Why buy Harbor Freight?

[BirdMobile]

OK, we've got the "Why buy Snap On?" thread fermenting along nicely on page 1... unless it's locked it will probably stay on page 1-2 for the next few weeks.

Why buy Harbor Freight then?

Horror Freight. Harbor Fright. The stinky rubber store. That Chinese junk store. Whatever you call it, people here either love it or hate it.

I personally do both, I hate the place for selling so much sheer ****, and I love them for having a few "jewels in the rough" - truly great tools at prices that seem almost like they're giving them away. I also find that HF is selling some stuff that is just plain innovative... thin profile double-head long ratchets that have no equal, composite ratchets that work great and feel good to use in the cold. Stubby roto-head ratchets when many manufacturers haven't even figured out what a great design a NORMAL roto is! A lot of their stuff is gimmicky, but some of it is just plain useful and unique.

So, why do YOU buy HF stuff? C'mon... admit it... we've all done it in secret at some point or another!

 

[Exceller8]

I think people are too caught up in the name when it comes to HF. About 20% of their products are usable tools and the rest of their stuff is either way below par of just total junk. I've had great luck with ratchets, impact sockets, large wrenches, and ratcheting wrenches from Taiwan. Tie down straps and zip ties totally ****!!! HF is hit and miss for sure.

 

[Cruzingoose]

My primary store for tools. I admit, I'm working on small scooters, motorcycles and atvs as well a home handy man stuff. But in over 20 years, Ive never had a HF tool item fail because of quality issues. My first motorcycle lift survived the fire and total desctuction of my previous shop and home. Although the table was warped, the hydraulics worked perfectly. After the fire I dug around and picked up all my hand tools and after acid dipping to remove rust and wire brushing others, I'm still using them. The nice cheap electric tools work fine for all but the heaviest ham-fisted operator. If you beat the snot out of your tools, HF may not be the place to go. Buy S&R or Snap or others if you want a no question exchange or replacement. If you want a decent tool for a disposable price you can't beat HF.

 

[Exceller8]

My primary store for tools. I admit, I'm working on small scooters, motorcycles and atvs as well a home handy man stuff. But in over 20 years, Ive never had a HF tool item fail because of quality issues. My first motorcycle lift survived the fire and total desctuction of my previous shop and home. Although the table was warped, the hydraulics worked perfectly. After the fire I dug around and picked up all my hand tools and after acid dipping to remove rust and wire brushing others, I'm still using them. The nice cheap electric tools work fine for all but the heaviest ham-fisted operator. If you beat the snot out of your tools, HF may not be the place to go. Buy S&R or Snap or others if you want a no question exchange or replacement. If you want a decent tool for a disposable price you can't beat HF.

Have you used the wrenches from India? I'm sure they'll work but for some reason I just can't buy any of them because they look like total ****!

 

[General Geoff]

HF is the gateway drug to tool addiction.

 

[zkling]

One word? What drives the world? MONEY!!!

Or in this case the lack there of. Price, convenience, price. I honestly don't think I have purchased 5, if that, items from the HF store total. The 24" Breaker bar stands out as one. Even my 44" box I bought used from someone. For the weekend warrior, one can get alot of tools and alot done by shopping at HF. For the more serious home person or the pros, it's probably better in the long run to be a bit more selective.

Their slip joint pliers absolutely BLOW. After crushing a friends pair numerous times I finally took him a pair of craftsman slip joints. Much better. It's a neat store to browse in and they do have a number of high value items (impact, impact sockets, breaker bars, red tool storage, etc). But they also have quite a bit of one or two time use items as well IMHO.

 

[PureLeaf]

Harbor freight has a lot of cheap job specific tools for DIYers likely to only need them once or twice.

 

[Notorious BRT]

I've had good luck with HF log chains as well.

 

[PugetDude]

Price
500+ retail stores
No waiting for a tool truck
Better long-term prospects than Sears
Always a 20% off coupon floating around.
Good selection
Price/Quality balance
And last, but not least, that funky Asian sweatshop chemical smell...

 

[PureLeaf]

My friend works in their HR department. Told me every once in a while they take them down to the R&D department. She said never buy any of our electric tools, because of the catastrophic meltdowns and failures she'd seen, but she said that a lot of the hand tools, and tool storage were of decent quality. This just coming from someone who doesn't know tools but works there.

Seems to be generally verified amongst reviews on GJ I've seen across a range of HF tools.

 

[Virgil Cain]

HF really has three types of tools:

1.) Gems that are solid and worth way more than the price asked.

2.) Tools that are useable but aren't built to last very long.

3.) Tools that are complete junk that you're unlike to get even one good use out of.

I have several tools in the first category that I particularly like because of the fantastic value they represent. My Earthquake impact wrenches fall into that category.

