A short time ago I commented about Princess Auto relabeling a brand of tools. Anyway I tripped over this video about them. Frankly I am most impressed with the selection.Anhoo, I thought that someone just might enjoy visiting a Canadian version of Harbor Freight.
Harbor Freight VS Princess Auto
- Thread starter Kenskip1
- Start date
ken w.
Well-known member
I prefer Princess Auto over HF in a big way. I feel the hand tools are better quality . They have a much better overall selection. HF does have a larger selection of air tools.
tonyciambrone
Well-known member
You mean Pig Iron?
There can only be one: Cambodian Tire.
There can only be one: Cambodian Tire.
Junk at Cambodian tire is the same junk at PA but costs more Canadian fun bucks
Although there are some similarities in suppliers to HF for some items, the Princess has quite a bit that is targeted to a more farm supply type market - hydraulics and a lot of the electrical / trailer stuff, larger size tools, and so on. And they started out as Princess Street Auto Wreckers in Winnipeg, which sorta makes sense how they got into the oddball surplus type stuff.
I've bought an item or two from HF, but my impression was that it was a much more uniformly bargain basement stuff. Part of the joy of Princess is that there are some treasures to be found, and it carries oddities that make it fun to visit.
I've bought an item or two from HF, but my impression was that it was a much more uniformly bargain basement stuff. Part of the joy of Princess is that there are some treasures to be found, and it carries oddities that make it fun to visit.
That was a great video. I notice there is more name brand vs house brand at PA compared to HF. I saw, Irwin, Sanborn, Triton and Hobart. A lot of rural/agricultural stuff HF does not carry is available in the US at TSC. All in all, PA seems to beat HF hands down.
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MWEric
Well-known member
Seems to more align with Northern tool than Horrible Freight. I don’t think they have one in Thunder Bay. Guess it’s off to Winnepeg. Go Jets.
Professional Tool User
Well-known member
Princess Auto is more like Tractor Supply or Northern Tool. Both have their pros and cons. PA's return policy is way better. No 90 day warranty nonsense. Satisfaction guaranteed as long as you keep your receipt. The random stuff in and out of the surplus section is always a good laugh and there's also some name brand stuff like Lisle, Channellock, and those Osca Italian hammers that get rebranded a lot in Europe. PA's house brands, Powerfist and Pro Point also seem to have a lot more Made in Taiwan stuff that they just put their own packaging over than either Canadian Tire or Harbor Freight. Here are some ways where Harbor Freight is strong and Princess Auto is weak. HF's prices are usually pretty low to begin with so you don't have to wait for stuff to go on sale. HF doesn't simply rebrand stuff. They are in your face about knocking off a brand name item and will improve their products rapidly if they put their minds to it. Those Series 2 tool boxes by just adding some drawer depth are giving more expensive boxes a run for their money. HF also has certain tools that Princess Auto will only run as a limited quantity item on their flyer or not have at all. This brings me to the next point - Harbor Freight is a lot better at making sure they have enough inventory. If you don't go to PA at the beginning of a sale cycle, they'll likely be out of stock of flyer items. As a Canadian who crosses the border every few months to shop, both are trying to sell you cheap tools, so the quality level is in the same neighborhood.