Anyone Else Admit to Shopping at Harbour Freight?

.....ok, I will admit it, I have several tools from Harbor Freight. My parts washer came from there, my sand blaster X2, several air tools. Actually some of their stuff isn't all that bad. For instance, I have half a dozen trickle chargers I use on the cars and motorcycles around here in the winter months. I paid $4.99 each for them when they are on sale. I also have one that I paid $35 for at a "reputable" tool store. The moral of the story is that they BOTH have worked equally as well for the past 3 years. If you haven't been to a HF store you ought to check one out......

 

all my "one time use only" tools come from HF. All my regularly used tools are namebrand.

 

If HF only offered items that were made in the USA, I would shop there more. They should change the name to "Cheap Sh!!te, Made-In-China"

 

+1

i have sets of sockets standard and metric covering up to 3" all of which cost less than one from Snappie. If I need say 2 5/16 it's there for that one time. If I need it more, I'll buy namebrand that size.

Just don't trust cutters/drills and things which could hurt you.

 

Love the HF for one time use throw away tools.

--Mike

 

Exactly

 

That would be great if they could be counted on to work even once.

 

The WalMart of Home Depot

 

I picked up a set of fuel injector noid lights for $15 last week. I figured for that price, why not? Came with ten different injector lights and a fiber optic extension to see the light from the interior.

I agree with everyone else, non essential items like magnetic part trays ($1.50 each... c'mon) zip ties etc.....

If Sears doesn't have it and it's something I'm not willing to pay Snap-On prices for, off to HF.


Few years ago I was installing a hardwood floor and needed a 12" compound miter saw. HF had their brand unit on sale for less than the cost of renting one for a weekend from Home Depot. I purchased a $150 blade for a $179 saw .
It worked flawlessly for the project and I've loaned it out more times than I can count. Still works like new.

 

Harbor Freight is awesome. They carry all kinds of crap. The little stuff they carry is great. I have bought a few of their tire plug kits. You know the kits you use to plug nail holes in your tires. Those and the grabbers you use to get the nuts you dropped down into the abyss while working on you car. Rubber gloves, work gloves, hand cleaner, shop rags, etcetera, etcetera.

I use places in town like Fastenal, Grainger, or Sears for the important items. But if I need something cheap and fast, Harbor Freight is the spot.

 

For some things, they have great stuff as long as you are careful what you get and how much you use it. I bought a bench top Mill/Lathe about 7 years ago for $500. I use it all the time (almost everyday for my home business) and it still keeps trucking. They are good about returning things as well. For my wrenches and sockets, I use snap-on. I also use some Craftsman stuff as well. Happy shopping!

 

Good for clip on visor lights and one time use tools, you know the kind that take off skin when they fail....

 

I have purchased a lot of stuff from HF over the years. As others have said, ya just gotta be careful
and orient your expectations accordingly. I do technical trainings on a regular basis for audio/video
technicians and I'll buy 50 or 60 Cen-Tek multi-meter testers at HF and I give them out at my
trainings to the techs - I tell them 'use this one in the attic or the crawl space - if you leave it
behind by accident, it's not like you left your Fluke 23 that you HAVE to go back and get! The
accuracy is perfect, they have all the required test ranges, and I buy them for THREE BUCKS.
My HF 10" bench vise that was $30 years ago still works like new, as do my drop lights, halogen
work lights, and lots of other stuff.

My sockets are ALL Craftsman as are my box wrenches and such, my drills are Bosch and Makita,
and all my other 'gotta be really good' tools are most definitely NOT from HF.

It is what it is.

Jedi

 

I have bought several items from them. Some of the last ones were some electronic calipers. I checked them against some Mitutoyos that cost 10X more and they were identical measurements.

They have a lot of neat gadgets and handy items. I recently got a motorcycle wheel cleaner thingie that makes lubing the chain without a centerstand very easy. It is also nice if you know you are going to grind or heat and bend a wrench for your exact use. You don't feel guilty ruining one as they are so cheap.

 

I'm lucky: have a HF within 1/2 mile. Buy basic stuff there quite often. Will probably also buy blast cabinet from them.... not exactly a hi-tech item.

 

Most Snap On stuff is now made in China, the same with Mac etc. Snap On tools are not what they used to be, they can replace the tool free many times and still make a profit by making them cheaper and manufacturing them in China

 

I tried three times to get an air compressor shipped to me from HF. No luck, the compressor casing was cracked on each one. I bought some crappy stuff at the local HF, but the scariest was the spring compressor tool. I had to make sure that it was 'aimed' at non-important objects the whole time I was using it. I kept wondering when it was going to snap and go flying! It did not, but I still don't trust it.
It is like they are selling stuff that the flea market rejects.

BT

 

If they only offered stuff made in the U.S. many people would NOT be shopping there more because the prices would be much higher. Some/much of their stuff is cheap but at least it's cheap in both senses of the word. It's an option that's available. There are plenty of sources for higher quality tools. Having options is good.

 

I think that many people would be totally shocked if they knew just how many of their products are made in China. It always makes me laugh how some companies try to hide this fact with misleading ads.

 

Do you mean with statements something like this on the box of a CD player I recently purchased??

"Designed in the USA. Engineered in Japan."

In reality there is a lot of very high quality stuff made in China but we tend to notice the junky stuff much more often (especially if it breaks). I certainly remember the days when something stamped "Made in Japan" was a joke. Not any more.

 

Admitt to it.....BS...I love that store. A varitable playground of cool stuff. The catalog is cool but the store....OMG. I've spend nearly 2 hours in that place. Of course its crap but its fun....Where else do you get 12" digital calipers for $10, A dial indicator with magnetic mount and rods for $15, a Digital multimeter for $5. I don't need Starrett, and Simpson for the amount of time I'll use it.

 

I bought my impact sockets there. They were a fraction of the price from anywhere else and still work great as a limited use tool. I also bought my parts sink and several other items from them. I would never, ever buy anything my life depended on at Harbor Freight - jack stands, spring compressors, etc...

Scott

 

I'm afraid to go back there!

I was killing time at the store, just looking around. I leaned over to look at something on the bottom shelf. I didn't see it but on the top shelf they had part of a disassembled shelf sticking out. I hit the top of my head on the corner piece. I ended up having to get 5 stiches on my head. The scar is fading away but you can still see the L shape scar on my bald head. I still had some returns I had to do before heading to the ER. I put a napkin over the cut and put my hat on to hold the napkin in place. I drove to the other store, returned the items I needed to return then headed to the ER about an hour later.

 

I love that place. I have a set of 3 ton jack stands I bought from there and they're pretty much flawless. I have a magnetic parts tray and a bunch of other stuff. Seriously, what is going to go wrong with a vise from HF unless you're abusing it? I can kill hours in that place.

RMX

 

Don't get me wrong; I love Harbor Freight as well and own many items from them including a vise. However, I would never buy anything my life depended on from them such as jack stands. I don't trust the quality of the steel or the welds and I'd rather spend an extra $30 and get some from a trusted source. In my opinion they are great for some things, not great for others.

Scott