I have bought several tools from the second category when it is a specialized tool that I'm unlikely to need to use more than once or twice in a lifetime and the price is very favorable.

The third category I try to stay away from.

The trick to shopping at Harbor Freight is knowing what you're looking for (a long term tool or a couple of uses tool) and then figuring out what category the Harbor Freight offering falls into.

 

[stikman56]

And don't forget "Bottom of the harbor" freight.
A few great tools for little money; US General tool boxes, impact sockets, 1/2" extendable ratchet, dead blow hammers, diagonal cutters, and more I can't think of right now.

 

[Fedwrench]

These why buy (fill in the blank) brand tools? serve no meaningful purpose.

The bottom line is that we buy whatever brand we do because we can!!!

No one holds a gun to your head and says you can only buy brand x tools.

You also shouldn't feel so insecure about the tools you buy that, you look to other people to make you feel better about your selection.

The only thing to remember is that if you don't like another person's favorite brand, it doesn't make their choice wrong.

You guys should write threads about specific tools, their use, and why they're the best thing since sliced bread. I don't know of anyone that only uses one brand of anything.

It's the tool that matters, not the brand, not where it's made but, how the tool serves you that matters.

 

[spoon671]

^^Well said!

Sub'd.

So, when I was young, yeah I bought at Harbor Freight. Of course that was only up until I met the Snap-On and Matco guys, right? But I remember back then, the journeymen would always encourage me to buy Craftsman; I was never encouraged to buy HF stuff. But I still did when I was in a pinch, or just simply couldn't afford anything else.

I broke a couple HF ratchets along the way, split a socket, and twisted the square off both an adapter and a socket extension. I always thought that "tools just break I guess", that is until I gained experience with Craftsman, Snap-On, and Hazet.

Now that I can afford quality tools, I won't buy Harbor Freight. But I also will never **** on the guy who does buy Harbor Freight, because I've been there before.

 

[ATC]

Like most have said, 80% of the stuff in their store is pure ****! I go there for the other 20%.
I like money, and the more I have in my wallet means the more I can spend on my other hobbies.

I like to grab their vise-grips when they drop to $3. They are perfect for when you have to weld on them for a specific task...or to use to hold something while you weld/torch because you don't care if you get slag on them. Same goes for their C-clamps.

Funnels? Yup, $0.89 for 5!
3" Swivel casters for $2? You bet! I've got them under my shop press, my stool, my welding cart, and a filing cabinet.
Pittsburg Pro sockets & ratchets are GTG with a lifetime warranty to boot (I own a couple ratchets and only one set of impacts)

I even bought the $19 spot sand blaster last weekend for a painting project coming up. Works great so far...I just wish my compressor could keep up!

Add a 25% coupon and a free flashlight/tape measurer/tarp/multimeter/scissors/moving blanket/etc...and it's even better.

 

[KinzeMech]

Buying at Harbor Freight is a good way to practice your tool buying judgement. It runs the full range from outstanding bargains on great tools, to absolute garbage. I've had a few purchases there turn out to be among my favorite tools, and I've had a few I would have returned, but honestly it was easier to just throw it in the trash can, and the cost I paid for the tool was worth less than the value of my time to drive back to the store and recover that cost via a product return. A few other tools lasted long enough for me to save money to replace them with higher quality choices.

It will teach you not to paint with so broad of a brush. Not all snap on is golden, and not all harbor freight is rubbish. Turn a critical eye to each individual item, and asses that one thing on it's quality or lack thereof, rather than stereotyping the entire store.

Besides, some things are just impossible to screw up, no matter how cheap. Like hammers. It's a hunk of steel on the end of a stick. Even China can't get this wrong.

 

[erty67]

I have a few questions.


Why buy Sears?
Why buy Home Depot?
Why buy Lowes?
Why buy Walmart?
Why buy Mac?
Why buy SK?
Why buy Cornwell?
Why buy Matco?
Why buy Williams?
Why buy Proto?
Why buy Menard's?
Why buy used?
Why buy at all?

Seriously, don't we beat Harbor Freight enough on this forum??? In all seriousness, I buy from Harbor Freight the same reason I buy from all the big box stores. They're close buy, priced fair for a DIYer, and have a decent warranty should I break something.

 

[Squankum]

The secret ingredient is Taiwan. Taiwan, a non-communist island off the coast of China, not considered part of China as we know it (depending on who you ask which century), is making fantastic stuff at ridiculous prices.

The extendy-handle 1/2" dr. ratchet is one example, and the composite ratchets. Just look for ... the Taiwan label... when you're at HF (most Pittsburgh Pro?) and you're probably in the sweet spot on quality/price.

Mainland China is catching on with the quality thing. 50 years ago, "Made in Taiwan" meant horrendous junk. A few decades before that, "Made in Japan" meant horrendous junk.

