How many free Harbor Freight multimeters & flashlights do you own?

[zakmartin]

I was doing a garage cleanout over the weekend and put all my free Harbor Freight swag in a box. Besides a set of ramps, the only stuff I buy at Harbor Freight are rubber gloves, rags, O-rings, drill bits, nuts and bolts and air tool accessories. Over the past few years, that's amounted to a lot of coupons, including the ones for free multimeters and flashlights.

Here's where I'm at right now:

Multimeters: 14
Flashlights: 11

I'm guessing some of you have a scary number of these things so please share

 

[lametec]

0 of each.

 

[unslow1]

Several. I like the free blue flashlights better. I have a bunch or tape measure and magnetic tray freebies also. I have to drive by there twice a day. Sometimes I stop in just to kill time if I'm running early for work.

 

[cburnscrx]

Multi meters...probably 4 and given 2 or 3 away. Flashlights...0. I've picked up a couple of screwdrivers sets to have around here and there

 

[54FordPanel]

I probably have 10+ of the flashlights, screwdrivers, and tape measures. I turn down the multimeters, they aren't worth it at free.

 

[flht1997]

don't really know. I do throw the multimeters in buddies saddlebags when they are not looking. I use to live about a one minute walk from a HF so I would walk over on saturday morning and get what ever was free.

 

[truckdriver]

Let me count them- none.

 

[cheechi]

I'm running early for work.

I don't understand this concept.

 

[itsvegas]

Clamps - 20ish
Flashlights - 12+ (I have them scattered around the shop/house)
Tarps - 7
Multimeters - 6+
Tapes - 6+
Blue Lights - 8ish

I should really gather all of it and post a picture!

 

[larry_g]

zero
lg
no neat sigline

 

[N2TE]

Purpose??? I 'collect' the HF 1"x25' FREE tape measures strictly as a 'tool' for spreading goodwill amongst my friends and buddies. They're perfect for that. I'll walk up to a friend and say, "Here. For you. Today is your lucky day. You've won a fabulous prize. Enjoy!" and I hand them one of those tape measures. And when I advise the person to try and contain their excitement we both get a good laugh.

It just feels good (at least to me) to do a little something nice for somebody, even if it IS just giving them an imported free tape measure. Hey, it cost me nothing. Maybe that's what they call a random act of kindness. I always grab one when I have occasion to buy something in there. I probably have 8 or 9 of them sitting on the shelf in my workshop. That's my two cents on this subject.
Eddie

 

[Uncle Ben]

My best guess...
flashlights: 12
tape measures: 5
multi meters: 4
scissors: 2
clamps: 2
nylon rope: 1
split leather gloves: 5

 

[RCStocker]

Why spend money on buying many cheap things instead of one good meter? I don't get it.
HF nuts and bolds are so cheap I would not put them in a wagon. Their O rings and other hardware and not of any quality I would use. There is a huge difference in quality. HF does have some good items at great prices. I just don't get why one would buy a lot of ****.

 

[Fordman7795]

Zero. The few times i got a free item (while buying usa stuff from HF, not the china junk they call tools) i threw them in the trash as i walked out

 

[Brownsfan]

That woul the zero. I couldn't go from using my fluke 115 or my Matco automotive true rms to using one of those. My travel meter is a Klein mm2000. Yea it's bigger but I test more things in what I do than the HF would do. So for me even for free it's useless to me. Not being a tool snob just stating the facts.

 

[bwringer]

I've given away several HF meters to meterless friends and family.

Currently, there are about four on my freebie pile ready for distribution. Despite the sniffing of the snobs, they work just fine for basic stuff. If someone's having trouble with the electrics on their motorcycle, it can save a lot of time if I can just call them and tell them to put the meter is a certain position and poke the positive terminal of the battery with the red stick, and the negative terminal with the black one.


There are at least ten of the free flashlights floating around -- my wife takes them to work, and they disappear somehow, so I always grab those when I can.

Got a couple of tape measures, but I don't use those very often.

 

[skruft]

One multimeter, which works fine as the one in the kitchen drawer.

 

[rsanter]

I don't buy much there so I always get the flashlight when I do.
The rest of the stuff is junk but the flashlight is a good one and I don't bother to change batteries and don't care if I lose one

Bob

 

[atwageman]

14+ flashlights
8 screwdriver sets

ZERO multimeters. I shred those coupons. It's pointless, but doing my part to keep them out of circulation for free.

 

[upgrading]

A chip brush and freebie for under 50 pennies.
Sounds good to me.

Still building my glove collection. They are nice.
Only 2 multimeters.
4 screwdriver sets.
8 tape measures.
3 clamps.
3 tarps.
5 black flashlights.
Only saw the blue flashlight coupon for Jan 3 and we had snow that day.
3 magnetic parts trays and needing more.
A couple scissors.

 

[Rogue1987]

Scissors are nice, so are the blue lights and tape measures. Multimeter and flashlight and tape measures stashed away where the items A. have a high probability of getting stolen and B. (In the case of the multimeter) low voltage non important stuff only (Checking a car battery, stuff like that).

Never seen a free parts tray coupon!

 

[upgrading]

Never seen a free parts tray coupon!

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3206792&postcount=3603
Last summer they had them.
I should have gotten many more.
Next time, if there is a next time.

 

[zakmartin]

It just feels good (at least to me) to do a little something nice for somebody, even if it IS just giving them an imported free tape measure. Hey, it cost me nothing. Maybe that's what they call a random act of kindness. I always grab one when I have occasion to buy something in there. I probably have 8 or 9 of them sitting on the shelf in my workshop. That's my two cents on this subject.
Eddie

That sounds like a good idea. I have no use for these things, so I'm just going to start handing them out as stocking stuffers. I forgot about the screwdriver sets. I think I have 2 or 3 of those as well.