Wait...HF hand tools are lifetime warranty??

[bmwpower]

Didn't know that....

 

[Joe B.]

If you survive the accident, you get a replacement tool.

 

[LGMechanical]

Up here we have Princess Auto. It's identical to HF. They have a "no sale is final until you're satisfied" policy and I love it. Not the best tools, but hands down the best warranty.

 

[Merkava_4]

I couldn't stand to keep them for 5 minutes ... let alone a lifetime.

 

[rsanter]

what do they concider 'lifetime'
we recently had a discussion that 'life' in prision was 33 years

so what is chineeeesse tool years come up to?

bob

 

[Blacknwhitepit]

They always have been very good to me when I returned broken items...

Even when I broke their 1/2" drive Torque wrench when I was using it as a breaker bar to remove a Hub. They gave me a brand new one!

Disclaimer: Before I get flamed, I say this... It was shot as a torque wrench and was an emergency situation when I was away from my tools.

-BWP

 

[cwstevens92]

They replaced an extension for me that i busted with my impact, no questions asked. I never have a problem with any of their stuff other than c-clamps, squeeze claps and vise grips

 

[The Muffin Man]

They always have been very good to me when I returned broken items...

Same for me as well. I have never been denied warranty or even questioned for that matter .

 

[Snappy]

How many trips will be made back to Horror Freight in the tool's lifetime ?

 

[Hiball]

Same for me as well. I have never been denied warranty or even questioned for that matter .

I buy knicknacks from them but generally stay away from there tools, Dunno they might be ok but there just not for me. Regardless i had some stuff that i had bought on sale and was gonna give to my little cousins etc for christmas. Well at the last minute i changed my mind and bought them all a small Craftsman set. (Whew!!) So i take my reciept back in along with all the tools and ask for a refund and i notice the guy is just re-ringing the items in the bag and they are ringing up at full price. So when he is done he is like "Ok i owe you $57" Im like dude i only spent $32, He's like "Well thats what they rung up as" So for the second time i try to explain to him Hey.. I bought them on sale, Look at the reciept... He looks at the reciept then the computer and says "I owe you $57 dollars" Literally i did everything but take the extra money, throw it on the floor and run out the door. Sad thing was there was manager right next to him who had to put his special key in the drawer to authorize the refund. LOL Im fairly sure you could buy something at walmart and get it warranted at HF.

 

[oldtools]

How many trips will be made back to Horror Freight in the tool's lifetime ?

If you don't abuse it, probably never.

 

[Bull]

Some people seem not to have read the thread on here in which members share which HF tools work well and which break easily or are just ****. Plenty of HF items have given people years of service in rough environments without breaking.

 

[cwstevens92]

90% of the stuff i have in my box that i use on big rig trucks and trailers is from HF(and that stuff takes a beating everyday), I've broken one thing (a non-impact extension which i broke with an impact), they replaced in no questions asked. So how many trips do i make to HF, I only go now when i get a good coupon or two, when i need to spend a few more dollars before tax time or when i just wanna get some new stuff. My Box in my home shop is a different story, its a Snap-On box with at least 30K worth of tools in it, but they don't take near the aduse the HF stuff I have at work takes.
Ok, before i run off too much I'll tell ya this...I got a 3/8 air drill from HF about 10yrs ago for little to nothing. Last week it locked up on me and was DONE. I got a new drill off the Snap-On truck to replace it. Why you ask, I figure that HF drill lasting that long allowed me to save enough to buy the snap-on

 

[oldtools]

what do they concider 'lifetime'
we recently had a discussion that 'life' in prision was 33 years

so what is chineeeesse tool years come up to?

bob

That's American lifetime prison (it's a joke). Chinese lifetime prison means you rotted in prison until you die or until they chop your head off.

 

[Blacknwhitepit]

Sigh... Even I admit I do buy things at HF... I was there today... The issue for me is just having to return a broken tool (The driving distance)... It is easier for me to get to the Snap on guy or Sears.

I'm glad this thread came up actually, because I forgot that I needed to return a broken 1/2 drive breaker bar (Yes, I broke it).

I gotta give them their due.....They do have the best return policy I have ever seen in any retail store.

-BWP

 

[G-Tech]

If you survive the accident, you get a replacement tool.

Now, that;s hillarious!!!