 

[creativecars]

Why not?

As an adult I am a good consumer and choose my tools wisely.
After 10 years I still have my 9.99 grinder... I is rough, had to patch up and change the cord through out the years, but it keeps going.

Don't buy the line wrenches... A high stress tool like line wrenches need good quality. I ordered my SK's from Epstein Tools. (Yeah, SK days) Didn't feel the 500 from SO was worth the difference.

Yep, some are junk and not worth taking home. There are many threads on here that list the ones worth having.

As many have said many of the tools there will get the job done, some better than others. Look at the reviews... with a grain of salt... remember some people are just stupid.

Be a good consumer, It's your money.

 

[trpearcy]

You know, it seems to me that on this forum Snap On is becoming the underdog.
If anyone asked a question about a Snap On tool, everyone says "Buy Harbor Freight",
and if anyone asks a question about a tool box, heaven forbid they don't already know to buy a HF44 incher, they're going to be barraged for 2-3 pages of why HF tool boxes are better then everything else.
This should be called the Harbor Freight fan club forum.....

 

[Dust Devil]

I think the more important question is................. "Why post stupid threads?"

 

[slickstysix]

I never buy anything with a cord from HF. stuff like blasting media, sanding belts and the like are good and hand tools are hit or miss. If it has moving parts - miss.

 

[KingCobra98]

Harbor Freight has there place.

For a guy like me who doesn't wrench everyday, they have some tools that work good enough. I have been using there jack stands along with my hein werner 3 ton. I have used my snap on and Ir impacts with my HF impact sockets.

I dont think I would use there air tools or there battery/electric stuff. I do have there portable band saw, that works good but so damn noisy. I have there 1.5T jack, it works for small stuff and nice and light to get around.

they serve there purpose, just like the dollar stores you see or the other other cheap stores you see for different product.

What always cracks me up is, I see guys spending thousands on "usa made" tools but when it comes to buying stuff to fix there cars,trucks or house they cheap out with the china made **** that dont last...lol

 

[AnthonyJ124]

Everyone that's posted has great points. I'm a middle ground consumer and hobbyist. I'm not tearing cars down and building houses daily, so I don't need a million dollar tool collection. I buy things from harbor freight that either serve a few use purpose or I know I'll beat up. Impact sockets, prybars and other silly little things. I even just bought a 21 gallon compressor- it's small, works well for my limited uses and if it dies in a few years, I'll upgrade then. I have the 6 drawer US General tool cart too, it's built well, and for the money- it's way nicer than the beat up matco one I had prior. When buying HF stuff, I typically read the reviews and try to find some GJ references/users before buying.

That said, I do have a few name brand tools that I covet, mainly ratchets and wrenches- things I know I'm going to use a lot and want to be more precision and to last.

Harbor Freight, because it's convenient and cheap!

 

[Wakefield]

I have a few questions.


Why buy Sears?
Why buy Home Depot?
Why buy Lowes?
Why buy Walmart?
Why buy Mac?
Why buy SK?
Why buy Cornwell?
Why buy Matco?
Why buy Williams?
Why buy Proto?
Why buy Menard's?
Why buy used?
Why buy at all?

Seriously, don't we beat Harbor Freight enough on this forum??? In all seriousness, I buy from Harbor Freight the same reason I buy from all the big box stores. They're close buy, priced fair for a DIYer, and have a decent warranty should I break something.

Northern!

 

[that-guy]

I have bought a lot of things from Harbor Freight. a few wrench sets, screw driver sets, ratchets, hammers, even their 6x48 belt sander, and I can't say I have a major complaint about any one of them. I put all of my tools through a pretty good amount of abuse, and none have made me want to severely bash the brand

only thing I have broken so far is a file, and it was my own stupid fault. however after breaking it, I noticed the extremely inferior casting that went into making it, so I know why it broke

 

[Wakefield]

When there are reasons to buy "xyz" it doesn't mean that I can't buy "jvb" sometimes also.
Variety spices up sometimes. Although I have learned to shy away from "Made in China" personally when it comes to tools.

 

[ScottsGT]

Why? Plain and simple. To save money. I carefully watch out for the **** they sell. But can I afford Metric and SAE 1/2" shallow and deep impacts in Snap On or Grey Pneumatic for the once or twice a year I might use them? No. Do I make a living with my tools? No, but I do save a LOT of money doing my own car repairs.
I'd love to have a full blown Snap On collection. But it's not going to happen. I live on a budget, a tight budget!

