I've tried to like HF, but the ones I've been in must carry different stock than the ones some of the guys here go into, or their expectations are much different than mine. I've bought two of their engine hoists, when I was out of town and needed to load something heavy I found on CL. They've both worked, but both leak oil like crazy. Similarly, I've bought ratchet straps, lifting hardware, etc, but they haven't lasted well. I try to buy lifetime quality stuff, and mostly that's what I own, and the HF stuff has been more in the limited use/disposable category.
I buy nitrile gloves there, to save on shipping costs ordering online. I really looked at the HF44 boxes, but ended up buying Masterforce and SO instead. I'm considering outfitting my garage with HF44's for cabinets, if I don't get stainless ones at Cosco instead at a good sale price. But for tools and for socket organizers and such, I just can't see it. They don't compare to what I already own; the only virtue to them is that they are inexpensive. I've acquired a few HF tools in boxes that I bought used to get stuff I wanted. I haven't ended up keeping any of them; they just weren't worth the space in my boxes for the quality they were. There may be some "sweet spot" tools that HF sells that are a good quality/cost ratio, but I've just not seen them in the times that I've been in. I really looked hard at all their wrench racks and socket organizers a while back when a lot of people recommended them. None were very useful to me, and costs were pretty similar to better ones. Of course, if you use 20% off coupons or parking lot sales, the price would be better.
I can see where their target audience is; someone that doesn't have other tools, wants to get into what he needs inexpensively right now, and doesn't need top quality. I guess I'm just not in that position today. I might have been 40 years ago; at that time I used Sears to meet those needs. Those tools have been discarded and replaced today, I expect if I was doing the same with HF the same pattern would be apparent 30 years from now.
No doubt they are meeting a real niche in the American market, judging by their success. It is good to have a store that has a wide assortment of tools available in one place to shop from. I'd use them to acquire tools I need NOW, if I didn't own them already.