 

[Zrexxer]

For one example, I've had a few truck brand Compothane deadblow mallets that cost arm+leg and eventually every one of them deteriorates and just crumble into pieces. The HF mallets can be had on sale for anywhere from 1.99 to 5.99, and I figured what the heck, they have a lifetime warranty anyway, what's to lose... Well, as it turns out... I've never had a HF mallet go bad, so I can't say whether their warranty is any good or not.

There aren't many hand tools at HF that I consider a serious contender, but these have outperformed anything else I've used... and still carry a lifetime warranty, in case I need a new $3.99 mallet.

 

[tcianci]

I bought their pneumatic actuated compessor drain kit and it crapped out in a month. They gave me a new one, no questions asked. The new one crapped out in about 5 minutes. It's still sitting on my desk here in the garage. My plan is to wait till scrap value for brass is up there again, the thing weighs 3/4 of a pound and might be worth more than I paid for it

 

[e-tek]

Princess Auto, like I'm sure Harbour Freight, fills a niche. So-so tools, great prices, incredible return policy. They'll be around forever.

 

[Stick Figure]

i've never actually bought a wrench, socket, or any hand tools other than some long needle nose that are used for some light duty work, but honestly the look of the sockets and such are getting much better. I'm not saying i would mistake them for snap on, but i might have trouble picking them out of crowd of some of the other brands. Compare ....

http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_00915390000P?keyword=swivel+impact+socket

for $299


to

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95038

for $19.99

Obviously the material can be vastly different, but in the past it has been easy to see how cheap some of the cheap knock offs are.... it is getting much harder to see a $280 difference.

 

[cwstevens92]

i've never actually bought a wrench, socket, or any hand tools other than some long needle nose that are used for some light duty work, but honestly the look of the sockets and such are getting much better. I'm not saying i would mistake them for snap on, but i might have trouble picking them out of crowd of some of the other brands. Compare ....

http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_00915390000P?keyword=swivel+impact+socket

for $299


to

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95038

for $19.99

Obviously the material can be vastly different, but in the past it has been easy to see how cheap some of the cheap knock offs are.... it is getting much harder to see a $280 difference.

I've got this set in standard. They are great on ratchet or on impact 0 problems!

 

[autoace]

I have bought alot of non-mechanic tools at Harbor Freight. I do MINIMAL carpentry type work. For the non-pro carpenter/tile installer,etc......their tools are just right. I won't pay mega bucks for a tool I will use 2 or 3 times in a couple of decades.

An autobody budy of mine, has alot of orange HF grinders, they were 19.99 each, he says they have each given him years of day in, day out service, LOL..................

Harbor freight has its place, TOO BAD THE OTHER TOOL COMPANIES ARE TRYING TO BE LIKE THEM THOUGH It is ruining the tier system.

 

[Merkava_4]

An autobody budy of mine, has alot of orange HF grinders, they were 19.99 each, he says they have each given him years of day in, day out service, LOL..................

A classmate of mine in welding class back in 2000 was bringing those grinders to class; they were only $19.99 even back then. How long did they last? 20 minutes!! After the 3rd one, he finally gave up and bought a DeWalt.

 

[BackTracker]

Hmmmm I wonder if they take broken tools by mail?

 

[nissan_crawler]

A classmate of mine in welding class back in 2000 was bringing those grinders to class; they were only $19.99 even back then. How long did they last? 20 minutes!! After the 3rd one, he finally gave up and bought a DeWalt.

I haven't had luck with the hf ones either, but my dewalt ***** ***, also.

My 7 amp Milwaukee runs laps around my 8.5 amp Dewalt, and the dewalt sounds like it's crushing gravel. I bought the Milwaukee as a backup/wire wheel grinder, and within 5 minutes of opening the box, it got promoted to grinding duty, and the Dewalt was sentenced to life with a wire wheel. After 3-4 years of homeowner use, the Dewalt is already reaching it's life limit, I'm afraid.

I'm also not nice on grinders, but still.

HF is great on returns, way better than any other place. I went in to buy a new 6' 20 lb digging bar, as I was being a tard and using it as a prybar when I shouldn't have, and bent it. A manager happened to catch me and ask what I was looking for, and I told him I was looking for another one as I had bent mine being a *******. "Bring it in, we'll just swap you out." "umm ok, but it really wasn't the tools' fault." "no matter, bring yours in."

sho'nuff, 30 minutes later I had a free new digging bar. I also had a broken socket that may or may not have been HF. (Again, ******* syndrome. I was trying to get a bolt loose on the trailer, finally had a breaker bar and cheater pipe and was giving her hell when the socket blew up. In hindsight, I looked behind and found out that when welding the nut to the trailer frame, some genius zapped the bolt and welded that to the nut.)

