Harbor Freight worth the trip?

[Vortaku]

Harbor Freight near my work is closing and having a closing sale.
What should I look for?

 

[LaTuFu]

I am a shade tree/DIY guy, I have had decent success with the Pittsburgh hand tools and some of the non-electric stuff. Their stuff is very much get what you pay for. As long as you go in knowing that, its hard to be disappointed when one fails you.

The Drill Master hand tools are hot garbage. I burned through (3) 7" rotary sanders in 2 weeks trying to sand a deck. On the third return, I bought the more expensive Chicago Electric model. We had 2 of them, one developed a finicky switch, the other lasted through the rest of the job. Even for DIY work, the power tools can be a dice roll. The hand tools, for my needs, have done just fine. But I don't use them every day to make my living.

 

[RKA]

Closing sales are generally not worth the bother. Most of the time they are outsourced to a company that marks up everything and they starts at "30% off", increasing the discount weekly until all the contents including the shelving is gone. They get a cut of the sales. And frankly, people are gullible, so they overpay because something is listed at 50% off and it's a store closing.

But, if it's on your way, and you have something specific in mind that's large, sure, stop by and see if they have that big boy compressor, note the price, and hold out until they drop it to a price you'll pay (assuming you can stop back once a week to check). The jacks, compressors, generators and toolboxes are frequently excluded from the usual 20% coupons, so I'd look for deals on those if they have them. Unpack the boxes and look for damage before you walk out. If you have to drive 30 miles or more to get to the store, personally, I would skip.

 

[CJM8515]

doesnt hurt to take a look

 

[Mr_John]

First of all, I'm just surprised a HF is actually closing. I agree with what RKA stated, above - that is USUALLY the case, but not always. Regardless, even if HF is closing its own store and not outsourcing to a third party liquidation company, I agree that a lot of the "deals" in store closings are no deals at all. In fact, not only do they pull the "raise the price" and then discount it back, or claim % off "as high as," and almost nothing you want is the highest % off, liquidation stores also have a habit of shipping stuff from other stores that isn't selling in an attempt to unload it at a store closing.

The above said, one thing I'd look out for is discounts on stuff that are excluded in coupons -- so, check the HF 20% coupons and look for all the stuff that's excluded. Any discount on those items that are greater than 20% (because they do still go on sale, even if coupon isn't applicable) may be worth consideration. Take a US General rolling tool chest, for ex -- they're likely to go early, but if you can managed to hang on until they hit at least 30% off, then you might pick up a bargain.

 

[Dave in Mass]

I like Harbor Freight generally. Their tools work just fine for my needs as a DIY Homeowner. I usually stock up on consumables when I go there so if you see discounts on this type of stuff compared to their already low prices, I would be stocking up.

Latex or Nitrate gloves
Shop rags
Tie Wraps
Tarps
Bungee cords
Hand soap
Paint brushes / Chip Brushes
Electric tape
etc...

 

[kythri]

Are they actually closing, or are they just advertising with banners of "Liquidation!" and "Everything Must Go!" ?

Furniture stores in my area hold a "Going Out Of Business" sale 4-5 times a year...

 

[Tallpilot]

Use https://www.hfqpdb.com/ to find out the usual coupon price on an item so you know if you are really getting a deal or just being lied to and manipulated.

 

[Jeffh40]

Are they actually closing, or are they just advertising with banners of "Liquidation!" and "Everything Must Go!" ?

Furniture stores in my area hold a "Going Out Of Business" sale 4-5 times a year...

Yep. The HF near my house has one of those banners up right now. I see it at least once a year and they haven't closed yet.

 

[chris142]

Impact sockets.

 

[ex-x-fire]

This sounds fishy.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

If the closing sale is anything like the Harbor Freight clearance shelf, don't bother.

 

[jd_1138]

I don't ever think I saw a HF that was closing. Sure it wasn't some deceptive ad that says "Liquidation -- EVERYTHING MUST GO!" or something? They have ad copy like that, quite often. It's misleading and undignified.

 

[bwringer]

Yep. Be wary. I detect a faint scent of ********...

If a HF is actually closing, I suspect it's only because they're opening a bigger store nearby.

