Harbor Freight

[Joey.Donatelli]

OK, I have done the searching and cant seem to find anything. I need to know what you guys think of the HF stuff. I just moved out of a loft and bought a house now its time to buy some tools for my new 3 car garage and around the house.

I have been wondering around the HF site and i cant believe the prices. Are the tools worth it? The problem is I Have no tools right now and I need and want everything for a fully functional garage. Its pretty hard to justify the cost of other stuff in comparison to HF

Whats the deal?

 

[arkangel06]

All their stuff is **** dont bother with any of it.

You will only be kicking yourself replacing it all in the future!

I say go with Cman for a start and take your time.












I can already feel the heat!

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

OK, I have done the searching and cant seem to find anything.

Gimme a ******' break...

 

[Joey.Donatelli]

Gimme a ******' break...

THANKS FOR THE HELP!!!

 

[arkangel06]

THANKS FOR THE HELP!!!

Its all right you got the advise you needed within the first reply.

 

[Bolster]

We have a HUGE thread here on Harbor Freight, (did you really search?) where people go into incredible detail about what's good and what's bad at HF. It's the HF Pass/Fail thread.

Click here:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27192

 

[GTO]

Check the stickie threads for the HF pass/fail thread.

..and welcome to the site.

 

[Joey.Donatelli]

Thanks Bolster and GTO that is exactly what I was looking for.

 

[bitbycarbug]

What are your plans for your tools? What do you do for fun? What kind of cars/toys do you have(ie race car, show car, cruiser, 4x4, crawler, motorcycyle)? Do you work on your own cars, maintenance, big projects?

I ask because that would dictate what your tool budget should be.

Honestly, Craftsmen starter/mechanic sets(200+ sets) are about the best value. They are cheaper than the truck brands but still good American made quality for working on your house/cars/toys for the average guy. Just watch for sales.

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

Honestly, Craftsmen starter/mechanic sets(200+ sets) are about the best value. They are cheaper than the truck brands but still good American made quality for working on your house/cars/toys for the average guy. Just watch for sales.

EXCEPT for the ratchets that come with the sets. Those "homeowner" ratchets, are junk or loaner tools.

 

[RAYJAY]

Welcome to the site. as for the tool snobs on here , if its not snap-on its **** and to them Hf tools are scrap metal if that.......

As for Hf you get great stuff and some stuff just *****, there quality has and is getting better,
what kind of work are you planing to do ?/
that kinda will tell you the quality of the tools needed.

 

[jamesemery728]

You have to go to the store and actually look at whatever you are thinking of buying. If it looks like **** then it probably is. There are some pluses to their stores, they will take anything back with no hassles. Just save all your receipts. Look for stuff made in Taiwan, it is usually better quality than the China stuff. If you get on their mailing list they will send you the sales flyers each month. Some of the tools in the flyer are on sale with a coupon price and some are just on sale. The tools that are on sale you can use a 20% coupon which you can find on line or in the back of many different magazines. When you are in the stores there are many tools that have a price tag on them that look like they are on sale but if you don't see a regular price on the sticker next to the sale price it is not really on sale. Probably more than anyone ever wanted to know about HF. Just remember the old adage, buyer beware.

 

[Strouty]

Years ago, about 16, my dad bought me a set of pittsburgh sockets. I still have most of them today. They get used, abused, and sometimes I loose them. I don't care about them cause they are so cheap. I also own craftsman and others like snap on. I would buy the socket sets and when the ratchets break go buy some nice ones like armstrong. If you are using them for home use, they would be absolutely fine. Don't listen to all the haters, they are just mad they are putting the snap on kids through college. If you want basic tools buy from sears too, if you have a harbor freight near you buy whatever you like, if it doesn't work for you return it.

 

[Mickey O]

I would avoid Harbor Freight at all costs, much better tools for your money can be found at Sears, eBay, the flea market, craig's list, etc.

 

[Abbott]

I own plenty of stuff from Harbor Freight that works just fine. The place will save you a ton of money and help you get plenty of work done.

 

[Indy_500]

I own plenty of stuff from Harbor Freight that works just fine. The place will save you a ton of money and help you get plenty of work done.

Me too. It really depends on how often you use your tools. I have a box full of HF stuff and i haven't broke a thing. I do use my tools more than once a week. I've broken plenty of Craftsman ratchets though, but i'm not against Craftsman.

If you think you're going to use sockets and ratchets a lot, buy a big Craftsman set, and go buy the pittsburgh professional ratchets at HF. You'd be surprised how nice they are. As for wrenches, go with C-man raised panel. I have HF made in India wrenches and they kinda ****. For pliers, my HF pliers work awesome. Screwdrivers are a personal preference since they aren't the easiest to break for most peoples "work". I have a mix of older C-man, and some tool shop from menards, which aren't really any good but i still use them.

 

[bmrisko]

I own plenty of stuff from Harbor Freight that works just fine. The place will save you a ton of money and help you get plenty of work done.

What he said....

Let's see, my personal "use all the time and worth buying" list:

3 ton heavy duty "big orange" floor jack
6 ton jack stands
Hydraulic rolling stool
Plastic red creeper
Pittsburgh Professional swivel ratchets
Yellow rubber coated work gloves
Drawer liners
US General tool chest & carts
Earthquake impact wrenches and air ratchets
Dead blow hammers
3-in-1 ball joint / u-joint service kit
Goodyear rubber air hose
Unibit 3-piece drill set
Drill press vise
Torque wrenches - yes I checked the torque and they are spot on

Yes, there is some real junk in the store, but there are also some very good buys.

 

[MechanicNamedJohn]

Most all my tools are from HF, I use them everyday with no problems. I could care less if a $200 SnapOn 1/4 ratchet could handle the leverage of 4ft pipe and take the lugs nuts off a Mack truck "of course if it broke when you did that good luck warranty it." If you buy a tool and use it what it was intended for, than you will have no problems with HF; plus you will be able to buy more tools with all the money you save. I love HF, and I'm no longer in denial about it.

 

[Randy_che]

There's another HF review website that can add some additional insight.

http://hfreviews.com

Plenty of good and bad reviews there. Helps sort through the lower quality items.

 

[crewchief888]

What he said....

Let's see, my personal "use all the time and worth buying" list:

3 ton heavy duty "big orange" floor jack
6 ton jack stands
Hydraulic rolling stool
Plastic red creeper
Pittsburgh Professional swivel ratchets
Yellow rubber coated work gloves
Drawer liners
US General tool chest & carts
Earthquake impact wrenches and air ratchets
Dead blow hammers
3-in-1 ball joint / u-joint service kit
Goodyear rubber air hose
Unibit 3-piece drill set
Drill press vise
Torque wrenches - yes I checked the torque and they are spot on

Yes, there is some real junk in the store, but there are also some very good buys.

i'd have to add,
3" air cutoff tool, it's better than some $100 die grinders
HF orange 4 1/2" grinders only paid $9.99 for them
1/2 dr wobble impact sockets holding up to abuse very well

none of these are daily use/professional use tools for me. they're all garage tools, but do get used and abused

 

[i4ni]

Who Farted?