He said "well, it sure could be one of our old ones", walked off and came back with a full socket set. "Umm, I only have one." "This is how they come." Holy ****. "I'll just buy the set." "Nope, it's warranty."

Alrighty then. Two things they had no need to warranty, and I can't get sears to warranty true defects half the time. Guess who gets business first on stuff that will be foreign either way?

 

[Danglerb]

I bought their pneumatic actuated compessor drain kit and it crapped out in a month. They gave me a new one, no questions asked. The new one crapped out in about 5 minutes. It's still sitting on my desk here in the garage. My plan is to wait till scrap value for brass is up there again, the thing weighs 3/4 of a pound and might be worth more than I paid for it

There is a thread here someplace on how to fix those so they work.

You can't replace common sense with brand loyalty. Look a tool over and compare it with other sources before you make up your mind. If its an important tool, a safety issue, or you just don't have time, then feel free to buy the most expensive and hope for the best. Nobody is saying you must buy HF, but that doesn't mean we don't get to laugh when you pay 5 times as much and get nothing better or even not as good.

 

[jamesemery728]

One thing that has been discussed on other HF posts before that is worth repeating is the tools that are made in Taiwan seem to be of better quality than the made in China tools.

 

[tpolley]

i dont understand why they don't have individual sockets. it seems like a waste to open a full socket set and pull one out for warranty, mark the set down 30% and put it in clearance. plus it would be nice to buy just one socket if i loose one or am otherwise unable to warranty.

 

[ZRX61]

They must be doing something right, the boss flys around in a Gulfstream...

 

[Bull]

They must be doing something right, the boss flys around in a Gulfstream...

Who owns HF?

 

[tpolley]

They must be doing something right, the boss flys around in a Gulfstream...

tax him!!!!!

 

[ZRX61]

Who owns HF?

Not sure, but I've seen their corporate aircraft around..

Edit:
Alan Smidt...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbor_Freight

Dave Meckley - President
David Coudert - President
Eric Smidt - President
Bob Glickman - Chief Financial Officer
Bill Reed - Chief Executive Officer

 

[chadster1]

If you don't use it, probably never.

There, I fixed it for ya.

 

[Bull]

There, I fixed it for ya.

Do you say the same about the wonderful SO tools that are sourced from Asia now?

 

[krehmkej]

Many times I have been in the local HF store and have seen the staff exchange all sorts of stuff with no questions asked. Even AA batteries.

 

[rebelram]

My dad and I were talking about this the other day after a trip to HF. HF is clearly after Sears' business! I can't say I blame them, they see an opportunity they are well prepared to do battle. With Sears now offering more and more Craftsman products that are made in china, what's the difference?

I will say this, the employees at HF are way more helpful than the ones I have found at Sears. Now I have no problem with the employees at my local Sears, they are courteous and friendly, but they are really only there for a job. I did meet a new cashier girl at Sears last week though that was asking me questions about the new Craftsman Club rewards program. I told her what I thought of it and she seemed to agree.

Now that being said, I like my USA made Craftsman tools and I like my Taiwan made HF tools. If you know what you are looking for and what works well, then either brand is fine. Also I have never broken a HF tool. Maybe that's because I don't do stupid things with them and I use them properly. Maybe that's why I don't break many tools in general!

 

[autoace]

Do you say the same about the wonderful SO tools that are sourced from Asia now?

No kidding, the Blue Point stuff is a parallel HF comparison, but for more money.

 

[Bull]

That list of the owners of HF reads like a bunch of white dudes. If the owners are Americans, then there is even less reason to hate HF. Americans set up a business with excellent customer service and products that offer a value to the customer while employing Americans across the country. Sounds pretty good.

Now, that being said, I would MUCH prefer if we kept our manufacturing base here, but there are so many factors against that it's unlikely to occur.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

That list of the owners of HF reads like a bunch of white dudes. If the owners are Americans, then there is even less reason to hate HF. Americans set up a business with excellent customer service and products that offer a value to the customer while employing Americans across the country. Sounds pretty good.

Now, that being said, I would MUCH prefer if we kept our manufacturing base here, but there are so many factors against that it's unlikely to occur.

Moving manufacturing back to the western world is the first step in preventing China from becoming the super power it could well be. Personally, i think we need to decimate the country..

 

[Mr.Nutcase]

hf... ha ha really....they lack alot of stuff I need........