 

[Tronyadorable]

I have a couple businesses so I can get pretty much anything wholesale.I just don't bother with brick and mortar too often.
I don't even pay retail for groceries or liquor ;-)

 

[kazlx]

You know, it seems to me that on this forum Snap On is becoming the underdog.
If anyone asked a question about a Snap On tool, everyone says "Buy Harbor Freight",
and if anyone asks a question about a tool box, heaven forbid they don't already know to buy a HF44 incher, they're going to be barraged for 2-3 pages of why HF tool boxes are better then everything else.
This should be called the Harbor Freight fan club forum.....

When I was planning out stuff for my garage, I literally drove around to every place I could think of (I live in SoCal, so stores are close enough) to look at boxes. I went to Sears, Lowes, HD, HF, you name it. I also looked heavily online at things like Snap-On, Matco, etc, new and used on CL. The best deal, by far, was the HF44 boxes. They definitely aren't as nice as a truck box, but I will 100% say they are nicer than the big box stores. Craftsman is literally **** now. It had been a while since I looked at boxes, but the Craftsman ones are a joke (the whole store by me is a joke now, but that's a different thread). The HF boxes were nicer than anything I saw that didn't cost $5K. I bought two 44s out the door for $800 and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I don't mind spending money on tools either....

 

[JAKE-THE-TOOL-MAN]

I don't go to HF much anymore but I typically buy specialty tools since I am now a DIY'er. The price is very affordable for just the occasional use. I upgrade when I can afford to or need to. I wish they would make a roll cab that was deeper, the only thing stopping me from getting one is the drawers are too shallow.

 

[landlord30]

I have bought numerous items over the years from HF. Was only mail order for me until the stores opened up around me. Now one is very close by. I've only had one item **** the bed and that was a pair of slip joint pliers. Someone mentioned them earlier as well.

I bought a hammer drill for $19.99 a little over 10 years ago. It is all plastic and a hideous faded orage color. I figured I'd use it until it burns up. I have used this at times where I drilled so many holes in concrete that it would get too hot to hold.

It is still running great to this day. My Dewalt burned up but this keeps on chugging along.

I love HF!

 

[ganymede]

C'mon... admit it... we've all done it in secret at some point or another!

Nothing. Not even a single loose stock 1/4" screwdriver bit.
Never have, never will.

 

[Conductor562]

I've had good luck with HF log chains as well.

I'm not real high on HF, and I refuse to buy tools there for the most part, but their chains are pretty decent. They're every bit as good as what I can get at HD, TSC, etc, and much cheaper.

With a 20% coupon I got enough chain to last me 20 years or more for like $100. Can't beat that.

 

[JKennedy]

I really hate HF and Chinese tools but the orange dead blows are damn good!!!

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I just walked across my shop and counted at least 60 purchases from Harbor Freight.

Some were cheap enough to try, but failed to meet my intended use.. But, note that four sets of Pittsburg wrenches are in the same junk box as a bunch of newer USA Craftsman RP ratchets and cheapo Stanley screwdrivers. Shockingly, there are also two pair of ProTo water pump pliers that were un-trustable finger pinchers when bought new in 1970, and a SnapOn air ratchet.. If something pisses me off, I do not want it in my tool box..

Harbor Freight impact sockets, jack stands, jacks, load binders, porta powers, die grinders and 3" cut off tool, sandblasting cabinet, roller carts, and a 56" tool chest combo are some of their products that I am satisfied with.

 

[pi_guy]

I have purchased many things at HF. But currently I am replacing items one by one. They have become unreliable. Too many thing fail at wrong moment. Ty wraps are junk along with shrink wrap. New air tools have to spin to start, where my 30 year old ones are fine.
The kicker in the teeth was the first time I used a HF vise it could not press in a bearing that I could press in with a 6" C-clamp and the threads got whacked in the vise it would not open or close normally.
In the 70's Harbor Freight<if my memory serves me> was located in Hingham Ma and they bought damaged freight shipments and resold them, that was when you could get a real deal on good equipment. Now it is massed produced junk with there name on it.
So I am no longer a fan of HF, I might go into look and maybe buy a bag of rags or glass beads with the 20% coupon but not tools that I depend on.

 

[monomach]

Why do people keep making these threads?

They all have the same answer: some products offered by manufacturer X meet the Y quality/price ratio for Z application. Seriously, that goes for every manufacturer.

 

[Parrothead]

Why do I buy Harbor Freight tools? Because they are the best value on the items that work well. Composite ratchet? Good luck beating that (price wise) when you use a 25% off coupon. Same thing with the HF 44" (though no coupon). I liken it to an Escalade vs. a Suburban. If you have a big salary and are an executive, by all means splurge for the Escalade. However if you're the guy living in middle suburbia with a wife and two kids and a normal 9-5er, you're probably not spending your money wisely if you're rolling that Escalade. I guess what it comes down to, I like spending my money wisely and if HF will do the job and last, I'm in. I used to go to Craftsman for that but China is China.