you, well you just don't need it.

Actually, I kinda do

All I buy is bags of grade 8 every time I go to Tractor Supply. So anything I use 1/4-20 or larger will be a grade 8 about 95% of the time. Even just for casters on a cart...

 

[drmarkr]

I use their nuts and bolts all the time even stainless with zero problems.

Would I use that on my space rocket? Maybe not.

Otherwise, I could waste my gas to go to the hardware store a big box and pay five times as much for items that are probably made in the same Chinese factory

Would I pay 40 bucks for an assortment? Depends what’s in it

This.

It's **** grade....but oftentimes you're doing something that only requires minimal strength, and you don't want to use your Grade 8 hardware!

I choose my hardware based on how it will be used.

 

[drmarkr]

This one for $24.99?

https://www.harborfreight.com/nut-and-bolt-assortment-case-1001-piece-59234.html

Damn....those cases are worth $25!! (actually, they're not. You can get a set of 2 at HD for less than $15, if I recall?)

 

[no704]

I have a few hf assortments. Mostly used for mock-up. Stripped a cap screw in aluminum. Threads off the bolt, not even that tight.

 

[PugetDude]

Th shiny Harbor Freight screws are made out of cheese. They strip faster than an intoxicated bridesmaid.
The black oxide socket head cap screw assortment is OK.

 

[Zeus36]

This one for $24.99?

https://www.harborfreight.com/nut-and-bolt-assortment-case-1001-piece-59234.html

Give the hardware away and use the two storage boxes. Or read drmarkr's post #17.

 

[Skellyii]

I was in HF the other day and saw that assortment.

Meh, not useful for my purposes, but the cases are nice. Maybe they'll be on clearance soon.

 

[nadogail]

The fasteners were most probably built to meet a price point, i doubt if quality is guaranteed.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

You guys know you can buy just the HF Boxes without the hardware, right?


There have been several posts about different GJ guys building racks to hold several of those. That's what I did in my garage. Bought a bunch of them and then filled them with grade 5 and grade 8 hardware from other stores. This is the one I built, but there are some better ones other guys have put more time into.

The handiest design feature I came up with is a slide out at the top that holds one storage tray. I pull out a tray, pull out the slide out, set the tray on it and open it. Just becomes a horizontal surface that is never covered in tools and is always handy to hold one of the storage bins so I can find what I need.

 

[driftpin]

I was in HF the other day and saw that assortment.

Meh, not useful for my purposes, but the cases are nice. Maybe they'll be on clearance soon.

I was just there yesterday buying a 10 ga electrical extension cord and a 6" hook & loop disc for a side grinder. At check-out I saw a large parts case, lots of dividers, for $8. I almost bought one. I might go back and get it. Maybe a couple. I have a lot of fasteners, bought individually at the hardware store or Fastenal. They're in the brown kraft paper bags for the most part, and just divided into one plastic bin or another: metric or SAE/USS, not-metric. Throwing them into divided containers would make it easier to get something quickly when I need it. A good price.

20-Bin Medium Portable Parts Storage Case

Amazing deals on this 20-Bin Medium Portable Storage Case at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

I have a couple ACE Hardware stores within 1-2 miles, and a bit further for a good lumber yard which is also carrying ACE. They are close to the Atlantic Ocean and they stock a lot of SS and marine stuff. Their lumber is good quality, and they stock lumber used in marine applications. I've shopped there 50 years.

All Departments

All Departments from Shell Lumber and Hardware

www.shelllumber.com

 

[cherokee]

You guys know you can buy just the HF Boxes without the hardware, right?


There have been several posts about different GJ guys building racks to hold several of those. That's what I did in my garage. Bought a bunch of them and then filled them with grade 5 and grade 8 hardware from other stores. This is the one I built, but there are some better ones other guys have put more time into.

The handiest design feature I came up with is a slide out at the top that holds one storage tray. I pull out a tray, pull out the slide out, set the tray on it and open it. Just becomes a horizontal surface that is never covered in tools and is always handy to hold one of the storage bins so I can find what I need.

I use those for my RC plane parts, they are good boxes.