Make sure you have a good idea what the "normal" actual selling prices are, not the BS "list" prices.

In general, the tools and such made in Taiwan are quite nice.

Heck yeah, I'd go take a look.

 

[Shadowdog500]

Might want to look at the The Harbor Freight PASS/FAIL Thread from “The Tools” section of this forum before you go. Some of their stuff like tool cabinets are pretty darn good, while others are not so good.

Here is a link to the thread
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27192

 

[vanapplebomb]

My favorite product are the “Pittsburgh Pro” impact impact sockets. The 1/2 and 3/4 drive ones are the bomb. Super nice for the price and probably made in the same factories that the more expensive brands source from. There are a couple varieties. The Chinese ones have a somewhat smoother glossy finish, but some have burrs around the locking pin holes. The Taiwanese ones are a more traditional matt finish, and are nicely deburred. Dimensionally they are both good.

 

[DFB]

HF CLOSING...no way

 

[BigBoreFan]

Closing? Going out of business? That's just what HF looks like all the time. I took my 12 year old granddaughter there with me, she said it looked like it was going out of business.

Actually my local store is pretty nice. I have no complaints.

 

[Vortaku]

The gf actually told me about it as she drove by. She said it had some banner. I will ask

 

[Stuart in MN]

What should I look for?

What do you need?

 

[Mechanical Noise]

The gf actually told me about it as she drove by. She said it had some banner. I will ask

Harbor Freight had their HUGE PARKING LOT SALE two or three weeks ago.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Harbor Freight near my work is closing and having a closing sale.
What should I look for?

If they will be closing at 10:00 pm; go an hour or two earlier. Make it a point to not read signs in a Harbor Freight. Just look at the items and their prices or coupons.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Harbor Freight had their HUGE PARKING LOT SALE two or three weeks ago.

What was their price on the Huge Parking Lot? Stop reading that ****; Harbor Freight will say anything to lure a prospector.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

What was their price on the Huge Parking Lot? Stop reading that ****; Harbor Freight will say anything to lure a prospector.

I'm a prospecting tool snob. It's only Fred C Dobbs brand for me.

 

[Retroman]

The gf actually told me about it as she drove by. She said it had some banner. I will ask

You better marry her, she actually alerted you to a tool sale!!

 

[fordkid88]

There are no stores closing at this time.

 

[Vortaku]

Drove by earlier today. It is the banner that says everything must go. So I guess nothing special. Sorry for not being aware.

Atleast she was watching out for me!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[kythri]

Stop in to the store. Have www.hfqpdb.com loaded up on your phone. Buy some nitrile gloves for 20% off.

 

[Aaron_W]

Harbor Freight had their HUGE PARKING LOT SALE two or three weeks ago.

I've gone in a few times when they have these "parking lot" sales.

Weird thing is they never seem to have anything outside (and silly me the parking lot is where I would expect a parking lot sale to be held) and they certainly aren't selling the parking lot.

They have some decent stuff, but truth in advertising is not a strong suit for the company. At times they remind me of one of those companies that thrive on their image of being slightly shady.

 

[ex-x-fire]

I'm a prospecting tool snob. It's only Fred C Dobbs brand for me.

Did you ever have a fool's gold moment of tools?

 

[yrly]

Total Liquidation and Everything Must Go sales are run of the mill. It’s actually illegal to run these in our state, I’m surprised they haven’t been fined.

 

[JKeetonKnives]

I'm a big fan of their Baur Porta-Band

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I'm a big fan of their Baur Porta-Band

The first step in the treatment is to acknowledge the problem.. Wish You the Best of Luck on the Road to Recovery

 

[hasco]

I just saw a New HF store arriving in my city at a Closed Freds store. I would say the chain is fairly healthy although the latest monthly catalog that was mailed to me was half the size of months past.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

Did you ever have a fool's gold moment of tools?

I'll never again trust a guy wearing a gold hat. Never.

 

[jgromada]

i agree with the others. If you have a smart phone with you look up the prices online and always keep in mind that a lot of the stuff you can use a 20% off coupon.

But HF advertising is always dire, tool liquidation sale for instance means absolutely nothing out of the ordinary is happening